USA High is an American teen sitcom which ran from August 1997 to June 1999, and ended after 95 episodes, and reran until August 4, 2001 on the USA Network.
Old friends Lauren Fontaine, Winnie Barnes and Bobby Lazzarini (all Americans) are reunited with Christian Mueller (German) and Ashley Elliot (English) as a new school year begins for them at the American School in Paris, France. All of the students are away from their parents except Ashley, whose father is headmaster at the school. They all live together in a suite for six, with the girls' room on one side, the boys' on the other and a large common room in between. This year there is a new roommate, Jackson Green, another American. At first Jackson does not fit in well at the Academy or with his new suitemates and he wants to leave the school. But he finds a couple of causes worth fighting for: getting rid of school uniforms and making Lauren his girlfriend.
Mr. Elliot is entered in a road race which will pit him against Ms. Dupre, a beautiful young Frenchwoman who teaches at the Academy and is the secret heartthrob of the headmaster, who is a single parent. Lauren, who admires Mr. Elliot's Aston-Martin, agrees to go out with Jackson if he can get use of the car, which he does without Mr. Elliot's knowledge. But when Jackson lets Lauren take a spin behind the wheel, she drives it into the Seine. Jackson need to come up with money for repairs, so he plans to throw a rave to raise the cash.
Mr. Eliot is on a cleanliness kick, demanding all students clean up their rooms. Winnie's father, meanwhile, sends her a credit card. The shopaholic Winnie quickly runs up a huge bill, so Jackson comes up with a solution to help her pay it off: start a cleaning service for hire to other students. But when the boys clean Ms. Dupre's apartment, they come upon her next French test, complete with the answers.
Paul, Lauren's boyfriend from the previous school year, arrives back in the city and the sparks begin to fly once again between the two. This inspires a fit of jealousy in Jackson and he starts spying on the couple. Also, Winnie meets Prince Nicholas of ""Lichtenberg,"" who is enamored with her and asks her on a date. But before she goes, Ashley, Mr. Elliot and Ms. Dupre give Winnie lessons on the proper way to act around royalty.
Winnie is down because her boyfriend Giuseppe will not be in Paris for her birthday, so the gang tries to cheer her up by playing a favorite game of hers, ""Truth or Dare."" Lazz is the only one who choose ""truth""--he reveals he uses ""ladies' deodorant!"" The others all take Winnie up on her dares--Christian must hang the school banner from the Eiffel Tower, Ashley must anger her father Mr. Elliot, and Jackson and Lauren must kiss. Meanwhile, Mr. Elliot is thrilled at the prospect of a romantic dinner date with Ms. Dupre, but he has difficulty getting a reservation at the Eiffel Tower restaurant.
The school's Carnival Costume Ball is coming up and Jackson's dad has set him up with a blind date. Surprisingly, though, Jackson actually wants to go out with this girl. But Lauren has already decided on costumes that she and Jackson will wear when they go together. Jackson attempts to juggle both girls and costumes at the dance, with predictable results. Meanwhile, Christian's affection for Winnie is growing, as he asks her to go to the Ball with him in Princess Diana's wedding dress! Also, Bobby Lazzarini gets a last-minute date, Ashley has no such luck, and Mr. Elliot is too busy to attend despite the fact that Ms. Dupre is planning to wear a sexy Catwoman outfit!
Mr. Elliot is making Ashley's love life difficult by scaring off all potential dates, until Chad comes along and she finally gets to go out. But then she finds out her father the headmaster paid Chad (or Bernie, his real name) to take her out. To get back at him, Ashley pretends to be going out with Lazzarini, which drives Mr. Elliot crazy. Also, Christian blew $400 that was supposed to go toward a ski trip on ski clothes for himself. To replace the funds, he and Jackson enter a contest sponsored by Ms. Dupre in which the winner will cater a faculty dinner. Their competition includes Lauren and Winnie.
The guys can't get any phone time with the girls always on the suite's one line. Rather than pay for another phone, the boys try to wire up their own line. It turns out that they rig up a duplicate line so they can eavesdrop on the girls' private conversations. Jackson uses this inside knowledge to his advantage with Lauren. Also, Winnie and Ashley try to relocate the ""hunky"" pizza delivery guy they saw before and Mr. Elliot and Ms. Dupre work together on a fundraiser.
