Life as a Freshman in the Valley

Bells ring. Students gripe. A vice principal bellows across campus warning everyone to pick up the pace. And the principal declares, “Before you follow your dreams, you have to follow the rules.”

Welcome to “Freshman Year,” a fast-paced, enjoyable HBO Family series that chronicles the real-life experiences of ninth-graders attending Chatsworth High School in the San Fernando Valley.

Reminiscent of the engrossing PBS series “American High,” but initially much lighter in tone, tonight’s half-hour premiere focuses on three students--Justin, Jamie and Josh.

Justin is the good-looking jock who wants to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Matt, a popular quarterback for the varsity football team. Jamie is a loud, annoying brat who runs for class president when she isn’t criticizing her opponent or the tacky apparel of her peers. Josh is a short, bespectacled kid forced to run around with a rolling suitcase and a backpack when he’s unable to find a locker.

Justin, who likes to play the field (“I’m experimenting,” he says), scopes out the ladies. Meanwhile, Jamie hands out bags of candy in a determined bid to win the class election against her rival, a Muslim she repeatedly calls an Armenian.

Teens will instantly identify with these youngsters, who come across as individuals rather than mere stereotypes, which was one of the strengths of “American High.”

Executive producers Eamon Harrington and John Watkin were given access to Chatsworth High from September 1999 through June 2000, which enabled them to follow 12 teens for 14 episodes. If the opener is any indication, this will be an enlightening and addictive program for teens of all ages.

All that and no homework. What’s not to like?

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“Freshman Year” can be seen tonight at 7 on HBO Family. The network has rated it TV-PG (may be unsuitable for young children).