The Hard Times of RJ Berger
Meet RJ Berger. He has a big schlong. Goodnight everybody!
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Oh, you want more info? Alright then. RJ Berger is your typical Hollywood Nerd. Nature made him scrawny and weird looking, awkward and pale. He's horrible at sports, and even worse at talking to girls. His parents are embarrassing, and he's got more pairs of glasses than friends. Except for one thing: His sexual organ is huge. Hilarity Ensues.
The first season follows RJ and his friends Miles Jenner and Lily Miran living high school while dealing with people like Max Owens. It's been stated many times that RJ is going to try and use his "gift" to change his lifestyle, but really, all he seems to want is a chance with Jenny Swanson.
The second season continues on, with RJ and Jenny as an Official Couple, trying to make the relationship work despite several hindrances. All the while RJ is trying to deal with his parents' divorce, his mom dating his coach, and the new hot tutor he's been given that's starting to drive a wedge between him and Jenny.
The third season would follows RJ dealing with Lily's baby and Max keeping his secret. But, as confirmed by the creator via Twitter, the series was canceled.
Tropes used in The Hard Times of RJ Berger include:
- Abhorrent Admirer: Lily.
- Adorkable: RJ. Just RJ. Apparently, his large (and still growing) female fanbase thinks so too.
- Alpha Bitch: Averted with Jenny. Robin plays this straight.
- Lily plays this straight for a while when she gets her settlement, although by the end of the episode she averts it.
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: RJ's are probably the most over the top example ever, taking it to near abusive levels. In just one example, his mother shouts encouragement to him as he makes out with Jenny Swanson - and then ENTERS THE ROOM to help him remove Jenny's bra.
- Animesque: So far, most of the art found in the series is like this.
- Armored Closet Gay: Max, as of the Season 2 finale.
- Ashes to Crashes: In the Season 2 premiere, RJ gets Kevin's ashes blown right into his face.
- Betty and Veronica: Jenny (Archie) between RJ (Betty) and Max (Veronica). RJ (Archie) between Lily (Betty) and Jenny (Veronica) is a rare example of the Veronica being much more likeable than the Betty.
- A better example of a Betty is Clair, who RJ shows some interest in and who is also much better pick than Lily.
- Now, we have Amy as Betty and Jenny as Veronica.
- Biggus Dickus / Gag Penis: Pretty much the point of the entire show.
- Bilingual Bonus: Most likely unintentional. Just try learning Spanish, and see a show where the main character has a Biggus Dickus and it's called Berger.
- Bromantic Foil: Miles to RJ.
- Can't Get Away with Nuthin': At the end of the second season finale, Lily reveals that she's pregnant with RJ's baby, resulting from the first and only time they ever had sex together.
- Caught with Your Pants Down: The result of the opening scene.
- The Cheerleader: Jenny, though the usual character type is averted. Robin Pretnar is a straight example.
- Crowning Moment of Awesome: RJ finally standing up to Max on his 16th birthday.
- Cursed with Awesome: RJ considers his penis to be this at first.
- A Date with Rosie Palms: It's the opening scene. See Caught with Your Pants Down.
- Dawson Casting: Everyone. Kudos to Jenny being played by a 30-year-old. Miles is being played by a 32 year-old.
- Dead Baby Comedy
- Death by Sex: Possibly Lily in the season finale.
- Averted in the Season 2 Premiere.
- Double Entendre: The dinner RJ has with his parents and their friends in the pilot is filled with this.
- Freudian Slip: "I'd love to study you. Study with you."
- It's tit o' clock -- uh, two o' clock.
- Gang-Bangers: Hamilton and his gang
- Getting Crap Past the Radar: It's MTV, so the radar is screening a lot less, but all the same, seems like whoever approved Amy's comment that "I haven't had this much fun since I found out what the shocker was" probably didn't actually know what the shocker is.
- Gratuitous Japanese: Sprinkled around the pilot episode.
- Growing the Beard: As of Season 2, the series seems to be relying more on character development to hook viewers rather than crude humor.
