* {{Cult Classic}}: Though by no means an extreme classic, it has gained a mild cult following and Entertainment Weekly listed it as "26 Best Cult TV Shows Ever" and it has become very popular itself in recent years due to its stance on a lot of issues such as Homophobia, Transphobia, eating disorders and sexual harassment. And these issues were handled very differently to how most 90s shows would have, and some have noted that the show may have been ahead of it’s time politically.
* EnsembleDarkhorse: Two words: ''Mary Cherry''. Full stop.
* FanPreferredCouple: Sam and Brooke. WordOfGod confirmed that, had there been a Season 3, Sam was supposed to come out, so it could have happened.
** Sam/Harrison is also more popular than Brooke/Harrison.
* HollywoodHomely: Done on most of the non-popular girls at some point or other, especially when they go to school with [[ImprobableHairstyle horrendously bad bad bed hair.]]
* LesYay: Sam and Brooke, Carmen and Lily.
* RetroactiveRecognition: You'll be seeing Creator/LeslieBibb all over the place in later years, even as [[HilariousInHindsight Gwyneth Paltrow's]] [[Film/IronMan co-star.]]
** Creator/WentworthMiller gets a one-shot role in the episode "[[Film/AllAboutEve All About Adam]]".
** Although she had already participated in some films and series, Creator/JaneLynch makes an appearance in an episode of the second season, before becoming well known for the movies directed by Creator/ChristopherGuest in which she took part and [[{{Series/Glee}} another television production]] of Creator/RyanMurphy.
** Creator/ChristopherGorham is possibly the biggest breakout of the main actors, appearing in ''Series/Jake20'', ''Series/CovertAffairs'', ''Series/UglyBetty'', and the ''WesternAnimation/DCAnimatedMovieUniverse''.
* TheShipsMotor: It became fanon for Brooke/Sam shippers that they had an adjoined bathroom connecting their bedrooms, even though there was no such thing.
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* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: The show sounds like a Disney Channel-esque show on the surface, but it's rated TV-14. On a Canadian channel, it aired after the innocuous Disney sitcom ''That's So Raven'', leaving parents in for a surprise if their kids forget to turn the TV off after the ''Raven''.