G.J. Donnelly of "TV Guide", writing about the series' finale, lamented, "I already miss that monotone. I already miss those boots. ... Even at its most far-fetched, this animated film approaches the teenage experience much more realistically than shows like "Dawson's Creek"." On the same occasion, Emily Nussbaum wrote at "Slate" that "the show is biting the dust without ever getting the credit it deserved: for social satire, witty writing, and most of all, for a truly original main character". She particularly singled out for praise that all the characters were heading "to very different paths in life, based on their economic prospects," giving the show an ambiguous end; "finale is a bit of a classic: a sharply funny exploration of social class most teen films would render, well, cartoonish."