Product Description

For the first time ever, all 19 episodes of the critically-acclaimed television show My So-Called Life, starring Claire Danes, are available in one 5 disc DVD box set. Her portrayal of Angela Chase, the angst-ridden, introspective teen earned Clare Danes a Golden Globe. Even today, after being off the air since early 1995, the show has thousands of fans all around the world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28185 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-11-19
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 5
• Running time: 904 minutes

Amazon.com
One of the most acclaimed series on TV during its brief run from 1994-1995, My So-Called Life pioneered the modern teen drama and made a star out of 15-year-old Claire Danes. Ostensibly centering around the trials and tribulations of high schooler Angela Chase, My So-Called Life actually expanded to include everyone in its protagonist's orbit, from school friends to extended family, and gave its stellar ensemble cast ripe material to work with during its too-short life. Produced by thirtysomething creators Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, MSCL evoked that yuppie-friendly show with its emphasis on finding extraordinary drama within ordinary situations, but was far more heartfelt and heart-wrenching, echoing the dizzying highs and lows of adolescence. As such, it developed a cult following among young viewers who identified strongly with Angela's high school traumas and followed her every move with rapt attention. (After cancellation, the show enjoyed a popular reprise on MTV.)

Avoiding the sensational, My So-Called Life tackled every teen hot-button issue imaginable (and pioneered the then-controversial topic of teen homosexuality), but with a clear-eyed perspective, never dissolving into soap opera-–even when Angela mooned over heartthrob Jordan Catalano (dreamy Jared Leto). Even as it mined adolescent angst, though, My So-Called Life never lost sight of its adults, with Bess Armstrong and Tom Irwin both phenomenal as Angela's parents, whose marriage was one of the most complex seen on TV since... well, thirtysomething. Through it all, Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Danes was a neurotic, touching, and funny center, whether obsessing over a zit or negotiating the rocky terrain of first love. Her funny, sobering, and empathetic portrait of teendom reminded us that in some ways, life was just an extended version of high school. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews

A Realistic View of High School
I am so glad I never watched this show when it was first on, because I would have been outraged when it was cancelled. Instead, I caught the marathon on MTV - I watched every episode, back-to-back, and enjoyed every second of every episode. A couple of years later, I got into watching Dawson's Creek and was highly amused by how every single high school character talked like a college scholar. I thought that it was refreshing. But now, looking back at My So-Called Life, I realize that it was so much better than any teen drama today. Angela Chase (wonderfully portrayed by Claire Danes) is like a lot of girls in high school: shy, insecure, and in love with the cutest (and baddest) boy in school. She never used big words, she never tried to be clever or cute. In other words, she is the realistic version of a high school student. She had a wild and crazy best friend, a geeky boy across the street who loved her, caring parents, a sometimes-annoying younger sister, and ultimately the coolest guy in school as her boyfriend. A lot of people thought the Angela/Jordan relationship was a little far-fetched, asking themselves what he would ever see in a girl like her. I thought the idea of their relationship was wonderful, far-fetched or not: it showed young women that they don't have to be easy and dress provocatively to get guys to notice them.

To this day, I'm still amazed that this show was so short-lived. It dealt with serious issues such as drugs, sex, violence, and it dealt with them realistically. I realize now that My So-Called life was the clever one, not Dawson's Creek. This DVD is a must-have for the many die-hard fans the show still has today. One thing is for sure: the show may have been cancelled, but it will never be forgotten.

You'll watch it over and over
The only thing wrong with this series is that it was too short! Leave it to network television to cancel a show as wonderful as MSCL after only 19 episodes. What an outstanding 19 episodes they are, though! MSCL was probably the first primetime show (and perhaps the only) to depict such a realistic view of high school life. Angela Chase was a nice girl from a nice family that had their problems like any other family. She outgrew her childhood best friend & instead chose to hang out with two new eccentric & more exciting friends, Rayanne and Rickie--two of the best characters ever on television. She also had a crush on Jordan, the good-looking, quiet guy, who always looked serious & had somewhat of a bad-boy image. She didn't have a crush on the popular football player like most teenage girls are expected to. This show covered many serious & real issues in it's short run from teenage homosexuality, bullies, teenage sex & guns in school to being betrayed by your best friend & feeling like you can't trust your own parents. It even dealt with the problems in Angela's parents' marriage. The writing & directing in each episode are superb and so is the acting. Nothing is overly dramatic or in-your-face. There are subtle connections & ironies. When the characters explain what they're thinking or feeling, however unpoetic their speeches may be, you know exactly what they mean & that's the way it's supposed to be. I love the fact that they wear the same outfits more than once, that Angela only wears noticeable makeup on special occasions & that the teenagers don't speak like knowing adults & instead say 'like' & stumble and stutter over their words. This is without a doubt one of the best shows that has ever been on TV & it is definitely worth owning on DVD. You'll watch each episode over and over & never regret that you bought the collection!

TV at it's Best!
My So-Called Life is one of those instant classics. A brilliant show, it just came along at the wrong time and was subsequently canned after one season. But that only adds to the legend and in a small way makes the series even more enjoyable on DVD. The writing never got a chance to waiver. There was never really a bad episode. The cast never had to grow up and face "the college years" or even prom. Instead we are left with this one season, this one year of high school, with a brilliant group of characters who are locked forever in youth.

The shows themselves are just great. When you compare this one series, sandwiched between the farce of the early 90s' Beverly Hills 90210 and the junk of the late 90s' Dawson Creek, you see how true, poignant and amazing these 19 hours of teen TV truly are. You also see how Hollywood knows very little about GOOD TV.

This is a classic.

(why did I not give the dvd 5 stars... if you are looking for extras, look somewhere else all you get is the show... in this case that is enough though.)