Pilot

A Comic Valentine Courtesy Of MTV: A Smart And Funny Tale Of High School Awkwardness
One of the most pleasant surprises of the television season came courtesy of MTV with the clever comedy "Awkward." In truth, I didn't expect much more than a retread of typical high school cliches served up by super stylized and self-aware characters. Yes, "Awkward" does adhere to many classic elements that we've seen in countless other productions, but here they seem fresh, updated, and quite smart. "Sixteen Candles" and "Heathers" are two high school films with strong female protagonists that I really connected with many years ago. I'd be proud to say that "Awkward" sticks closely to the successful formula of the past and modernizes it for contemporary audiences. Combining the sweet awkwardness (for lack of a better word) of "Sixteen Candles" with the brutal ruthlessness of "Heathers," this show is an expert blend of black comedy, romance, and outright slapstick. And it's terrifically entertaining with savvy and quotable dialogue.

Ashley Rickards plays the central...

Are you BLEEPING kidding me?
While I enjoy the show, I found it highly annoying that, even on the DVD, they BLEEPED OUT even the minor cuss words. The least they could do was give viewers the OPTION of whether or not the version they watched was censored.

R.J. Berger 1.5-"0 "(as opposed to 2.0)
I watched the entire series in one seating. Where R.J. Berger was more laugh out loud in your face funny, Awkward was more subtle in its approach, choosing to build over time. I was also annoyed by the bleeping out of words, though not enough to impact my review.

Jenna (played by Ashley Richards) is faced with numerous "teen challenges" subsequent to kicking the season off with her first sexual encounter and then having everyone think she attempted suicide, as a result of a comedy of errors, including having found a mysterious note with hard core life advice. Without totally recapping the plot, starting her sophomore year with her right arm inverted upwards in a cast and the rumors of her attempted suicide attempt, sets the tone for the year while also getting her "deflowerer" to DTR (AKA define their relationship). She has a hot (albeit enhanced) mom who had her while in her teens, 2-solid friends, an overweight cheerleader as a protagonist and another guy that really...

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