Popular (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Popular is an American teenage
comedy-drama
on The WB Television Network
in the United States, created by Ryan Murphy and Gina Matthews, starring Leslie Bibb
and Carly Pope
as two teenage girls that reside on polar opposite sides of the popularity spectrum at their high school, but are forced to get along when their single parents randomly meet on a cruise ship
and get married. The show was produced by Touchstone and ran for two seasons on The WB from 1999 to 2001.
) and Sam McPherson (Carly Pope
), students at Jacqueline Kennedy High School, are polar opposites. Brooke is a popular cheerleader and Sam is an unpopular journalist. Their respective groups are forced to socialize when Brooke's father and Sam's mother get engaged and the two girls have to share a house.
The plot of the first season revolves around the girls' school life, rival groups of friends, mutual animosity and plan to separate their parents. At the end of the season, Sam finds Brooke's real mother and encourages her to come back to town, which breaks up the engagement and splits the new family apart.
By the second season, Brooke and Sam realize that their parents were happy together, and therefore team up to reunite them, a move which results in the girls slowly becoming close friends, and even referring to each other as "family," though tensions rise when they both get involved with the same boy. Also, a reversal of fortunes takes place, with Brooke resigning from cheerleading
to focus on school issues and Sam experiencing a surge of sudden popularity at school. In the end of the second season finale — which turned out to be the unexpected series finale when the show was cancelled — Brooke is run over by a drunk and angry Nicole Julian (Tammy Lynn Michaels
).
): Brooke is the most popular girl at Kennedy High. She is super beautiful, fashionable, a straight-A student, and a cheerleader. An only child whose mother abandoned the family when Brooke was eight years old, she lives alone with her father until the merging of the McQueen and McPherson families. Brooke becomes a half-sister to new born baby girl, MacKenzie, whom her stepmother gave birth to towards the end of the series. Though she strives to appear perfect, over the course of the two seasons, Brooke reveals her anxiety and low self-esteem on a number of occasions. She struggles with both bulimia and unresolved grief over her mother's abandonment. Brooke spends a good portion of the series romantically involved with football player Josh Ford, but also develops a relationship with Harrison John, a childhood friend from whom she had grown apart due to their opposite social status. She mentions "thinking about" an attraction to girls, though this was never developed further. Brooke is compassionate, kind, and socially aware, though occasionally lacks confidence in her convictions, and is capable of thoughtless and petty behavior when she is unhappy and ruthless when she is angry. Her complex and initially hostile/eventually close relationship with Sam McPherson is one of the cornerstones of the series. Director and writer Ryan Murphy named this character after his niece Brooke Murphy.
Samantha "Sam" McPherson (Carly Pope
): Smart and determined, Sam McPherson is strong-willed, articulate and very stubborn. Sam's father died when she was fourteen. An only child, she lives alone with her mother until the merging of the McPherson and McQueen families. After her mother gives birth to Brooke's father's baby, Sam becomes a half-sister to baby girl MacKenzie. Sam is one of the "unpopular" girls at Kennedy High, along with her best friends Harrison, Carmen, and Lily, a situation which changes when she and Brooke McQueen begin living together. Sam is the editor of the school paper (although as the series progressed, the paper ceased being mentioned) and often wrote stories that exposed hypocrisy and unfairness at Kennedy High. She dates football player George Austin, but eventually discovers feelings for longtime best friend Harrison John after he confesses his love for her. The series creator, Ryan Murphy, stated that had the third season been filmed, Sam would have struggled with her sexuality and realized she was gay. Sam is funny, passionate and has an oft-voiced social conscience, but is quick to anger and slow to let go of hostility. She is also painfully insecure and masks this with a prickly attitude. Her complex and initially hostile/eventually close relationship with Brooke McQueen is one of the cornerstones of the series.