Lazz is chatting in an online romance with a girl named Melanie. She sends her picture and Lazz is shocked to see that she's gorgeous. Nervous about her beauty, he sends her a picture of Jackson. When Melanie makes a surprise visit, it sparks confusion so the gang helps Lazz impress her. Melanie falls in love with Lazz who is still pretending to be Jackson. Lazz tells Melanie the truth. She is furious with him for lying and storms off. Lazz writes her an apology but is too nervous to send it, so Jackson sends it for him. Melanie reads it and is so touched that she forgives Lazz, but she has some sad news--she's due to fly back to Colorado. Lazz and Melanie agree to keep in contact over the internet. Meanwhile, Ashley developes her mother's snoring problems.
Christian is in danger of failing Ms. Dupre's history class. He must get at least a ""B"" on the next test or he will kicked off the basketball team. The guys convince Winnie to tutor Christian and to her great surprise, she finds that she's attracted to him. Also, Lazz does such a good job of cutting Ashley's hair that he and Jackson start their own hair-styling business. But business starts to go sour after they accidentally turn Lauren's hair green!
Through Jackson, Lauren gets a modeling job with renowned fashion photographer Derek Donovan. But Jackson may have cause to regret it when Lauren appears to be on the verge of a career as a model which will take her away from the Academy. Meanwhile, Winnie and Ashley try selling ""Broadway Girl"" cosmetics. At first they can't sell a thing, then they recruit Christian as a salesman. Suddenly women can't get enough of their product.
Jackson's father, a successful businessman, comes to visit at the school and he's not happy when his son tells him he plans to pursue a musical career. Dad threatens to pull Jackson out of the Academy if he doesn't give up the idea. The other roommates hold a yard sale. They sell an old painting to the school librarian Mr. Macafee, then find out it might be a valuable family heirloom of Mr. Elliot's.
Lauren's work schedule at the USA Cafe, where she works part-time as a waitress, is cutting into Jackson's time with her, so he gets a job there himself as a waiter. Mr. Elliot also looks to spend more time with Ms. Dupre after joining her book club, but he's taking shortcuts by watching movie versions of the books he's supposed to read. The other suitemates are all nervous wrecks after viewing a horror film.
Lauren has an important piano recital coming up, one that could possibly get her into a prestigious music conservatory. Jackson, once again scheming to get close to Lauren, arranges a date between Ashley and Lauren's page turner, hoping to snare the job himself. Meanwhile, Mr. Elliot's deluxe model vibrating chair is mistakenly delivered to the students' flat. They love its effect so much that they hide it from Elliot.
Winnie's long-absent boyfriend Giuseppe has come back to town. Trouble is, Winnie has neglected to tell him about her new boyfriend Christian. She tries to keep the ex- and current boyfriends in the dark about each other, a plan that is doomed to failure. Also, Lazz and Jackson set up a satellite dish which Mr. Elliot is adamant about having removed--that is, until Ms. Dupre expresses interest in seeing a particular program.
Lazz discovers the school's old abandoned radio station and soon he and Jackson have it in operation again. Their most popular effort is an advice show, ""Doctor Romance,"" whose unwitting listeners include Mr. Elliot. Also, Winnie makes an effort to rein in something that comes natural to her--insults directed at Christian.
Lazzarini is not happy when his career aptitude test shows him to be cut out for an elevator operator's job. But he perks up when an agent thinks he has comedic talent and books him into a comedy club on amateur night. The rest of the gang is not so sure about Lazz's act, though, and he doesn't take kindly to their constructive criticisms. Meanwhile, Ashley kidnaps the chimpanzee from the school's lab with an eye toward liberating him.
Jackson has a date with Lauren. Unfortunately it's for the opera! Lauren has an old friend, Wallace ""the Whale"" who is in Paris now, so Jackson thinks that by letting Wallace takes Lauren to the opera, he can watch the football game that he wants to. But Wallace turns out to be a handsome West Point graduate who has lost all the weight that gave him his nickname. Lauren finds herself attracted to him like never before. Also, Christian is going home to Germany for Oktoberfest, but he doesn't have the funds to take Winnie with him. Lazz offers to double his money in an all-or-nothing game of poker with a local chump named Hadley. But Hadley is no fool--he's a poker shark, and he wins all of Christian's money from Lazz.
