I raised two teenagers in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, and believe I was engaged in their TV viewing as much as any cool soccer mom, however the book Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson’s Creek: How Seven Teen Shows Transformed Television has proven me wrong. Sure, I knew all about the Dawson/Joey/Pacey triangle and the antics of Angela/Ricky/Rayanne from My So-Called Life, BUT I did not realize The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was groundbreaking on so many levels (Will Smith!), AND I shrugged off Friday Night Lights because “it was about football” (spoiler alert – it’s so much more!). Author Thea Glassman has done her research, including interviews with the actors, producers, and writers of seven teen shows with storylines as relevant today as they were 20 years ago. This book will make the millennials wistful for their youth and revisit these seven remarkable shows on DVD or the streaming services, OR, in my case, watch several of these classics for the very first time.
