''Opposite Sex'' is an American

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

series that aired during Fox's summer 2000 schedule. The series was one of the first teen dramas to primarily use independent artists on its soundtrack by such acts as

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...

and

Ben Lee Benjamin Michael Lee (born 11 September 1978) is an Australian musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but he focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appe ...

. The series was initially shot in 1999 for the 1999–2000 season, but its broadcast was delayed to the summer of 2000. The series lasted eight episodes before being canceled.

Synopsis

The series chronicles the life of Jed Perry (

Milo Ventimiglia Milo Anthony Ventimiglia (, ; born July 8, 1977) is an American actor. Making his screen acting debut on ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' in 1995, he portrayed the lead role on the short-lived series '' Opposite Sex'' in 2000 before landing his br ...

), a 15-year-old boy who moves to Northern California along with his father shortly after the death of his mother. After enrolling at the prestigious Evergreen Academy, Jed finds out the school was formerly for girls, and recently became co-ed. Along with Jed, only two other boys attend the school, Philip Steffan (

Kyle Howard Kyle Alan Howard (born April 13, 1978) is an American actor. Early life Howard grew up in Loveland, Colorado. He has worked in both film and television. His film career includes '' House Arrest'' alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, ''Skeletons'' with ...

) and Cary Baston ( Chris Evans). The boys run into problems when the girls of the school are resistant to the changes and make it clear that their presence is unwanted.

Cast

as Jed Perry *

as Philip Steffan * Chris Evans as Cary Baston *Margot Finley as Miranda Mills *

Lindsey McKeon Lindsey McKeon is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Marah Lewis on '' Guiding Light'' and Taylor James on ''One Tree Hill''. She previously starred on '' Saved by the Bell: The New Class'' as Katie Peterson from 1996–2000. L ...

as Stella *

Allison Mack Allison Christin Mack (born July 29, 1982) is an American actress. She played Chloe Sullivan on the superhero series ''Smallville'' (2001–2011) and had a recurring role on the comedy series '' Wilfred'' (2012–2014). Mack was a member of N ...

as Kate Jacobs *

Garcelle Beauvais Garcelle Beauvais (, formerly Beauvais-Nilon; born November 26, 1966) is a Haitian-American actress and television personality. She is best known for her starring roles in the sitcom ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' and the crime drama series ''NYPD Blue' ...

as Ms. Maya Bradley *

Rena Sofer Renas may refer to: Places *Rena, Badajoz, a municipality in Extremadura, Spain *Rena, Norway, a village in Innlandet county, Norway *Rena, Washington, a community in Clallam County, Washington, United States People *Rena (given name), list of pe ...

as Ms. Gibson * Chris McKenna as Rob Perry *

Christopher Cousins Christopher Maher Cousins (born September 27, 1960) is an American actor who has been acting in television since 1986. He is best known for playing conman Cain Rogan in forty-one episodes of the soap opera '' One Life to Live''. Between 2009 and ...

as Mr. Will Perry *

Alexandra Breckenridge Alexandra Hetherington Breckenridge is an American actress. She began her career with supporting roles in the teen comedy films ''Big Fat Liar'' (2002) and ''She's the Man'' (2006). She later played reporter Willa McPherson in the FX series ''D ...

as Francise

Reception

Carole Horst of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote of the series, "Clever concept, sleek production values, a nice cast and thoughtful writing (for a teen show) add up to the enjoyable ''Opposite Sex''". Horst added, "Despite all the good things in this gentle comedy drama, it's hard to say who the series is aimed at: It's not intellectual enough for " ''Freaks''" fans and too grounded for

the WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...

crowd. Young auds will have to seek it out. And therein lies the rub." Steve Johnson of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' said the premise of the show is interesting but its "humor and sensibility" falls flat. Barry Garron of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' described ''Opposite Sex'' as a "far-fetched, overly earnest teen-oriented show" that "never manages to overcome its contrived premise and establish real emotional connections." He went on to say that "''

My So-Called Life ''My So-Called Life'' is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995. It is distributed by The Bed ...

'' and ''

Freaks & Geeks ''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season. The show is set in a suburban high school near Det ...

'' have raised the bar for teen drama by providing keen insight into the awkwardness of adolescence" and that while not on the same level this series is "not nearly as cartoonish" as ''

Saved by the Bell ''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...

''. Joel Brown, a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' syndicated columnist published in ''

The Spokesman-Review ''The Spokesman-Review'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Spokane, Washington, the city's sole remaining daily publication. It has the third-highest readership among daily newspapers in the state, with most of its readership base in ...

'' found that "Ventimiglia conveys Jed's frustration well" but that "bad TV cliches overwhelm this show's mild promise." ''

The Modesto Bee ''The Modesto Bee'' is a California newspaper, founded in 1884 as the ''Daily Evening News'' and published continuously as a daily under a variety of names. Before its purchase by Charles K. McClatchy and McClatchy Newspapers in 1924, it merged ...

's'' TV critic, Kevin McDonough, describes the series as "hardly the worst teen show of the year" and stated that "it lacks the soft-core exploitation that permeates ''

Young Americans ''Young Americans'' is the ninth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 7March 1975 through RCA Records. The album marked a departure from the glam rock style of Bowie's previous albums, showcasing his interest in soul and ...

''." David Bianculli of the ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

'' gave a positive review, writing, "

Abby Kohn Abby Kohn is an American screenwriter and director. She is best known for writing popular romantic comedy films such as ''Never Been Kissed'', '' He's Just Not That Into You'', ''Valentine's Day'' and ''How to Be Single''. She also co-wrote the ...

and

Marc Silverstein Marc Silverstein (born July 1, 1971) is an American screenwriter, producer and film director. Biography Silverstein was born to a American Jews, Jewish family. His writing partner is Abby Kohn. They are known for co-writing romantic comedy fil ...

, creators and co-executive producers of '''Opposite Sex'',' are as aware of the subtle and often painful interplays and power plays of high-school life as were the makers of, say, My So-Called Life'''".

Episodes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Opposite Sex 2000s American comedy-drama television series 2000s American high school television series 2000s American teen drama television series 2000 American television series debuts 2000 American television series endings English-language television shows Fox Broadcasting Company original programming Television series about teenagers Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television shows set in San Francisco Coming-of-age television shows