Undeclared
Encyclopedia
Undeclared is an American sitcom that aired on Fox during the 2001–02 season
.
was Judd Apatow
's follow-up to his earlier television series Freaks and Geeks
, which also lasted for one season. Undeclared centered on a group of college freshmen at the fictional University of Northeastern California (campus exteriors were actually shot at the University of Southern California
and University of California, Los Angeles
). Unlike Freaks, it was set in the current time of the early 2000s rather than the 1980s. It gave a humorous look at the highs and lows of college
life, from young adult relationships to the dreaded freshman fifteen
. It takes its name from the status of undergraduates who have not yet decided, or "declared," a specific major of study.
in 2006. He also speculated on why college shows find it hard to gain a foothold on network schedules: "One reason for the death of college shows is that it's difficult to be honest about campus life on network or basic cable. It's hard to portray truthfully. The truth is, kids are high, drunk and having sex. No matter what you do, you're fudging it."
Media outlets such as Entertainment Weekly
gave the show generally glowing reviews, though the general audience did not seem to share the same opinion of the show, as Fox canceled the show in March 2002 after poor ratings
. In total, 16 episodes were shown on Fox, while one unaired episode was included in the DVD set released in Region 1 on August 16, 2005.
When first shown on network television, many episodes were aired out of order, much to Judd Apatow
's dismay. When it was originally released on DVD, the episodes were presented in their production order, which was a mistake according to Apatow. However, newer versions of the DVD present the episodes in the correct chronological order, restoring all storylines and character developments.
), which was written for the show's second season. It revolves around Lloyd getting into a fight with Kieran, the star student of his acting class, and deciding that he wants to experience real life. So, Steven and Lloyd go to a bar and end up in a fight with some working class men, which impresses Kieran when Lloyd tells him about it. A subplot in the episode revolves around Marshall getting extremely drunk and throwing up in a bar. When he is throwing up, Perry takes a picture and video, and makes T-shirts and posters and puts them around campus. Marshall is embarrassed at first, but he is glad when he finds out about all of the attention that he gets as "Puke Dude". Unfortunately for him, this doesn't last long when everyone forgets about him after another student shits his pants in the library. Perry's last name is revealed to be Madison in this episode. The role of Kieran was written for That '70s Show
star Topher Grace
, but he never appeared in the episode because of a dispute between Judd Apatow and That '70s Show co-creator Mark Brazill
.
During a question-and-answer session, Judd Apatow stated that if the series had been picked up for a second season, there would have been an episode titled "Eric's Birthday" in which Lizzie and Steven would go to the birthday party mentioned in episode "Eric's POV". Linda Cardellini
of Freaks and Geeks
would have played his new girlfriend. In the episode, Eric would have had a cake with a picture of him and his new girlfriend printed on it. Lizzie would have been given the piece with Eric's new girlfriend's face. At the time Jason Segel
was dating Linda Cardellini.
had acquired the rights to air both Undeclared and Freaks and Geeks
. Undeclared premiered on IFC on November 5, 2010. Both Undeclared and Freaks and Geeks began rerunning on the TeenNick
network on June 13, 2011.
released the complete series of Undeclared on DVD in Region 1. The four-disc boxed set contains all 17 episodes, including an unaired episode and a bonus director's cut.
According to Apatow, the producers were unable to get clearance for all the music in the series (not being able to use about 10 songs). Since the uncleared songs were considered to not play a significant role in the series, they were switched with a suitable substitute.
2001–02 United States network television schedule
This was the United States broadcast television schedule on all six commercial television networks for the fall season beginning in September 2001. All times are Eastern and Pacific.New fall series are highlighted in bold....
.
Premise
The half-hour comedyComedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
was Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is well known for his work in comedy films, especially for films he has been involved with throughout the latter half of the 2000s. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, a film production company that also developed the...
's follow-up to his earlier television series Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and 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...
, which also lasted for one season. Undeclared centered on a group of college freshmen at the fictional University of Northeastern California (campus exteriors were actually shot at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
). Unlike Freaks, it was set in the current time of the early 2000s rather than the 1980s. It gave a humorous look at the highs and lows of college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
life, from young adult relationships to the dreaded freshman fifteen
Freshman fifteen
The Freshman fifteen refers to an amount of weight often gained during a student's first year at college.The expression is commonly used in the United States and Canada...
. It takes its name from the status of undergraduates who have not yet decided, or "declared," a specific major of study.
