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Did some critics look down at Clueless for having an aspirational, "we're hipper than everyone else" approach?

posted 2 years ago by TMC-4 (20261)
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I a while back, listed to the TV Guidance Counselor podcast with Ken Reid. And in one episode, he interviewed Tim O'Donnell, who was the principal showrunner for the Clueless TV series with Rachel Blanchard as Cher that ran on ABC and later UPN from 1996-99.

https://tvguidancecounselor.libsyn.com/tv-guidance-counselor-episode-355-tim-odonnell

At the 01:05:50 mark, Reid compared the Clueless TV series under Tim O'Donnell as a sitcom variation of James at 15:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_at_15

Please note that I'm essentially, paraphrasing what O'Donnell said. But Amy Heckerling oversaw the series for the first handful of episodes. But she soon passed the show-running responsibilities onto O'Donnell because she came to the conclusion that the series was hurting her financially, given that her primary job was as a feature film director.

This is when O'Donnell said that continuing Heckerling's aspirational, "we're hipper than everyone else" approach couldn't work. In an episodic TV setting, you according to O'Donnell, actually need to "give a shit" about the characters.

https://moviechat.org/tt0115137/Clueless

[–] HarveyManFredSin (4877) 2 years ago

Sounds interesting. Can you explain what O'Donnell meant?

In some ways I prefer the narrative of the TV show, even if it was technically inferior to the film. The TV show downplayed Cher's Jewishness by casting the WASPy Rachel Blanchard, which I consider to be a progressive step, as it disassociates Cher's spoiled rich girl persona from TOXIC anti-Semitic 'JAP' stereotypes, and simply implies she's a generic rich white girl/princess.

[–] TMC-4 (20261) 2 years ago

When the series moved to UPN, O'Donnell said that the show would focus more on the five central teenagers than Season 1 on ABC. He added he was more interested in watching things that happen in school because the interesting stories happen there.

‘Clueless’ has a clue, after all

https://www.courant.com/1997/07/14/footnotes-41/

“Clueless” is not only changing networks — from ABC to UPN — it’s switching direction a bit, said executive producer Tim O’Donnell. When it debuts on UPN (locally, WTXX, Channel 20) in the fall Tuesdays at 8 p.m., the show will focus more on the five central teenagers than did the ABC version, O’Donnell said. Also, Wallace Shawn and Twink Kaplan, who played recurring roles as teachers, will be gone from the production. Instead, O’Donnell will use stunt casting to fill the teacher slots. And Michael Lerner, who played the father of lead-teen Cher (Rachel Blanchard), won’t be returning.

Adjusting the Off-Color Contrast

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-sep-19-ca-11711-story.html

Tim O’Donnell, who produced “Uncle Buck” and more recently the UPN teen comedy “Clueless,” admits even he was a little taken aback as he began watching tapes of this season’s new prime-time offerings, such as UPN’s “Shasta McNasty,” about a young, sex-obsessed hip-hop group.

“I actually think the rudeness of some of these pilots was overshadowed by the diversity issue,” he says, referring to the discussion that took place throughout the summer regarding the dearth of minority characters in new prime-time programs. “If not, it would have been 1990 all over again.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1997/08/24/upn-trots-out-three-new-sitcoms/ec311902-f618-4c7f-9e38-2638a3e9ece4/

UPN TROTS OUT THREE NEW SITCOMS

"Clueless" (Tuesday at 8, beginning Sept. 23) comes to UPN after making its debut last year on ABC. Based on the successful feature film directed by Amy Heckerling and starring Alicia Silverstone, the TV series continues the exploits of Cher, Dionne and Amber in Beverly Hills. Rachel Blanchard stars as pack-leader Cher; Stacey Dash is Dionne and Elisa Donovan plays Amber. Heckerling and Tim O'Donnell are the executive producers. Among this season's storylines, according to O'Donnell: Cher will shatter the Beverly Hills social code by dating a pool boy.

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1997/08/25/upn-comes-out-swinging/

UPN comes out swinging

CLUELESS: (debuts at 8 p.m., Sept. 23) Critics scoffed when UPN moved to pick up this comedy _ based on the popular Alicia Silverstone movie of the same name _ after ABC dropped the show for in-the-basement ratings. But the transition makes perfect sense to executive producer Tim O'Donnell, who says he's seen "a kind of rabidness . . . just crazed" following among adolescent girls for the show. Certainly, that's the response the network is banking on, re-creating the exploits of Beverly Hills high schoolers Cher, Dionne and Amber in the time slot that made Moesha a household word.