Undeclared – 1.01 – Prototype – A to Z Challenge – Day 21

“A Different World”
‘Months are different in college, especially freshman year. Too much happens. Every freshman month equals six regular months—they're like dog months.’

― Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl

Prologue
Up for discussion today is an episode that can fall into two categories, firsts and favorites. But for this writing exercise I will file it squarely under ‘Favorites’.

I didn't fins Undeclared until two years later after it's original run when I, myself was headed off to college at the tender age of 16. I really liked the show and now looking back wish Judd would stop making the same movies over and over again and get back to writing TV series. The landscape has changed and I think his brand of writing in the sitcom realm of TV would very refreshing.

About the Show
Seasons: 1| No. of Episodes: 17
Premiere Date:09/25/2001 | End Date: 03/12/2002
Status: Off-Air
Genre(s): Sitcom

Story in a nutshell: Undeclared centers on a group of college freshmen at the fictional University of Northeastern California during the early 2000’s.

Why I Loved the Show: The show was not a cliché of college life, it was pretty accurate in an overly exaggerated way as I would come to find two years later when I headed off to college.
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Title: Prototype | Writer: Judd Apatow | Director: Jake Kasdan
Episode Summary: On Steven's first day at UNEC, he meets and has a one night stand with Lizzie, unaware of the fact that she has a boyfriend. Steven's father Hal shows up at the floor party and announces that he's getting a divorce.
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Awards

Character of the Night
• Steve

Best Character Interactions
• Steve & Lloyd

Most Memorable Moment
• Steve rips his X-Files poster to prove that he is leaving his geeky ways behind him much to the dismay of his best friend.

Best Line
• Steve’s Dad: Hey, nice new fancy haircut. You look like you should join the Backstreet Boys. Hello, ladies!

Best Scene
• Steve meets his new roommates.

That Awkward Moment
• That awkward moment when you don’t realize your shirt is actually fugly.

Best Cameo
• Tom Welling

Miscellaneous

Favorite Actors
• Kevin Hart, Seth Rogen and Busy Phillips

Favorite Main Character
• Steven Karp

Least Favorite Main Character
• Tina Ellroy

Favorite Side Character
• Percy Madison

Least Favorite Side Character
• Susuki

Fun Fact: In 2012, Entertainment Weekly listed the show at #16 in the "25 Best Cult TV Shows from the Past 25 Years

Tasty Tidbit: An alternate version of the second episode, titled "Full Bluntal Nugety" is included on the DVD release of the series.
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Grade: A-
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Comparable Shows
If you are interested in finding more shows like Undeclared then I recommend you watch one, some or all of the following shows: A Different World, Boy Meets World and/or Freaks and Geeks.
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Up Next: In the queue for tomorrow is a Mini Recap/Retro Review for yet another one of my favorite, ‘gone too soon’ shows of my hipster youth, Veronica Mars. I’ll be writing about the pilot so be sure to come back and check out the blog tomorrow.