Popular - The Complete Second Season (1999)

HAHAHA

The second season of Popular is amazing (cheesy) but in the most amazing of ways. I will never get over seeing Mary Cherry go in and out of her Barbara Streisand accent when she dyes her hair dark. May 16, 2007

popular 2

It is a good insight into teenagers and all the problems they faced at high school. The writers have done this with some great humour and some serious topics to get their point across. The biggest regret about this series is that it didn`t continue for a third season. November 10, 2006

What a letdown - but that cliffhanger???

I'm going to get whomped on for this, I know.

Toward the end of the first season, it became apparent that there was a bit of confusion as to where the show should head. In the beginning, the lines between "gods and clods" (to quote South Park) were well marked. Then, suddenly, with little explanation, everyone is eating lunch together while still hating each other outside of the lunch room. That did not reflect any typical high school experience.

The confusion followed into the second season. It became a show without direction. Executives wanted Dawon's Creek, but others wanted a comedy. There was a considerable amount of discord between the so-called higher ups. That discord really found its way into this season.

There are some shows that can blend humor and drama together quite nicely, but to do so you need great direction and great writing, something this didn't have. Characters came and went with little explanation - no explanation in many cases - and it left for a very ambiguous montage of disconnected pieces. It was supposed to be a show about "gods and clods", and could have done very well if they stuck to theme. But, as I noted above, they lost it in the first season, and losing that edge is a slippery slope. They landed at the bottom of it very hard.

Sam and Brooke were the main characters, but I found that I cared little for them. The drama that was intended for their two characters mostly didn't work - although it worked for Brooke more than Sam - and they became some of the least interesting characters on the show.

For me, the shining light was Mary Cherry. She was played to perfection by Leslie Grossman. Without her, I would have bored to tears on many occasions. She was HYSTERICAL. Watching her eat of a dumpster when she lost all of her money was the highlight of the season. I replayed that part over and over. She was great. And that was the problem with this show. While Mary Cherry wasn't a bit player, it was the bit players that made the show enjoyable. April Tuna was hysterical when they used her, but what happened to her dirt eating sister? Another unexplained difference. Such as the blind principle. In real life she died. Why was there no explanation of that in the show? Most people wouldn't hop on the internet and try to track her down, so would be left to wonder... To just toss someone else in without explanation is extremely frustrating.

The second season lacked continuity, even toward the end when it started to pick up. But then, when I saw that the show was finally regaining...something...if not it's original premise, it drops a cliffhanger on us and the network execs decide to drop the series. They could have at least renewed for six shows or *something*. That was just rude. August 20, 2006

This was really the golden age of the WB

I watched POPULAR when I was in high school, back in 2000-2001. It holds a special place in my heart and watching it really brings back memories. It was really one of the finest shows the WB ever produced. I'm a few years older now, but it's funny because life doesn't really change much. We are all still looking for popularity, love, friendship, family strength, confidence, and success. These were the major themes in the show, and rarely does a show present such intelligent and mature views of relationships. It was much, much more than a teen soap opera. It was a commentary on society in general, and our need to belong.

I really related to the characters in POPULAR. Sure, real life in high school during this time was never as glamorous or as fabulous as presented in this show--but I think we all wished it was, and POPULAR gave us dreams. I wasn't the only person who watched the show--a few of my friends also did, and we were all so surprised by its cancellation. We all secretly hoped it would return for another season, and waited, but that never happened.

I think that was because we were all so attached to the characters--and each of the actors was a star in their own right. Carly Pope branched off and did a very fine film called "Trapped in a Purple Haze," in which she had a very tragic role. Sara Rue, who played Carmen, did an incredible movie called "Gypsy 83." Thinking back, 2000-2001 was a great time for movies. Just think how many wonderful movies came out then, such as Moulin Rouge or Pay it Forward or AI. There were many pop culture references made in POPULAR, from vintage stars like Joan Crawford and Lauren Bacall to frequent references to Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna. The character Nicole Julian was basically a combination of Sharon Stone and Madonna. She was the perfect example of the bad girl with a heart of gold, and I loved how fully developed her character became as the series progressed. All of the characters were multi-dimensional and very real.

I really hated to see these characters, who felt like friends, go. But I guess it mirrored the transition we all make to adult. The show ended, I graduated high school a couple years later, but now when I watch the show it's like I'm back in high school again. Not that I miss high school--it was a difficult time and I'm glad I've moved on, but I still have vivid memories that come back to life when I watch the show. It's a magical experience that I cherish.

More than anything, the show had heart. It was extremely kooky, and sometimes really lame, but that was all part of its charm. It had its serious, dramatic moments, like when Brooke has an eating disorder and shares a very special relationship with Harrison, or when Nicole saves Harrison's life on Christmas. It's all just really beautiful and heartwarming in a way that is lacking from most TV shows. There is no lack of depth in POPULAR. It never glossed over the real issues all of us--not just high schoolers--face. It painted a very true picture of relationships and the struggles we face.

It's a great show, and of course a few of the episodes are clunkers, but the magical episodes make up for it. One in particular, in which Ann Margaret guest stars, is just great. Also, who can forget some of Mary Cherry or Nicole Julian's lines? Priceless! I still remember from my first viewing of the episode where Mary Cherry is gluing someone to a toilet seat and she shrieks, "This is what Lauren Bacall uses to hold up her face!" In what other show could you possibly expect to hear a line like that? It's part of the fun of this show. July 12, 2006

"Popular...I know about PopUlar!"

I just finished the second season of Popular and I can tell that I DO NOT REGRET buying both season on DVD at all! I watched some of Season 1 during its original run, but didn't watch any of Season 2. Anyways, I LOVE this show and will probably watch the episodes again! Delta Burke comes back to play Cherry Cherry!

Here is my only problem, but it doesn't reflect the DVD set at all. It's basically that they cancelled this show! They end the last episode on SUCH as cliff hanger and now we can NEVER make up for it. Even if the actors got together to make something, there is NO WAY to make up for lost time and that just sucks!
Here are some of my guess:
1) What happened to Brooke? Did Nicole Kill her when she hit her? I'm guessing not and that she would have "healed" over the summer, but still have shown some of the effects. It would have made a great storyline.

2) What happened to Josh and Lily's Marriage? Well I would suspect that they would go back home and probably get the marriage anulled or something but still remain together. If they continued this series, they wouldn't have written either off, so surely Josh would have found a way to stay.

3) What about Mary Cherry and her evil twin? Well just like all Mary Cherry stuff, I'm sure that things would have been solved and she would be back home and the twin would be gone! May 26, 2006

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