Below are 20 plots for Daria episodes I just made up. The first 10 cover more "serious," real-problem themes like Misery Chick and Ill. The second 10 are parodies of popular culture, like Mauled or Road Trip. I predict we'll see at least a handful of these - or something very like them - over the next season or two (god willing).
Any other "gotta be done" plot ideas that I missed?
Serious shows
The Andrea Show Andrea and Daria are assigned to a project together. Andrea is sulky and standoffish. Daria says something snarky, and is stunned when Andrea blows up at her. Andrea thinks Daria and Jane are "stuck up," "think they�re better than her" and even "popular girls" (!) because Brittany and Jodi sometimes associate with them. Daria has to face the fact that her detached pose might scare off people she actually wants to know, and she also has to decide if she�ll make the effort to reach out to Andrea, who means well but isn�t nearly as smart or as talented as Daria (at least on first glance).
Quinn�s Bad Date Quinn comes back from a date badly shaken up. An older boy has tried to seriously pressure her to put out, and turned abusive when she refused. Confused, Quinn turns to Daria for advice. Daria�s first reaction is, "Hey, big surprise," but she feels bad about it when it becomes obvious that Quinn is really hurt and scared. In the end, she has to decide to encourage Quinn to talk it over with Helen.
The Drug Show I�m not really sure if this show or the next one will ever be made. On the one hand, "just say no" propaganda is so pervasive in the media that it�s almost impossible to do an honest show about drugs or alcohol. On the other hand, both are such big factors among modern teenagers that it�s almost dishonest for a show like Daria to never address them. If they do do a drug show, it might be something like this.
Daria and Jane fall in with a crowd of slightly older, "Bohemian" types from another school. These kids take art and literature seriously, have subversive senses of humor, and think Daria and Jane are just great. Soon, however, it�s discovered that this bunch is seriously into mind-altering substances. They don�t pressure Daria and Jane to participate themselves, but the girls find their friends aren�t nearly as much fun when they�re high. When a night at the movies turns into a drug deal, Daria and Jane decide they can�t afford to hang around this bunch any longer. Along the way, we find out how Trent feels about drugs (I suspect he used to be a user, but gave it up because it distracted him from his music).
The Booze Show Quinn comes home from a party sloshed to the gills. She sneaks in past Helen and Jake, but wakes up Daria. Daria has to decide whether she wants to get involved in this part of her sister�s life, then how to approach Quinn and finally whether to involve their parents.
Trent�s New Friend This is probably the most inevitable one on this list. Trent gets a serious girlfriend. Either she�s really cool and Daria feels bad about hating her so much, or she�s a real bitch and Daria decides she has to pay. Either way, the show ends with Daria a little more able to put her feelings about Trent into perspective.
The Other Side of Amy Daria gets to spend a couple of weeks with Aunt Amy in her city apartment. At first it�s great - Amy�s perfectly happy to be seen at either a museum or a B-movie festival. After a while, however, some cracks begin to show. Amy smokes and drinks just a bit too much. A nice guy comes up and asks Amy when they can go out again, and she brushes him off � commitment issues. She has a high-priced shrink that she doesn�t think is doing her any good. Finally, she confesses how much she envy�s Helen for just being able to stay with Jake for all these years. Daria comes away with a bit more appreciation for the "tightly-wound pain-in-the-ass," and some questions about the wisdom of keeping everybody at arm�s reach.
The Bully A tough girl, an upper classman from the "wrong side of the tracks" decides Daria is a "wimp" who it should be easy to push around for fun. After some initial alarm, Daria�s gift for malicious creativity kicks in and she turns the tables on her tormenter. In the end, however, Daria sees that the bully leads a pathetic and desperate life (shades of Beavis and Butthead) and is more to be pitied than dispised.
