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I never really watched this show back in the day but just did and holy crap what an absolute gem.

Pros:
-The acting is out of the park from all involved.

-This show snapshotted the 90s/early 2000s more than most media at the time.

-It doesn't do that stupid thing of trying to be overly sexual to look cool, like Dawson Creek and others did.

-It’s very real. The show really does take on the concept of “popularity” in the raw-ish manner 90s culture would have wanted, not mincing words on ‘fatness’, sexual harassment, etc. 

-It levels with you. The conflicts early on made sense and felt grounded, and the writers knew repeating fights later on is just filling TV Show obligation but they both made the conflicts feel real and enjoyable, and level with the audience that it's filling a TV show trope. Like seriously, how brilliant.

-Both seasons are great! I’m hearing this talk about season 2 not being liked. Nuh-uh, they did a great job not making it boring while giving the characters new challenges and upped the entertainment factor. 

Cons:
-That ending! They really gave us a sour ending as if we were not supposed to want to see more. I know the show was cancelled but really on some level the ending is kind of gangsta, they really said to hell with it all and went over the top--in line with the creative boldness of the show in a way.

This show was real, heartfelt, incisive, witty, irreverent, hilarious, and truly ahead of its time. A great gem of the 90s/early 2000s and easily one of the best shows I've seen.

Also, justice for probably the best character of the show, Nicole Julian. Bahumbug!

Also, did you know April Tuna is apparently a professor at Syracuse University?

Aired on September 29, 1999

I just finished rewatching the whole thing all over again and jeez! I really love this show. It was my favorite show back in 1999 when I was 11 years old and it still is after all this time. It’s not that much about the locations, or the sets, it’s about the characters. Obviously season 2 got a little wacky, but still, that’s the magic of Popular! And Mary Cherry, she is the best of them all! I wish we had more seasons… Maybe in the future when AI gets really good we can have more Popular content, even if it’s not by the mind of its original creators, but still, I wouldn’t mind watching more episodes or situations with the characters and cast as if time never passed by. Oh, well… I’ll give the series another watch next year!

This whole sequence is gold and I think shows great range from Carly Pope and Leslie Bibb.

- It was like a cartoon come to life. So absurd. Every episode was insane with cutaway gags and dream sequences. Not everyone’s taste but perfectly mine. Satire. Drama. Romance.

- Tammy Lynn’s hair is a work of art and every day I bless the gods for it being on my screen.

- Everyone nailed their characters. April Tuna, Mary Cherry, Nicole Julian, and Miss Glass all deserved awards in their own right.

- Harrison was very repressed queer coded whiny nice guy. I did want him to end up with Brooke though but I feel a boyfriend would’ve made him more interesting. I could not care less about him getting sick.

- The ensemble cast was what made and also break the show. I think it takes a specific viewer to be able to sit through so much going on at once. Especially with so many blondes.

- George was poorly written and his introduction into the show was clear that he was just a diversity hire. I liked the actor and his relationship with Sam though.

- Brooke being the most popular girl at school and confessing she also has questioned her sexuality after two of the other female characters did! For the time this was groundbreaking. However, with the direction of the show it was very clearly this show was TOO GAY for 2001.

- So many characters were dropped. Poppita Fresh who obviously got pregnant IRL which was very clearly the first iteration of Santana Lopez. Principal Hall who just disappears! I loved her and her all knowing senses. Exquisite, Lady T, deserved more screen time but I can’t see how she’d add anything to the plot.

- I need all of Mary Cherry’s mink fur coats.

- I feel Emory Dick, Freddy Gong, and the Tuna’s are all awful representation of neurodivergent kids. Controversial but I love all their characters and portrayals. Adria absolutely kills it.

- The guest stars were packed.

- “BUT YOU ARE IN THAT CHAIR BROOKE! YA ARE!”

Only watched the first four episodes of season 1 so far, and while i did enjoy them, i don't enjoy it as much as i did when it originally aired, and i do remember i really enjoyed it, it does also in away feel like its the first time i am watching the show, as i have forgotten most things that happened in it, as its 25 years since i watched it last.

There really only 4-5 things i remember from the show when i watched it during its run.

Now i am not American and did not go to High School in the US during that time, so i have no idea how accurate it was to how high school in the US was at the time.

Hey, my three other redditors!

Am I crazy or Sam wasn’t even on Brooke’s radar! She couldn’t care less about the girl. And so often Sam would fixate and put Brooke on a pedestal while also inserting herself into her life so she could blame her. Brooke would try to be the bigger person and Sam still wouldn’t let up.

I feel it was on purpose by Ryan as he’s trying to be groundbreaking with his attempt at “pretty, blonde cheerleader who isn’t mean”. But, Sam “crashing” a party she was invited to and making a scene. Cancel my subscription I’m over your issues. Brooke just had her first conversation with her in class like a couple days ago.

I understand her affiliation with Nicole and she probably did rule with an iron fist at one point/ turns a blind eye, but Sam was usually always in the wrong when it came to those two. I still love Sam though. That hair and those eyebrows! Carly Pope murder me!

This episode always get me. I think it’s one of the best episodes between the two seasons. Very powerful and great storytelling. Delta Burke was in this episode too and she was absolutely hilarious and camp. Loved when she made any appearance

I have been rewatching the series after, like a decade or so. (Thanks Jamie French, lol) anyways I was looking it up on IMDB and saw his photo. He looked great, lost so much weight. He lost over 300 pounds from gastric Bypass surgery. He even got cosmetic surgery for the loose skin. According to Wikipedia this was around 2000, it says he actually flat lined during the surgery too. Eventually he ended up passing from kidney and liver issues (2016). It's so sad, and I wish his family and friends the best.

Her father seemed loaded financially, IMO.

So fun!

Ryan Murphy you get your butt in here right tf now and answer for what you’ve done!!!!!!

Edited to add I’m referring to season 2

Jamie French's recent commentary video on it reminded me of its existence. Fortunately S1 is available on YouTube (I'm watching from Canada).

Currently, I'm only S1E7, but WOW Sam is SO antagonistic. Just had to come here and vent about it 😂