Critique
College is "the reward for surviving high school. Most people have great fun stories from college and nightmare stories from high school," Judd Apatow told the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
in 2006. He also speculated on why college shows find it hard to gain a foothold on network schedules: "One reason for the death of college shows is that it's difficult to be honest about campus life on network or basic cable. It's hard to portray truthfully. The truth is, kids are high, drunk and having sex. No matter what you do, you're fudging it."
Media outlets such as Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the show generally glowing reviews, though the general audience did not seem to share the same opinion of the show, as Fox canceled the show in March 2002 after poor ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. In total, 16 episodes were shown on Fox, while one unaired episode was included in the DVD set released in Region 1 on August 16, 2005.
Main characters
| Name | Actor | Major | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Karp | Jay Baruchel Jay Baruchel Jonathan Adam Saunders "Jay" Baruchel is a Canadian actor. He has had a successful career in comedy films, and has appeared in supporting roles in such box office successes as Million Dollar Baby, Knocked Up and Tropic Thunder, as well as starring in films like She's Out of My League, The Trotsky,... |
Undeclared | Steven was a celibate geek in high school. He has a particular affinity for The Matrix The Matrix The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving... and The X-Files The X-Files The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s... . He grew up only ten minutes away from the UNEC campus. In college, Steven is fairly popular among the students, but he is still somewhat nerdy. |
| Lizzie Exley | Carla Gallo Carla Gallo Carla Gallo is an American actress notable for roles in the television series Undeclared, Carnivàle, and Bones, and in the indie film Spanking the Monkey.-Filmography:-External links:... |
Psychology | Steven's neurotic, highly enthusiastic floor mate and eventual girlfriend. Used to date Eric (Jason Segel Jason Segel Jason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,... ) but broke up with him after he found out that she had a one-night stand with Steven during their first day at UNEC. |
| Lloyd Haythe | Charlie Hunnam Charlie Hunnam Charles Matthew "Charlie" Hunnam is an English actor. He is perhaps best known to UK audiences as Pete Dunham in Green Street Hooligans and as Nathan Maloney in the Channel 4 hit drama Queer as Folk and to US audiences as Vice President of Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original Jackson... |
Theater | Steven's English England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... roommate. He often makes Steven leave their room so that he can have sex. Despite constantly picking on Steven, he's also very protective of his roommate and usually tries to look out for his best interests. Due to his popularity with women, Lloyd often serves as an adviser in romantic affairs to all his suitemates. Despite often playing up his Britishness and "manners", Lloyd is often the most aggressive of the group, and very quick to anger. |
| Rachel Lindquist | Monica Keena Monica Keena Monica C. Keena is an American actress, known for her roles as Abby Morgan on Dawson's Creek, Rachel Lindquist on the short-lived comedy Undeclared, Kristin on HBO's Entourage, and as Lori Campbell in Freddy vs. Jason.... |
Undeclared | Lizzie's roommate. Is initially nervous at the prospect of living away from her family, but eventually breaks free of her anxiety and embraces a party girl mentality. |
| Ron Garner | Seth Rogen Seth Rogen Seth Rogen is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, producer, screenwriter, and voice artist. Rogen began his career doing stand-up comedy during his teen years, winning the Vancouver Amateur Comedy Contest in 1998. While still living in his native Vancouver, he landed a small part in Freaks and... |
Business | Steven's wise-cracking, glasses-wearing, beer-guzzling, chubby Canadian suitemate who comes to U.N.E.C. from Vancouver. With his dry sense of humor, Ron is the brains of the group. Briefly dates Kelly (Busy Philipps Busy Philipps Elizabeth Jean Philipps , known professionally as Busy Philipps, is an American film actress, perhaps best known for her supporting roles on the television series Freaks and Geeks and Dawson's Creek... ), a campus tour guide. |
| Marshall Nesbitt | Timm Sharp Timm Sharp Timm Sharp is an American actor known mainly for his TV roles, including a lead role in the 2001 comedy Undeclared, as well as recurring roles in Six Feet Under and Til Death. He appears with Laura Dern in the HBO comedy series Enlightened, which debuted on October 10, 2011. He also attended... |
Music | Steven's suitemate who came to U.N.E.C. from Sioux City, Iowa. His parents still believe that he is a business major, although he switched courses at the last minute. Despite his less-than-stellar work ethic, he is Mr. Burundi's (Gerry Bednob Gerry Bednob -Career:Gerry currently appears as Bling Bling Shelton in Free Radio on Vh1. He had a role in the 2010 film Furry Vengeance, with Brendan Fraser and Brooke Shields, playing Mr. Gupta. He is also the uncle of Michelle Jhagroo.- Filmography :... ) favorite worker at the cafeteria. Has a crush on Rachel. |
| Hal Karp | Loudon Wainwright III Loudon Wainwright III Loudon Snowden Wainwright III is a Grammy Award-winning American songwriter, folk singer, humorist, and actor. He is the father of musicians Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche, brother of Sloan Wainwright, and the former husband of the late folk singer Kate McGarrigle.To... |
(N/A) | Steven's father, who experiences a mid-life crisis after being divorced by Steven's mother. Hal sometimes spends time socially with the gang, which often results in Steven's embarrassment. |
Recurring characters
- Perry Madison (Jarrett Grode), bland, sarcastic dorm-mate who can DJ and free-style rap. (12 episodes)
- Tina Ellroy (Christina Payano), Lizzie and Rachel's suitemate introduced mid-season. Moves into the vacated room in Lizzie and Rachel's suite during the unaired episode "God Visits". (11 episodes)
- Eric (Jason SegelJason SegelJason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,...
