Parents' Guide to

My So-Called Life

By Jill Murphy, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Mature teen angst at its best.

TV TeenNick Drama 1994
My So-Called Life Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 13+

Commonsense- you can do better

Frankly, Commons Sense's review is more offensive that the show ever was. I would rather have kids watch the show than read your review calling an adolescent girl a "tramp" and talking about "homosexuality." I rely on this website to make good decisions about what to watch with the kids. If this is how you describe women and folks who don't identify as straight, I don't know how much I can trust your reviews.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
8 people found this helpful.
age 15+
the only problem is the scenes of implied sex of Angela's parents.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
2 people found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (5):

This show handles standard high school woes with delicate insight. It covers everything from zits, a gun at school, and the cool kid who can't read to censorship in the classroom, best friends' betrayal, a teen boy's struggle to come out, and other situations that run the sexual gamut.

My So-Called Life made TV history by being the first show to include "like" and "ya know" in its teen characters' dialogue. Unfortunate as that may be, it is relatable for the average American high school student -- My So-Called Life is a show that actually speaks their language. Also, the series' topics (and the maturity with which they were handled) put My So-Called Life ahead of its mid-'90s time -- which ultimately may have been part of the reason for its quick demise. But it has rarely left the airwaves since, airing over and over in repeats, a fact that speaks to its lasting quality and ability to deliver both entertainment and conversation for teens and their parents.

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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