See Keri Russell’s breakout performance in one of my favorite teen dramas of all time, now on Netflix
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Before leaving my dorm room when I graduated from college in 2002, I opened the top drawer of my desk, where past students had inscribed their names for posterity, and added my own mark. I wrote “Felicity Porter ’02.”
That’s the effect that the college graduation of a fictional character, just a few weeks before my own, had on my life. Felicity and I had spent the past four years going through many of the same college milestones — although I never ended up at the center of a love triangle — and I had just seen her write her own name on the wall of her closet at the University of New York.
Watching “Felicity” now elicits a different sort of nostalgia, nearly 25 years after my college graduation and the end of the series, but it’s still a beautifully crafted coming-of-age story, with excellent performances and well-drawn characters. As played by Keri Russell, Felicity herself is one of the best TV characters of the past 30 years, a charming, awkward, open-hearted and driven young woman who is also a fiercely loyal friend. I may not have actually gone to college with Felicity, but after four seasons of her show, I felt like I had.
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Thanks to a recent deal with Disney, all four seasons of “Felicity” are now streaming on Netflix. While some of Felicity’s college experiences may seem quaint to modern viewers, the show’s story of growing up and figuring out who you are and what you want in life is universal, ready to be discovered by a new generation.
‘Felicity’ is a warm, empathetic character study
“Felicity” begins with the kind of ridiculous high concept that has fueled numerous romantic comedies: At her high school graduation, Felicity finally works up the nerve to approach Ben Covington (Scott Speedman), the popular guy she’s spent four years crushing on from afar. She asks him to sign her yearbook, just hoping for something like “Have a great summer!,” and he writes a heartfelt note saying that he always wished he’d gotten to know her better.
Based on that single flicker of interest, Felicity changes her entire college plans, ditching Stanford and the career trajectory planned by her parents to follow Ben to New York City.
That set-up could be the source for lots of cringe comedy, but creators J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves keep the show grounded and honest, and Felicity and Ben develop a sweet if often complicated relationship.
Throughout the show’s four seasons, Felicity bounces back and forth romantically between Ben and the geeky Noel Crane (Scott Foley), forming genuine bonds with both. Plenty of viewers were Team Ben or Team Noel, but I was always Team Felicity, hoping for her to make her own way in life regardless of which guy she was with, and that’s how the show was, too.
Ben and Noel aren’t just objects of Felicity’s affection, but well-rounded characters in their own rights, with their own ambitions and flaws. The same goes for Felicity’s friends, including musician Julie Emrick (Amy Jo Johnson), premed classmate Elena Tyler (Tangi Miller) and Wiccan roommate Meghan Rotundi (Amanda Foreman). Felicity’s love life may be the focus of the show, but as a person, she’s always there for her friends, and she feels as deeply for them as she does for any guy she’s dating.
‘Felicity’ is network TV at its best
Although Abrams and Reeves went on to bigger success in genre fare, “Felicity” finds its greatest strengths in the mundane, allowing viewers to get to know these characters over the course of lengthy seasons that don’t really exist in the streaming era. Felicity and her friends have time to make mistakes, meet new people, fall in love, break up and get back together again. There are moments when the show tips into melodrama, especially in a third-season storyline about a shooting at a Christmas party, but for the most part it sticks to simple, relatable emotions.
Some of the highlights include a first-season two-parter about a figure from Felicity’s past who does the same thing to her that she does to Ben, a second-season one-off episode shot in the black-and-white style of “The Twilight Zone,” and a strange final five-episode arc that sees Felicity going back in time to make a different choice between Ben and Noel. Even when exploring an alternate timeline, Felicity remains caring and conscientious, with an infectious smile and a generous spirit.
She’s the type of person you want to spend time with, and that’s just what the show offers. She was by my side throughout my college years, and she’s there now on Netflix, just as kind, funny and occasionally exasperating as ever.
Stream “Felicity” on Netflix now
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