History Series / Suburgatory

''Suburgatory'' is an Creator/{{ABC}} {{dramedy}} from Creator/EmilyKapnek, formerly of ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'' (also created by Kapnek) and ''Series/ParksAndRecreation''. The show premiered in September 2011, airing on E4 in the UK/Ireland alongside ABC in the US, and ran for three seasons before being cancelled in May 2014.

* HeroesWantRedheads: Despite her outsider status, several boys have shown attraction to Tessa, including desirably guys like [[BigManOnCampus Ryan Shay]] and Dalia's crush, Scott Strauss.
** George was similarly taken with Tessa's redheaded mother, Alex.

* BerserkButton: Learning that [[spoiler: he's adopted]] causes Ryan to go insane and attack his family in their car, followed up by him questioning the reality of everything around him (such as a light pole and a parking meter)...by punching them
** Concerned about what anger management has done to him, George deliberately tries to trigger Noah's by taking him to a restaurant where the waiter is deliberately being terrible, which doesn't faze him. [[spoiler: He finally breaks out of it when another kid calls his son a "fatass"]]
* BetaCouple: Lisa and Malik. Their relationship goes much smoother than Ryan and Tessa's. [[spoiler: They even get married in season 3.]]

* DiegeticSoundtrackUsage: [[spoiler: The show's theme is a snippet of a ballad written by Tessa's mother.]]

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* HiddenDepths : Dallas prefers relative poverty to [[spoiler: remaining with a man who cheats on her]].

** Then Tessa does it again with an undercover narcotics officer. [[spoiler: Though this is subverted with Mr Wolfe]]
* [[DaddyDidntShow Mommy Didn't Show:]] [[spoiler: Subverted in Season 2's Thanksgiving episode. Alex doesn't show up to Tessa's grandma's apartment where she and Tessa are expecting her... because she showed up in Chatswin where she thought Tessa would be. It ends up working out in the end, though.]]

* NewAgeRetroHippie: Tessa encounters a bunch of them and joins their band. [[spoiler: Turns out they're a violent cult]]

* ShipTease: Fred reads his wife's diary, where she wrote down an erotic dream of hers involving "George".[[spoiler: turns out she was referring to George Stephanopoulos]]

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: In universe. [[spoiler: When Ryan comes home from college, his new girlfriend is another HollywoodHomely bookworm who enjoys classic literature and obscure art films. Tessa is almost offended his new girlfriend is so similar to her.]]

* WillTheyOrWontThey: George and Dallas, Tessa and Ryan. [[spoiler: [[RelationshipUpgrade They get together]] (both of them), though as of the season 2 finale both couples are broken up. For now]]

* BlackSheep: Poor, poor Lisa.

* HeroesWantRedheads: Despite her outsider "CoolLoser" status, several boys have shown attraction to Tessa, including desirably guys like [[BigManOnCampus Ryan Shay]] and Dalia's crush, Scott Strauss.

* TeensAreShort: For the most part, best exemplified with George and Tessa in the opening credits, which show just how short she is compared to him. The major exception is Parker Young as Ryan Shay, and even then he's under 6'. Dalia is also noticeably about as tall as her mother, which fortunately works out well when she's butting heads with Tessa to give her an underdog look.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/suburgatory01.jpg]]

* WillTheyOrWontThey: George and Dallas, Tessa and Ryan. [[spoiler: TheyDo (both of them), though as of the season 2 finale both couples are broken up. For now]]

* NoPronunciationGuide: Is Dalia's name pronounced ''Day''-lia (in season one), or ''Dah''-lia as in "Junior Secretary's Day" and other season two episodes?

* PlayingGertrude: Creator/MalinAkerman (Alex) is 34 years old, only 11 years older than Jane Levy (Tessa).

* NoPronunciationGuide: Is Dalia's name pronounced ''Day''-lia (in season one), or ''Dah''-lia as in "Junior Secretary's Day" (in which, incidentally, [[AbsenteeActor Dalia doesn't appear]]) and other season two episodes?

* AbsenteeActor: Quite common, with only Jeremy Sisto and Jane Levy being in all 57 episodes; Cheryl Hines has the next best attendance record, appearing in all but one episode (season three's "Catch And Release").

