This article is about Jem, the animated series. For the musical artist, see Jem Griffiths. "Jem" may also be a nickname for James or Jeremiah.

Jem was an animated series that ran from 1985 to 1988 on NBC. The show was about a singer, Jem, her band, Jem and the Holograms, and their adventures. Catch phrases from the show included, "Showtime Synergy" and "She's truly truly truly outrageous"

The show was designed to appeal to both girls and boys, with a mix of action/adventure and fashion. The theme song expresses this precisely:

From the Jem theme song:

Jem! (Jem is excitement) oh

Jem! (Jem is adventure) oh

Glamour and glitter, fashion and fame!

Despite the fact that the show was originally designed by Hasbro for the purpose of marketing a line of dolls, it was acclaimed for its interweaving storylines and complex backstory, which are almost unheard of in an animated television series.

The central "secret" of the series is that Jem is in fact the alter ego of Jerrica Benton, who adopts this persona with the help of Synergy, an extremely sophisticated holographic computer designed by her father and left to her after his death.

The other Holograms are Kimber Benton, Jerrica's younger sister, keyboardist and main songwriter for the band; Aja Leith, guitarist; and Shana Elmsford, who plays the synth drums. Later in the series, a new drummer, Raya, is added to the band.

Only the Holograms are aware of Jem's secret identity, and episodes of the series frequently revolve around Jerrica's efforts to keep the two identities separate. This often causes conflict with her boyfriend, Rio, who is attracted to both Jerrica and Jem while not realising that they are actually the same person.

The Holograms' rival band are the Misfits (not the one with Glenn Danzig, of course). They are not only rivals on the stage, but in many episodes are out to ruin Jem, and most episodes of the series involve a plot by the Misfits to sabotage and/or upstage Jem and the Holograms' latest glamourous escapade.

External links

• Fan site
• The Jem Project – Showtime Synergy Fan site
• jemgirl.com Custom jem dolls and collection pictures