Week 1 Response
The pilot for Veronica Mars featured a large, diverse set of characters. Differences in race, class, and economic privilege were present between the characters. In Freaks in Geeks the characters were much more homogeneous in regards to the previously mentioned social constructions. The diversity in those characters can be found in their outlooks and actions in facing the challenges of adolescence.
Veronica Mars is a show depicting the high school experience of the millennial generation, and yet, there does not seem to be much in common between those characters. However, there are some unmistakable signs of the times. Lily Kane’s murder video is leaked and goes viral. Her father, ironically, perfected streaming video.
Both shows “raise considerations of marginality on a regular basis” as mentioned in Teen Television. Freaks and Geeks addresses gender, mental, physical and academic ability as well as class, and Veronica Mars addresses class, race, gender among other things.
The shows are set decades apart but they both feature teen protagonists, and teen issues. There is an absence of technology in the 70’s-based Freaks and Geeks but both shows are both teen television for the millennial viewer.