), Lizzie's obsessive ex-boyfriend who she breaks up with after sleeping with Steven. Eric had been dating Lizzie since she was in high school, and he is several years older than she is. Eric works as the manager of a copy shop. (7 episodes) - Adam (Leroy Adams), student who lives on the gang's floor. (8 episodes)
- P.B. (P.B. Smiley), student who lives on the gang's floor. (6 episodes)
- Trent (Jim BrooksJim Brooks (actor)James Robert Brooks is an American actor, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is known for his various guest roles on television series such as Undeclared and Six Feet Under. He also co-wrote and co-starred in the independent film 2 Little, 2 Late .-External links:...
), student who lives on the gang's floor. (4 episodes) - Lucien (Kevin RankinKevin Rankin (actor)Kevin Rankin is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Tyler Briggs on the NBC show Trauma.-Filmography:* "Big Love" .... Verlan Walker* "The Mentalist" .... Danny Ruskin* "Justified" .... Devil* "Trauma" .... Tyler Briggs...
), nerdy RAResident assistantA resident assistant , commonly shortened to RA is a trained peer leader who supervises those living in a residence hall or group housing facility...
on the gang's floor who has an obsession with Hillary the RA. (4 episodes) - Hillary (Amy PoehlerAmy PoehlerAmy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
), the head RA who hits on Lloyd; and at one point, dates Hal. (2 episodes) - Luke (Kevin HartKevin Hart (actor)Kevin Hart is an American actor and stand-up comedian.-Early life and career:Hart was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was raised by his single mother...
), a religious African-American student on campus who converts Steven to Christianity. (3 episodes) - Greg (David KrumholtzDavid KrumholtzDavid Krumholtz is an American actor best known for playing Professor Charlie Eppes in the television series Numb3rs. He appeared as Seth Goldstein in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and its two sequels, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas...
), Eric's close friend and co-worker at the copy shop. (2 episodes) - Eugene (Kyle GassKyle GassKyle Richard Gass , also known as KG or Kage, is an American rock musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He is a member of the bands Tenacious D and Trainwreck. In Tenacious D , Gass plays lead guitar and sings backup vocals, and also plays the role of Black's comic foil in most of their comedy...
), Eric's other close friend and co-worker at the copy shop. (2 episodes) - Mr. Burundi (Gerry BednobGerry Bednob-Career:Gerry currently appears as Bling Bling Shelton in Free Radio on Vh1. He had a role in the 2010 film Furry Vengeance, with Brendan Fraser and Brooke Shields, playing Mr. Gupta. He is also the uncle of Michelle Jhagroo.- Filmography :...
), Indian boss at the school cafeteria where Steven and Marshall work. (2 episodes) - Kelly (Busy PhilippsBusy PhilippsElizabeth Jean Philipps , known professionally as Busy Philipps, is an American film actress, perhaps best known for her supporting roles on the television series Freaks and Geeks and Dawson's Creek...
), an attractive tour guide on campus who Ron develops a crush on and later begins dating. (2 episodes) - Susuki (Joanne Cho), Tina's roommate, whose constant violin practice annoys Tina. (2 episodes)
Guests and cameos
Episode order
Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is well known for his work in comedy films, especially for films he has been involved with throughout the latter half of the 2000s. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, a film production company that also developed the...
's dismay. When it was originally released on DVD, the episodes were presented in their production order, which was a mistake according to Apatow. However, newer versions of the DVD present the episodes in the correct chronological order, restoring all storylines and character developments.
