Few television shows have had such a short life while having such a major impact on the entertainment landscape as My So-Called Life.

The brainchild of Thirtysomething mavens Marshall Herskovitz and Winnie Holzman, the show aimed to present highschool life from the point of view of one emotionally conflicted sophomore named Angela (Claire Danes). As a direct response to Beverly Hills, 90210, the show was meant to be realistic, perhaps overly so, offering a look into Angela's psyche through copious voice over, and presenting real struggles the average kid has to deal with during what might be the toughest few years of everyone's adolescence. Real. Really real. Reality. How real was My So-Called Life going to be? So real it was set in Pittsburgh. (But not too real: It was still shot in L.A.)

The show lasted one season, 19 episodes including the pilot. If it seems like more that's because MTV bought the rerun rights after the show ended its ABC run in 1995. MTV ran those episodes hundreds of times for years, into the late '90s. (You may also have noticed that Danes looks a lot older at the end of the series (which spanned only one school year) than at the beginning. That's because she was: Network troubles gave the show an on-again/off-again schedule. The final episode was shot a full 2 1/2 years after the pilot.)

On the whole, Life follows some well-traveled teen drama territory. A prime plot: Angela is in love with Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto), a sophomore with a mild learning disability who's been held back twice, is never seen without his fur-trimmed leather coat, and who is never referred to as "Jordan" but always as "Jordan Catalano." Angela is also on the outs with her childhood friend Sharon (Devon Odessa), and has picked up with the rebellious Rayanne (A.J. Langer) and her bisexual pal Rickie (Wilson Cruz, who is still playing variations on this character over a decade later). Angela's parents have their own issues: Dad (Tom Irwin) is emasculated by his powerful, shrewish wife (Bess Armstrong, so overpowering she's almost unbearable). In later episodes he leaves their printing company to attempt to start a restaurant... while trying to avoid the temptations of a younger woman (a plot point that actually occurs twice in the series run).

I found that rewatching this show in my thirties was a far different experience than watching it in my twenties (though it sure feels like I was younger). While back then I related to Angela and her emotional turmoil, today I find myself relating more with her parents, dippy though they might be. As the episodes wore on, Angela's rebellion (often just for the sake of rebellion) became grating and annoying. It is actually difficult to fight back the urge, when watching Angela, ever-clad in flannel and overalls and inexplicably holding her hand over her mouth, to yell at the screen, "Grow up!"

That's not to say the show isn't good. It is, and its premature cancellation after just one season is tragic. The show, though, is at its best when Angela isn't the focus. Langer's Rayanne is a fireball of energy; her descent into alcoholism is a fantastic arc in how it impacts the rest of the cast. But it's Devon Gummersall, as Brian, Angela's next-door neighbor, who regularly steals the show. He's the awkward school brain and has a long-term unrequited crush on Angela, which repeatedly gets him into trouble. The show's final episode, wherein he writes a love letter/apology on behalf of Jordan to Angela, only to have her all but ignore him when she discovers the truth, is one of TV's great tragedies.

In this lavish DVD set, Holzman reveals that if the show had gone on, the tense triangle of Jordan-Angela-Brian would have continued, the Chases would have split up, a homeless Rickie would have moved in with his gay English teacher, and a depressed Petty would have risen to the occasion to defend the teacher, now out of a job. Some interesting stuff in there, some not so much. You'll also find commentary tracks, numerous retrospective interviews, and a making-of featurette... should this be a Life you care to relive once again.