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Sign up todayFreaks, Gleeks, and Dawson's Creek
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“If you watched and loved TV in the 90s and early 2000s, you will love this look into how seven shows changed how TV was made. When episodes came out weekly these shows were THE THING everyone talked about, and it's fascinating to read how they influenced each other and the culture. Even if you didn't watch every show Glassman covers, she gives you the broad strokes and defining moments - enough to understand the arc of the show's history without spoiling much, and more than enough to see behind the show-making curtain. A nostalgic and delightful dip. ”
— Tildy • Belmont Books
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“Anyone who grew up watching 90s and early 2000s TV will adore this deep dive into why & how these shows came to be. This is excellent on audio as well - like a great podcast!”
— Suzanna • Oblong Books
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, Gleeks, 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, crewmembers, 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.
Thea Glassman is an entertainment journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Glamour, VICE, and The Hollywood Reporter. Her writing goes behind the scenes of films and television shows, from an insider's look at the making of The Office to a profile on prolific casting director Allison Jones. Glassman lives in Los Angeles and still feels a little bit emotional about The O.C. finale.