Judd Apatow has been around the TV scene for quite some time. He got his start on the underrated early 90's variety series The Ben Stiller Show. Along the way, he wrote episodes for The Critic, The Larry Sanders Show, and the screenplay for Celtic Pride. He first gained real notoriety for writing and producing the television series Freaks and Geeks, an absolutely wonderful comedy/drama about growing up in the early 80's. Lately he gained notoriety for writing and directing the smash hit 40 Year Old Virgin, which launched the career of Steve Carrell. In between those two TV shows was a little sitcom about college life called Undeclared. Despite only lasting 17 episodes, Undeclared was one of the most endearing and original TV comedies I've seen.

Undeclared followed a group of freshman college students at the fictional University of North Eastern California (or UNEC). Skinny and awkward Steven Karp (Jay Baruchel) was the main focus of the show. His roommate was the British drama major and resident ladies man Lloyd (Charlie Hunnam). Sharing the common room with them were Ron (Seth Rogen) and Marshall (Timm Sharp), both of whom had little luck with the ladies. Across the hall, the female dorm room was shared by the unbearably perky Lizzie (Carla Gallo), party girl Rachel (Monica Keena), and the sarcastic Tina (Christina Payano). Steven's father Hal (Loudon Wainwright III) would often show up at the most inopportune time, consistently embarrassing his son.

Unlike most comedies at the time, Undeclared was shot in single camera format (like a film as opposed to a studio show like Home Improvement) and did not use a laugh track. The aim wasn't simply to make you laugh, but also develop the characters and get you to cheer them on. Most of the humor comes from the painfully funny realization that a character we hate is doing something stupid. In the first episode, Steven loses his virginity to Lizzie and immediately thinks this is the start of a wonderful relationship. We know better and Steven soon meets Eric, Lizzie's obsessive boyfriend from back home. Most shows would treat Eric as a one dimensional character, but Apatow presents him with as much sympathy as any of the other characters. One of my favorite episodes dealt with Steven trying to help Eric win Lizzie back.


The concept behind Undeclared is extremely simple. It's certainly not the first show about college life, but it is one of the best. Judd Apatow (as he also demonstrated in this year's film The 40 Year Old Virgin) is a genius at lowbrow comedy. Undeclared had plenty of outrageous moments, including a risqué game of Truth or Date and a fraternity incident requiring a brick that is too painful to talk about. However, what made the show truly excel were the little bits of genuine emotion that were sprinkled throughout each episode. Even as you laughed at how pathetic and vulgar these characters were, you were still also rooting for Steve to win over Lizzie, for Marshall to win Rachel, for Ron to win anyone, and for the entire gang to defeat the frat house.

Apatow's wonderful ability at creating characters and finding the perfect people to play them was once again evident from the very beginning of this show. Jay Baruchel is not your typical leading man, but his awkward gestures made for plenty of laughs and his boundless enthusiasm made Steven an endearing character. While Steven was the main focus, Undeclared was really an ensemble series and the entire cast worked wonderfully together. You really get the sense of fun that they had in making the show. There were plenty of guest stars that showed up during the show's run, a testament to how much people respected the quality work Apatow had put out. Will Ferrell showed up as a manic townie that wrote and sold research papers. Adam Sandler played himself in an episode where he ended up sleeping with Lizzie. Ben Stiller appeared in the final episode as Eric's stepfather. Apatow also wisely populated the show with many veterans from Freaks and Geeks. Aside from regular cast members Jason Segel and Seth Rogen, there were guest appearances from Martin Starr, Samm Levine, and Busy Phillips.

The DVD set is one of the most complete I have ever seen. There is audio commentary on all 17 episodes, and every single member of the cast gets to participate, including most of the writing staff and a few of the guest stars. The commentaries often stray from actual discussion of the episode, but are extremely entertaining. Each episode also comes with three to four deleted scenes, many of which show several different takes and give you some insight into the influence of improvisation in the show's creative process. You also get to see screen tests for many of the actors, revealing some pretty interesting things. One example is that Timm Sharp originally read for Steven before the won the part of Marshall. The auditions were handled in improv style, and many of the little scenes that were created are hilarious. Also included is an alternate edit of the 2nd episode, an episode called "God Visits" that was never previously aired, and a teleplay for an episode that was never filmed.

