This week Val and Rachel sit down with our friend Nicole Restaino for an innovative new format: we'll be contrasting and comparing 90s TV show My So-Called Life with current HBO show Euphoria. Both shows depict teenagers with complexity and have passionate fan bases.

My So-Called Life is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995. Set at the fictional Liberty High School in a fictional suburb near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania called Three Rivers, it follows the emotional travails of several teenagers in the social circle of main character Angela Chase, played by Claire Danes. The show was officially canceled on May 15, 1995, despite being critically praised for its portrayal of adolescence and the commentary of its central character, Angela, and for receiving several major awards nominations, including Danes winning the Golden Globe for her acting work on the series. Besides Danes, the show also launched the careers of several other major actors of her generation, including Jared Leto and Wilson Cruz.

Euphoria is an American teen drama television series created and written by Sam Levinson for HBO. It is based on the Israeli television miniseries of the same name created by Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin. The series follows a group of high school students through their experiences of identity, trauma, drugs, family, friendships, love, and sex. The show is the second most watched show in HBO history, behind Game of Thrones, and it was just renewed for a 3rd season.