• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, September 12, 2017

The two news releases arrived just one day apart: Two announcements from two different networks -- both concerning new docuseries set inside an American high school.

Both shows -- from National Geographic and A&E -- premiere in a few weeks, coinciding (more or less) with the start of the school year.

On September 6, last Wednesday, came the first one from NatGeo. It was an announcement about a four-part documentary series called “American High,” scheduled to premiere on Tuesday, September 26.

“American High” was filmed at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Judging from the news release, the school is predominantly African-American.

One of the story lines involves a white student described in the news release as “one of the few white students at the school.” As such, she is having trouble fitting in.

A&E’s series is called “Undercover High.” It premieres on Tuesday, October 10. An announcement about the show arrived last Thursday, September 7.

“Undercover High” consists of 12 episodes filmed last spring. According to the press release, this show will take a look at the lives of typical high school students with the help of “seven young adults, ranging in age from 21 to 26, who embed themselves for a semester” at a public high school in Kansas -- Highland Park High in Topeka (photo above).

With its undercover approach, “Undercover High” seems inspired or influenced by A&E’s other undercover show, “60 Days In.”

In that show, people from various walks of life volunteer to go undercover in local jails, pretending to be lawbreakers awaiting trial, to investigate the subcultures and corruption that takes place there.

On “Undercover High,” “the participants pose as typical students -- attending classes, making friends and participating in school clubs and activities -- to provide an inside look at what it's like to be a teenager today,” the press release says.

The participants seem to have been carefully cast. There is “a former bully, victims of bullying, a [former] teen mom, a youth motivational speaker, a set of siblings and a teen minister,” according to the release.

Presumably, these “young adults” must look young enough to pass for high school students. None of them are aware of each other's true identities, A&E says.

Neither press release on either of the two shows specified how the filming was achieved -- either with conspicuous camera crews roaming around the halls and/or with an array of hidden, discreet cameras and microphones.

While various aspects of the shows are different, they both aim to reveal the same things.

“From Friday night football to graduation, from dates at the diner to senior prom, ‘American High School’ captures intimate life-changing moments of these teenagers’ journey to adulthood. It is high school -- real high school -- as you've never seen it before,” reads NatGeo's description.

“From bullying and the pervasiveness of social media to the struggle to excel in the classroom and navigate evolving social standards, participants discover the challenges and complexities, both new and familiar, facing today’s teens,” reads A&E’s press release.

Each show comes with an after-show attraction too. A&E will have a half-hour discussion special with participants and experts directly following the premiere of “Undercover High.”

NatGeo will have a special one-hour documentary called “Without a Net” following the September 26 premiere of “American High School.” Narrated by Jamie Foxx, this show directed by documentarian Rory Kennedy “explores the digital divide faced by students around the country who have limited access to computers and the Internet,” NatGeo says.

So there you have it -- two different networks, each announcing similar shows in the space of two days. That’s not a criticism, however.

The fact is, the life of teens in contemporary high schools is always worth exploring, particularly for parents whose teenagers and their behavior mystifies them.

On this particular subject, the more the merrier.