Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson's Creek: How Seven Teen Shows Transformed Television

Thea Glassman's book "Freaks, Geeks, and Dawson's Creek" explores the untold stories of seven revolutionary teen shows that shaped the course of modern television and pop cultural landscape, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, My So-Called Life, Dawson's Creek, Freaks and Geeks, The O.C., Friday Night Lights, and Glee. These shows launched the careers of superstars and took young people seriously, proving that teen TV could be smart, revolutionary, and important.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 29 June 2023
Publisher: Running Press,U.S.

The untold stories of seven revolutionary teen shows ( The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , My So-Called Life , Dawson s Creek , Freaks and Geeks , The O.C. , Friday Night Lights ,and Glee ) that shaped the course of modern television and our pop cultural landscape forever.

The modern television landscape is defined by influential and ambitious shows for and about teenagers. Groundbreaking series like Euphoria, Sex Education, and Pen15 dominate awards season and lead the way when it comes to progressive, diverse, and creative storytelling. So how did we get here from Beverly Hills, 90210? In Freaks, Geeks, and Dawson's Creek, entertainment journalist Thea Glassman takes readers behind the scenes of seven of the most culturally significant series of the last three decades, drawing on dozens of new interviews with showrunners, cast, crew members, and more. These shows not only launched the careers of such superstars as Will Smith, Michael B. Jordan, Claire Danes, and Seth Rogen, but they also took young people seriously, proving that teen TV could be smart, revolutionary, and important—and stay firmly entrenched in pop culture long after it finished airing. And while many critics insist that prestige dramas like The Sopranos and Mad Men paved the way for television, some of the most groundbreaking work was actually happening inside the fictional hallways of high schools across America in teen shows whose impact remains visible on our screens today.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, My So-Called Life, Dawson's Creek, Freaks and Geeks, The O.C., Friday Night Lights, and Glee are seven revolutionary teen shows that have shaped the course of modern television and our pop cultural landscape forever. These shows not only launched the careers of such superstars as Will Smith, Michael B. Jordan, Claire Danes, and Seth Rogen, but they also took young people seriously, proving that teen TV could be smart, revolutionary, and important—and stay firmly entrenched in pop culture long after it finished airing. While many critics insist that prestige dramas like The Sopranos and Mad Men paved the way for television, some of the most groundbreaking work was actually happening inside the fictional hallways of high schools across America in teen shows whose impact remains visible on our screens today.

In Freaks, Geeks, and Dawson's Creek, entertainment journalist Thea Glassman takes readers behind the scenes of seven of the most culturally significant series of the last three decades, drawing on dozens of new interviews with showrunners, cast, crew members, and more. These shows not only launched the careers of such superstars as Will Smith, Michael B. Jordan, Claire Danes, and Seth Rogen, but they also took young people seriously, proving that teen TV could be smart, revolutionary, and important—and stay firmly entrenched in pop culture long after it finished airing. And while many critics insist that prestige dramas like The Sopranos and Mad Men paved the way for television, some of the most groundbreaking work was actually happening inside the fictional hallways of high schools across America in teen shows whose impact remains visible on our screens today.

Weight: 412g
Dimension: 159 x 237 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780762480760