Harrison John (Christopher Gorham
): Harrison John is a smart but socially awkward "unpopular" guy who lives with his gay mother after the divorce of his parents. Harrison has had a crush on Brooke McQueen since they were children, one that is eventually reciprocated, but ends up torn when he reveals that he also has feelings for his best friend, Sam McPherson. In the second season, Harrison suffers from leukemia,and while in bed rest at the hospital, becomes good friends with his roommate Clarence. Sadly Clarence dies in "The Consequences of Falling" but comes back as an angel, to provide a suicidal Harrison with reason why he should not jump off the hospital roof top. Harrison returns to his room later expecting to die, but survives after a bone marrow transplant from Nicole Julian. Popular but unstable cheerleader Mary Cherry has a crush on Harrison, who she erroneously and consistently refers to as "Joe". Harrison is often portrayed as both happy with and alarmed by the fact that his closest friends are all female, and struggles in his interaction with other guys, though eventually develops tentative friendships with popular footballers Josh Ford and Sugar Daddy. By the end of the series, both Brooke and Sam ask Harrison to the Junior prom but eventually realize that it wouldn't work. Harrison is then forced to choose between Brooke and Sam while they both sit across from him waiting for his answer. The audience never actually hears Harrison's answer.
Josh Ford (Bryce Johnson
): Josh Ford is the quarterback of the football team and all-around "popular" guy of the school. He dates Brooke McQueen, Carmen Fererra and Lily Esposito and is best friends with Sugar Daddy. Josh is artistically talented and appears as the lead in two school productions, though struggles with his school work. Initially presented as good-natured but rather vacuous, Josh develops a social conscience due to his relationship with activist Lily, and helps her with various causes. Josh and Lily get married but struggle with both finances and the non-existent sexual nature of their relationship. In the final episode of the series, Josh and Lily realize that married life isn't what they thought it would be. After a bad day, Josh tells Lily that he doesn't think they will be okay.
Nicole Julian (Tammy Lynn Michaels
): Nicole Julian is a beautiful, chic, power-hungry cheerleader who consistently manipulates others for her own gain, and is personally responsible for most of the major friction which occurs at Kennedy high school. She is generally seen as a very cold hearted, and conniving young woman, but has proved herself to be very insecure. She is the on-again, off-again best friend of the popular Brooke McQueen. Early in the series, she reveals that she is jealous of Brooke by sleeping with Brooke's ex-boyfriend, Josh Ford, and would love to overtake her popular status. Despite her frivolous, sociopathic tendencies, during the course of the show, Nicole displays her softer side on many occasions, revealing a surprisingly vulnerable and sad person underneath, due to her alcoholic mother's constant criticism and the discovery that she was adopted. Her devious tactics usually allow her to get her way, at the cost of alienating the other characters. She is a highly promiscuous young woman who isn't afraid, for instance, to pole dance in front of a group of strangers. When her Machiavellian schemes eventually fail her in the end, and Brooke has had enough and chooses her relationship with Sam over Nicole, an angry, drunk and jealous Nicole ends the series in a defining way by deliberately running Brooke down in her car. Director and writer Ryan Murphy named this character after his niece Brooke Murphy's best friend Nicole Moore.
Mary Cherry (Leslie Grossman
): Mary Cherry (always referred to by both herself and all other characters with both names) is an idiotic, bubbly cheerleader in the popular group. Mary Cherry comes from a very rich family, and as a result tends to be spoiled and rude to those who aren't popular, though she is exceedingly generous with her money. Mary Cherry has a long history of mother issues; her mother, Cherry Cherry (Delta Burke
), often insults and degrades her even though she claims to love her. Mary Cherry's character is a consistent example of the series' brush with hyper-reality; she is seldom believable as an actual person, and is often referred to as "borderline retarded" by other characters, but appears as a great comic effect throughout the series. She also appears to be somewhat mentally unstable, and is often referred to as a psychopath by other characters due to her rather murderous tendencies (once diouring a career match-up, she got the "most likely to become a serial killer" position). She develops a crush on Harrison, whom she calls "Joe" even though she eventually reveals that she does in fact know his real name. In the final episode of the series, it is revealed that she has a long-lost twin sister, Baby Honeychild, 'but up on Gun Hill Road' better known as "B.Ho", who was raised in the Bronx. After Mama Cherry chooses B.Ho over Mary Cherry, Mary Cherry becomes an orphan.
