NED'S DECLASSIFIED SCHOOL SURVIVAL GUIDE
(Nickelodeon, 2004-2007; ages 10-14)

This Nickelodeon sitcom centers on Ned Bigby (Devon Werkheiser), a Ferris Bueller type who breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the tween audience at home when explaining the dos and don'ts of middle school survival. His two best friends are Cookie (Daniel Curtis Lee), the biggest black nerd to hit the airwaves since Steve Urkel, and Moze (Lindsey Shaw), the girl next door who's beginning to catch Ned's eye, and vice versa. Created by Scott Fellows (Big Time Rush), Ned's Declassified has more than its share of silly, cartoonlike comedy, thanks in part to the school janitor's (Daran Norris) seemingly endless pursuit of a weasel (shades of Bill Murray's character in the 1980 movie Caddyshack) and Daniel Curtis Lee's Herculean feats of overacting.

Ned's Declassified is upfront about its lessons, going so far as to post its informational tidbits on screen, as in the clip below: "Need cash fast? Try babysitting, pet care, and cleaning services," which is preceded by Ned pointing out that you have to be 14 years old to work in a store but not 14 to earn money in other ways. Teachers can add to Ned's long list of helpful hints by asking students to contribute survival tips of their own that weren't covered during the series's three-year run. —Robert Cass

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