Teen shows capture the rollercoaster of adolescence, from heartbreak and rebellion to self-discovery and a sense of invincibility, creating an endless rotation of captivating stories. The teenage experience looks different today than it did decades ago when teens experienced the thrill that wasBeverly Hills, 90210’s premiere. Even so, many of the themes that teen shows present bridge the generational gap into a more or less universal teenage experience.
Whether it’s the love triangles ofDawson’s Creek, the gritty authenticity ofFreaks and Geeks, or the fantastical duties ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer, each show brings something unforgettable to the table—even the cheesiest among them.These are the best teen shows of all time, ranked by their timelessness, uniqueness, legacy, and influence on the genre.
10’Dawson’s Creek' (1998–2003)
Created by Kevin Williamson
Dawson’s Creekfollows the lives of four teens navigating adolescence in the small coastal town of Capeside, Massachusetts. Aspiring filmmaker Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek) and his best friend Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) share a mutual attraction, but that becomes complicated with the arrival of Dawson’s new neighbor, Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams), and Dawson’s other best friend, Pacey’s (Joshua Jackson), romantic interest in Joey. As the teens face shifting dynamics from childhood friendships to adolescent friendships and relationships, they also cope with past traumas and challenging family lives.
Dawson’s Creekelevated typical high school tropes with introspective characters and dialogue, allowing characters like Dawson, Joey, Pacey, and Jen to explore love, loss, and identity in profound and moving ways. Kerr Smith as Jack McPhee pioneered one of TV’s early nuanced portrayals of a gay teen. Theshow’s messy love triangles, complex friendships, and thematic explorations of self-discovery, creativity, and resilience shaped teen television of the 2000s and beyond.
Dawson’s Creek
9’One Tree Hill' (2003–2012)
Created by Mark Schwahn
Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan Scott (James Lafferty) are estranged teenage paternal half-brothers in Tree Hill, North Carolina, with distinct upbringings. Lucas grew up with single mother Karen (Moira Kelly) after the boys' father, Dan Scott (Paul Johansson), left for Deb (Barbara Alyn Woods), who soon became pregnant with Nathan. With Dan’s successful career, Deb and Nathan lived comfortably and privileged, while Karen and Lucas struggled more financially. Nathan and Lucas are forced to face each other, being in the same grade and both pursuing basketball. Their lives become more entangled as Lucas and Nathan’s inner circles collide.
One Tree Hillstands out for its authentic character development and wildly entertaining plotlines. It portrays relatable, albeit melodramatic, teenage struggles—academics, relationships, and family dynamics in a small town. At its heart are powerful relationships: Nathan and Haley’s (Bethany Joy Lenz) enduring love story, Brooke (Sophia Bush) and Peyton’s (Hilarie Burton) tested but unbreakable bond, and Lucas and Nathan’s evolving brotherhood. Brooke’s character development in particular is incredible, making her a fan favorite. The show also tackles sensitive issues like gun violence, with heartwrenching consequences.One Tree Hillboasts some of the bestquotes and music of any teen show.
One Tree Hill
8’Friday Night Lights' (2006–2011)
Created by Peter Berg
In the small town of Dillon, Texas, high school football is the lifeblood of the community. Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) faces the pressures of leading the Dillon Panthers, shaping the players into better people while balancing family life with his wife, Tami (Connie Britton), and daughter, Julie (Aimee Teegarden). Through victories, losses, and personal challenges faced by the players, students, and adults,Friday Night Lightsoffers an authentic and heartfelt portrayal of a small southern town in America.
While centered on a football team, the well-written seriesisn’t just about sports—it’s about dreams, setbacks, family, and resilience. Coach Taylor acts as a father figure to his players, giving them tough love and encouraging them to push through and fight against the hardships they face throughout the series, from specific situations like Matt’s (Zach Gilford) difficulties as his grandmother’s caretaker to general economic disparities and racism that loomed. With fantastic writing and Coach Taylor and Tami’s exemplary marriage, the show explores themes of identity, loyalty, and ambition as the teens mature, internalizing Coach Taylor’s lessons.
