The Hard Times of RJ Berger is a sitcom created by David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith for MTV that ran for two seasons from June 6, 2010 to May 30, 2011 before being cancelled in August 2011. The show originated from a short film that one creator directed and the other produced; the two summarized the short as an homage to Boogie Nights, and later summed up the show as a cross between The Wonder Years and Superbad.
RJ Berger is an unpopular, nerdy, socially awkward high school sophomore. He's horrible at sports, even worse at talking to girls, his parents are embarrassing, and he's got more pairs of glasses than friends — but he has a big secret. A very big secret.
A macrophallically big secret.
The show's plot gets set in motion when an unfortunate series of events leads to RJ being exposed in front of his entire high school. However, RJ gets a sudden boost in popularity, and the show then follows him and his two best friends, Miles Jenner and Lily Miran, as he deals with the changes and tries to use the fame to his advantage.
The first season mainly follows RJ's pursuit of his long-time Love Interest Jenny Swanson, whom he never interacted with out of fear of her Jerk Jock boyfriend Max Owens. Meanwhile, he also deals with the effects his popularity has on Miles and Lily, as Miles' ambitions for fame of his own cause conflict between him and RJ, and Lily has secretly been lusting after RJ. The second season begins with RJ and Jenny as an Official Couple, trying to make the relationship work despite several hindrances. All the while, RJ is trying to deal with his parents' divorce, his mom dating his coach, and the new hot tutor he's been given that starts to drive a wedge between him and Jenny. Had the show not been cancelled, the third season would've followed RJ dealing with Lily's pregnancy and Max keeping his own little secret under wraps.
This show provides examples of:
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: RJ's are probably the most over the top example ever, taking it to near abusive levels. In just one example, his mother shouts encouragement to him as he makes out with Jenny Swanson - and then ENTERS THE ROOM to help him remove Jenny's bra.
- Analogy Backfire: When RJ and Jenny are running for Mr. and Mrs. Pinkleton, RJ at once appeals to the student body by speaking to those those who don't have "perfect teeth and perfect skin". Throughout the whole series only one of the main characters gets acne and she's one of the popular kids. The whole cast has perfect teeth.
- Ashes to Crashes: In the Season 2 premiere, RJ gets Kevin's ashes blown right into his face.
- Bilingual Bonus: Most likely unintentional. Just try learning Spanish, and see a show where the main character has a Gag Penis and it's called Berger.
- Butterface: Lily. Miles lampshades this when he described her as a combination of "Bettie Page and a woodchuck."
- Can't Get Away with Nuthin': At the end of the second season finale, Lily reveals that she's pregnant with RJ's baby, resulting from the first and only time they ever had sex together.
- Freudian Slip:
- "I'd love to study you. Study with you."
- It's tit o' clock — uh, two o' clock.
- Gay Guy Seeks Popular Jock: Guillermo and Max. The last episode implied that their feelings for each other were genuine, what with the mutual eye contact while RJ was giving his speech about love.
- Hollywood Pudgy: Invoked/Lampshaded in one episode where Max was caught with panties that aren't Jenny's, to prove his innocence he shows RJ that the panties are a size Medium and he doesn't date "fatties", RJ is not amused.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: When Jenny and Max break up and despite the fact he had a good chance with her, RJ tells Jenny that Max didn't cheat on her rather than take advantage of the situation.
- Jerkass: Coach Sinclair. He purposely made it look like Max cheated on Jenny so he would play basketball better.
- Nerds Are Sexy: Despite RJ being portrayed as a very realistic nerd, he continues to have a large fanbase among the female population.
- Shout-Out:
- Mrs. Robbins, a friend of RJ's parents and middle-aged woman, lures RJ into her bedroom in an attempt to seduce him. This sounds strangely familiar...
- While rehearsing for the school musical, the director mentions that students don't like reading Jane Austen unless it has zombies in it.
- Miles' shirt in the lunch scene in The Berger Cometh is from a particular Pittsburgh amusement park.
- Weezer, with the high school being named Pinkerton, and the band makes a cameo as themselves in an episode.
- The second season finale has an animated sequence comparing the machine war in Terminator to what Pinkerton High being ruled by the Jerk Jock and the Alpha Bitch would end up as.
- Other animation sequences are drawn in the style of Rugrats and King of the Hill.
- Sudden Downer Ending: The final episode to season 1 is much more dramatic compared to the previous episodes. The opening scene takes place shortly after Lily has been hit by a bus, and the rest of the episode has RJ blaming himself for it.
- The season 2 finale is also an example. At the end of episode, things are looking pretty good for most of the main characters, and since The Hard Times of RJ Berger was cancelled and this was the last episode, it would've served as a decent enough conclusion for the whole series... But then, literally at the last minute, Lily walks in and announces that she's pregnant, and that RJ is the father, so the series ends abruptly with a cliffhanger.
- Trailers Always Spoil: The sneak preview for episode 7 of season 2 (the Weezer episode) shows Amy kissing RJ, which is literally the last 5 seconds of the episode.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Max. Not only does RJ tell Jenny the truth when the coach framed him for cheating on Jenny he saves him from being the victim of a hit from the Gangbangers or so he thought, yet Max STILL acts like a Jerkass to him. Although, this is more to play the Jerk Jock trope straight.
- Double Subverted in the second season finale - Max thanks RJ for not revealing he's gay to the student body, but says that it doesn't mean he won't still mess with RJ.
- What Does She See in Him?: Jenny and Max. Sure he's the good looking Big Man on Campus and he at least tries to be nice in front of her but there are still many moments where he acts like a big Jerkass to her.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Claire, the New Transfer Student who becomes RJ's first real girlfriend, is never seen or mentioned again after she breaks up with RJ, even though she still presumably goes to Pinkerton High, and would probably want to hang out with the other nerds there.
- Woman Scorned: Lily initially in the second season was this towards RJ, and tries numerous times to sabotage him and Jenny. She moves on eventually.
