"I'd like it if they liked us but I don't think they like us..."

The trials and tribulations of high school have long provided plenty of fodder for film and television. Heck, John Hughes made a career out of these years of teen angst. Unfortunately, not all attempts to chronicle these trying times of youth score an “A” in the realism department. One notable exception was a sitcom called Square Pegs, a short-lived show that was acclaimed by critics and fans alike and fondly remembered to this day.  

Debuting on CBS in 1982, Square Pegs was the brainchild of Saturday Night Live writer Ann Beatts and focused on the lives of a group of teenage social misfits attending the fictional Weemawee High School. Patty Green (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Lauren Hutchinson (Amy Linker) were two friends who, try as they may, just couldn’t find a way to fit in with the popular crowd. Instead, they befriended a couple of lovable geeks, Marshall Blechtman, the ever-talking wisecracker and Johnny “Slash” Ulasewicz, an introverted and rabid fan on new wave music. Meanwhile, on other side of the social fence was the bombshell valley girl, Jennifer DiNuccio (Tracy Nelson,) her dimwitted hoodlum boyfriend Vinnie, and her best friend, Ladonna Frederics. And in a class all by herself was the personification of preppiness, Muffy B. Tepperman (Jami Gertz) who was the tireless and ever-annoying leader of the Pep Club, the Morals Club, chairman of the Science Committee and the Future Nurses of America.

Although the show was embraced by many young viewers for its realistic portrayal of high school life, problems behind the scenes led to its cancellation after a mere 20 episodes. During its short run, however, it did manage to catapult the careers of quite a few of the stars and also began a future trend of more realistically portrayed teen shows. And luckily, for devoted fans of the short-lived series, the entire run of Square Pegs was recently released on DVD so those awkward and hilarious days at Weemawee High School can be relived once again.