Lily Esposito (Tamara Mello
): Lily Esposito is the epitome of an Activist. She's considered to be a part of the unpopular crowd, along with her best friends Sam, Carmen, and Harrison. She was confused about her sexuality, but eventually settled into a relationship with Josh Ford. Lily is a vegetarian and passionately committed to both animal rights and social causes. She marries her first love, Josh Ford, towards the end of the series but realizes that married life isn't what she thought it would be.
Carmen Ferrara (Sara Rue
): Carmen is a cute but plain and unpopular girl along with her best friends Sam, Lily, and Harrison. She is initially rejected from the cheerleading squad due to her weight, but later becomes co-captain of the Glamazons. Throughout both series Carmen's character swings between that of a loyal friend and someone who is determined to achieve her goals despite her friends reactions. She suffers a pregnancy scare and has an abusive, alcoholic mother. Carmen was a headlined character for both seasons, but her inclusion in main storylines diminished as the final season aired.
Michael 'Sugar Daddy' Bernardino (Ron Lester
): The wannabe-gangster of the popular group. He is best friends with Josh and is on the football team. He has problems with his weight and doesn't think he will ever be loved by a female until he meets and eventually dates exchange student Exquisite Woo. In the season one he has a very brief relationship with Mary Cherry and meets a girl on-line, that in fact is Carmen.
Roberta "Bobbi" Glass (Diane Delano
): Bobbi Glass is the students' science teacher. She is portrayed as being mean and cruel and constantly threatens to give people F's in order to get her way. She is a female but has a lot of physical qualities that resemble a male. This causes the students to call her Sir. She doesn't seem bothered about it but it is later revealed in an episode entitled "Fag" that it hurts her. She also reveals that she questions her sexuality. Although in the first season her human side is not focused on, it is focused on in the second season.
.
" in the hall closet).
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
on The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
in the United States, created by Ryan Murphy and Gina Matthews, starring Leslie Bibb
Leslie Bibb
Leslie Louise Bibb is an American actress and former fashion model. She transitioned into film and television in late 1990s. She appeared in television shows such as Home Improvement , before she appeared in her first film, the comedy Private Parts , which was followed by her first show The Big Easy...
and Carly Pope
Carly Pope
-Early life:Pope was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, with an older brother, Kris, also an actor, and a younger brother, Alexander. She began acting during her high school years in Vancouver where she appeared in stage classics such as The Odd Couple, playing Mickey, and A Midsummer...
as two teenage girls that reside on polar opposite sides of the popularity spectrum at their high school, but are forced to get along when their single parents randomly meet on a cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
and get married. The show was produced by Touchstone and ran for two seasons on The WB from 1999 to 2001.
Plot
Brooke McQueen (Leslie BibbLeslie Bibb
Leslie Louise Bibb is an American actress and former fashion model. She transitioned into film and television in late 1990s. She appeared in television shows such as Home Improvement , before she appeared in her first film, the comedy Private Parts , which was followed by her first show The Big Easy...
) and Sam McPherson (Carly Pope
Carly Pope
-Early life:Pope was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, with an older brother, Kris, also an actor, and a younger brother, Alexander. She began acting during her high school years in Vancouver where she appeared in stage classics such as The Odd Couple, playing Mickey, and A Midsummer...
), students at Jacqueline Kennedy High School, are polar opposites. Brooke is a popular cheerleader and Sam is an unpopular journalist. Their respective groups are forced to socialize when Brooke's father and Sam's mother get engaged and the two girls have to share a house.
The plot of the first season revolves around the girls' school life, rival groups of friends, mutual animosity and plan to separate their parents. At the end of the season, Sam finds Brooke's real mother and encourages her to come back to town, which breaks up the engagement and splits the new family apart.