Ursula, a new female student from Germany, arrives at the Academy and asks Christian to show her around. This arouses Winnie's jealousy, and for good reason--Ursula has designs on Christian. Also, a thief has broken into the dorm and Lazzarini has devised a security system to catch him.
In Ms. Dupre's drama class, Jackson and Ashley have to kiss for a scene. While practicing the exercise, they find they really enjoy it! But the two soon realize that even though they have a great physical attraction for each other, they may not be right for a more serious relationship. Meanwhile, Christian doesn't want to go to the dentist for his painful toothache, and after he's sent to ""Dr. Giggles,"" it looks like his apprehension may have been justified.
Headmaster Patrick Elliot's brother Nigel arrives upon the scene, prompting a renewal of their sibling rivalry. Mr. Elliot promised the gang to get them ""Lollapalooza"" tickets, and when he doesn't deliver, Nigel claims he can obtain them. Also, Lauren joins the fencing team and wounds Jackson's ego by defeating him. He quickly demands a rematch.
Jackson meets Katherine Hanley, a pretty girl who he doesn't realize at first is blind. They hit it off and start to date. But Jackson gets scared when his feelings for Katherine grow very strong, and he backs away from her, leaving Katherine to wonder if it's her blindness that is driving him away. Also, the ""Girl's Choice"" dance is at hand, causing all sorts of commotion. Winnie thinks Christian is taking her for granted, so she fails to ask him to the dance like he expects. Mr. Elliot is pursued by a secret admirer who he believes (or hopes!) is Ms. Dupre. Lauren asks her old friend and new flame Wallace and both Ashley and Lazz seem to have no luck in the dating department.
Bobby Lazzarini has been dumped by yet another girlfriend, and his teacher Ms. Dupre offers him her sympathies. But Lazz misinterprets the actions of Ms. Dupre, who is his real heartthrob, and concludes that she's in love with him! Also, Jackson has an important audition before an agent, and he recruits Ashley and Winnie as back-up singers. Unfortunately, Lauren wants to make it a trio. Her terrible singing threatens Jackson's chances for success, but no one knows how to tell her the awful truth without seriously hurting her feelings.
Ashley, who always seems unlucky in love, concocts a fictional boyfriend when she talks to Lauren and Winnie, but she soon finds a real one--a free-spirited biker and artist named Steel. The girls and Mr. Elliot don't approve, but that just drives Ashley closer to him. Meanwhile, the boys suspect that the ""Shapely Shoplifter"" who has been victimizing Paris jewelry stores is in fact Ms. Dupre!
Jackson gets up the courage to tell Katherine that he loves her, but it looks like he may be too late--she's leaving the Academy and going to Chicago to enter a renowned school there for the blind. Meanwhile Winnie and Lauren come up with a moneymaking scheme, a calendar featuring the schools' hunks. They recruit Christian and Lazz as models, but when the calendar comes out and Christian's on-campus popularity skyrockets, Winnie has a hard time with her jealously--and so does Christian!
Lazzarini's younger sister Niki arrives in Paris from New York and brother Bobby is happy to see her. The girls try to be friendly by taking her shopping and giving her a makeover which turns the tomboyish girl in to quite an attractive young woman. But Bobby can't handle the fact that his sister is not the same little girl he knew before, and when she starts showing a romantic interest in Jackson, Lazz goes ballistic. Meanwhile, Ms. Dupre admires the hunky P.E. teacher Mr. Jergens for running in a charity race, so the decidedly less-athletic Mr. Elliot enlists the aid of Christian to help him train for the same race.
Lauren is to go on a ski trip with Wallace, but before she can leave, Jackson throws his back out trying to lift one of her suitcases. Feeling responsible for his injury, Lauren cancels the trip and stays home to minister to Jackson, who takes full advantage of the situation. Also, Christian comes up with an exercise device which the gang hopes to turn into big bucks. To that end, they begin producing their own infomercial.
Jackson's newest girlfriend is Simone, a French girl who offers to tutor the struggling Lazzarini in her native language. While working together, the two click and they start going out, causing serious problems for the friendship of Jackson and Lazz. Meanwhile, Christian is mired in a horrible slump on the basketball court. Ashley believes that Christian's problems all stem from his dating Winnie, so his girlfriend gives up dating him to try and restore his game.
