Through my internet travels I have recently discovered a new, and by new I mean new to me, teen drama and it's called "Awkward." For those who don't know, Awkward follows the life of a 16 year old girl through high school as she navigates her, and excuse me for saying this, awkward life. And what makes her life "awkward", and the whole basis for the first season, is that it appears as if she tried to commit suicide. And seeing as it is a teen drama it's of course filled with romance, boy troubles, and dealing with high school, which in my experiences isn't that much different than college. But what draws me to it is that it's more realistic. Not in the sense that it lacking in the fantasy department, but in the way that I feel like everything that happening to and around the protagonist is something that could actually happen to someone in real life.
Now don't get me wrong, I love Pretty Little Liars and other teen dramas, but they're just so unrealistic/unlikely to happen (not accounting for the ones that are strictly fantasy dealing with magic, werewolves, vampires, etc). It does have it's moments when it stretches to the realm of "this would never happen in real life and is only happening because it's a show," but they are somehow orchestrated to enhance the realness of it all. They lead to more moments where I'm thinking, "Wow! That could totally happen to someone," or, "Wow! I know someone that did happen to."
For those of you still not convinced my next statement will either turn you off completely or make want to start watching right away. If I had to categorize the show I'd say it's "Degrassi: The Next Generation" meets "Zoey 101" with a hint of Mean Girls. Its real yet funny, serious while true, and dumb but thought provoking. And if you're like me and our just now discovering all the wonderful thing this show has to offer you will be excited to know that is has five seasons and starting at season three they go from 12 episodes a season to 20+ episodes a season.
Now I wouldn't call Awkward the best thing on television or even the best teen drama, but it definitely is a good show and has a lot of things going for it and I think you should give it a try. As of this article I'm only on the beginning of season three and am still loving every bit of it, but who knows where the show will go? Even if season three, four, or five are utter disappointments I enjoyed the first two and that would be enough for me. To have tasted that bittersweet nectar, indulged in it, and fallen out of love with it wouldn't be so bad. After all nothing last forever. Not even those Awkward stages in life that never seem to end.