- "Prototype"
- "Oh, So You Have a Boyfriend?" / "Full Bluntal Nugety"
- "Eric Visits"
- "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs"
- "Sick in the Head"
- "The Assistant"
- "Addicts"
- "God Visits"
- "Parent's Weekend"
- "Eric Visits Again"
- "Rush and Pledge"
- "Hell Week"
- "Truth or Dare"
- "The Day After"
- "The Perfect Date"
- "Hal and Hillary"
- "Eric's POV"
Ratings
The show averaged 7.3 million viewers and was #93 in the rankings during its only season.Planned storylines
The DVD contains the script to an unproduced episode, "Lloyd's Rampage" (written by Lewis MortonLewis Morton
Lewis Morton is an American television writer. He has written for several shows, including Saturday Night Live , NewsRadio and Futurama. He worked as a producer for Undeclared, but never authored any episodes...
), which was written for the show's second season. It revolves around Lloyd getting into a fight with Kieran, the star student of his acting class, and deciding that he wants to experience real life. So, Steven and Lloyd go to a bar and end up in a fight with some working class men, which impresses Kieran when Lloyd tells him about it. A subplot in the episode revolves around Marshall getting extremely drunk and throwing up in a bar. When he is throwing up, Perry takes a picture and video, and makes T-shirts and posters and puts them around campus. Marshall is embarrassed at first, but he is glad when he finds out about all of the attention that he gets as "Puke Dude". Unfortunately for him, this doesn't last long when everyone forgets about him after another student shits his pants in the library. Perry's last name is revealed to be Madison in this episode. The role of Kieran was written for That '70s Show
That '70s Show
That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979...
star Topher Grace
Topher Grace
Christopher John "Topher" Grace is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Eric Forman on the Fox sitcom That '70s Show, Eddie Brock/Venom in the Sam Raimi film Spider-Man 3, and Edwin in the 2010 film Predators....
, but he never appeared in the episode because of a dispute between Judd Apatow and That '70s Show co-creator Mark Brazill
Mark Brazill
Mark Brazill is a television creator and executive producer. He is most well-known as being the co-creator of the FOX situation comedy, That '70s Show which aired for eight seasons, and also co-created the series' in-direct spinoff, That '80s Show which was cancelled by Fox after its first season...
.
During a question-and-answer session, Judd Apatow stated that if the series had been picked up for a second season, there would have been an episode titled "Eric's Birthday" in which Lizzie and Steven would go to the birthday party mentioned in episode "Eric's POV". Linda Cardellini
Linda Cardellini
Linda Edna Cardellini is an American television and film actress. She is best known for her roles as high school student Lindsay Weir on Freaks and Geeks, as Velma Dinkley in the live-action Scooby-Doo films, and as Samantha Taggart on ER.- Early life :Cardellini was born in Redwood City,...
of Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and 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...
would have played his new girlfriend. In the episode, Eric would have had a cake with a picture of him and his new girlfriend printed on it. Lizzie would have been given the piece with Eric's new girlfriend's face. At the time Jason Segel
Jason Segel
Jason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,...
was dating Linda Cardellini.
Syndication
In June 2010, it was announced that the Independent Film ChannelIndependent Film Channel
The Independent Film Channel is an American cable TV network that airs independent film and related programming. IFC programming includes commercially interrupted feature-length films, original documentaries, shorts, animated series, original series, acquired series, and content exclusively for...
had acquired the rights to air both Undeclared and Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and 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...
. Undeclared premiered on IFC on November 5, 2010. Both Undeclared and Freaks and Geeks began rerunning on the TeenNick
TeenNick
TeenNick, formerly The N, is an American television network aimed at the teenage market. TeenNick is owned by the MTV Networks subsidiary, Viacom. The channel was originally known as The N from its April 1, 2002 launch until September 28, 2009....
network on June 13, 2011.
DVD release
On August 16, 2005, Shout! FactoryShout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
released the complete series of Undeclared on DVD in Region 1. The four-disc boxed set contains all 17 episodes, including an unaired episode and a bonus director's cut.
According to Apatow, the producers were unable to get clearance for all the music in the series (not being able to use about 10 songs). Since the uncleared songs were considered to not play a significant role in the series, they were switched with a suitable substitute.
| Undeclared: The Complete Series | |||||
| Set details | Special features | ||||
|
Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career... ("Full Bluntal Nugety") |
||||
| Release date | |||||
| Region 1 | August 16, 2005 | ||||