Jackson is reacquainted with his childhood friend Tiffani Gleason, who is now a famous TV star. The two of them begin going out, but Jackson finds it difficult to deal with the world of celebrity Tiffani now inhabits. Starstruck Lazzarini, for his part, finds it difficult to even speak a coherent sentence when Tiffani is around. The three girls, meanwhile, battle each other for the title of Fall Ball Queen, and the results aren't pretty.
With Mr. Elliot and Ms. Dupre out of town, the gang comes up with a moneymaking scheme: turning the dorm into a bed & breakfast inn. Their first guests are a load of tourists from Texas. Also, Lauren looks for a way to break off her relationship with Wallace.
Jackson almost has a date lined up with Lauren for a music awards show, but she has a conflicting baby-sitting job for one of the teachers. Jackson then volunteers to help Lauren, thinking it will improve his image with her. Meanwhile, Winnie, Ashley, Christian and director Lazz make a promotional video for themselves. However, in their zeal to win a $5000 grant, they exaggerate their accomplishments and abilities.
Mr. Elliot once again wants to take his daughter Ashley camping, an activity she hates. The girls see this as an opportunity to get a much-needed break from the boys, so they maneuver them into going camping with the headmaster instead. The trip is a disaster for the men, topped off by a visit from a bear. Back at the dorm, the girls' night together doesn't go so well either, as the talk about boys leads to some uncomfortable revelations.
Jackson, on his way to an audition, and Lauren get stuck in a broken elevator. They spend their time talking about this and that and surprise themselves by sharing a kiss. Later, Lauren wants to write off the romantic interlude as a mistake, but then she regrets rejecting Jackson once again. Meanwhile, Winnie and Christian along with Ashley and Lazz pose as newlywed couples to get on the popular game show ""Just Married."" Also, Mr. Elliot's addiction to a soap opera is getting the better of him.
Mr. Elliot decides to teach his headstrong student Winnie a lesson in his ethics class by making her school's headmaster for a week. At first she treats the job like a lark, but then she begins to take the situation more seriously and soon she has conflicts between her duties and her friendship with her roommates. After Mr. Elliot cancels a ski trip, the rest of the gang wants to hold a ""Vegas Night"" in their suite, something headmaster Winnie must approve. Meanwhile, Mr. Elliot uses his free time to try to make time with Ms. Dupre.
Jealous of Winnie's dance partner, Christian joins the modern dance class she and Ashley attend with the intention of becoming Winnie's partner in the recital that Ashley is choreographing. The problem is, Christian has two left feet. Lauren, Jackson and Lazz are put to work in Mr. Elliot's office, where they access their records and soon start a lucrative business changing other students' grades!
Jackson competes against a pretty singer named Alyssa on Amateur Night at the USA Cafe. She wins the competition, but she likes Jackson's style enough that she suggests he play the winner's gig with her. All the long hours Alyssa and Jackson spend rehearsing makes Lauren jealous, however. Elsewhere, Bobby's culinary talents lead him to open up ""Lazzarini's Pizza House,"" but Christian finds that as an employer, Lazz leaves a lot to be desired.
Christian finds out he has some royal blood in his background--in fact, he's the heir to the throne of the tiny nation of Himmelberg! At first he takes to his new regal status well, but then his manservant Fritz informs him that by law he cannot date a ""commoner"" like Winnie. Also, Lauren and Jackson struggle to find some time alone while Lazz protests Mr Elliot's plan to sell an historic park bench at the school.
Winnie hosts her own TV show on a public access channel, and to ensure lots of viewers, she turns to a ""tabloid"" format of gossip and scandal-mongering. When she shines the spotlight on her roommates' private lives, though, the heat she gets from them proves to be more than she can handle. Also, Lazz and Christian try to hypnotize Mr. Elliot. Their efforts don't work on him, but what no one realizes at first is that the boys accidentally succeeded in hypnotizing Ms. Dupre!
Everyone is shocked by the sudden death of beloved teacher Mr. Phipps right in the middle of his 70th birthday party. His death affects the gang in different ways. Jackson and Lauren decide that they are too young to be tied to each other and agree to start dating other people. Christian and Winnie, on the other hand, get more serious about their relationship. The carnivorous Lazzarini vows to give up meat, while Ashley develops an extreme phobia about germs.
Winnie's former boyfriend Giuseppe is back in Paris again, and she's convinced he's come to try to win her back. But surprise! Giuseppe has had a secret relationship with Ashley that's now out in the open. Winnie can't believe it at first, but those feelings soon turn to jealousy and threaten her friendship with Ashley. Lazz and Jackson compete with Lauren on projects for a science fair.
