Chris Evans Made His TV Debut In A Quirky Teen Drama That Was Prematurely Canceled

When Amy Heckerling's "Clueless" became the sleeper hit of summer 1995, film and television execs wondered if teen-skewing comedies were back. Strangely, no one was in a hurry to find out. Bubblegum NBC TV series like "Saved by the Bell" were doing well in syndication, but when it came to substantive comedies for this audience, there wasn't much to choose from.

Apologies to Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont's witty "Can't Hardly Wait," but Robert Iscove's 1999 hit "She's All That" is the film that truly kicked down the door for the dormant genre. Though far from a great movie, this "Pygmalion" riff featured a winning lead performance from Rachael Leigh Cook, plenty of sassy energy, and, hey, dance numbers! It had a good heart, insouciant energy, and, most importantly, grossed $103 million against a $10 million budget. The industry was once again keen on teens.

This turned out to be a pivotal year for the genre, particularly with the blockbuster success of Paul Weitz's "American Pie," but for a gentler, less ribald teen romp in 1999, you couldn't do better than Raja Gosnell's "Never Been Kissed." The Drew Barrymore vehicle about a young journalist who's assigned to go undercover at a local high school was, much like its star, completely irresistible. Key to its success were screenwriters Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein. They seemed to have an ear for contemporary teen dialogue and attitudes, so Fox hit them up for a high school sitcom decked out with an up-and-coming cast. "Opposite Sex" didn't lack for talent in front of or behind the camera, but Fox was ultimately displeased with it and burned the series off during the summer of 2000. Had it caught on, however, Chris Evans' career might've gone in a completely different direction.

The premise of "Opposite Sex" had promise: Milo Ventimiglia, Kyle Howard, and Chris Evans star as the first three boys to be admitted into the formerly all-girls Evergreen Academy. They were gilding the lily a bit by having Ventimiglia be the new kid in town who's also grieving the recent death of his mother, but that's hardly a fatal mistake. All that really matters on shows like this is the chemistry of the leads and the quality of the writing.

Fortunately for you, just about every episode of the series is currently up on YouTube. Don't expect HD, but it's watchable. And if you're an Evans completist, it's sincerely worth your time.

Evans plays Cary Baston, the cocky, sex obsessed member of the trio. Given that the eight episodes were shot in 1999, you might worry that Cary is a creep, but he's actually harmless and kinda sweet. He even participates in a drag performance of "I Will Survive" that helps win the skeptical student body over. There's also a scene where he croons "Theme from the Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)" to a romantic interest.

It's difficult to figure out why Fox bailed so quickly on "Opposite Sex." It wasn't as expensive or sophisticated as "Freaks and Geeks," nor as angsty as an earlier, beloved teen single-season series, "My So-Called Life." Maybe someday it'll surface on streaming, but for now you'll have to settle for YouTube. The series is dated, yes, but it's not bad! Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein bring that "Never Been Kissed" charm to this show, and the cast (which also includes future "Smallville" denizen and NXIVM cult member Alison Mack) is incredibly appealing. Give it a whirl!