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‘My So-Called Life’ Cast, Creator Reflect on 'Radical' Show 30 Years Later: 'There Would've Been No Dawson's Creek'

'My So-Called Life's iconic cast and creator — Claire Danes, Wilson Cruz, Devon Odessa and A.J. Langer and Winnie Holzman — discuss with PEOPLE how the beloved one-season wonder broke barriers for its portrayal of high school life

When Claire Danes landed the lead in My So-Called Life at age 14, it didn’t take much to immerse herself in the role of introspective love-struck teen Angela Chase. Like Danes, viewers quickly identified with My So-Called Life’s cast of angsty high school adolescents, and the coming-of-age show achieved cult status — despite lasting only one season, which debuted 30 years ago on Aug. 25, 1994. “It changed the landscape of television in terms of young people and how they're depicted,” he says, adding, “There would’ve been no Dawson's Creek or Freaks and Geeks or any of those shows without My So-Called Life setting the stage for an audience to accept a drama about teenagers.”

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