Teenagers growing up in the 1990s never realized how good they had it. There was no Netflix, YouTube, or the plethora of television channels pumping out endless hours of teen-focused entertainment.

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But what the decade lacked quantity, it undeniably made up for in quality. The ‘90s was a golden age for drama, comedy and action aimed squarely at an adolescent audience. Shows like Saved By The Bell, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and Beverly Hills 90210 ensured there was something for everyone. But some of the best shows of the era are the ones that have gone largely forgotten – until now.

My So-Called Life

Angela and Jordan standing by a locker at high school on My So-Called Life

My So-Called Life centered on the fictional Liberty High School and the lives and loves of teenager Angela Chase and her assortment of friends and foes. An ordinary enough concept, what made the show so groundbreaking was the way it weaved social issues into every episode.

Plotlines touched on topical concerns like teen alcoholism, abuse, homelessness, and homophobia, while the show boasted an impressive young cast, anchored by a pre-fame Claire Danes as Angela and bolstered by the likes of Jared Leto as complex love interest Jordan Catalano. Canceled after just one series, it’s still well worth watching today.

California Dreams

The cast of California Dreams on TNBC

Saved By The Bell executive producer Peter Engel re-teamed with original writers Brett Dewey and Ronald B. Solomon for California Dreams, a show about a group of teenagers growing up as part of a fictional band.

Dismissed by critics as a beach-based clone of Engel’s show, California Dreams proved popular with fans, running for five seasons and 78 episodes. It shared similarities with the adventures of Zack Morris but California Dreams was undoubtedly far funnier. It was also far more diverse, boasting a multicultural cast featuring Black and Filipino American stars William James Jones and Jennie Kwan in starring roles.

Get Real

The Cast of Get Real

Get Real was a teen drama with huge potential. Unfortunately, it didn’t generate a huge audience, resulting in its cancellation after just 22 episodes. Set against the backdrop of late ‘90s San Francisco, it chronicled the exploits of the increasingly dysfunctional Green family.

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Under pressure at home and at work, the series showcased the slow disintegration of the Greens and, specifically, parents Mitch and Mary Green, as they embark on a full-blown midlife crisis. What sets Get Real apart, all these years later, however, is the presence of Jessie Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway as two of the family’s three kids.

Two teens look on in Popular

Long before Glee, Ryan Murphy cut his teeth in television with an altogether different teen-based outing. Popular starred Leslie Bibb and Carly Pope as two warring teens from opposite ends of the high school social scene who find themselves forced together after their single parents end up getting engaged.

Though it lacked the gritty realism of other high school dramas, Popular addressed issues like identity, gender, and family relationships in a fresh and original way. Praised by GLAAD for its representations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender characters it only lasted two series but has arguably aged better than Glee.

Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

Are You Afraid of The Dark? May have been aimed at the younger end of the teen market but this Canadian anthology horror series merits inclusion for being consistently inventive and also surprisingly scary.

Every episode began with a group of teenagers, known as “The Midnight Society”, who met at a secret location in some nearby woods to tell each other scary stories. Occasionally inspired by real-life phenomena or works of literature, episodes dealt with things like ghosts, demons, and haunted houses as well as things like werewolves, vampires, and even aliens. They didn’t always have a happy ending either.

Hang Time

The Cast of NBC's Hang Time

On the face of it, Hang Time came off as just another Saved By The Bell clone, a label not helped by the fact it aired alongside Saved By The Bell: The New Class. But it had surprising depth, not least in its central premise about a high school basketball team, the Deering Tornados, undergoing a major transformation after a female player joins their ranks.

Ahead of its time in that sense, the show mixed topical issues like underage drinking and harassment with a solid quota of laughs. It also featured early appearances from Anthony Anderson and Jay Hernandez.

Roswell

The moody, difficult, younger sibling of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Roswell struck a similar chord to Joss Whedon’s series, albeit with fewer laughs. Based on the young adult book series Roswell High, by Melinda Metz, the series centered on four alien/human hybrids capable of any number of cool things who end up living among ordinary high schoolers in Roswell.

Essentially The X Files meets Dawson’s Creek, Roswell was an enjoyably brooding melodrama, developed by Jason Katims who served as a writer on My So-Called Life and head writer on the brilliant Friday Night Lights TV series.

The Secret World Of Alex Mack

The Secret World of Alex Mack starred Larisa Oleynik as the titular hero, an ordinary teenager whose life is changed after she accidentally ends up getting soaked in a top secret chemical.

She soon develops an ever-expanding array of special powers including telekinesis and the ability to shape-shift. Tasked with using her powers for good, while keeping them a secret from parents and shady chemical plant investigator types alike, the show's tension-fueled premise, coupled with some cool special effects and a few endearing characters kept things entertaining for four memorable seasons. A creative sci-fi teen show all too often overlooked.

Parker Lewis Can’t Lose

Parker Can't Lose.

To say Parker Lewis Can’t Lose was strongly influenced by Ferris Bueller’s Day Off would be an understatement. Parker Lewis is basically Ferris Bueller in everything but name. The cool, popular guy who can get away with just about anything, despite the best efforts of his high school principal.

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It doesn’t work, but the show did, thanks to a great cast and a fresh approach to the subject matter. Parker regularly narrated the action and was known to break the fourth wall while there were moments of surreal cartoonish comedy that influenced shows like Scrubs and Malcolm in The Middle.

Freaks and Geeks

Freaks and Geeks regularly features on lists counting down the greatest TV shows of all time, despite inexplicably being canceled after just 12 episodes. Word of mouth and the fact the writers and cast went on to become major stars, helped the show enjoy a second life.

Created by Bridesmaids’ Paul Feig and produced by Judd Apatow, the show starred Linda Cardellini as Lindsay Weir a girl navigating high school as part of a gang of slacker “freak” friends. Featuring Seth Rogen, Busy Philipps, James Franco, and Jason Segel to name but a few, the show remains essential viewing.

NEXT: 10 Forgotten Vampire Movies/Shows Of The ’90s