I tried to elucidate: "see, Brooke McQueen is the head cheerleader at Kennedy High, and Nicole, Poppy Fresh, and Mary Cherry are sort of her posse…and then there’s the head unpopular girl, Sam the school journalist, who had to move in with her nemesis and polar opposite Brooke because her mother is dating Brooke’s father…and little Lily, the earth-biscuit vegetarian, and Carmen, who is overweight but smart and pretty…." I hadn’t even gotten to the boys when I realized my friends were staring at me like I had grown another head.

And why shouldn’t they? They’ve certainly seen my mature, erudite side more often than this babbling, regressed, giddy teen wanna-be. Frankly, I think it scared them. It wasn’t until our second sushi course, after I had discussed projects I’d been working on, books I’d read, and other intellectual pursuits, that they started speaking to me in complete sentences again.

So my secret will stay my own, at least until the rest of the world wakes up to the genius of this show. Yes, it airs on a network known for formulaic teen shows such as Buffy and Dawson’s Creek – but Popular ain’t no Buffy, nor Felicity, nor Roswell, or any of the other shows that I can’t tell apart. It’s special, it stands on it’s own. I could justify my slide into mindless entertainment by telling you how well-written the show is. Or that the costume and set design are sheer art. But I won’t make those justifications. I love the show for what it is: A guilty pleasure. It doesn’t make me wish I were popular in high school. But it does make me laugh. And I have to admit – the hair, makeup, and clothing for the most part are inspirational (I recently had my hair cut and colored like Nicole Julian – so maybe my new cheesy obsession runs a little deeper than even I know…). But it’s worth tuning in at least once. Check it out, explore the perks and the pains of this high school’s pecking order, then try to stay away. I dare you.

o 

Kelly Love Johnson is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Flair, Skirt! (www.skirtmag.com), Smile & Act Nice ( www.smileandactnice.com ), and other magazines. She’s newly platinum blonde, inexplicably drawn to twin sets and cropped pants, and has started perusing In Style magazine. Don’t ever try to call her between 8 and 9pm on Thursdays.