Both were written by Dan Wakefield, a journalist and fiction writer whose novel Going All the Way, a tale of coming of age in the 1950s, had led to his being contacted by David Sontag of Twentieth Century Fox.

Sontag, the senior vice-president of creative affairs at Fox, had had a lunch meeting in New York City with Paul Klein, the head of programming at NBC.

[4] Associated Press writer Jerry Buck wrote that the pilot movie "captures the essence of growing up in America," adding "It makes up for all the drivel we've had to put up with, such as Sons and Daughters and Hollywood High.

[4] Tom Shales of The Washington Post wrote:Not perfect, not revolutionary, not always deliriously urgent, James at 15 is still the most respectable new entertainment series of the season.

And if it romanticizes adolescence through the weekly trials and triumphs of its teen-age hero, at least it does so in more ambitious, inquisitive and authentic ways than the average TV teeny-bop.

However, head writer Wakefield quit in a dispute with NBC over the use of the euphemism "responsible" for "birth control" in the episode as well as the network's insistence that James should feel remorse over his decision.