* HollywoodNerd: Lisa and Malik. Tessa herself is pretty nerdy, being terrible at sports but smart enough to be passing every other grade.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/suburgatory300_3255.jpg]]

Creator/{{ABC}} {{Dramedy}} from Creator/EmilyKapnek, formerly of ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'' (also created by Kapnek) and ''Series/ParksAndRecreation''. The show revolves around sixteen-year-old Tessa Altman and her father, George, who have just moved from [[BigApplesauce New York City]] to the affluent [[StepfordSuburbia suburb]] of Chatswin.

The series takes place not long after Tessa's father does a search and seizure of her bedroom. He searched her room, found an unopened box of condoms (they weren't even hers!), and promptly had a seizure. He decides to get them both away from [[BigApplesauce New York City]] so he can give her a better life. And what better place to get away to than [[StepfordSuburbia suburbia]]?

[[TheSnarkKnight Tessa]] takes this as well as you might expect.

First aired on Creator/{{ABC}} September 28, 2011, and aired on E4 in the UK/Ireland. The show was cancelled in 2014.

The title is rather obviously a {{portmanteau}} of ''suburb'' and ''purgatory''.

Creator/{{ABC}} sitcom from Creator/EmilyKapnek, formerly of ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'' (also created by Kapnek) and ''Series/ParksAndRecreation''. The show revolves around sixteen-year-old Tessa Altman and her father, George, who have just moved from [[BigApplesauce New York City]] to the affluent [[StepfordSuburbia suburb]] of Chatswin.

* DarkerAndEdgier: The latter half of the second season.

* TheDitz: Both Dalia and Dallas Royce. Maybe it's genetic?

* GeniusDitz: Dallas as a self-made businesswoman

* StatusQuoIsGod: After seasons 1 and 2 which had a few [[WhamEpisode episodes where things were never the same again]], in Season 3, [[https://www.avclub.com/suburgatory-simplifies-in-season-three-to-good-effect-1798179202 right after the season premiere]], the entire WhamEpisode storylines just reverted back.
* StepfordSmiler: Parodied...
* StepfordSuburbia: ...to hell and back!

* UpperClassTwit: Dallas and most of Chatswin.

Creator/{{ABC}} sitcom from Emily Kapnek, formerly of ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'' (also created by Kapnek) and ''Series/ParksAndRecreation''. The show revolves around sixteen-year-old Tessa Altman and her father, George, who have just moved from [[BigApplesauce New York City]] to the affluent [[StepfordSuburbia suburb]] of Chatswin.

* ThemeTuneCameo: [[spoiler: The show's theme is a snippet of a ballad written by Tessa's mother.]]

* {{Expy}}: You could think Dalia is [[Film/MeanGirls Regina George]] mixed with Karen, while Dallas is a less embarrassing Mrs George, and Tessa is essentially Cady. However, Tessa is much more aggressive, self-confident and ambitious than Cady, and Dalia is very open-minded for some things and less manipulative. On the other hand, Tessa also has a striking resemblance to Ginger from ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'', which was also created by Emily Kapnek.

PlasticBitch: The people of Chatswin, who are shown to be very shallow, regularly get plastic surgery. In the pilot, a woman falls into the pool at the country club, but doesn't drown due to her breast implants making her buoyant. Of the main cast, Dallas is mentioned to have had numerous cosmetic procedures. However, she's shown to be kind, if a bit shallow and [[TheDitz ditzy]].

** In one episode, George compares his and Dallas's relationship with Scully and Mulder's. At the end of the episode, Dallas is watching ''Series/TheXFiles'', wishing Mulder would kiss her Scully.

* CoolDog: Buckles Bitterman is clearly one of those in TheStinger of 3x01.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The oddity of a grown man inviting two minors to his home to talk about sex might [[NotWhatItLooksLike raise some eyebrows]] in other shows (and mind you ''does'' get a mention from some of the characters), but when [[BumblingDad George]] invited Lisa and Malik over to play monopoly ''and'' talk about what they like to do on their dates he was actually trying to suss out what ''Tessa was up to on her date''. There is a [[BlackComedy darkly comedic]] moment when George brings up the topic of sex and both teens look noticeably alarmed.
-->'''Malik''': Um, can I call my mom to come pick me up?

'''Tessa:''' I'm not joking! Although I don't disagree about Creator/TylerPerry.