Why "Hartley's Heart to the Heart" has nothing to envy today's teen dramas

Anita (Lara Cox) and Drazic (Callan Mulvey) in "Hartley Heart to Heart" -

• The cult series “Hartley with heart” returns in full on MYTF1.

• This teen series marked the 1990s.

• A look back at an avant-garde anti “Berverly Hills” in its time.

The madeleine of Proust of an entire generation is about to return to our screens.

, the cult 1990s Australian teen series created by Ben Gannon and Michael Jenkins, returns in full on MYTF1 this Friday.

The opportunity for generations Y and Z to realize that the small screen did not wait for

, 13 Reasons why, or

to shed a harsh light on youth.

Back on a soap opera, broadcast in 1995 in France, which has nothing to envy to its current competitors.

Through these seven seasons (and 210 episodes), we follow the daily lives of two successive generations of Sydney high school students, each carried by an iconic couple: first Nick and Jodie, and then Anita and Drazic.

Stories of love, disenchantment, rivalry, passionate friendships with the ocean as a backdrop (we are in Australia, let's not forget).

Timeless themes dear to teen dramas.

An anti- "Beverly Hills"

In the vein of

(1994), this grunge series made the difference with its television rivals of the time.

, in the lead.

If the two series share the beach landscapes, the comparison ends there.

With characters from a rather popular social background,

quickly stood out, painting an ultra-realistic portrait of the 1990 generation.

The young people of the Australian series, often left to their own devices, have to deal with a not always easy daily life where money problems are legion.

They swap shopping in LA for pool games in a harbor called Sharkpool.

Far from the big American villas, some high school students who have left their homes live together in an old dilapidated warehouse.

In short, we are light years away from the bling bling of Kelly, Brenda and their clique.

Young people learn life the hard way and some have to work after school to earn a living.

Hartley Cœur à Vivid

has been able to take the opposite view of the majority of mainstream teens centered on white, beautiful and rich characters.

On the contrary, it shows broken faces, greasy hair, scruffy styles in the Kurt Cobain atmosphere… We leave the smooth and peroxidized physique of the beautiful neighborhoods of Beverly Hills.

Above all, the series was able to show a certain diversity of society, something rare on the small screen at that time.

An avant-garde series

We meet many origins at Hartley High: Greek (Nick Poulos, Katerina, Costa), South American (Chaka Cardenes), Lebanese (Rose Malouf), Asian (Mai Hem)… Of course, the series would still have great efforts to make in the field of inclusion.

She suffers in particular from the absence of LGBT characters (apart from a vague teacher in season 1) but she remains avant-garde on certain social issues tackled: contraception, pregnancy, suicide, drugs ... Not to mention that she knew how emancipate from the archetype of the female figure who is only interested in guys.

The female characters are complex, independent and energized, like Jodie, a baba cool singer who dreams of making a living from her music, Katerina with a strong character, or even the eccentric Mai.

The revolt is never very far in this teen show which features adrift rebels, sometimes ostracized, through the features of Rivers, Bolton and especially the unforgettable Drazic whose couple with Anita is among the most legendary of the small screen.

Let's not forget that the quality of a teenage series depends in part on its star couple.

would be nothing without Summer and Seth,

without Brenda and Dylan,

without Joey and Pacey (sorry for Dawson fans),

, without Angela and Jordan Catalano…

A mythical love story

If the love story between Nick and Jodie of the first seasons had already captured the attention of the public, the passion between Drazic and Anita, now cult, offered an ultra-effective version of the classic canvas of the young girl from good family. hijacked by the insensitive bad boy.

A timeless plot that has crossed the ages of romantic and teen comedies of all kinds - from

to

, through the series

,

,

or

- and which reaches new heights in this variant of "run away from me, I follow you".

Hartley Cœur à vive

marked its time and could well appeal to new generations as well.

As long as they manage to enter a world free from most digital tools.

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