Friday Night Lights
7’Degrassi: The Next Generation' (2002–2015)
Created by Yan Moore and Linda Schuyler
Continuing the legacy of theDegrassifranchise,Degrassi: The Next Generationfollows the diverse students of Degrassi Community School from their early teen years into adulthood. Covering everything from relationships and self-image to more serious topics like mental health and school violence, the series takes an unfiltered approach to adolescent struggles. Throughout its fourteen-season run,Degrassiintroduced new characters, and it brought back familiar faces from pastDegrassiseries. With storylines reflecting real-world issues, theDegrassifranchise has provided viewers across generations with teen drama and struggles, both timeless and tailored to the era.
Degrassi: The Next Generationset itself apartby confronting the complexities of adolescence with honesty. It didn’t shy away from hard truths, instead embracing challenging topics like teen pregnancy and mental health without glorifying them.Its authenticity came partly from casting real teenagersand crafting relatable narratives that evolved alongside the characters as they matured. In contrast, other teen shows, especially of the time, tend to cast adults to play teens. When addressing difficult subjects,Degrassioffered hope and validation while addressing difficult subjects, making it a cultural landmark for generations of young viewers navigating their messy and transformative adolescence.
Degrassi: The Next Generation
6’Veronica Mars' (2004–2019)
Created by Rob Thomas
The sharp-witted teen turned private investigator Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) solves mysteries in the wealthy, corrupt town of Neptune, California. After the murder of her best friend (Amanda Seyfried) and her father’s (Enrico Colantoni) ousting as sheriff, Veronica teams up with him to uncover the town’s secrets while making it through high school, later transitioning into college. The seasons present various mysteries Veronica strives to solve, from a deadly bus crash to a serial rapist, often with a case-per-episode format.
Veronica Marsis unique among teen shows for its blend of noir-inspired mystery with sharp social commentaryand emotion. It explores heavy themes—class division, corruption, and sexual violence—without losing its wit or heart.Kristen Bell is easily the best part of the series. Clever and resilient, the teen detective Veronica is shaped by trauma yet unyielding in her pursuit of justice. With a standout father-daughter relationship and biting humor, the show transcends its genre—it offers an intelligent exploration of loyalty, morality and survival.
Veronica Mars
5’My So-Called Life' (1994–1995)
Created by Winnie Holzman
Angela Chase (Claire Danes) invites viewers into her world as she narrates her angsty and relatable adolescent experience in a Pittsburgh suburb. Angela experiences the drama of high school with her friends, Rickie (Wilson Cruz) and Rayanne (A.J. Langer), complicated by her romantic interest in Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto). Angela’s friendships and relationships evolve with the curiosity and challenges that adolescence and high school brings, including social issues like drug use, homophobia and homelessness.
Before the nuanced portrayal of queer character Jack McPhee ofDawson’s Creek,My So-Called Lifegave viewers an evolving and nuanced portrayal of its own queer character, Rickie. Theshort-lived but powerful seriesexplored therawness of being a teenager without preachy lessonswrung from the plots. Angela and her friends are simply being teens in the most authentic way, resonating with the target audience instead of setting unrealistic standards. The show marked a transition from soapy teen shows into ones grounded in the angsty reality of adolescence.
My So-Called Life
4’Freaks and Geeks' (1999)
Created by Paul Feig
In a Michigan suburb in 1980, Lindsay (Linda Cardellini), a straight-A student, rebels by joining a group of laid-back, stoner “freaks,” Daniel (James Franco), Ken (Seth Rogen), Nick (Jason Segel) and Kim (Busy Philipps). Meanwhile, Lindsay’s younger brother Sam (John Francis Daley) and his geeky friends Neal (Samm Levine) and Bill (Martin Starr) face struggles like bullying and awkward crushes. Depicting the not-so-glamorous, awkward and realistic journey of adolescence, the series explores the pressures of molding individual identities and developing autonomy while staying true to oneself.
In its controversially short run,Freaks and Geeksredefined teen television, challenging the glamor that shows likeBeverly Hills, 90210depicted and rejecting clichés. The show recognized thegroups typically left out of teen shows—those who didn’t fit the popular girl or boy mold, shedding light on the much more realistic events of high school. Its brilliance lies in portraying high school life as a journey of small, meaningful struggles. Characters defy stereotypes, revealing complex identities shaped by insecurity, rebellion and growth.Freaks and Geeksis authentic, and it refuses to offer easy answers, becoming a timeless coming-of-age show.
Freaks and Geeks
3’The O.C.' (2003–2007)
Created by Josh Schwartz
Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), a troubled teen from a low-income household, lacking structure, is taken in by the compassionate Cohen family in the wealthy community of Newport Beach, California. As he adjusts to high society living and its accompanying drama, Ryan bonds with Seth Cohen (Adam Brody), his sarcastic and dorky foster brother. The two face difficulties fitting in while pursuing relationships: Ryan catches the Cohens' neighbor, Marissa Cooper’s (Mischa Barton) attention, while Seth pines over Marissa’s best friend, Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson), who finally acknowledges him when Marissa and Ryan connect.
The O.C.is the ultimate summer show, set against the sun-drenched backdrop of Newport Beach. It looks like the perfect place to come of age, and the show makes it even more alluring with its iconic characters and soundtrack. Like countless other teen shows,The O.C.can be melodramatic, and it explores complex issues like identity, mental health, and substance use disorders. But the seriesstands out for its understated comedy—witty and self-aware. Seth is an invaluable character: a harbinger of some of the show’s funniest moments and best pop-culture references, like his recreation ofSpider-Man’s famous upside-down kiss scene.
2’Beverly Hills, 90210' (1990–2000)
Created by Darren Star
Beverly Hills, 90210follows the lives of a close-knit group of friends through adolescence, college, and adulthood in the wealthy, glamorous world of Beverly Hills. The series kicks off with the Walsh family moving from Minnesota, introducing twins Brandon (Jason Priestley) and Brenda (Shannen Doherty) to a luxurious new life and new friends. The show explores romance, family dynamics and pressing social issues like substance abuse, teen pregnancy and racism, becoming a defining drama of the 1990s as it captured the complexities of growing up in a privileged yet turbulent environment.
90210launched a new eraof teen television by weaving togetherglossy escapism and serious, socially relevant storytelling. Its appeal lies in its, at times, unrealistic, depiction of glamorous West Coast life alongside relatable struggles with love, identity, and growing up. Tackling everything from substance use disorders to racism, it aimed to strike a balance between entertainment and reflection. Pioneering the modern teen drama,Beverly Hills,90210is to thank for hits likeDawson’s CreekandThe O.C., proving that teen shows can be both juicy and impactful.
Beverly Hills, 90210
1’Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1997–2003)
Created by Joss Whedon
Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is a young woman chosen by fate to battle supernatural forces threatening the world. With guidance from her Watcher, Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), and support from loyal friends Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon), Buffy balances her mystical destiny with the challenges of adolescence. Recognized for its feminist themes, LGBTQ+ representation, and emotional depth,Buffy the Vampire Slayerbecame a cultural landmark, inspiring generations with its powerful and enduring legacy.
Buffy the Vampire Slayerrevolutionized teen televisionwith its unique supernatural elements combined with relatable teen and general human struggles. Cleverly using monsters as metaphors for real-life struggles,Buffyworked on and addressed issues including bullying, identity, and abuse. Buffy herself is a standout character stillcelebrated today for demonstrating the coexistence of femininity and strength within a young woman. Unlike several teen shows ofBuffy’s time, it holds up remarkably well and is as relevant as ever.
