five good reasons to (re)discover the cult animated series

The adventures of the sarcastic teenager who fascinated the MTV generation are finally making their return on a free platform. The first two seasons of the American animated series are available on France.TV, but in VF only.

LThose under 40 have probably never heard of Daria Morgendorffer, (anti) heroine of Daria, animated comedy broadcast between 1997 and 2002 on MTV in the United States, Canal+ in France… and has since disappeared. A new generation now has the opportunity to discover this American teenager with large glasses, annoyed by everything – her family, her classmates and the world in general… A hilarious, punk and pop character, cult for those who experienced “the great era of MTV” and provocateurs Beavis et Butt-Head, dont Daria is a spin-off. Its first two seasons are now available for free on France.tv., but in VF only. Here are five reasons to (re)discover this series – which can also be viewed in full, always for free and in VF, on the Pluto TV platform.

A happy upheaval of adolescence

Daria doesn’t have the style and she doesn’t care. Badly dressed, with bad hair, hidden behind oversized glasses, she is an outcast teenager, anything but popular – nerd, in a sense. She takes a dismayed and hilarious look at her high school friends, a fine collection of stereotypes – the jock, the cheerleader, the popular girl, the dark handsome guy… Launched in the golden age of “teen dramas”, Daria breaks the genre codes by adopting the point of view of its heroine and her best friend, Jane, an artist. The title of its credits says a lot about its joyfully grumpy side: You’re Standing on my Neck (“you’re messing with my system”).

A comedy that had already understood everything

Born on a channel saturated with vulgar shows glorifying bimbos, Daria is a feminist heroine, a comic cousin of Buffy, who appeared the same week in March 1997. Brilliant, independent, allergic to social injunctions, she refuses to smile. “ She’s the perfect anti-Barbie », wrote of her on New York Times. Daria is a sometimes murderous and resolutely modern social satire – among the Morgendorffers, it is the mother who is workaholic. Daria’s graduation speech, which closes the series, resonates tremendously with our times: “Always defend your beliefs, unless logic and experience prove you wrong. Remember that truth and lies are not the same thing. »

A beautiful collection of neuroses

Daria may be a teenager, but her thoughts, her intelligence, the cruel finesse of her view of the world are worthy of an adult. But her feelings are that of a teenager overwhelmed by the world that is emerging before her eyes – a “sad, tragic world”, as the title of her favorite TV show. Around her is a collection of twisting neuroses: her father breaks down in tears at the slightest opportunity, her mother is egocentric, her sister, Quinn, obsessed with her popularity. As for his teachers, overexcited or neurasthenic, they really need therapy. Champion of deadpan jokes, Daria is closer to the absurd and intellectual humor of Seinfeld than that, parodic and gag, of Simpsons.

A time capsule

For those in their forties, review Daria is a nostalgic experience. A return to an aesthetically minimalist form of animation where everything is played out in the writing – the era of South Park. It’s a series very much in keeping with its time, through the look of its characters, their references, the indie rock culture that permeates each episode. But the new generation will not be lost: Daria’s cynicism and her way of getting annoyed by everything – especially adults – has not aged a bit. And, if she grew up well before social networks, the challenges of her daily life are in fact timeless: being popular, dressing properly, pleasing… or sending it all away.

A pop series (at the time)

If we loved so much Daria, it was also for its soundtrack. Broadcast on MTV, the music video channel, the series is overflowing with rock, grunge, pop hits… In its first two episodes alone, we hear Fiona Apple, Offspring, Hole, Iggy Pop, PJ Harvey, the Cardigans, Korn… Or rather we heard: it is precisely for questions of musical rights that Daria has been invisible for so long, including on DVD. His return is unfortunately accompanied by a thorough cleaning of his soundtrack. The episodes are only punctuated by generic music, in the rock spirit of the era, but we are far from the pleasure of hearing the sound of the nineties again…

r Dariaseasons 1 and 2, animated series created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn (26 x 20 mins, USA, 1997-1998). Available on France.tv.