By the second season, Brooke and Sam realize that their parents were happy together, and therefore team up to reunite them, a move which results in the girls slowly becoming close friends, and even referring to each other as "family," though tensions rise when they both get involved with the same boy. Also, a reversal of fortunes takes place, with Brooke resigning from cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
to focus on school issues and Sam experiencing a surge of sudden popularity at school. In the end of the second season finale — which turned out to be the unexpected series finale when the show was cancelled — Brooke is run over by a drunk and angry Nicole Julian (Tammy Lynn Michaels
Tammy Lynn Michaels
Tammy Lynn Michaels , also known by the surname Etheridge after marrying Melissa Etheridge, is an American actress....
).
Characters
Brooke McQueen (Leslie BibbLeslie Bibb
Leslie Louise Bibb is an American actress and former fashion model. She transitioned into film and television in late 1990s. She appeared in television shows such as Home Improvement , before she appeared in her first film, the comedy Private Parts , which was followed by her first show The Big Easy...
): Brooke is the most popular girl at Kennedy High. She is super beautiful, fashionable, a straight-A student, and a cheerleader. An only child whose mother abandoned the family when Brooke was eight years old, she lives alone with her father until the merging of the McQueen and McPherson families. Brooke becomes a half-sister to new born baby girl, MacKenzie, whom her stepmother gave birth to towards the end of the series. Though she strives to appear perfect, over the course of the two seasons, Brooke reveals her anxiety and low self-esteem on a number of occasions. She struggles with both bulimia and unresolved grief over her mother's abandonment. Brooke spends a good portion of the series romantically involved with football player Josh Ford, but also develops a relationship with Harrison John, a childhood friend from whom she had grown apart due to their opposite social status. She mentions "thinking about" an attraction to girls, though this was never developed further. Brooke is compassionate, kind, and socially aware, though occasionally lacks confidence in her convictions, and is capable of thoughtless and petty behavior when she is unhappy and ruthless when she is angry. Her complex and initially hostile/eventually close relationship with Sam McPherson is one of the cornerstones of the series. Director and writer Ryan Murphy named this character after his niece Brooke Murphy.
Samantha "Sam" McPherson (Carly Pope
Carly Pope
-Early life:Pope was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, with an older brother, Kris, also an actor, and a younger brother, Alexander. She began acting during her high school years in Vancouver where she appeared in stage classics such as The Odd Couple, playing Mickey, and A Midsummer...
): Smart and determined, Sam McPherson is strong-willed, articulate and very stubborn. Sam's father died when she was fourteen. An only child, she lives alone with her mother until the merging of the McPherson and McQueen families. After her mother gives birth to Brooke's father's baby, Sam becomes a half-sister to baby girl MacKenzie. Sam is one of the "unpopular" girls at Kennedy High, along with her best friends Harrison, Carmen, and Lily, a situation which changes when she and Brooke McQueen begin living together. Sam is the editor of the school paper (although as the series progressed, the paper ceased being mentioned) and often wrote stories that exposed hypocrisy and unfairness at Kennedy High. She dates football player George Austin, but eventually discovers feelings for longtime best friend Harrison John after he confesses his love for her. The series creator, Ryan Murphy, stated that had the third season been filmed, Sam would have struggled with her sexuality and realized she was gay. Sam is funny, passionate and has an oft-voiced social conscience, but is quick to anger and slow to let go of hostility. She is also painfully insecure and masks this with a prickly attitude. Her complex and initially hostile/eventually close relationship with Brooke McQueen is one of the cornerstones of the series.
Harrison John (Christopher Gorham
Christopher Gorham
Christopher David Gorham is an American actor.- Early life :Gorham was born in Fresno, California to David Gorham, a certified public accountant and Cathryn Gorham, a school nurse. He attended high school at Roosevelt School of the Arts and graduated from UCLA with a BA in Film & Theater Arts...