New Year's Eve approaches and nobody's plans are working out smoothly, including those of party planners Ms. Dupre and Mr. Elliot. Christian is returning to Germany for the holiday, to Winnie's distress, but he tries to arrange an escort for her to the party. Jackson cancels his plans to go with Lauren after failing a midterm exam. Meanwhile, after Lazz's actions have possibly saved Ashley's life, she tries to repay him with slave-like devotion, but he pushes his good fortune too far.
Lazz and Christian get jobs in a record store, where the attractive manager Tina starts making moves on Lazz. Christian soon finds out, though, that Tina's intended target is really himself. When he tries to tell his friend this, Lazz thinks Christian is just jealous of his good fortune and the boys' friendship is on the rocks. Meanwhile, an overheard conversation and other mounting evidence lead the other four roommates to conclude that teacher Mr. Nash is planning to murder his wife!
The girls and Jackson combine their birthdates to come up with numbers for a lottery ticket. When those numbers turn out to be the winners, they immediately start spending the money they don't yet have. But then Ashley, not surprisingly, loses the ticket, prompting a frenzy. At the record store Stan informs Christian and Lazz that he can only keep one of them on, and that he will make that decision based on their performance during the next week. This results in a cutthroat competition between the friends.
Winnie convinces the boys to make themselves available for the Academy's date auction she's helping to organize. Lazz is none too thrilled when he is bid on and won by an overweight girl named Natalie. But after going out with her, he's surprised to find that he really enjoys her company. But to Lazz's dismay, Natalie puts an end to the relationship. Winnie doesn't like it when her rival Denise outbids her for a date with Christian. Jackson expects the best when Lauren picks him, and so does Ashley when she wins a date with hunky Tom, but the dates don't turn out as hoped for.
Lazz is on Cloud 9 when pretty fellow student Christine asks him out, but the others believe she is just using Lazz to make her hulking boyfriend Chuck jealous. It turns out they are right, and Chuck publicly challenges Lazz to meet him and fight. Terrified, Lazz tries to work up the courage to face his larger opponent. Also, Lauren makes Jackson attend Ms. Dupre's ""emotional awareness"" seminar, hoping to change what she sees as his insensitive ways. Mr. Elliot participates too.
Winnie's father comes to Paris for a visit. Winnie is concerned since her dad never approves of her boyfriends, and the story is no different with Christian. As soon as her father gets a moment alone with Christian, he tells him he's not good enough for his daughter and demands that he break up with her. Elsewhere, Lazz and Jackson think they've found some easy marks when they makes some bets on basketball with Ashley and Lauren. Mr. Elliot, ignoring Shakespeare's advice, loans Ms. Dupre $3000.
Lauren is going out of town, but she encourages Jackson to go to an upcoming dance without her. While there, he meets Megan, with whom he has a great time, good enough to make him consider breaking off his steady relationship with Lauren. As a project for ethics class, Ashley sponsors an ex-con, Mack. Mr. Elliot, Christian, Lazz and Winnie all compete to sell the most chocolate bars for charity. The winner will receive a new car as a prize.
Lazz meets a cultured girl named Lydia who frequents the Louvre and he falls for her. Jackson and Christian try to help Lazz appear as cultured as Lydia as he takes her to the opera. Meanwhile Lauren, who can't paint, submits a painting of Ashley's as her own in art class. Mr. Eliot is trying his hand at painting, too. But he only seems to be able to paint one subject: Ms. Dupre.
Ashley can't find her beloved antique ring and she thinks that Lazzarini has wolfed it down with the sandwich he was eating! Lazz is taken to the hospital to be examined, and while there Jackson becomes enchanted with a beautiful young nurse, Babette. Lazz becomes convinced he is dying. Ashley volunteers to work at the hospital as a candy striper, but her brand of charity causes some patients more pain than relief. In the mean time, as part of a project for an interior decorating class, Winnie and Lauren submit brash new designs for Mr. Elliot's staid old office.
The other roommates are perturbed with Jackson for monopolizing the common room with his dates. When heated words are exchanged on the subject, Jackson abruptly decides to move out. But he soon finds that his old flatmates are much more preferable to his new one. Also, the gang persuade Ms. Dupre and Mr. Elliot to put a personal ad in the paper. They both get dates--and a surprise.