Undeclared was cancelled after only 17 episodes, an all too brief run for such a promising show. It may have been a little before it's time. Despite the success of Malcolm in the Middle, it would still be a few years until TV viewers would embrace the single camera format. Another problem was network interference. Fox executives decided they knew better than Judd Apatow and aired many episodes out of order. The idea was to pick the ones that would be more successful to be shown first. The problem was that Undeclared had a running story for each of the characters, and the development of the various relationships was hard to follow due to the network interference. Also problematic was scheduling it against established shows like Gilmore Girls and Buffy that also catered to a similar demographic. It's hard to tell how Undeclared would have done in a better situation. Fox’s mismanagement may have prevented you from seeing this show the first time around, but now there is no excuse. You absolutely must grab this excellent DVD set.

*One gripe I have about the DVD set is that the episodes are listed in the order that they were originally broadcast, and not in the correct chronological order. Whatever reason Fox had for this the first time around certainly doesn't make sense for a DVD release where most buyers would watch several episodes at a time. Fox had also screwed with the airing of Joss Whedon's Firefly, but the DVD release put the episodes back into the correct order. I have included the following episode guide that will help you figure out how to watch the episodes chronologically. You miss so much watching it out of order that I implore you to follow this list if you decide to watch the show.

1. Prototype

The pilot episode and introduction to all of the characters.

2a. Oh, So You Have A Boyfriend?

Steven finds out Lizzie has a boyfriend, but pursues her anyway. Ron cautions Lloyd against making a move for the cute RA.

2b. Full Bluntal Nugety

This is an alternate version of 2a that is significantly different, but arrives at the same ending.

3. Eric Visits

When Lizzie breaks up with her boyfriend during his visit, Steven is torn between his sympathy for Eric and his desire to win Lizzie.

4. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

When Hal can no longer afford tuition payments, Steven is forced to get a job at the cafeteria with Marshall.

5. Sick in the Head

Lloyd's sexcapades force Steven to spend his nights in the rec room with other sexless students. Rachel convinces a love struck Marshall to try herbal remedies for his severe bout of flu.

6. The Assistant

The gang gets a chance to meet Adam Sandler.

7. Addicts

Steven pays a townie to write research papers for him, but begins to reconsider when the guy goes off the deep end. A large wad of cash makes Marshall feel powerful.

8. God Visits

Ron schemes to get Lizzie and Steven together, but plans fall apart when Steven becomes obsessed with the Bible. Lloyd acts out when he decides that his existence his meaningless.

9. Parents Weekend

Steven has to deal with both of his divorced parents showing up for Parents Weekend at the same time. Rachel's mom finds illicit items in her room, but Lizzie takes the blame.

10. Eric Visits Again

Rachel accidentally lets Eric know about Steven and Lizzie's encounter. He decides to visit UNEC and take out his anger on Steven.

11. Rush and Pledge

Steven decides to rush a frat against the warnings of his friends.

12. Hell Week

After Steven quits as a pledge, the gang gets into an escalating war of pranks with the frat house

13. Truth or Dare

The guys set up a Truth or Dare game that is meant to help Steven win Lizzie, Ron win Kelly, and Marshall and Lloyd to compete for Rachel.

14. The Day After

After finally getting together, Lizzie and Steven both get terrible advice from their friends that drives them apart.

15. The Perfect Date

Steven's plan to create a perfect date for Lizzie is foiled when his geeky high school friend shows up for a visit. The gang goes to an Around the World party.

16. Hal and Hilary

Steven is horrified to learn that Hal is dating RA Hilary. Rachel is jealous of Marshall and his Japanese speaking girlfriend.

17. Eric's POV

We get a glimpse into Eric's home life. Back at UNEC, Lizzie frets about her horrible dye job, while all Steven wants to do is watch Girls Gone Wild with the guys.



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD