JamesG
04-28-2020, 07:59 PM
My So-Called Life (ABC, 1994-95)
When it debuted in 1994, My So-Called Life was the anti-Beverly Hills, 90210: a non-soapy high school drama — cast with some actual teens! — that treated the emotional travails of adolescence with tender respect.
The love and care put into telling the story of Angela Chase, played by a then-14-year-old Claire Danes, and her friends is a huge part of why the one-season ABC series continues to resonate: Don’t all teens everywhere just want to feel understood?
Flash Forward (Disney Channel, 1995)
Before Ben Foster was an indie movie star and Jewel Staite was a cult TV icon (Firefly), they starred in this Disney Channel comedy about two 13-year-old best friends who also happen to be neighbors.
The series brought genuine heart and humor to the travails of young teen angst and left us wondering if Tuck and Becca one day ended up together.
Malibu Shores (NBC, 1996)
Aaron Spelling attempted to follow up the success of Beverly Hills, 90210 with this juicy Romeo and Juliet-esque soap about a rich Malibu teen (a pre-Felicity Keri Russell) and a boy from the wrong side of the tracks the valley (Tony Lucca) who fall in love.
When he’s transferred to her school, along with some fellow valley classmates, the culture clash begins. It’s just like The O.C., complete with beach fights and mansions catching fire!
And did we mention the short-lived drama’s cast also includes a pre-Buffy Charisma Carpenter?
Freaks and Geeks (NBC, 1999-2000)
This exquisitely bittersweet NBC dramedy is a staple of cancelled-too-soon lists (and deservedly so). But it’s also one of the most hilariously accurate portraits of adolescence that’s ever aired, with a sharp eye for the very specific agony of teen life — whether you were a freak, a geek or somewhere in between — and a cast brimming with future stars.
Its blurring of the line between comedy and drama was revolutionary… and, sadly, just a bit ahead of its time.
Young Americans (The WB, 2000)
Two years after The WB blessed us with Dawson’s Creek, the Michigan J. Frog-owned network birthed this lesser-remembered teen drama about the brooding student body of a sexy New England boarding school.
How sexy, you ask? Let’s just say that this particular institution educated the likes of Ian Somerhalder and Kate Bosworth before they were household names. With its bold, gender-defying storylines and aggressive Coca-Cola sponsorship, Young Americans is a sure-fire thirst quencher if nothing else.
Life As We Know It (ABC, 2004-05)
Overshadowed by the more popular teen dramas of its day, this fourth wall-breaking treat aimed to tell us what high school boys are really thinking. (Spoiler alert: Sex. All the time.)
From a torrid student-teacher affair to a dramatic production of Romeo and Juliet with real-world implications, it tackled all the classic teen TV tropes, but thanks to to endearing performances from its charismatic cast — which included Missy Peregrym, Chris Lowell and Kelly Osbourne in her small-screen acting debut — it always felt fresh.
Privileged (The CW, 2008-09)
Long before Lucy Hale set the New York fashion scene ablaze as Katy Keene, she made waves in Palm Beach, Fla., as rebellious rich girl Rose Baker, one of the teen terrors entrusted to a new live-in tutor (played by Joanna Garcia) in this forgotten gem.
But while it may feel like poor Yale-educated Megan’s entire life revolves around bettering the Baker brats, she still finds the time to navigate an adorable love triangle with her best friend (Michael Cassidy) and the boy next door (Brian Hallisay).
10 Things I Hate About You (ABC Family, 2009-10)
A small-screen adaptation of the 1999 rom-com, which itself took inspiration from William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, this surprisingly clever and tragically underrated romp gave us memorable performances from the likes of Nicholas Braun (Succession), a pre-Star Trek Ethan Peck and even newly crowned American Horror Story queen Leslie Grossman.
We can’t even think of one thing we hated about this show… except that it was cancelled.
The Secret Circle (The CW, 2011-12)
On paper, this bewitching drama should have been a slam-dunk success. Not only was it based on a book series by The Vampire Diaries author L. J. Smith, but it also counted Kevin Williamson among its executive producers.
How the show’s compelling premise and highly watchable cast — which included Britt Robertson and Phoebe Tonkin among its teen witches, and Gale Harold and Natasha Henstridge among its hot grown-ups — didn’t conjure a larger viewership, we’ll never understand.
Fair warning, though: If you do decide to binge this one, its theme song will remain in your brain for as long as your human form walks this earth.
Jane by Design (ABC Family, 2012)
Younger meets The Devil Wears Prada in this quirky dramedy about a high school student (Erica Dasher) who moonlights as the assistant to a no-nonsense fashion executive (Andie MacDowell).
With the endless support of her “platonic” best friend (Nick Roux), Jane goes to unimaginable lengths to keep her two worlds from colliding. And did we mention that Teri Hatcher drops in halfway through the season as Jane’s estranged mom?
This show is romantic, zany fun in its purest form.
https://tvline.com/gallery/best-teen-tv-dramas-cancelled-where-to-stream/young-americans/
When it debuted in 1994, My So-Called Life was the anti-Beverly Hills, 90210: a non-soapy high school drama — cast with some actual teens! — that treated the emotional travails of adolescence with tender respect.
The love and care put into telling the story of Angela Chase, played by a then-14-year-old Claire Danes, and her friends is a huge part of why the one-season ABC series continues to resonate: Don’t all teens everywhere just want to feel understood?
Flash Forward (Disney Channel, 1995)
Before Ben Foster was an indie movie star and Jewel Staite was a cult TV icon (Firefly), they starred in this Disney Channel comedy about two 13-year-old best friends who also happen to be neighbors.
The series brought genuine heart and humor to the travails of young teen angst and left us wondering if Tuck and Becca one day ended up together.
Malibu Shores (NBC, 1996)
Aaron Spelling attempted to follow up the success of Beverly Hills, 90210 with this juicy Romeo and Juliet-esque soap about a rich Malibu teen (a pre-Felicity Keri Russell) and a boy from the wrong side of the tracks the valley (Tony Lucca) who fall in love.
When he’s transferred to her school, along with some fellow valley classmates, the culture clash begins. It’s just like The O.C., complete with beach fights and mansions catching fire!
And did we mention the short-lived drama’s cast also includes a pre-Buffy Charisma Carpenter?
Freaks and Geeks (NBC, 1999-2000)
This exquisitely bittersweet NBC dramedy is a staple of cancelled-too-soon lists (and deservedly so). But it’s also one of the most hilariously accurate portraits of adolescence that’s ever aired, with a sharp eye for the very specific agony of teen life — whether you were a freak, a geek or somewhere in between — and a cast brimming with future stars.
Its blurring of the line between comedy and drama was revolutionary… and, sadly, just a bit ahead of its time.
Young Americans (The WB, 2000)
Two years after The WB blessed us with Dawson’s Creek, the Michigan J. Frog-owned network birthed this lesser-remembered teen drama about the brooding student body of a sexy New England boarding school.
How sexy, you ask? Let’s just say that this particular institution educated the likes of Ian Somerhalder and Kate Bosworth before they were household names. With its bold, gender-defying storylines and aggressive Coca-Cola sponsorship, Young Americans is a sure-fire thirst quencher if nothing else.
Life As We Know It (ABC, 2004-05)
Overshadowed by the more popular teen dramas of its day, this fourth wall-breaking treat aimed to tell us what high school boys are really thinking. (Spoiler alert: Sex. All the time.)
From a torrid student-teacher affair to a dramatic production of Romeo and Juliet with real-world implications, it tackled all the classic teen TV tropes, but thanks to to endearing performances from its charismatic cast — which included Missy Peregrym, Chris Lowell and Kelly Osbourne in her small-screen acting debut — it always felt fresh.
Privileged (The CW, 2008-09)
Long before Lucy Hale set the New York fashion scene ablaze as Katy Keene, she made waves in Palm Beach, Fla., as rebellious rich girl Rose Baker, one of the teen terrors entrusted to a new live-in tutor (played by Joanna Garcia) in this forgotten gem.
But while it may feel like poor Yale-educated Megan’s entire life revolves around bettering the Baker brats, she still finds the time to navigate an adorable love triangle with her best friend (Michael Cassidy) and the boy next door (Brian Hallisay).
10 Things I Hate About You (ABC Family, 2009-10)
A small-screen adaptation of the 1999 rom-com, which itself took inspiration from William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, this surprisingly clever and tragically underrated romp gave us memorable performances from the likes of Nicholas Braun (Succession), a pre-Star Trek Ethan Peck and even newly crowned American Horror Story queen Leslie Grossman.
We can’t even think of one thing we hated about this show… except that it was cancelled.
The Secret Circle (The CW, 2011-12)
On paper, this bewitching drama should have been a slam-dunk success. Not only was it based on a book series by The Vampire Diaries author L. J. Smith, but it also counted Kevin Williamson among its executive producers.
How the show’s compelling premise and highly watchable cast — which included Britt Robertson and Phoebe Tonkin among its teen witches, and Gale Harold and Natasha Henstridge among its hot grown-ups — didn’t conjure a larger viewership, we’ll never understand.
Fair warning, though: If you do decide to binge this one, its theme song will remain in your brain for as long as your human form walks this earth.
Jane by Design (ABC Family, 2012)
Younger meets The Devil Wears Prada in this quirky dramedy about a high school student (Erica Dasher) who moonlights as the assistant to a no-nonsense fashion executive (Andie MacDowell).
With the endless support of her “platonic” best friend (Nick Roux), Jane goes to unimaginable lengths to keep her two worlds from colliding. And did we mention that Teri Hatcher drops in halfway through the season as Jane’s estranged mom?
This show is romantic, zany fun in its purest form.
https://tvline.com/gallery/best-teen-tv-dramas-cancelled-where-to-stream/young-americans/