Hillside

Hi, I was a cameraman on "Fifteen" during it's second season, done in Ottawa at CJOH-TV (Ist season-Vancouver, last 2-Orlando); recently found a cast/crew photo which motivated me to look it up on IMDb. Both 15 and You Can't Do That On Television were produced there at the same time, but never on the same days, so I don't think that was where Ryan and Alanis 1st met, but it's a small world after all. We did the whole season's episodes in a few weeks, cramming several sets, along with cameras, booms, etc. into a relatively small space, circumstances which I think might explain the shortcomings in production value, but I'll argue that the cast often did exemplary work in light of their ages and experience at the time. Ryan and Laura's success is no surprise. Anyway, we did crank them out like sausages, but it was a fun show to work and the kids were great.

Fifteen came out when I was 13, so I was in the target demo. I looked forward to it every week, and then right after would call my friend who also watched it and we'd discuss both how terrible/stupid it was and how we were dying to see what happened next. It was a 30-minute show but we'd talk about each episode for at least an hour.

Out of curiosity, now at age 43, I just watched some of it again, and I have a bit of a different take. It was obviously low-budget and hastily put together - the writing is basic, and the characters are stereotypes. But I do see a lot of good things. For one, the actors were actually the age they were portraying, and the awkwardness was realistic and actually kind of charming. Kids that age are insecure and have trouble striking up conversations and expressing themselves, and that came through clearly. Some of the more seasoned actors (those who played Ashley, Matt, Courtney, Dylan, Arseman and of course Ryan Reynolds who played Billy) actually were pretty talented and got better as the show progressed. And I appreciated that it was about actual everyday issues that teens deal with, basic stuff like homework, family issues, sports, clothes, not fitting in. A lot of higher-budget, slicker and more sensationalist teen dramas like Elite and Euphoria obviously excel at what they do but they're very dark and blatantly unrealistic. "Fifteen" was, at least, trying to meet its audience where it was in an authentic way. And although it's corny at times, it's not overly heavy-handed with moral lessons.

The biggest issue I have in rewatching it is that the kids are overly rude to each other. Almost every conversation seems to end with someone insulting the other and storming off. Most characters seem to be in a never-ending state of joyless worry. But maybe that's realistic; adolescents aren't exactly wellsprings of confidence and happiness.

Overall I think some of the comments here are a little mean and unfair. It was an ambitious project (26 episodes a season??) on a shoestring budget and did the best it could.

FIFTEEN is probably one of the worst shows I ever saw...but it was oh so fun to watch!!!! This 1991 Nickelodeon "teen soap opera" had welfare production values and the worst dialogue ever! But I couldn't help avoiding it! The high school itself had like 10 students in it. The cafeteria had like 3 tables and didn't serve hot lunch, for everyone had to bring it bagged. The lockers never really locked, for they swung back open. Oh..and the locker rooms..it was horribly obvious that that the boys locker room was the same room as the girls...with pink papers on the wall signifying femininity. Did this school have a school board? The characters in the show are so corny and ugly. No one was like friends with each other. They all bitched at each other and all the subplots are centered about what one kid "overheard" about that kid's drinking problem..I could go on and on ..anyway..this show ..which makes "Saved by the Bell" look like Jane Austen..as horrendous to watch as it is...is still a blast to watch because its so deliciously crappy!

Fifteen was one of the coolest shows I watched when I was a little kid . And the plots were just like a teen show you would see on MTV . I totally remember the show , but not the episodes . I wish Nickelodeon would bring this show back with re-runs . Now Nickelodeon has c**p such as Catdog and Spongebob . They're not great as they used to anymore . Please bring back Fifteen , Roundhouse , Welcome Freshmen , and all those shows from the early 90s please !

Okay, the writing wasn't great, and the acting was what you'd expect from middle-schoolers. But the story lines did resonate with kids. The production values were poor and the cast tiny because the show obviously had a very small budget. One or two other reviewers mentioned that the cast were playing people their own age, which I thought was fantastic. (I can't even watch "high schoolers" who are pushing 30; how lame is that?) One thing I did not see mentioned is that I don't believe the show ever had an adult in any scene. (Budget? Not wanting to show up the kid actors? Or brilliant effort to make the show unique?) That was a stroke of genius, and I think it helped the show a great deal. Just as in real life, these kids were working out their problems themselves in their own half-baked way. The comparison with dopey sitcoms like "Saved by the Bell" and overproduced crapola like "Glee" miss the point. This was an attempt to do something on the edge, something that spoke to real people on a level deeper than entertainment. It was a success, and that's why people remember it.