): Harrison John is a smart but socially awkward "unpopular" guy who lives with his gay mother after the divorce of his parents. Harrison has had a crush on Brooke McQueen since they were children, one that is eventually reciprocated, but ends up torn when he reveals that he also has feelings for his best friend, Sam McPherson. In the second season, Harrison suffers from leukemia,and while in bed rest at the hospital, becomes good friends with his roommate Clarence. Sadly Clarence dies in "The Consequences of Falling" but comes back as an angel, to provide a suicidal Harrison with reason why he should not jump off the hospital roof top. Harrison returns to his room later expecting to die, but survives after a bone marrow transplant from Nicole Julian. Popular but unstable cheerleader Mary Cherry has a crush on Harrison, who she erroneously and consistently refers to as "Joe". Harrison is often portrayed as both happy with and alarmed by the fact that his closest friends are all female, and struggles in his interaction with other guys, though eventually develops tentative friendships with popular footballers Josh Ford and Sugar Daddy. By the end of the series, both Brooke and Sam ask Harrison to the Junior prom but eventually realize that it wouldn't work. Harrison is then forced to choose between Brooke and Sam while they both sit across from him waiting for his answer. The audience never actually hears Harrison's answer.
Josh Ford (Bryce Johnson
Bryce Johnson
-Early life:Johnson was raised in Reno, Nevada before moving to Denver, Colorado at 5 with his newly divorced mother along with his two brothers where he graduated from high school in 1995...
): Josh Ford is the quarterback of the football team and all-around "popular" guy of the school. He dates Brooke McQueen, Carmen Fererra and Lily Esposito and is best friends with Sugar Daddy. Josh is artistically talented and appears as the lead in two school productions, though struggles with his school work. Initially presented as good-natured but rather vacuous, Josh develops a social conscience due to his relationship with activist Lily, and helps her with various causes. Josh and Lily get married but struggle with both finances and the non-existent sexual nature of their relationship. In the final episode of the series, Josh and Lily realize that married life isn't what they thought it would be. After a bad day, Josh tells Lily that he doesn't think they will be okay.
Nicole Julian (Tammy Lynn Michaels
Tammy Lynn Michaels
Tammy Lynn Michaels , also known by the surname Etheridge after marrying Melissa Etheridge, is an American actress....
): Nicole Julian is a beautiful, chic, power-hungry cheerleader who consistently manipulates others for her own gain, and is personally responsible for most of the major friction which occurs at Kennedy high school. She is generally seen as a very cold hearted, and conniving young woman, but has proved herself to be very insecure. She is the on-again, off-again best friend of the popular Brooke McQueen. Early in the series, she reveals that she is jealous of Brooke by sleeping with Brooke's ex-boyfriend, Josh Ford, and would love to overtake her popular status. Despite her frivolous, sociopathic tendencies, during the course of the show, Nicole displays her softer side on many occasions, revealing a surprisingly vulnerable and sad person underneath, due to her alcoholic mother's constant criticism and the discovery that she was adopted. Her devious tactics usually allow her to get her way, at the cost of alienating the other characters. She is a highly promiscuous young woman who isn't afraid, for instance, to pole dance in front of a group of strangers. When her Machiavellian schemes eventually fail her in the end, and Brooke has had enough and chooses her relationship with Sam over Nicole, an angry, drunk and jealous Nicole ends the series in a defining way by deliberately running Brooke down in her car. Director and writer Ryan Murphy named this character after his niece Brooke Murphy's best friend Nicole Moore.
Mary Cherry (Leslie Grossman
Leslie Grossman
Leslie Erin Grossman is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Mary Cherry on the television series Popular and as Lauren in What I Like About You.-Early life and education:...
): Mary Cherry (always referred to by both herself and all other characters with both names) is an idiotic, bubbly cheerleader in the popular group. Mary Cherry comes from a very rich family, and as a result tends to be spoiled and rude to those who aren't popular, though she is exceedingly generous with her money. Mary Cherry has a long history of mother issues; her mother, Cherry Cherry (Delta Burke
Delta Burke
Delta Ramona Leah Burke is an American television and film actress. Her television work includes a leading role as Suzanne Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women...
