Back when MTV used to air shows in the late 90s, one character from the show Beavis and Butt-head got their own spinoff show. Her name is Daria, who was nicknamed “Diarrhea”.
The show first aired March 3rd, 1997. Lasting from 1997 to 2001, it represented all four years of high school. The goal of the show was to portray high school in the perspective of Daria Morgendorffer who is a very sarcastic and deadpan teenage girl.
The series starts with her immediate family moving to the suburban town Lawndale. Her immediate family includes her workaholic mom Helen, clueless bipolar dad Jake, and the stereotypical popular younger sister Quinn.
Quinn and Daria are huge contrasts in their social aspect and Quinn tries to act like she doesn’t exist whenever they’re both at school. Daria is deemed the weird girl at school and Quinn is easily liked. On the first day of school Quinn becomes the vice president of the fashion club.
When purposely failing her psychological exam, Daria must take a self-esteem class in which she meets her best friend, Jane Lane. Lane is an open-minded, sarcastic, artist who is more outgoing compared to introverted Daria. After they meet, they are hardly seen apart in the series.
In her family life there is less structure compared to the Morgendorffers’. Members of the Lane family have no rules and more of everyone takes care of themselves, Jane’s parents are barely seen in the show. Her older brother, Trent Lane, is an aspiring musician in the band Mystik Spiral. Daria develops a crush on him, and Jane constantly teases her because he brings out a different side of Daria…full of emotion.
The show was targeted towards females. The theme song was inspired by the 90s era of girl punk bands, titled “You’re Standing On My Neck” by the band Splendora. Daria is perceived as a loner in this sick sad world. Viewers who always felt like an outsider in their high school will enjoy the show’s criticism of 90’s pop culture.
