Of the countless reality series chronicling life in high school to pop up in the past couple of years, none looked like it would more closely resemble my own secondary education than The Paper. Not because I was on the school newspaper (I totally was), but because no other show has chosen to focus on the neurotic, obsessive and socially inept. Those Laguna Beach kids may have lacked substance, but at least they were well put together. And in high school, that’s all that matters.

The Paper goes beyond exploitative entertainment and actually charms in its honest portrait of how insufferable it is to be this age, regardless of status. The cruelty, the confrontations and the backstabbing that you’re used to seeing from the more popular set are just as prevalent in this crowd as they are in any, and the tone is a strange amalgam of Spellbound (2002 spelling bee doc and aspergers exposé) and either of the High School Musicals. The latter is accomplished with the help of Amanda, the (spoiler!) editor in chief.

Amanda’s need to constantly talk or sing and her unholy drive make her the most annoying character on the series, but her staff’s treatment of her also makes her the most endearing. She probably deserves a comparison to Election’s Tracey Flick, just without the tendency for sexual manipulation. The rest of the cast is even more easily labeled. There’s the silent second in command (who’s probably the most likely to go on as a journalist); the snotty girl who’s probably a few social rungs above the rest of them but a few too short to be a cheerleader; her oafish boyfriend whose motivation for joining the paper is purely carnal; and a budding homosexual with a penchant for dramatics. I guess there are a few others, but I lied about easily labeling them. They’re wallpaper.

The first episode comes together so well, it seems odd that no one thought to capitalize on this idea before. Everyone who’s ever been on a newspaper or yearbook staff, or been in close proximity to their classrooms, knows that these extracurriculars breed a kind of crazy unlike anything else you find in high school (with the notable exception of drama kids, but that’s been overdone and isn’t remotely as relatable for adults). Thankfully, The Paper looks to be an accurate representation of this, as well as a reliable source of meltdowns, feuding and ADD - all the while sparing us the gratuitous references to Los Angeles clubs, restaurants and stylists we’ve never heard of that plague certain other series. It may actually bring back a touch of authenticity to MTV’s prefab prime time lineup.