The Hard Times of RJ Berger was an American television comedy series created by David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith for MTV. The show's central character is RJ Berger an unpopular sophomore at the fictional Pinkerton High School in Ohio who has an exceptionally large penis. Berger's two best friends are Miles Jenner, whose ambitions for popularity cause him to clash with Berger, and goth girl Lily Miran, who has been lusting after Berger for several years. Berger's love interest is Jenny Swanson, a cheerleader who is involved with Max Owens, a popular jock and bully. The show is presented as a coming of age story and has been described by Katzenberg and Grahame-Smith as a blend of the television series The Wonder Years and the film Superbad. The pilot episode premiered on June 6, 2010, and the first season of 12 episodes concluded August 23, 2010. MTV renewed The Hard Times of RJ Berger for a second season, which premiered on March 24, 2011, and concluded on May 30, 2011, but canceled the show that August.
The peaks and the valleys. Find the essential episodes — and the ones to skip.
Now that RJ knows Max's secret, will he use it? Getting Amy back is, after all, more important. And can he help his dad win his mom back? What are Jenny and Lily planning together? Will there be Mr. & Mrs. Pinkerton or Ms. & Ms. Pinkerton?
It's "Lock-In Night" at Pinkerton High, and RJ tries to use it for the opportunity to finally have sex with Jenny, but a bitter Lily Miran will do everything she can to make sure that doesn't happen. Miles brings biscottis made by his brother Chet to the lock-in which makes makes him the life of the party. Unfortunatley, they're laced with something that gives the party more life than the kids can handle.
Coach presents RJ a bargain: RJ helps him with Ms. Berger, he helps RJ with Amy. RJ decides to ask Amy to Weezer's concert, but it is for 21 and over, so RJ has to accept the bargain. Meanwhile, Lily and Hamilton's romance is blooming.
RJ Berger is a nerdy, socially awkward 15-year-old high school sophomore who is shy, cynical, and generally picked on by his peers, along with his two friends Miles Jenner and Lily Miran, who's madly in love with him, and frequently offers her body to him. RJ, however is in love with cheerleader Jenny Swanson, but he's been too shy to proclaim his love for her and is afraid of getting beat up by her boyfriend, Max Owens. When he is forced by Coach Jeriba Sinclair to replace some school basketball players at a game in exchange for the chance to continue skipping gym, RJ puts on a uniform that is much too big, causing him to miss a shot, his shorts and jock strap to fall off, and expose his abnormally large genitalia to the world, thereby making a notable impact on his social life.
Each point is an episode, plotted in order. Colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for the rise, the plateau, or the decline.
High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.
Did each season build or fizzle? Green means the finale outscored the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows, bigger swings.
How steady is each season? Tightly clustered dots mean reliable quality. Scattered dots mean a wild ride.
Connection lost