), often insults and degrades her even though she claims to love her. Mary Cherry's character is a consistent example of the series' brush with hyper-reality; she is seldom believable as an actual person, and is often referred to as "borderline retarded" by other characters, but appears as a great comic effect throughout the series. She also appears to be somewhat mentally unstable, and is often referred to as a psychopath by other characters due to her rather murderous tendencies (once diouring a career match-up, she got the "most likely to become a serial killer" position). She develops a crush on Harrison, whom she calls "Joe" even though she eventually reveals that she does in fact know his real name. In the final episode of the series, it is revealed that she has a long-lost twin sister, Baby Honeychild, 'but up on Gun Hill Road' better known as "B.Ho", who was raised in the Bronx. After Mama Cherry chooses B.Ho over Mary Cherry, Mary Cherry becomes an orphan.
Lily Esposito (Tamara Mello
Tamara Mello
Tamara Beccam Mello is an American actress. Her career began in 1993 with appearances on various television programs and films...
): Lily Esposito is the epitome of an Activist. She's considered to be a part of the unpopular crowd, along with her best friends Sam, Carmen, and Harrison. She was confused about her sexuality, but eventually settled into a relationship with Josh Ford. Lily is a vegetarian and passionately committed to both animal rights and social causes. She marries her first love, Josh Ford, towards the end of the series but realizes that married life isn't what she thought it would be.
Carmen Ferrara (Sara Rue
Sara Rue
Sara Rue is an American television actress. She is best known for the roles she played as Carmen Ferrara on the comedy-drama Popular and Claude Casey on the sitcom Less Than Perfect. She is also known as a spokesperson for Jenny Craig...
): Carmen is a cute but plain and unpopular girl along with her best friends Sam, Lily, and Harrison. She is initially rejected from the cheerleading squad due to her weight, but later becomes co-captain of the Glamazons. Throughout both series Carmen's character swings between that of a loyal friend and someone who is determined to achieve her goals despite her friends reactions. She suffers a pregnancy scare and has an abusive, alcoholic mother. Carmen was a headlined character for both seasons, but her inclusion in main storylines diminished as the final season aired.
Michael 'Sugar Daddy' Bernardino (Ron Lester
Ron Lester
Ron Lester is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the films Varsity Blues, and Not Another Teen Movie, and the TV show Popular.-Background:...
): The wannabe-gangster of the popular group. He is best friends with Josh and is on the football team. He has problems with his weight and doesn't think he will ever be loved by a female until he meets and eventually dates exchange student Exquisite Woo. In the season one he has a very brief relationship with Mary Cherry and meets a girl on-line, that in fact is Carmen.
Roberta "Bobbi" Glass (Diane Delano
Diane Delano
Diane A. Delano is an American character actress, sometimes credited as Diana Delano. Her best known roles might be "Bobbi Glass" as well as her twin sister nurse "Jessi Glass "on the 1999 series Popular and the recurring character "Barbara Semanski" on Northern Exposure...
): Bobbi Glass is the students' science teacher. She is portrayed as being mean and cruel and constantly threatens to give people F's in order to get her way. She is a female but has a lot of physical qualities that resemble a male. This causes the students to call her Sir. She doesn't seem bothered about it but it is later revealed in an episode entitled "Fag" that it hurts her. She also reveals that she questions her sexuality. Although in the first season her human side is not focused on, it is focused on in the second season.
Episodes
There are total of 43 episodes; the 43rd episode ending in a cliffhangerCliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
.
