"Felicity" (1998) TV series 1998-2002

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Creators:

J.J. Abrams
Matt Reeves

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

29 September 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A young fresh out of high school girl, follows her high school crush to college to be near him.

Plot Keywords:

College | Love | Human Relationship | Goth Girl | Friendship

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 26 nominations

Cast

Keri Russell	...	Felicity Porter (84 episodes, 1998-2002)
Scott Foley	...	Noel Crane (84 episodes, 1998-2002)
Scott Speedman	...	Ben Covington (67 episodes, 1998-2002)
Tangi Miller	...	Elena Tyler (65 episodes, 1998-2002)
Greg Grunberg	...	Sean Blumberg (61 episodes, 1998-2002)
Amanda Foreman	...	Meghan Rotundi (61 episodes, 1998-2002)
Amy Jo Johnson	...	Julie Emrick (40 episodes, 1998-2002)
Ian Gomez	...	Javier Clemente Quintata (39 episodes, 1998-2002)
Rob Benedict	...	Richard Coad (36 episodes, 1998-2002)

Runtime:

60 min | USA:60 min (84 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:M18 (season 3) | USA:TV-14 | Singapore:PG | Australia:M (some episodes) | Australia:PG (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Touchstone Television

Trivia:

In one episode, Noel tells Felicity that he's working on his website, www.noelcrane.com. This was an actual website that included a dorm calendar, dorm party photos, samples from Noel's portfolio, and other details related to Noel's life. The site was updated a few times. The site's ownership has since changed hands and the content has been revised. However, it still looks like Noel's life. The computer script that "runs" at the beginning is a set of instructions for how to be Noel.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In "Fugue", Hanna has an assignment to write a fugue, but the piece that she records is clearly not a fugue.

Quotes:

Noel: Hey! Hey! You still haven't seen Felicity have you?
Elena: What the hell are you on?
Noel: On? What am I on? My God, you look so small just sitting there.
Elena: And you're sweating.
Noel: [Rapidly] Of course I'm sweating, you'd be sweating too, if you were me because then you'd be me, and you'd be sweating. Is it cold in here?
Elena: No.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Howard Stern on Demand: J.J. Abrams and the Film Festival Winner" (2006)

An underrated gem.

I didn't watch Felicity when it originally aired because I was sick of all the WB teen dramas like Dawson's Creek, etc. But to compare this to Dawson's Creek and just write it off as another teen drama would be unfair. This series is a heartfelt look at college life and focuses on many issues we all face when we get out into the real world. The thing that makes this series so good is the characters: loveable, easy to identify with. You really care about these people and they are not sleazy soap opera trash characters. These characters are people you would really love to know if they were real and the actors portraying them are not all supermodels, a big plus. Felicity is of course the title character who follows high school crush Ben all the way to a New York college after giving too much thought to something he wrote in her yearbook. Her impulsive decision is a reminder that we are all vulnerable and confused once we leave the home for the first time and get out on our own. We all can identify with her in some way, even if we didn't make a decision that big. The stories are all well done and done so well that you can really see the creators care what they are putting on the screen. All the common themes of teen drama are twisted here. One other outstanding thing is the music and photography. God, that photography! It's beautiful. Felicity was never a ratings winner and was cancelled after only 4 seasons. But don't let that fool you. It didn't get cancelled because it was a bad show. There are many reasons it went to a swift downfall. I think it was being aired on the wrong network (it was the only mature drama on the WB at that time) and the show was too mature for the usual WB viewers and was skipped over by those who were right for it because of the channel it was on. Nevertheless, sometimes good shows get cancelled. If you want a really good series that takes a different approach to college life and the teen drama, check this out. It stands apart from all the other trash shows like Beverly Hills, 90210 and Dawson's Creek. And just to let you know, I am a guy and I love it, so don't think it's a chick show or anything. Buy the DVD set. It's worth it. Especially if you are the same age as the characters.