by Connor Martin ‘13 and Michaela O’Donnell ‘13

Television’s attraction to the drama, relationships and humor in the lives of teenagers at high school has not wavered. Since “Family Ties,” “The Cosby Show,” “Growing Pains,” “Welcome Back Kotter” and “Saved by the Bell” in the 70s, teen life has been a fascinating and popular story line. Today, shows like Fox’s “Glee” and MTV’s “Awkward” are adding extra humor to the lives of adolescents.

Many television shows try to portray high school in an accurate light while still incorporating the story ‒ no matter               how ridiculous ‒ into the characters’ lives. The question is whether or not the audience (teenagers) actually believe what these high school shows try to depict.

“Glee” follows the many different lives of misfits who come together to form a glee club (show choir) at McKinley High School in the small town of Lima, Ohio, under the instruction of Mr. Schuester. Despite their differences, the characters fight together against prejudice, stereotypes and hurtful slushies to the face. Lea Michele’s character, Rachel, is one character in particular who stood out in the first three seasons of the show. Some students who watch the show think it is completely unrealistic, like senior Molly Nickerson. “No one randomly bursts into song like [they do on ‘Glee’] with planned choreography. The bullies and stereotypes are too exaggerated.”

“The characters can be really overdramatic. I get really mad at the TV sometimes,” agreed senior Vivian Nguyen. Other students disagree and believe that the characters are spot on.

“I won’t name any names, but there was a girl in theatre who graduated a couple years ago who resembled Rachel’s personality. She thought she was God’s gift to singing when no one really thought so … plus she was annoying,” said senior Julie Moustafa.

Another popular high school show, “Awkward,” follows the dysfunctional love triangle involving main characters Jenna Hamilton and best friends Matty McKibben and Jake Rosatti. Viewers find themselves asking what they would do in the awkward scenarios Jenna always ends up in.

“On ‘Awkward,’ as Jenna starts to like Matty, she at first is reluctant because she says she doesn’t live up to his standards or his popularity,” said junior Alexis Amaguana. “Some of my friends have mentioned that they like a person but don’t think [a relationship] would work because they think they’re not good enough or they’re not pretty enough.”

What makes these shows popular is their relatability. Both shows tackle real-world problems such as sexuality, relationships, drama and the desire for acceptance from others. These shows dramatically depict the average high school teenager, which presents the opportunity for high-school students to look at people they know as different characters from the TV shows. Because these shows put so much emphasis on each character, people can really imagine their friends in the same situations.

“I love the sarcasm in ‘Awkward.’ I also love how the characters are all so funny and can play off each other really well. And these shows have all these uncomfortable situations that I’ve actually encountered before,” said Nickerson.

Although these shows generalize the rowdy behavior of teens, they focus on each character and what makes them unique, instead of just a stereotypical teenager. By doing so, the shows allow teens to connect to the characters, which helps them find their identities, or even help them shape them into what they want to become. Surprisingly, teens don’t mind the way shows poke fun at their behavior and portrayal of themselves.

“We are teens. Sometimes we just do stupid things,” said Nguyen.