Shark Bytes

I had forgotten all about this show until I saw it mentioned here. I loved it as a young teenager. The think I remember the most was the setting - Boston. Since I was from a teeny, tiny Midwestern town I used to think it was so romantic and daring to be able to ride a subway, as a teenager. Wow.

I don't think you can really call Lance Kerwin a hypocrite. He was just playing a role, and had to speak the dialogue somebody else wrote for his character. Now, if Lance himself had told Tiger Beat magazine (or whatever) that he was clean-living, wholesome, etc. and never touched weed or anything else in his life, and didn't associate with people who did...THEN he'd be a hypocrite.

Also curious as to what you mean about him having "let himself go" because he looks worse at 47 than he did at 17. I mean...don't we all look worse pushing 50 than when we were teenagers?

Lance Kerwin was a hypocrite, but I'm glad to hear he got help. On this show and others he was always trying to help others overcome drug/alcohol addictions, yet he had one during this show. I did like that girl from Sweden, however. I remember being 14 and seeing that episode. If you see a picture of James at 47 now, he really has let himself go.

Absolutely adored this show and the previous movie and books. I agree the writing was excellent and the teenagers weren't just stereotypes; they had layers that made them three dimentional. It was normal for James to lose his virginity, and if it was on the air today, he'd be a virgin forever like Eddie in Family Matters due to the ridiculous notion nowadays that being honest with kids is like telling them to go out and do something. I thought it was handled realistically and with good taste. It was one of my favorite shows and then, of course, they cancelled it. It drives me crazy that shows of lesser quality are on DVD and they overlook this gem.

this show never jumped..

Also found out that James at 15 birthday gift actress, Australian born Trisha Ann Noble has a long and very impressive career. From starting on Aussie TV at age 6 to performing with The Beatles to most recently portraying Princess Padam'e 's mother in Star Wars episodes II and III. And she is still a very beautiful lady.

Found out that actress Trisha Noble played James' 16th birthday gift and actress Kirsten Baker played 'Christina Kollberg', James' first.

Though I was 13 at the time, thought the show was really good. Hey, does anyone remember or know the name of the actress that portrayed the "hooker" in that very brief but most memoriable scene? What a birthday present.

I wished I had an uncle as cool as James'. I remember when the show became "James at 16". I would like to see the episodes again, I watched them when they came out.

I'm so looking forward to J@15/16 finally coming to dvd, whenever THAT is...

Has there ever been such a well-drawn teenage character as James? He'd just moved to Boston from Oregon and was having trouble adjusting, missed his girlfriend (whom he almost-but-not-quite went all the way with in a sleeping bag on the side of a mountain...it was too cold), became best friends with jive-talking Sly (who made pocket money selling "pot" to his classmates...it was really oregano), loved photography, pined after unattainable Paisley, drank the occasional beer, swam competitively...and we get all this character detail in the first episode! 99% of the ADULT characters on TV don't have this much shading, but for a show of the '70s to put so much into a KID...extraordinary television.

To the earlier poster who said no one had sex in the 70's: Are you kidding?
The post-pill, pre-AIDS 70's?

That aside, J15 was one of the freshest and most realistic youth shows until the network's prudery led to the ridiculous sex-with-the-exchange-student scene (no nice American girl would do THAT!). Aftetr that teh show lost its edge.

I've seen a lot of misinformation here about the circumstances surrounding James losing his virginity and Dan Wakefield departing the show. Allow me to set the record straight. The truth is, the network actually ORDERED the episode in which James had sex for the first time. Due to its late start (the series premiered in mid-October) and multiple pre-emptions, James at 15 wasn't doing well in the ratings, and the network planned to get huge ratings for February sweeps with a "very special" James Gets Laid episode. However, they specifically wanted James to have sex with the hooker his Uncle "bought" for him for his 16th birthday, and afterwards, they wanted James to go through a cleansing emotional hell (this kind of moral hypocrisy is straight out of the Cecil B. DeMille school of Sinning then Suffering) by worrying about either 1)unwanted pregnancy or 2)VD. In order for him to be able to worry about these things, James obviously could not use a condom. Dan Wakefield felt strongly that James's first sexual experience should be tender and loving, with someone he cared about (Swedish exchange student Gun instead of a hooker), and that James should be smart and responsible enough to use birth control. This was all going to be presented in very good taste, with nothing shown - merely a brief discussion between James and Gun about "being responsible" (the words "birth control" and/or "condoms" were never to be mentioned). However, the network overruled Wakefield, letting James sleep with Gun instead of the hooker, but eliminating any mention of birth control (thus paving the way for the awful Does James Have the Clap? show two episodes later). Wakefield, tired of fighting network interference and disgusted with what he viewed as a reprehensible lack of moral responsibility, resigned from the show. The quality took a nosedive and was cancelled after another 10 episodes.

I just got all misty when I saw this show listed. I absolutely LOVED JAMES AT 15. This was a very sweet teenage growing pains drama that was family appropriate and still entertaining. I have to confess to having a major crush on Lance Kerwin. I thought he was the cutest thing. Many people I know feel the show jumped when James lost his virginity, but I disagree. This is a normal part of growing up. Teenage boys lose their virginity. There's no getting around it. Enjoyable show that I miss...still.

Back in the 80s, this show was re-runned on A&E. Doesn't anyone remember this? I was a toddler in the 70s, so I couldn't have seen it the first time around. But I liked it (not completely sure why). James was endearing, there was something about his slightly awkward personality that any teen can relate to. And I thought Sly was cool--I could appreciate that the show didn't seem to pigeon-hole teenagers into just one category or one click...a far cry from a lot of the shows about teens when i was one (I'd take James at 15 over Saved By the Bell any day!). If it were on today, and it was a rainy Saturday afternoon and I had nothing to do...I'd watch it.