- Hey, It's That Guy!: Millicent from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.
- Zeke from High School Musical plays a random guy on the basketball team.
- Kevin Arnold's dad from The Wonder Years plays as RJ's principal.
- Hollywood Nerd: You'd think this would be the case in a show like this, but RJ, Miles, and Lily all come across as very realistic nerds and they're far from Hollywood Homely too.
- Amy, who is perfectly attractive.
- This is awkwardly brought into light in an episode where Jenny has a particularly nasty breakout. RJ and Miles attempt to tell her that acne isn't a huge problem, since they all have "horrible" acne, and Robin and Miles both tell her that RJ must be "rubbing off on her." But because of this trope and Hollywood makeup, neither RJ or Miles have a single pimple.
- Ironically, by the end of the second season, Jenny is the only virgin in the group.
- Hot Guys Are Bastards
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: When Jenny and Max break up and despite the fact he had a good chance with her, RJ tells Jenny that Max didn't cheat on her rather than take advantage of the situation.
- Jerkass: Coach Sinclair. He purposely made it look like Max cheated on Jenny so he would play basketball better.
- Jerk Jock: Max, though it's more Played for Laughs than played straight.
- Me Love You Long Time: RJ's flashback to his romantic interlude with Natsumi.
- Ms. Fanservice: Jenny. Amy.
- Mushroom Samba: The Lock-In
- Marijuana Is LSD: See above - The Biscotti was laced with "Acapulco Gold".
- Nerds Are Sexy: Despite RJ being portrayed as a very realistic nerd, he continues to have a large fanbase among the female population.
- Amy. Just Amy.
- Refuge in Vulgarity: To the point of Refuge in Audacity.
- Sarcasm Blind: Miles, to tragic effect.
- School Play: Vamp Side Story
- Shiny Midnight Black: Lily Miran as does her actress in Real Life.
- Shout-Out: Mrs. Robbins, a friend of RJ's parents and middle-aged woman, lures RJ into her bedroom in an attempt to seduce him. This sounds strangely familiar...
- While rehearsing for the school musical, the director mentions that students don't like reading Jane Austen unless it has zombies in it.
- Miles' shirt in the lunch scene in The Berger Cometh is from a particular Pittsburgh amusement park.
- Weezer, with the high school being named Pinkerton, and the band makes a cameo as themselves in an episode.
- The second season finale has an animated sequence comparing the machine war in Terminator to what Pinkerton High being ruled by the Jerk Jock and the Alpha Bitch would end up as.
- Slap Slap Kiss: Miles and Lily, although it was because both of them were drunk.
- Spoiled Sweet: Jenny.
- Invisible to Gaydar: Max. Also counts as Flying Under the Gaydar.
- Sudden Downer Ending: The final episode to season 1 is much more dramatic compared to the previous episodes. The opening scene takes place shortly after Lily has been hit by a bus, and the rest of the episode has RJ blaming himself for it.
- Tear Jerker: When RJ and Jenny break up.
- Tempting Fate: "At least he's still got his jockstrap o--" In comes the plot.
- Trailers Always Spoil: The sneak preview for episode 7 of season 2 (the Weezer episode) shows Amy kissing RJ, which is literally the last 5 seconds of the episode.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Max. Not only does RJ tell Jenny the truth when the coach framed him for cheating on Jenny he saves him from being the victim of a hit from the Gang-Bangers or so he thought, yet Max STILL acts like a Jerkass to him. Although, this is more to play the Jerk Jock trope straight.
- Double Subverted in the second season finale - Max thanks RJ for not revealing he's gay to the student body, but says that it doesn't mean he won't still mess with RJ.
- What Does She See in Him?: Jenny and Max. Sure he's the good looking Big Man on Campus and he at least tries to be nice in front of her but there are still many moments where he acts like a big Jerkass to her.
- The Woobie: RJ. The second season sets Jenny up as one as well.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Happens to RJ (and to a lesser extent, Miles) pretty frequently, and he lampshades this.