Undeclared

Judd Apatow’s sweet-natured comedy show about college freshmen lasted only one season on network TV. Thanks to a DVD release, everyone can rediscover a nicely crafted show which died too soon

In recent years, writer/director Judd Apatow has become Hollywood A-List with films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up. Which makes it interesting to remember that at the beginning of the decade he was primarily known as a guy who made television series that were apparently too good for television.

Apatow’s first series, Freaks and Geeks, lasted less than a season on NBC. Following F&G’s demise, Apatow created Undeclared for Fox in 2001. It didn’t fare much better, being canceled after 17 episodes. But thanks to the wonders of DVD, a new audience can rediscover this hidden gem of a show.

Undeclared focuses on a group of freshmen at a small university. As with F&G, they are a motley collection. Steven (Jay Baruchel) is a skinny nerd who sees college as a new start in life and is trying to develop a hipper image. His roommate Lloyd (Charlie Hunnam) is an attractive, constantly womanizing Brit. Doofus slacker Marshall (Timm Sharpe) and burly Ron (Seth Rogan) live across the hall. The two main female characters are Lizzie (Carla Gallo), a neurotic brunette who is constantly breaking up and getting back together with her boyfriend; and attractive blond Rachel (Monica Keena) who both uses her looks to get what she wants but at the same time is clearly worried that people won’t see past surface appearances.

Loudon Wainwright (who is usually better known as a singer-songwriter) rounds out the cast as Steven’s dad, Hal.

A Realistic View of College Life

Apatow has a feel for how teenagers and young adults talk and act, and this feel comes to the fore in Undeclared. Unlike a lot of other programs aimed at teenagers, this one really captures what it’s like to be a college freshman. On the one hand, the characters are on the cusp of real adulthood, tasting freedom and independence for the first time. On the other hand, they are still closer to being teenagers than adults, and carry all the fears and insecurity that goes with trying to figure out who you are and how the real world works.

You can see this in the first episode of the show. The gang at the dorm throws a floor party. Lizzie, having decided that she needs to experience life, sleeps with Steven. The morning afterwards, both sides stumble around trying to deal with the emotional fallout from a supposedly meaningless one-night stand. Lizzie, on her part, feels guilty for cheating on her on-again off-again boyfriend. Steven, meanwhile, runs around like a hyperactive puppy trying to win her affection. It’s cringe-worthy, but oh-so real.

The show adds plenty of details that will ring true to anyone who has ever experienced dorm life. The action in one episode revolves around the floor’s rec room at night. Steven gets kicked out of his room by Lloyd, who is having sex in there. With nowhere else to sleep, Steven migrates to the rec room where he finds all the other dormies whose roommates have similarly kicked them out.

Character-Driven Comedy

One of Apatow’s signature qualities, both as a writer and a director, is his ability to get into the head of his characters. He clearly empathizes with his characters, as well as identifies with them. Given a show that revolves around campus life, it would be extremely easy to lapse into caricature. Happily, Undeclared, steers clear of this trap.

Each of the ensemble characters is fleshed-out well, with surprising results. Take the character of Ron, played by the highly likeable Seth Rogan. On the surface, he looks like a burly party dude. However, there’s a lot more there. In one episode, Lloyd asks Ron what his favorite movie is. Ron answers, “I tell people Red Dawn, but it’s really You’ve Got Mail.” He then goes on to explain that the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan chick flick is “pleasant, like waves lapping at your feet.”

Rogan has a tendency to steal every scene he is in, as does Wainwright playing Steven’s father, Hal. In the show’s pilot episode, Hal tells Steven that he and his mother are getting a divorce. (Which is just one of the real-world crises Steven will have to deal with). As the show progresses, you see Hal trying to work through the divorce, which partially means trying to bond with his son. Unfortunately, Hal is one of those guys trying to play “cool dad” with decidedly mixed results. Although Steven’s friends are generally amused and charmed by Hal’s shtick, Steven is clearly horrified.

Too Good for TV?

Like Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared suffered a cruel fate. Fox constantly moved the show around on the schedule, often preempting it. It also advertised it as a teen-romp, a kind of weekly American Pie. Neither of which did much for ratings.

The fact is that Undeclared didn’t quite fit established TV formats. On the one hand, each episode was 30 minutes long, which usually signifies comedies. On the other hand, while the show is clearly funny, it’s not usually gut-busting funny. And it is shot through with a lot of drama.

Sadly, Fox never let the show build up the kind of loyal fan base that might have saved it from early cancellation. Thankfully, though, thanks to the DVD hidden gems like Undeclared can continue to find new fans.