Style
Despite fitting into a rather common category, as a teen-centered mix of drama and comedy, Popular differentiated itself from its peers in its quirky, non sequitur humor and overall satirical approach to characters and story lines, a feature that would grow as the series progressed. Such elements included Mary Cherry's long-lost sister from the ghetto, B. Ho (and even their mother's name, Cherry Cherry); an occasion where both groups switched hair colors; Bobbi Glass's lost finger being replaced with a metal one complete with extendable pointer and knife attachments; and Josh's work as a window salesman. The show also utilized a variety of pop culture references and nonsensical jokes (for instance, April Tuna's reference to "getting some frottageNon-penetrative sex
Non-penetrative sex is sexual activity without vaginal, anal, or oral penetration, as opposed to the penetrative aspects of those activities...
" in the hall closet).
Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Leslie Bibb Leslie Bibb Leslie Louise Bibb is an American actress and former fashion model. She transitioned into film and television in late 1990s. She appeared in television shows such as Home Improvement , before she appeared in her first film, the comedy Private Parts , which was followed by her first show The Big Easy... |
Brooke McQueen |
| Carly Pope Carly Pope -Early life:Pope was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, with an older brother, Kris, also an actor, and a younger brother, Alexander. She began acting during her high school years in Vancouver where she appeared in stage classics such as The Odd Couple, playing Mickey, and A Midsummer... |
Samantha 'Sam' McPherson |
| Tamara Mello Tamara Mello Tamara Beccam Mello is an American actress. Her career began in 1993 with appearances on various television programs and films... |
Lily Esposito |
| Christopher Gorham Christopher Gorham Christopher David Gorham is an American actor.- Early life :Gorham was born in Fresno, California to David Gorham, a certified public accountant and Cathryn Gorham, a school nurse. He attended high school at Roosevelt School of the Arts and graduated from UCLA with a BA in Film & Theater Arts... |
Harrison John |
| Sara Rue Sara Rue Sara Rue is an American television actress. She is best known for the roles she played as Carmen Ferrara on the comedy-drama Popular and Claude Casey on the sitcom Less Than Perfect. She is also known as a spokesperson for Jenny Craig... |
Carmen Ferrara |
| Bryce Johnson Bryce Johnson -Early life:Johnson was raised in Reno, Nevada before moving to Denver, Colorado at 5 with his newly divorced mother along with his two brothers where he graduated from high school in 1995... |
Josh Ford |
| Tammy Lynn Michaels Tammy Lynn Michaels Tammy Lynn Michaels , also known by the surname Etheridge after marrying Melissa Etheridge, is an American actress.... |
Nicole Julian |
| Ron Lester Ron Lester Ron Lester is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the films Varsity Blues, and Not Another Teen Movie, and the TV show Popular.-Background:... |
Michael 'Sugar Daddy' Bernardino |
| Leslie Grossman Leslie Grossman Leslie Erin Grossman is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Mary Cherry on the television series Popular and as Lauren in What I Like About You.-Early life and education:... |
Mary Cherry |
| Lisa Darr Lisa Darr Lisa Darr is an American actress.Darr was born Lisa Darr Grabemann in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Mollie, an actress, and Karl Grabemann, a lawyer. She attended Stanford University and graduated in 1985 with a degree in Biology; she went on to receive an MFA in Acting from UCLA.She played... |
Jane McPherson |
| Scott Bryce Scott Bryce Scott Macalister Bryce , sometimes credited as Scott M. Bryce, is an American film and television actor. Bryce is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Craig Montgomery on As the World Turns.... |
Mike McQueen |
| Diane Delano Diane Delano Diane A. Delano is an American character actress, sometimes credited as Diana Delano. Her best known roles might be "Bobbi Glass" as well as her twin sister nurse "Jessi Glass "on the 1999 series Popular and the recurring character "Barbara Semanski" on Northern Exposure... |
Miss Roberta 'Bobbi' Glass |
Supporting cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Alley Mills Alley Mills Alley Mills is an American actress best known for her role as Norma Arnold, the mother in the coming-of-age series The Wonder Years.-Life and career:... |