Broken Home A mostly-Quinn episode. Sandy�s parents� disfunctional marriage breaks down abruptly into a very messy divorce. Sandy becomes clinically depressed, stops caring about school, popularity or even her personal appearance (!). At last, Quinn has unchallenged control of the fashion club. Tiffany doesn�t see why Sandy�s being such a case, since she�s been through, like, five or six divorces between both parents, and Stacy�s no more or less pathetic than normal. Quinn�s rudimentary conscience, however, begins to stir. She doesn�t LIKE winning this way. (Anyway, without Sandy and Quinn to play off each other, Tiffany�s bitchy side is becoming more of pain, while Stacy wants Quinn to fix her whole life). When Stacy�s mom, in an unusually contrite mood, comes to Quinn talking about "how much Stacy needs her friend," Quinn decides to take action to restore the old Stacy, regardless of the cost. (I considered a show where one of the Fashion Club - take your pick - becomes bulimic, but in the end I decided there's no way to make that even poignantly funny. Still, the writers might surprise us)
The Country Club The Morgandorfers and the Landons are invited (finally!) to join the ritziest country club in Lawndale. As the first major party of the season approaches, Quinn is in ecstacy, while Helen and Jake are increasingly nervous that Daria will do something horrible. Exasperated, Daria promises to be the proper little preppy, even allowing Helen to buy her a party dress (!). At the party, Daria and Jody overhear some of the senior members of the club talking about how they�re lucky to have the Landons, who are "the right sort" of black family. Daria�s even more shocked when she discovers that Jody knows that her family are tokens, and is accepting (if not overjoyed) about it. In the end, however, somebody says something that pushes Jody over the edge, and she decides she has to take action. Since vengeance is basically alien to her nature, she goes to Daria for help in cooking up something suitable.
Curfew Daria stays out late watching videos at Jane�s. When she realizes what time it is, she hurries home. Passing the neighborhood park, she hears Brittany, Kevin, Jody and Mack. They�re out on a double date, but have ran out of things to do. The guys start chasing each other around and generally acting like goons. Jody gets disgusted and leaves, and Daria�s about to do the same, when the cops show up. The four remaining kids are busted for curfew violation and vandalism (Mack and Kevin having done some minor damage to playground equipment). Daria�s forced to call her parents from the station, and Jake immediately jumps to the conclusion that Daria�s involved in gang activity. The whole thing is resolved when Daria finally admits that she was arrested in company with a cheerleader and two athletes. Along the way, civil liberties issues are addressed.
Parody shows
Family Rock Show One of Jake and Helen�s favorite bands from their 20s is coming to town on a reunion tour. Jake decides the girls will find the show just as cool as he does.
Theme Park Nothing much to say about this one, really. It HAS to be done.
Community Spook House In the latest manifestation of Ms. Li�s patented fascist volunteerism, students from Lawndale high are recruited to staff a Halloween charity haunted house. We finally see Upchuck�s true genius and leadership potential, as he takes over the project, and takes it way beyond anything Lawndale�s ever seen before.
The Election Show An education reform candidate makes a devil�s bargain with Ms. Li to use Lawndale as an example of public education gone right. Daria, disgusted by the hypocrisy and as unwilling as ever to be anybody�s symbol, decides to take matters into her own hands.
Jake�s Best Friend Increasingly alienated in his own family, Jake decides to get a big dog of his own. Everybody else in the family can see that the beast is a disgusting monster, but Jake�s convinced it�s the best friend he�s ever had.
Tennis, Anyone? Quinn becomes convinced that she needs to be involved in a sport, and picks tennis because of the cute outfits. Jake and Helen purchase an expensive family membership at a local tennis club, and force Daria to come along.
Quinn�s Best Friend Quinn falls hopelessly in love with a horse that an acquaintance of the Morgandorfers� is selling. Her and the animal are happy together for awhile, until she realizes that horses are hard work and after riding them you smell like a horse. Gradually, Daria gets manipulated into taking care of the creature. She has to find some way to get her life back, while finding a decent life for the horse (since none of this is his fault).
Dissection Lab A classic high-school rite of passage. It�s frog-dissection time in science class. Daria approaches the ordeal with clinical detachment, but Jane is dramatically, and increasingly, freaked.
In the Country One of the classic sitcom plots. Morgandorfers on a farm / ranch / whatever. Has to happen some day.
Concert Contest Lawndale wins a video-channel contest to host a concert by a currently-trendy alterna-pop band. The promoters hire Trent to do the sound, and he gets Daria and Jane jobs hosting the band. At first contemptuous of the whole thing, Daria finds when she actually meets the band that they�re hard-working, realistic, and a lot more genuine than most of the people at the school.