is typical of a lot of TV fare about teens -- strange braces aside, life seems a lot simpler for these characters than most teens probably find it. But the show addresses the major issues of adolescence -- freedom and responsibility, the social perils of high school, starting relationships, and so on -- in a nicely straightforward way. The situations are fairly clichéd: Sharon's mother goes out of town, and the kids throw a huge party; Sharon likes a new boy but leaves a message for him on someone else's cell phone; Sharon's best friend has a crush on her English teacher.

And, of course, each episode is punctuated by Sharon's braces acting weird. The show might be better without this device. It does attempt to take on some of the real issues facing teens. But ultimately it's rather lightweight and, well, cartoony. There's nothing wrong with that, but it could use a bit more substance and less silliness.