Robin John |
| Anel Lopez Gorham | Poppita 'Poppy' Fresh |
| Adria Dawn | April Tuna |
| Hank Harris Hank Harris Hank Harris is an American actor who has been working in movies and television since the late 1990s. He grew up in Duluth, Minnesota and Santa Fe, New Mexico.He is perhaps best remembered on television for his role as Emory Dick in Popular... |
Emory Dick |
| Diana Bellamy | Principal Cecelia Hall |
| Robert Gant Robert Gant Robert Gant is an American actor. He is sometimes credited as Robert J. Gant.-Early life:... |
Vice Principal Calvin Krupps |
| Christopher Wiehl Christopher Wiehl -Life and career:Wiehl was born in Yakima, Washington. He graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts degree in dramatic arts. He is the brother of legal analyst Lis Wiehl.... |
Leo Ferrara |
| Michelle Krusiec Michelle Krusiec Michelle J. Krusiec born October 2, 1974 in Fallon, Nevada, is an American actress of Taiwanese ancestry.Krusiec was recruited to be one of six globe-trotting travel reporters for the Discovery Channel new series called Travelers... |
Exquisite Woo |
| Wentworth Miller Wentworth Miller Wentworth Earl Miller III is an English-born American actor; model and screenwriter who rose to stardom following his role as Michael Scofield in the Fox Network television series Prison Break.-Early life:... |
Adam Rothschild-Ryan |
| Anthony Montgomery Anthony Montgomery Anthony T. Montgomery is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Ensign Travis Mayweather on the UPN science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise . Montgomery is the grandson of jazz musician Wes Montgomery... |
George Austin |
| Delta Burke Delta Burke Delta Ramona Leah Burke is an American television and film actress. Her television work includes a leading role as Suzanne Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women... |
Cherry Cherry |
| Mandy Freund | May Tuna |
Ratings
| Season | U.S. ratings | Network | Network rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999–2000 | 2.9 million | The WB | #11 |
| 2 | 2000–2001 | 1.7 million | The WB | #11 |
DVD releases
The complete series of Popular has been released on DVD in region 1 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (formerly Buena Vista Home Entertainment).| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 22 | September 21, 2004 |
| Season 2 | 21 | March 8, 2005 |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Casting Society of America Casting Society of America Founded in Los Angeles, California in 1982, the Casting Society of America is a professional society of about 350 casting directors for film, television, and theatre in Australia, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. The society is not to be confused with an industry union. The... |
Nominated | Best Casting for TV, Comedy Pilot | Eric Dawson, Carol Kritzer, and Robert J. Ulrich |
| 2000 | GLAAD Media Awards GLAAD Media Awards The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives... |
Won | Outstanding TV Individual Episode (For episode "Wild Wild Mess") | |
| 2001 | Nominated | Outstanding TV Comedy Series | |
|
| 2000 | Genesis Awards Genesis Awards The Genesis Awards are awarded annually to individuals in the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works which raise public awareness of animal issues. Presented by The Humane Society of the United States, the awards show takes place every March in California... |
Won | Television - New Series (For episode "Under Siege") | |
| 2001 | Won | Television - Comedy Series (For episode "Joe Loves Mary Cherry") | |
|
| 2000 | SHINE Awards SHINE Awards The SHINE Awards are annual media awards given by The Media Project since the mid-1980s, resulting from a partnership between the Kaiser Family Foundation and Advocates for Youth... |
Won | Comedy Episode (For episode "Booty Camp") | |
| 2000 | TV Guide Awards | Nominated | Favorite Teen Show | |
| 2000 | Teen Choice Awards Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with... |
Nominated | TV - Choice Sidekick | Ron Lester |
| Nominated | TV - Choice Comedy | |
||
| Nominated | TV - Choice Actress | Carly Pope | ||
| Nominated | TV - Choice Actress | Leslie Bibb | ||
| Won | TV - Choice Breakout Show | |
||
| 2001 | Nominated | TV - Choice Sidekick | Ron Lester | |
| Nominated | TV - Choice Comedy | |
External links
- Kennedy High BR - Brazilian fansite about the show
- Popular Wiki
- Popular