Episode 1

Title: Jane by Design, January 2012 series premiere, coming back June 5th for second half of first season, Tuesday @ 9pm, ABC Family http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/jane-by-design

Genre: Drama/Comedy series

This shows main purpose is to entertain. The audience expects to watch this show passively, there is no thinking or problem solving needed by the viewer.

Audience: Teens to Young Adults, more aimed towards females. The program relates to this audience with age, gender and situation. Although the premise of the show is not typical of a young adult/high school student, the main character, Jane, goes through many of the same trials and tribulations all young women go through.

Program and Episode synopsis:

The first episode of this series sets the stage for the entire season. We are introduced to the main character Jane Quimby. She is the typical high school girl who is insecure and a bit of an outcast because she is unique. With the help of her best friend counterpart Billy, Jane tries to steer clear of the popular kids and her main enemy, Lulu. Jane's main passion is fashion design. Jane comes from a broken home and her older brother, Ben, struggles to find a steady job to keep him and his sister afloat. Their father has just recently passed away and their mother walked out on them years before. In an effort to obtain a little money for her and her brother Jane applies for a fashion scholarship/internship without Ben's knowledge. The receptionist at Donovan Decker, a hip fashion house, makes a mistake and throws Jane into the room for a job interview. When offered $35,000 by her blunt and quick to the point boss Gray, Jane takes the job without hesitation . Gray is known for getting a new assistant every week so when Jane lasts through her entire first week viewers are excited for her. She saves her bosses job from the younger, up and coming, fashion designer India who is out for Gray's position.

Enhanced Content:

The program's website has interactive polls, information about the new episodes, information about "Jane by Design" events at Bloomingdales and episodes online.

IMDB also has a Jane by Design page which gives general information like cast, synopsis, ratings and pictures.   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1743904/ 

We both think this show is well produced. Most shows have a bit of a far-fetched story line and as viewers we look for that excitement to sort of live through these characters and escape from our mundane everyday lives. This plot is something a lot of girls would dream of, money, responsibility, clothes, and a cool job that makes us stand out from every other girl. Jane manages to catch her crush’s attention when she pulls up in her boss’s sports car, with a couture dress on just in time to take her midterm and head back to work with no one noticing anything was wrong/missing. The last few lines of the show are a cliff hanger because we all think she will definitely lose her job but lucky for her Gray says “See you Monday.” We love rooting for the underdog, which Jane definitely is in this vicious world of fashion, but hopefully for the viewers her young and new ideas will carry her to success.

This show has all the major elements of a good show. There are two villains, two men Jane finds attractive, a secret relationship going on between her best friend Billy and enemy Lulu and the main secret of the whole show-she is a sophomore in HS with a real job at which everyone thinks she is older.  There is sex, parties and comedy involved which are all  main points that would reach their target audience.

The series is well produced. There are very lively scenes, it is shot all over, not just on a set. There is b-roll of New York City and a huge high school that most viewers can relate to. The fashion in the show also appeals to women, especially because it’s a little out there.

Recommendations for improvement: Some of the lines and jokes were a little corny/over explained. Also, Jane is supposed to be naïve because she is young, but now a days the age teenagers start learning about sexual innuendos and things of that nature is becoming extremely young. She often questions phrases and innuendos her co-workers make and although we get they are trying to make her sound innocent, it’s a little unrealistic.