Square Pegs (1982–1983)

Welcome to Weemawee High School, where being in the right clique can make one's years in school memorable. Enter Patty Greene and Lauren Hutchinson, two freshman who tried hard to be ... See full summary »

Creator:

Anne Beatts

Stars:

Sarah Jessica Parker, Amy Linker, Merritt Butrick

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Patty Greene (20 episodes, 1982-1983)
Amy Linker	...	Lauren Hutchinson (20 episodes, 1982-1983)
Merritt Butrick	...	Johnny Slash (20 episodes, 1982-1983)
John Femia	...	Marshall Blechtman (20 episodes, 1982-1983)
Tracy Nelson	...	Jennifer DiNuccio (20 episodes, 1982-1983)
Jami Gertz	...	Muffy Tepperman (20 episodes, 1982-1983)
Claudette Wells	...	LaDonna Fredericks (20 episodes, 1982-1983)
Jon Caliri	...	Vinnie Pasetta (20 episodes, 1982-1983)

Storyline

Welcome to Weemawee High School, where being in the right clique can make one's years in school memorable. Enter Patty Greene and Lauren Hutchinson, two freshman who tried hard to be accepted into these cliques. The only problem was they stood out like sore thumbs. Patty was brainy and wore glasses, and Lauren was overweight and had braces. Thankfully, two other "square pegs" accepted them. They came in the form of aspiring comedian Marshall Blechtman and New Wave rocker Johnny Ulasewicz (aka Johnny Slash). Still, Lauren and Patty wanted to be in with the cool kids who came in the form of Jennifer DeNuccio, a wanna-be Valley Girl; LaDonna Fredericks, the hippest black girl in Weemawee High; Jennifer's boyfriend Vinnie Pasetta, a John Travolta carbon copy; and Muffy Tepperman, a Jewish princess who joined anything from JV pep squad to science fair organizer.

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Plot Keywords:

high school | sitcom

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 September 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Zero in condotta

Filming Locations:

Excelsior High School - 15711 Pioneer Boulevard, Norwalk, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Embassy Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (20 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sarah Jessica Parker originally wasn't going to get the part of Patty because the producers thought she was too pretty. Luckily, the casting director was wearing sunglasses that day and the producers took out the lenses, asked Sarah to put them on, and gave her the part.

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Quotes

Jennifer DeNuccio: Like, who ARE Devo? Are they guys, 'cause I only go and see guy bands.
LaDonna: They're guys... they're WEIRD guys... but they're guys!

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Connections

Referenced in Psych: Ghosts (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Square Pegs"
Written and Performed by The Waitresses

User Reviews

Classic short lived series defined 1980's teens

When Square pegs premiered on CBS fall 1982, it was the hippest show on TV. It defined the pains, and joys of teenage life in the early 80's. The show featured the appearances of Bill Murray, The Doors drummer John Densmore, as well as rock groups The Waitress, Devo and others. Even though the show lasted only one season and 19 episodes, it ranked as the top show of the 14-30 age demographics, and was a critics darling, CBS canceled the series after just one year. Why? Network shows had much larger audiences at the time, and overall ratings mattered more than the now coveted younger age demographics. It boasted a dedicated 12 million viewers which a network would now consider a hit. Ask anybody from that era, and they will still remember the show, which aired in repeats for several years in syndication. How many shows get syndicated after a mere 19 episodes? And are fondly remembered 25 years later? Sarah Jessica Parker, Jamie Gertz, and Tracy Nelson all launched their careers here. If the show's ratings were judged on the now advertiser desired younger audience demos, it certainly would have lasted longer as it's fan base was huge(it's ratings far exceeded todays definition of a hit). Thankfully it's now on DVD.