I Am Jazz

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I Am Jazz
250px
Also known as 'All That Jazz[1]
Genre Reality
Starring Jazz Jennings and family
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 11
Production
Executive producer(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Aengus James
  • Colin King Miller
  • David St. John
Producer(s) Taylor Garbutt
Production location(s) South Florida, United States
Editor(s) Eric Johannsen
Camera setup Meagan Stockemer
Running time 22 minutes
Production company(s) This Is Just a Test
Release
Original network TLC
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)
Original release July 15, 2015 (2015-07-15) –
present
External links
Official website

I Am Jazz (announced as All That Jazz) is an American reality television series on TLC about a transgender girl named Jazz Jennings. The 11-part series features Jazz and his family "dealing with typical teen drama through the lens of a transgender youth."[1][2]

I Am Jazz premiered on July 15, 2015, and has received very positive reviews.

Synopsis

Jazz Jennings, a South Florida teen, was assigned male at birth. Aged 5, Jennings was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in childhood, making him one of the youngest publicly documented people to be called gender dysphoric.[3] His parents, Greg and Jeanette, decided to support his female gender identity by his fifth birthday. Jazz has been in the spotlight since 2007, when at age 6, he did an interview with Barbara Walters discussing his gender identity. He did follow-up interviews, launched a foundation, and co-wrote a book, also called I Am Jazz. He has also posted videos about his life on YouTube.

I Am Jazz focuses on the "Jennings" family (the surname "Jennings" is a pseudonym, and any reference to the family's exact location is obscured)[4][5] and their day-to-day lives. Jazz, who is about to go into high school, grapples with the usual teen angst in addition to his own challenges as a transgender girl. His family, which includes his three siblings, parents and grandparents, also talk about their experiences.[2]

Production

The 11-part series involved filming five days a week, including both days on the weekend.[6] The series was initially called All That Jazz, but was retitled to I Am Jazz. The show takes its title from a 2011 documentary, I Am Jazz: A Family in Transition, that aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network.[7][8]

The one-hour series premiere of I Am Jazz first aired at the same time Caitlyn Jenner was giving his acceptance speech for the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2015 ESPY Awards on ABC.[9]

Episodes

No. Title Original air date U.S. viewers
(millions)
1 "All About Jazz" July 15, 2015 (2015-07-15) 1.36[10]
One-hour series premiere. Jazz's family talk about Jazz's life and his insistence from an early age that he was a girl, and the struggles and confusion they faced. Jazz goes bathing suit shopping with Ari, and struggles to find a flattering suit; Jazz talks with his brothers about his insecurities over his body. Jazz's maternal grandparents stop by and talk about their shock in learning Jazz was transgender. Jazz and Jeanette visit the doctor to discuss results of Jazz's hormone tests.
2 "Boys Aren't Nice to Her" July 22, 2015 (2015-07-22) 1.02[12]
Ari is coming back from college for the summer, and the twins have to go back to sharing a room; their parents let them and Jazz makeover their rooms. Jazz feels his room is too girly and needs to match his age. Jeanette is emotional about Jazz growing up and no longer being her "baby." Jazz and his friends host a coed bowling night, but few boys come. He is hurt when he finds out one boy refused to come because he is transgender; Jazz talks about facing rejection as his friends start dating and how boys come up to his friends but ignore him. Jeanette is very worried about the social situations Jazz will face in high school.[11]
3 "High School Is Wild Fire" July 22, 2015 (2015-07-22) 1.08[12]
Jazz attends a soccer conditioning clinic in preparation for high school. His parents and coach discuss whether he should try out for the varsity or junior varsity squad when he enters high school. Greg stresses that he just wants Jazz to be happy. Jeanette worries that Jazz, who was barred from playing in the girls' league for several years, is scarred from the experience.[13]
4 "I Thought It Was a Choice" July 29, 2015 (2015-07-29) 0.911[14]
Jazz believes she chose to be a girl, but she finds out it was not the case, when she was still a boy she would wear dresses in private, revealing that without knowing or remembering, Jazz had always truly been a girl.[citation needed]
5 "Am I Doing the Right Thing?" July 29, 2015 (2015-07-29) 0.886[14]
6 "Happy Mother's Day!" August 5, 2015 (2015-08-05) 0.870[15]
7 "I'm Ready to Explore Boys" August 5, 2015 (2015-08-05) 0.897[15]
8 "So the Dad is Now Mom?" August 12, 2015 (2015-08-12) 0.766[16]
9 "We Don't Read the Comments" August 12, 2015 (2015-08-12) 0.690[16]
10 "Baby Jazz Is Growing Up" August 19, 2015 (2015-08-19) 0.698[17]
11 "The Family Tells All" August 26, 2015 (2015-08-26) 0.780[18]

Reception

Critic Brian Lowry of Variety praised I Am Jazz, calling it a "sensitively constructed series (in an admirable departure for the attention-seeking network)... Simply told and heartfelt, the show should add a welcome dimension to the education process, capturing the challenges associated with sexual identity at such a vulnerable age."[19] James Poniewozik, in his review for Time magazine, stated that the reality show airing on the same network that recently pulled 19 Kids and Counting off the air feels like a "change of an era." Poniewozik writes, "I Am Jazz is an engaging story of a teen girl who has transitioned. But it is also the story of everyone else, transitioning."[8] Marc Silver of the Washington Post wrote about the boom of transgender-theme shows on TV, including Jenner's upcoming reality show, I Am Cait: "I Am Cait will surely attract more viewers because of Jenner's fame. It's too soon to say how Jazz will fare. But with her humor and honesty, she's a tough act for Caitlyn Jenner to follow."[20]

Awards

The show tied for best Outstanding Reality Program at the 27th annual GLAAD Media Awards.[21][22]

Broadcast

Internationally, the series premiered in Australia on TLC on December 10, 2015.[23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ 2016 GLAAD Media Awards: Demi Lovato & Caitlyn Jenner Among Recipients | Billboard
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links


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