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''Pen15'' is an American
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
television series, created by Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and Sam Zvibleman, that premiered on February 8, 2019, on
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
. The series stars Erskine and Konkle, who also serve as executive producers alongside Zvibleman, Andy Samberg,
Akiva Schaffer Akiva Daniel Shebar Schaffer (; born December 1, 1977) is an American writer, producer, director, comedian, actor, and musician. He is a member of the comedy music group The Lonely Island, along with childhood friends Andy Samberg and Jorma Tacc ...
, Jorma Taccone, Becky Sloviter, Marc Provissiero, Brooke Pobjoy, Debbie Liebling, and Gabe Liedman. In May 2019, Hulu renewed the series for a second season of fifteen episodes, the first half of which premiered on September 18, 2020. In November 2021, it was reported that the series' second season would be its last. ''Pen15'' is described as "middle school as it really happened". Erskine and Konkle – who were both 31 years old at the start of season one – "play versions of themselves as 13-year-old social outcasts in the year 2000, surrounded by actual 13-year-olds, where the best day of your life can turn into your worst with the stroke of a gel pen." The show takes its name from a school prank involving tricking someone into writing the word "PEN15" (which looks like the word "penis") on their hands by asking if they want to join the "Pen 15 Club".


Cast and characters


Main

* Maya Erskine as Maya Ishii-Peters, a shy and sensitive seventh-grader who is best friends with Anna and is primarily raised by her Japanese mother. Maya can be immature and spontaneous at times, but she makes friends with her class clown behavior. * Anna Konkle as Anna Kone, a seventh-grader girl who is best friends with Maya and struggling with her parents' divorce. Anna is the school's best singer and often copes with her home life with music. Anna is more mature than Maya, but also more likely to give in to
peer pressure Peer pressure is a direct or indirect influence on peers, i.e., members of social groups with similar interests and experiences, or social statuses. Members of a peer group are more likely to influence a person's beliefs, values, religion and beh ...
. *Mutsuko Erskine as Yuki Ishii-Peters, Maya's stern but caring mother. She is Erskine's mother in real life. *
Richard Karn Richard Karn (born Richard Karn Wilson; February 17, 1956) is an American actor, author and former game show host. He starred as Home Improvement (TV series)#Characters, Al Borland in the ABC series ''Home Improvement (TV series), Home Improveme ...
as Fred Peters, Maya's musician father who is often on tour with his
Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band formed in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in 1971 by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Originally having a traditional band lineup, Becker and Fagen cho ...
cover band. * Taylor Nichols as Curtis Kone, Anna's father, whom she occasionally finds sleeping on the couch after a fight with his wife. *
Melora Walters Melora Walters (born October 21, 1959) is an American actress and filmmaker, best known for her starring roles as Wanda Henrickson on HBO's ''Big Love'' (2006–2010) and Kathy Kone on Hulu's '' PEN15'' (2019–2021). She has frequently collabora ...
as Kathy Kone, Anna's mother, whose
New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
spirituality and high-strung personality clash with her husband. *Taj Cross as Sam Zablowski, a carpool friend of both leads who develops a crush on Maya. * Dallas Liu as Shuji Ishii-Peters, Maya's older brother and sometimes defender, who tries to be cool and is often seen smoking
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
outside school.


Recurring

*Dylan Gage as Gabe Leib *Sami Rappoport as Becca * Anna Pniowsky as Heather Taylor *Ivan Mallon as Ian Walsh *Hannah Mae as Connie M *Tony Espinosa as Jafeer *Brady Allen as Brendan Tooler *Jill Basey as Ms. Bell *Lincoln Jolly as Alex * Brandon Keener as Mr. O *Allius Barnes as Evan * Marion Van Cuyck as Terra Newback *Jessica Pressley as Jessica Abrams * David Bowe as Albert * Diane Delano as Jan *Jonah Beres as Brandt *Nathaniel Matulessya as Skyler * Katie Silverman as Stevie *Brekkan Spens as Ben Field *Bernadette Guckin as Mrs. Tooler * Tim Russ as Mr. Wyzell *Isaac Edwards as Dustin *Jennifer Steadman as Suze *Carmina Garay as Jenna *Ashlee Grubbs as Maura *Sara Boustany as Miranda *Rebecca Faye Vincent as Marissa H *Chau Long as Steve * Albert Howell as Principal Ravage * Brandon Soo Hoo as Andy Kim * Michael Angarano as Greg Rosso *Bill Kottkamp as Derrick


Guest

* Jessy Hodges as Ms. Bennett ("Solo") * Laura Kightlinger as Deb Taylor ("Community Service") * Annie Korzen as Rose ("Community Service") * Noah Mills as Flymiamibro22 ("AIM") *Dana Heath as Ashley ("Wild Things")


Episodes


Season 1 (2019)


Season 2 (2020–21)


