Why My So-Called Life Was Canceled (& Where It Was Supposed To Go Next)
If teen dramas like "Riverdale" and "Gossip Girl" are glossy versions of a heightened high school experience, "My So-Called Life" is the complete opposite. Both have merits, of course, but The CW has built a brand on saturated teen shows. There is only one "My So-Called Life." Airing for only 19 episodes on ABC from 1994 to 1995, the series catapulted 15-year-old Claire Danes into stardom as Angela Chase and changed teen dramas forever. The genius of the series was that it was a realistic look at current issues facing teens, such as addiction, homelessness, and sexuality. Unfortunately, what made it so relevant to the audience also led to its demise.
"The network was on the fence about the show pretty much the whole time," creator Winnie Holzman told Elle. "They would say was, 'Who is the show for?' Like, 'Is it for adults, is it for teens?' They were puzzled by that. And there's no answer to that except, 'This show is for the people who are falling in love with it.'" ABC was not impressed with the numbers accompanying the freshman season and Holzman was prepared for the worst. Even Danes' future with the series was uncertain as she was on the precipice of a burgeoning career.
"When I was writing that final episode," Holzman went on to say, "my job was to write something that would make me feel good about it if the whole thing was over at this point, or write something that we could come back and explore."
Season 2 would continue relationship drama
At the end of the series, Angela gets what she wants. Or at least what she thinks she wants. After sleeping with her best friend, Jordan (Jared Leto) wins her back with Brian's (Devon Gummersall) assistance. This sets up the thesis of the series that Angela and Jordan are not soulmates.
"Had the show survived," The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg noted, "it absolutely would have had to deal with the fact — this is not an opinion, but a fact — that Angela and Jordan are a garbage couple, which I think the show recognizes. But the first season is all about her working through the idealized fantasy and never, until what ended up being the finale, addressing whether Jordan's being an empty vessel gives him value."
This is more or less acknowledged by Winnie Holzman, who discussed what she foresaw Season 2 becoming. While Angela and Jordan would still be a couple in the sophomore season, it wouldn't be "My So-Called Life" without grinding its heels into perfectly painful realism. Relationships at 15 are awkward, cringe-worthy, and rarely meet our expectations. Though this is the fantasy that Angela has envisioned for herself, it obviously wouldn't be perfect.
"I pictured a situation where Angela and Jordan are an item, Delia and Brian are an item, and Angela and Brian are constantly looking to each other for advice and help with their respective dysfunctional relationships," Holzman explained to Elle.
Everyone's troubles were just beginning
Winnie Holzman's plans for Season 2 of "My So-Called Life" didn't just stop at the romantic drama. In fact, Angela and Jordan were probably getting off easy compared to the rest of the cast. After Rickie (Wilson Cruz) becomes an unhoused teen, he finds safety in living with Mr. Katimski (Jeff Perry). But this would all come crashing down after the community discovered the teacher was gay. Being written in the mid-'90s, this would divide everyone, with some calling for Katimski's dismissal. Also in for a hard time would have been Angela's parents. No marriage is perfect, but it appears Mr. and Mrs. Chase would have been on the chopping block.
"Angela's parents would have split up," Holzman explained, "and I was going to have her mother go into some kind of depression, and Angela would have to take over running the household." Like Jordan's illiteracy and Rickie's homelessness, this is just another tragic real-world occurrence. Angela sees herself as wise beyond her years but would have to confront the fact she is not ready for adulthood. Holzman's plans seem consistent with the themes of the first season and were intent on throwing the characters into darker and uncharted territory. And of course, it isn't a teen series without an unplanned pregnancy.
"And I was going to get Sharon pregnant," Holzman concluded, referring to Devon Odessa's character on the show. "That was a thought, anyway. I mean, obviously none of it was carved in stone, but I think I would have jumped off on some of that stuff."