TEEN+Angst



During the mid 1980s to mid 1990s, there was a large shift toward teen-focused entertainment. As "Teen Angst" became a popular source of commentary, television and film tried to spotlight the intricacies of the teen psyche. While adolescents have enough trouble expressing themselves, it is interesting that these shows and movies were made by the adults seeking to understand them, or were they merely trying to tell their own young adult stories? This decade included arguably one of the most influential writers who focused on the teen experience, John Hughes. Some of his most famous works including, //The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink,// and //Ferris Bueller's Day Off,// debuted during this time period.

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The //Saved by the Bell// clip is representative of a common theme threaded though the "Teen Angst" television genre as it shows the episodic nature seen in several popular shows during this time. The writers of //SBTB, Growing Pains, Blossom,// and other 20-30 minute programs typically wrapped each episode with a perfectly tied moral bow. Likewise, teenagers were defined by the labels created for them, which the adults generating the shows predetermined. For example, usually an episodic program involved a stereotypical jock, brain, beauty queen, slacker, and any other common label defined by our culture.

On the other hand, there were just a couple of serial programs that lasted close to 60 minutes like //My So Called Life////;// these shows created more dramatic situations that carried over from one episode to the next. While there might be issues that are resolved by the end of a serial episode, these shows typically maintained a longer story arc and involved "heavier" content. Perhaps the dense nature of these teen dramas against the backdrop of a saturated market containing lighter comedies resulted in their brevity of existence. However, it's speculated the serial program, //Beverly Hills, 90210,// may have lasted so long because it originated with more episodic characteristics. Either way, it would appear that audiences sought to escape the immensity of the cold war, economic downturn, and other harsh realities of this era by sticking to the moralistic shows providing them with a happy ending.

The movies of this time period also reflected the adolescent stereotypes, yet as seen in //The Breakfast Club// and //Empire Records//, the labels are pushed to their breaking point in order to progress character development. The "heavy" content seems to be embedded beneath overarching comic relief. For instance, in //The Breakfast Club,// Judd Nelson's character, introduced as "the criminal," reveals the abuse he receives at home immediately following a jovial impression of what he thinks Brian's (the brain) home life is like. Yet, with all the laughable moments present in teen angst films, viewers are able to escape their reality while still grappling with real-life issues.

Regardless of the medium, the mid '80s and '90s offered audiences a plethora of ways to interpret the teen experience. The validity of these interpretations is subjective, yet there was obviously a desire to understand this complex stage of life. Viewers had not yet recognized that the very shows they were killing off the air would soon be represented as "reality" television.

__**TEEN ANGST**__: //Growing Pains ('85-'92) // //Saved by the Bell ('87-'94)// //The Wonder Years ('88-'93)// //Hey Dude ('89-'91)// //Blossom ('90-'95)// //Beverly Hills 90210 ('90-'00)// //Salute Your Shorts ('91-'93) // //Clarissa Explains it All ('91-'94)// //Bevis and Butthead ('93-'97)// //Boy Meets World ('93-'00)// //My So Called Life ('94)//
 * TV:**


 * //COMMONALITIES//**
 * Breaking the 4th wall
 * Kitchen talks
 * Using jokes immediately after introducing a heavy comment
 * Moral bow
 * Archetypal characters (best friend, teacher, neighbor, etc.)
 * Laugh track

//The Breakfast Club ('85)// //Ferris Bueller's Day Off ('86)// //Pretty in Pink ('86)// //Some Kind of Wonderful ('87)// //The Lost Boys ('87)// //Mystic Pizza ('88)// //Dead Poet's Society ('89)// //Empire Records ('95)//
 * Movies:**

//The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks// by E. Lockhart //House of Mango Street// by Sandra Cisneros //The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian// by Sherman Alexie //My Most Excellent Year// by Steve Kluger //It's Kind of a Funny Story// by Ned Vizzini //Harry Potter// by J. K. Rowling //Teen Angst...Nahhh// by Ned Vizzini //Speak// by Laurie Halse Anderson //Rules of the Road// by Joan Bauer //Romeo and Juliet// by William Shakespeare //Feathers// by Jacqueline Woodson //Looking Through You// (YA play) by Max Bush //Thirteen Reasons Why// by Jay Asher
 * Literature To Tie In:**