Awkward is by far my new favorite show. At first I tried to compare it to every other American teenage melodrama. I described it to be as a cross between My So-Called Life and Daria. The Daria part only lasted for an episode. Yes, she was an outcast like Daria with strong wit, but unlike Daria, she wanted to fit in.
That is what makes Awkward such a strong show. It doesn't have amazing writing, even though it is quite witty and intriguing. It doesn't have amazing acting, even though Ashley Rickards brings out the quirky yet endearing character of Jenna. It doesn't even have a great premise. What Awkward does that separates it from the rest of the scripted shows on MTV, is that it brings together all of these features and blends them beautifully.
In a cable television age where half hour comedies are a thing of the past, Awkward is able to tell a compelling story in the 20 or so minutes it's on the air. MTV doesn't even fall into its usual trap of giving away too much of the story in its excessive amounts of preview commercials before the episode airs.
Awkward doesn't bring anything new to the table that wasn't already established before with other teenage shows. It just carries on a tradition for success that will always pull in an audience. It won't be the answer to the early ending of My So-Called Life, but it does rely on a lot of the features that make My So-Called Life so memorable. Awkward is like if My So-Called Life got a witty comedic second chance. Hey, they even gives an homage to MSCL's Tino, but constantly referring to a never seen but important character Ricky Schwartz.
As the first half of the season ends, I am excited to see what the second half brings.
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