Production

On April 19, 2018,
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
announced that it had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. Erskine and Konkle were also expected to write for the series and Zvibleman was set to direct multiple episodes. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of
The Lonely Island The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer in Berkeley, California, in 2001. They have written for and starred in the American TV program ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). The th ...
, Party Over Here, Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, and AwesomenessTV. On November 19, 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on February 8, 2019. Alongside the announcement of the series order, it was confirmed that Erskine and Konkle would star in the series as well. Erskine and Konkle also served as co-
showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...
s; Zvibleman and Gabe Liedman were also co-showrunners for the first season. On May 1, 2019, it was reported that Hulu renewed the series for a second season, of which the first seven episodes were released on September 18, 2020. The first episode from the second set of seven episodes premiered on August 27, 2021. Originally intended to run for three seasons, the filming of the second season was severely delayed by the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, and by the conclusion both Erskine and Konkle had new acting roles, as well as parental responsibilities. On November 29, 2021, it was reported that the series' second season would be its final season. The show is based on the childhood experiences of creators Erskine and Konkle, although in reality they did not meet until they were in college. Erskine, Konkle and Zvibleman originally wanted other teenage characters to be played by adult actors as well, but it was decided that Maya and Anna would be the only ones, as it "just further made
hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...
like aliens". In sexual scenes, underage actors were switched with adult stunt doubles. To reflect the year the show was set in, production designer Grace Alie and set decorator Ali Rubinfeld took inspiration from their own childhoods, using details from their own and their siblings' childhood bedrooms. Inspiration was also taken from old magazines at a library in downtown
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, along with T.V. shows from the early 2000s, such as
Are You Afraid of the Dark? ''Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' is a children's horror anthology television series created by D. J. MacHale and Ned Kandel. The original series aired on Nickelodeon in the United States from August 15, 1992 to February 3, 1996, and also o ...
and
Lizzie McGuire ''Lizzie McGuire'' is an American television comedy, comedy television series created by Terri Minsky that premiered on Disney Channel on January 12, 2001. The series stars Hilary Duff as the titular character who learns to navigate the person ...
. Many items and props were bought from thrift stores in Los Angeles and
Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...
, and some items, such as
Teen Beat ''Teen Beat'' was an American magazine geared towards teenager, teenaged readers, published 1967–. Over its history, the magazine had multiple teen idols on its cover, including John Travolta, David Cassidy, Leif Garrett, Menudo (band), Menud ...
magazines and a vintage Unisonic phone, were bought on
eBay eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...
. The rooms of Anna and Maya were made to reflect the characters; Maya's room was more messy due to her being "more out-there and experimenting with what is going on inside of her", and the rest of the house "is indicative of a homey and harmonious partnership". Anna's house was designed to reflect her parents slowly divorcing, while her room "became, by design, a safe haven". Budget restraints during season one were "the biggest challenge" according to Alie, who said they "had to be really resourceful and crafty with how we spent our money", while for season two, "we had more money and we got to build all these amazing sets on stage". Location scouting was thus also a challenge due to the budget restraints. When filming scenes in the middle school, whiteboards were replaced with chalkboards.


Release

On November 19, 2018, a video was released announcing the premiere date of the series. On December 20, 2018, a teaser trailer for the series was released. On January 18, 2019, an official trailer and poster were released. The first season was released on
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
on February 8, 2019, and the first seven episodes of the second season were released on September 18, 2020. The eighth episode of the season was released on August 27, 2021, and the rest premiered on December 3, 2021.


Reception


Season 1

On the review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the series holds a 94% approval rating with an average rating of 8.04 out of 10 based on 47 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Viewers willing to suspend their disbelief will find much to enjoy in ''Pen15'', wherein Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle reprise their adolescent selves – stirring up plenty of yucks and pathos amidst the farce."
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 82 out of 100 based on 17 critics. Caroline Framke from ''Variety'' praised the show for being "written for and by women", and how the show "nails the truly bizarre experience that is being a simultaneously over-confident and incredibly insecure teenage girl". She also praises how the show takes clichés, such as getting caught masturbating, that in coming of age stories are "almost always a boy" and "hands that scene over to a girl". James Poniewozik from ''The New York Times'' similarly praises how the show "brashly claims the kind of horny humor that past teen comedies reserved for guys", while also noting that the show "understands that sex comedy isn't just about sex. In this case, it's about growing and self-definition and letting go of childhood." Adrian Horton from ''The Guardian'' compared the show to "a lived-in, live-action version of Big Mouth" and also saying that though the show has a "studied commitment to the Y2K aesthetic", "plenty of the everyday conundrums of middle school ... are likely to transcend the illenialtarget audience". Tim Goodman from ''The Hollywood Reporter'' saw the decision for the show to be set in middle school negatively, saying "maybe the coming-of-age stories pale in comparison to those unfolding ... in high school", comparing it to "
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
's painfully funny
Sex Education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, Human sexual activity, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, safe sex, birth ...
''"'', also saying that the show's downside is the "repetitive sketch feel".


Season 2

On Rotten Tomatoes, season two holds a 100% approval rating based on 52 reviews with an average rating of 8.82/10. The critical consensus reads, "An excellent showcase for Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and their well-cast classmates, ''Pen15s sophomore season goes deeper into the nuances of middle school life without losing any of its cringey charm." On Metacritic, season 2 received a score of 93 out of 100 based on 11 critical reviews. Alan Sepinwall from ''Rolling Stone'' stated that "by this point in the series' lifespan", Anna and Maya being "played by women in their early thirties ... barely even feels like a joke", praising how they had "already disappeared so deeply into their gangly, awkward younger selves". Referring to the sudden cancellation of the show, he also expressed that the "sense of finality isn't really palpable in the new installments, other than a lovely, wistful, perfect closing scene". Sepinwall also praised the meta jokes about the actors' real age, such as a girl telling Anna "You talk like you're 40, kind of." Rebecca Nicholson from ''The Guardian'' said the show had "matured into a remarkably sensitive and beautiful series about life, friendship and growing up", and that towards the end of the season, "the series takes on a darker hue".


Accolades


References


External links

* * {{Hulu 2010s American school television series 2010s American teen sitcoms 2020s American school television series 2020s American teen sitcoms 2019 American television series debuts 2021 American television series endings Awesomeness (company) American English-language television shows Hulu original programming Middle school television series American television series about teenagers Television series set in 2000 Asian-American television Television series by Paramount Television Works about puberty