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High School Confidential

 (Documentary series -- WE, Mon. March 10, 10 p.m.)

By BRIAN LOWRY

WE's eight-episode series 'High School Confidential' traces the lives of several girls from freshman to senior year.

Produced by Herizon Prods. and New Line Television. Executive producers, Sharon Liese, Jon Kroll, Sydney T. Levin, Jim Rosenthal; supervising producer, Mary Belton; producer, Mark Costa; show producer, Daniel J. Blau; story producers, Eva Anderson, Jill Snyder.
 
Narrator: Wendy K. Gray.
 

More noteworthy for its ambition than its execution, this documentary series follows a dozen girls from ninth grade through high school graduation -- a rare exercise of patience and sobriety in the hit-and-run environment of reality TV. Series creator Sharon Liese made a minor stylistic blunder by devoting each hour to a couple of the teens, which feels more episodic (and provides less incentive to stick around) than serializing their story arcs over the eight-episode run. The premiere nevertheless establishes this as a thoughtful look at the modern high school experience with something to offer kids and parents.

Set in a suburban Kansas school with 1,200 students, Liese -- who began the process in 2002 -- uses a familiar morphing technique to depict her subjects aging from 14 to 18 in a matter of seconds. The project derives its strength, though, from taking the time to trace their development, which inevitably requires considerable crunching to deliver the highlights in 20-some-odd minutes per girl.

The opener focuses on Lauren, a popular drill-team member with a strong family unit, whose life takes an unexpected turn when she's diagnosed with a brain tumor; and Cappie, raised by a single mom, who parties to apparent excess -- stating that she hasn't drank to the point of being "unconscious, throwing up" more than a few times, as if that's an accomplishment.

The trappings and small touches (such as the musical score) are, admittedly, a trifle soapy. Still, by choosing a heartland state and letting the girls and their parents speak naturally about what's transpiring, Liese and her collaborators convey the universal challenges of growing up -- rites of passage that include concerns about sex, drugs and family issues, especially with divorce rates taking a toll on the traditional nuclear family. Given the ongoing culture wars, it's a timely reminder that such dilemmas are hardly confined to the big city.

Future episodes promise more than one unwanted pregnancy, an attempted suicide and the considerable pressure high achievers face to be "perfect," so the series can't be accused of frontloading its drama. The final hour will feature each girl reflecting on their four-year odyssey.

Certainly nothing here is "groundbreaking," as WE's production notes claim, given past exercises such as Michael Apted's landmark "7 Up!" series. Yet "High School Confidential" is the kind of personal document that merits attention -- inviting curiosity not just regarding how these teens navigated through high school, but what their lives will be like seven years from now and beyond.

Editor, Clayton Halsey; music, Christopher Franke. 60 MIN.