Popular 

Two girls who despise each other, due to being on opposite sides of the "popularity fence", are forced together upon learning that their parents are getting married.

Creators:

Gina Matthews, Ryan Murphy

Stars:

Leslie Bibb, Carly Pope, Tamara Mello

5 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Leslie Bibb	...	Brooke McQueen 43 episodes, 1999-2001
Carly Pope	...	Sam McPherson 43 episodes, 1999-2001
Tamara Mello	...	Lily Esposito 43 episodes, 1999-2001
Christopher Gorham	...	Harrison John 43 episodes, 1999-2001
Sara Rue	...	Carmen Ferrara 43 episodes, 1999-2001
Bryce Johnson	...	Josh Ford 43 episodes, 1999-2001
Tammy Lynn Michaels	...	Nicole Julian 43 episodes, 1999-2001
Ron Lester	...	Michael 'Sugar Daddy' Bernardino 43 episodes, 1999-2001
Leslie Grossman	...	Mary Cherry 43 episodes, 1999-2001
Lisa Darr	...	Jane McPherson 43 episodes, 1999-2001
Scott Bryce	...	Mike McQueen 43 episodes, 1999-2001
Diane Delano	...	Bobbi Glass / ... 36 episodes, 1999-2001
Adria Dawn	...	April Tuna 18 episodes, 1999-2001

Storyline

The two girls who are seen in their fictional Jacqueline Kennedy High School as the leaders of two main opposing cliques, the popular one and the not so popular one, clash heads when their single parents meet, fall in love and decide to get hitched. However, both the girls and their two cliques slowly grow together and become an unlikely group of friends with both typical and not so typical high school and young adult problems. Brooke McQueen is the captain of Glamazons, the school's cheerleading squad. She's considered smart, beautiful and perfect. Privately, she's been dealing with self-image and body image issues ever since her estranged mother left her and her father. She also tries to fight the popular image people have of her. She wants to be good and does good and often helps people instead of thinking only about herself but she also has a suppressed selfish side. Sam McPherson aims to have the opposite image of Brooke's. She's attracted to journalism and wants to be the voice ...

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Plot Keywords:

stepsister | stepsister stepsister relationship | rivals | female protagonist | 20th century | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Asy z klasy

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Murphy/Matthews Productions, Shephard / Robin Productions, Touchstone Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (43 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Leslie Bibb in an audio commentary, because the character of Mary Cherry was consistently so energetic and over-the-top, actress Leslie Grossman had a deal where she would take every fourth working week off to rest.

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Quotes

Lily Esposito: Herbal things. They guarantee breat size enlargement in days!
Samantha 'Sam' McPherson: They're snake oil!
Lily Esposito: I don't care what they're made of I need breasts!

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Alternate Versions

Due to licensing costs, some of the songs originally featured on the soundtrack of several episodes have been replaced by less expensive tracks (or no tracks at all) on the DVD release.

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Connections

Referenced in Grosse Pointe: Mommy Dearest (2000)

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Soundtracks

Highschool Highway
Written and Performed by Sydney Forest

User Reviews

I STILL miss 'Popular'

It was doomed from the start, I guess... Finally, a show with some intelligence, placed (unfortunately) in the prime time spot of what was it? Friday NIGHT?! Lucky for me, I was under 21 at the time the show was on, just barely too young to partake in the bar scene. So I looked forward to watching TV on Friday nights while my boyfriend (at the time) was whooping it up. I think Popular was directed toward what I call "the forgotten years," those people born between "gen. X" and "gen. Y". (or "gen. why?" ...if you will) I am a member of that demographic, Too young to remember the birth of MTV or the whole "Grunge" thing, yet too old for IPods, Rap-Rock, and vocational schools. But maybe the lack of marketing toward people in my age range has been beneficial to me. (I have very little credit card debt.) But at the same time I challenge network execs to try and entertain me again. And this time, don't cancel my favorite show prematurely. Or hell, sell me a DVD of 'Popular' or 'My So-Called Life' for God's sake! ---Christina B, Portland Oregon