Last week, we told you how winter break will likely shape up for you – that despite all the glorious plans you’ve made, you’ll most likely spend a significant amount of time at home on the couch staring at the TV. But what do you do if you’ve already exhausted the likely suspects of binge-watchable TV: “OITNB,” “Scandal,” “American Horror Story,” etc? Well, maybe you should take a trip back to some “classics” (circa the 1990s/2000s). Here are some suggestions of old-school shows you can binge watch this winter break – some of which star some people you’ll probably recognize.
“Felicity”
Number of Seasons: 4
Original Run: 1998 – 2002
Starring Future Stars: Keri Russell, Scott Foley
Why You Should Watch: Felicity decides to move across the country to attend NYU…following her high school crush, Ben. There, she also meets Noel, who she likes just as much. How many of us have been torn between two guys? Although they probably weren’t as hot as these two. Each season corresponds to Felicity’s four years at college and she deals with a lot of the things each of us wrestles with as we move through those years ourselves – from a life changing haircut to issues with our parents to trying to decide what we want to be when we grow up – with a realness that makes the series totally relatable (aside from the totally awesome NYC apartment she gets to live in).
“My So Called Life”
Number of Seasons: 1
Original Run: 1994-1995
Starring Future Stars: Claire Danes, Jared Leto
Why You Should Watch: He may look a little weird on occasion now, but trust me when I tell you that there is nothing as yummy as Jared Leto back when he played high school hottie Jordan Catalano (who must always be referred to by his full name for reasons unknown to me). Claire Danes’ Angela was completely in love with him – and I understand why. Their on-again/off-again romance is so similar to my own high school relationships that I can almost feel her pain – except none of my high school boyfriends looked like that. Add on a gay best friend, parents going through marital issues, and being torn between old and new friends, and you’ve got yourself a show that packs so much into a single season you’ll feel like you just watched your entire high school experience.
“Dawson’s Creek”
Number of Seasons: 6
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Starring Future Stars: Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams
Why You Should Watch: Just about the time that the original “Beverly Hills, 90210” was starting to get a bit tired, along came Joey, Pacey, Dawson and Jen to give teenage girls something new to talk about. Much the way Felicity was torn between Ben and Noel, our girl Joey had a tough time deciding between her best friend Dawson and HIS best friend Pacey. Then new girl Jen moved to town and shit got real in a way anyone that has a group of friends who date among each other can understand. The longest running show on our list, the middle seasons get a bit blah, but it’s worth it to hang on for the ending – I promise.
“Freaks and Geeks”
Number of Seasons: 1
Original Run: 1999-2000
Starring Future Stars: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel
Why You Should Watch: Set in the 1980s, the drama-comedy centers around a brother (the “geek”) and sister (the “freak”) during their high school years. Not only did this show develop a huge cult following after its cancellation, it marked the beginning of the relationship between Judd Apatow (who was an executive producer and writer on the series) and Franco, Rogen and Segel, which gave us such classics as “Knocked Up,” “Pineapple Express,” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.”
“Undeclared”
Number of Seasons: 1
Original Run: 2001-2002
Starring Future Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Seth Rogen
Why You Should Watch: Another Apatow project, this half hour comedy tackles the things we deal with in our first year of college in a funny yet realistic way, with main characters that perfectly mirror everyone that lived on your floor freshman year. Plus the cameos from today’s famous stars – Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, James Franco, Ben Stiller – in their early careers are priceless.
“Life as We Know It”
Number of Seasons: 1
Original Run: 2004-2005
Starring Future Stars: Kelly Osbourne, Sean Faris
Why You Should Watch: High school hockey star Dino’s life is one big mess – his relationship is rocky, his parents are separated, and his friends are just as screwed as he is. While there are the standard ridiculous plot lines (student has affair with teacher!), the series addresses issues we all experience during our teen years, such as body image and popularity, without being cliché. Plus “Pretty Little Liars” Detective Holbrooke was pretty hot as a teenager..
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Jenna Crowley
Jenna used to be known as 2NOTBrokeGirls, but then one of the girls actually went broke, so she's struck out on her own. Jenna spends her free time saving the world, one sorority girl at a time (usually while wearing yoga pants), questioning why she decided to get a doctorate, and documenting her love of all things cheese related. You can ask her anything you want about football, using your boobs to get what you want, and pizza at @JennaLCrowley on Twitter or via email at JennaLCrowley@gmail.com.
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