The Hard Times of RJ Berger 

The daily life of an unpopular high school student.

Creators:

Seth Grahame-Smith, David Katzenberg

Stars:

Paul Iacono, Jareb Dauplaise, Kara Taitz

2 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Paul Iacono	...	R.J. Berger 24 episodes, 2010-2011
Jareb Dauplaise	...	Miles Jenner 24 episodes, 2010-2011
Kara Taitz	...	Lily Miran 24 episodes, 2010-2011
Amber Lancaster	...	Jenny Swanson 24 episodes, 2010-2011
Jayson Blair	...	Max Owens 24 episodes, 2010-2011
Marlon Young	...	Coach Jeriba Sinclair 21 episodes, 2010-2011
Beth Littleford	...	Suzanne Berger 20 episodes, 2010-2011
Larry Poindexter	...	Rick Berger 20 episodes, 2010-2011
Ciena Rae	...	Robin Pretnar 15 episodes, 2010-2011

Storyline

The daily life of an unpopular high school student.

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Plot Keywords:

generation y | high school student | teenage crush | sitcom | mtv | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

Even though the central characters, of which she is one, are all 15-year old, Amber Lancaster (Jenny) was actually 29 when filming began - beating actresses of other 15-year old characters such as, for example, Charisma Carpenter at the beginning of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (age 27), and matching Gabrielle Carteris' age at the start of Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1990.

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Connections

Referenced in Heel vs Babyface: AzChats with Dan Fraga (Black Flag Creator - Also Marvel, DC and TV/Film) (2020)

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Soundtracks

A Horse Is Not a Home
(uncredited)
Performed by Miike Snow

User Reviews

Worth a look

While on the surface, season one of 'The Hard Times of RJ Berger' looks like another teen sex comedy, what lies beneath is an enjoyable comedy with some heart.

RJ Berger is an unpopular teenage boy trying to survive Pinkterton high school. By his side is the equally unpopular Miles - an overweight loudmouth, sex-obsessed kid- and Lily, a dorky girl obsessed by RJ since kindergarten. RJ, on the other hand, only has eyes for Jenny, the hot, popular cheerleader who in a relationship with basketball jock Max.

While it may seem like a stereotypical set-up, RJ has an anatomical "gift" most of his male classmates would kill for. Fortunately, 'Hard Times' avoids becoming a constant stream of dick jokes, instead developing into a coming-of-age comedy with a bit of substance – like a cross between 'The Wonder Years' and 'Superbad'. RJ is a sweet kid who's constantly torn between his urges for Jenny and the desire to the do the right thing, Miles's outgoing personality is a cover for his traumatic childhood – including a dead mother, a crazy, war-affected brother and a suicidal cat. The biggest surprise is Jenny.

While it would have been easy to characterise her as the stereotypical bimbo (her boyfriend is given the stereotypical treatment as the jealous, loud, arrogant douchebag), instead she's a kind-hearted girl who genuinely appreciates RJ, perhaps even more than Lily, who's constantly lusting after RJ, despite him spurning her advances. Structually, the show has self-contained episodes (usually involving Miles trying to get both himself and RJ laid) leading up to the season climax – the Pinkerton Winter Formal.

Though it would be easy to write off 'Hard Times' as a stereotypical high school comedy, look past the initial set-up and its an enjoyable show which moves past its gimmicky hook into something substantial.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 June 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hard Times

Company Credits

Production Co:

MTV/Remote Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1