Hillside

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!

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.

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.

Fifteen was THE premier teen angst show of our generation! I don't know what Gerald was smoking, but Fifteen's candid look at the problems facing today's youth was enlightening and original. It made it possible for Saved by the Bell to deal with pot smoking and Kids Incorporated to eventually tackle teen pregnancy!! Without this show, we would still be watching shows where all they do is play practical jokes on Ms. Bliss. In fact, even 90210 didn't tackle these serious issues until Fifteen forged the path ahead of them. On a personal note, when I had to go to detox when I was 16, the show's episodes on Matt's drinking problems really spoke to me and helped me through that tough time. I realized my friends were just trying to help me. Thank you, Fifteen! I unfortunately have never gotten over my intense crush on Ashley though. As I am getting married later this month, I hope that my passion for her will not be a hindrance in my marriage.

It's been nearly 10 years since I've seen an episode of this but here's what I remember of it. There were a few characters but the main focus of the show was the relationship between Matt (the basketball star with a drinking problem) and Ashley (the princess). Then, in order of importance, there was Dylan (the guitar playing pretty-boy rebel), Brook the snob, then there was some kid who was Dylan's hanger-on, and another one who was Matt's hanger-on. I think there was some other girl in there who was important but not as easily stereotyped. I forget her name. Then this guy named Chris came along who was a bass-playing rebel who was a more evil version of Dylan. Quite a few other characters came and went each season (most vanishing without an explanation). I now will hang my head in shame for accurately remembering as much of that show as I can. This was the kind of show you would watch but dared not admit to anyone you watched. It was stupid, cheesy, but still quite fun to watch. This was a low-budget version of Degrassi Jr High.