"My Generation" Review: I Liked It, But Will It Break My Heart?

It seems like every year there’s a show with a novel concept that makes me fall for it hook, line and sinker. And then one of two things happens—the concept ends up contributing to the downfall of the show or no one else watches and it’s cancelled before it can go anywhere.

Either one of those things could end up happening to the new ABC drama, “My Generation,” which makes me a little tentative about throwing my full support behind it…

The show follows the lives of nine people. The novel concept is that we’re viewing their lives through a documentary camera crew. These nine people were the subject of a documentary in 2000—their senior year of high school. And now the camera crew has returned to see what their lives are like 10 years later.

Steven Foster (Michael Stahl-David), the overachiever, is now a surfer in Hawaii…

Caroline Chung (Anne Son), the wallflower, who gives Steven a shock when she reveals they have a child…

Kenneth Finley (Keir O'Donnell), the nerd, a schoolteacher who desperately wants a family of his own…

Dawn Barbuso (Kelli Garner), the punk, who is married to Rolly Marks (Mehcad Brooks), the jock, who is now stationed in Afghanistan…

Jackie Vachs (Jaime King), the beauty queen, who’s married to Anders Holt (Julian Morris), the rich kid…

Brenda Serrano (Daniella Alonso), the brain, who lives a high-powered life in D.C., but who still hasn’t recovered from her break-up with Anders…

And The Falcon (Sebastian Sozzi), the rock star, who takes time out from his flashy lifestyle to still hang out with his high school friends…

Though the nine begin the hour spread out, circumstances occur that end up bringing the group together again in Austin so that the real drama can occur…

I enjoy good soapy drama, and I can see the potential the show has for that, which is why I liked it. But it reminds me so much of “Reunion,” the show I fell so hard for five years ago that ended up breaking my heart when its clever premise ended up being its undoing. I believe that the same thing could happen here, as the documentary premise is bound to get old.

Then again, maybe “Generation” is a novel concept that will finally work. After all, if your try it enough, it’s bound to work eventually, right?

“My Generation” premieres Thursday, September 23rd at 8 p.m. on ABC…

Photo Credit: Bob D'Amico/ABC