Young RJ Berger (Paul Iacono) may have had popularity issues at school but his show has certainly become a hit with fans. Now, after being away for many months, The Hard Times of RJ Berger is finally returning. The second season will debut on March 24th. Here’s the press release from MTV…

MTV’S ORIGINAL SERIES “THE HARD TIMES OF RJ BERGER” RETURNS FOR A SECOND SEASON WITH A SPECIAL PREMIERE THURSDAY, MARCH 24 AT 11 PM ET/PT FOLLOWING THE “JERSEY SHORE” FINALE

Series Moves to its Regular Time Slot Monday March 28 at 10PM ET/PT with Special Guest Appearance by “Jersey Shore’s” Vinny Guadagnino in his Debut Acting Role

Season Two also guest stars Paris Hilton and Weezer

Santa Monica, CA (February 8, 2011) – RJ Berger is back as MTV’s coming of age comedy “The Hard Times of RJ Berger” returns for a second season Thursday, March 24 at 11PM ET/PT following the “Jersey Shore” season finale. Coming off a successful first season, which finished with a season high rating of 1.3 P12-34, season two picks up right where it left off and promises viewers more drama and laughs as the hilarious half-hour series continues to follow the life of RJ Berger, an awkward 15-year old late-blooming outcast with an anatomical gift. Following the season premiere, the series will move to its regularly scheduled Monday night timeslot on March 28 at 10PM ET/PT with “Jersey Shore’s” Vinny Guadagnino stopping by for some fist-pumping and GTL-ing.

Last season, fans watched as RJ (Paul Iacono) left the girl of his dreams, Jenny Swanson (Amber Lancaster) at the winter formal, to lose his virginity to his stalker-ish friend Lily Miran (Kara Taitz), as she lay in her hospital bed moments before flat lining. Will Lily live or die–and if Lily lives, will RJ choose her or Jenny? With a possible new love triangle, fresh faces and guest appearances by Paris Hilton, popular rock band Weezer and “Jersey Shore’s” Vinny Guadagnino — season two is sure to bring more outrageous moments and antics from RJ and his peers at Pinkerton High.

THE HARD TIMES OF RJ BERGER
“The Hard Times of RJ Berger” orbits the hilariously-hellish lives of a deeply unpopular 15 year-old (Paul Iacono) and his scheming, sex-obsessed best friend, Miles Jenner (Jareb Dauplaise). Other than pining after the girl of his dreams, Jenny Swanson (Amber Lancaster), receiving daily beatings from the meanest jock in school, Max Owens (Jayson Blair), and evading the stalker-ish advances of Lily Miran (Kara Taitz), there really isn’t much excitement in RJ’s life. That is, until his anatomical gift is accidentally exposed to the entire school.

In a single moment, RJ goes from anonymous to infamous, and for the first time in his life, he feels a tiny sliver of confidence. Swept up in this man-sized wave of recognition, “The Hard Times of RJ Berger” returns for season two with another full-frontal assault on Pinkerton High. In the wake of Lily’s accident, we’ll follow RJ and Miles as they navigate the treacherous waters of sophomore year. Whether GTL-ing with Cousin Vinny (Jersey Shore’s Vinny Guadagnino), jamming with Weezer, lusting after Jenny Swanson, or simply coping with his parents’ divorce, one thing’s certain: for RJ Berger, this semester just got bigger — and a lot harder.

Part “The Wonder Years” and part “Superbad,” “The Hard Times of RJ Berger” is a loud, funny, raunchy look at the life of a lovable loser. The second season continues to feature the polished production values television viewers have come to expect in premium cable, and each episode incorporates a stylized animation sequence, identifying the show with pop culture and video games.

“The Hard Times of RJ Berger” is executive produced by David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith. David Janollari, Michelle Klepper and Justin Levy are the MTV executives in charge of production.

Fans can log onto MTV.com to catch up on season one of “The Hard Times of RJ Berger” to view full episodes, read exclusive episode recaps and interviews, checkout cast bios and photo flipbooks. In addition season one is available on DVD for purchase via Amazon.com and shop.mtv.com. The DVD set includes all 12 episodes plus behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast. ”

“The Hard Times of RJ Berger” will also air internationally on MTV channels around the world starting June 2011.

*Source: The Nielsen Company. Live+SD coverage rating.

About MTV:
MTV is the world’s premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy, Grammy and Peabody award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV’s sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is the leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.

What do you think? Are you looking forward to the return of RJ Berger?

Image courtesy MTV.