When looking for a drama to binge watch, we usually turn to Rotten Tomatoes for suggestions. Their ratings are up to date and are precisely calculated through reviews from trusted television and movie critics around the world. As most of the world is in quarantine, this is the best time to stay at home and watch our favorite teen dramas.
Never once did we imagine that we could save the world just by staying home. So, relax and let this list guide you. A rating below 60% is surely rotten. Here are the 5 best and 5 worst teen dramas according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Best: Sex Education (2019 – present)
Sex Education is a British teen comedy-drama series on Netflix. It is about an awkward teenage boy who is uncomfortable with his mother’s occupation as a famous sex therapist. He then fights the odds by creating a sex advice business with a troubled friend in which they provide advice to sexually problematic teens.
The same awkward boy gets into a relationship and deals with its struggles, challenged by their school’s status quo. The great thing about this series is that it talks about the undiscussed issues in teenage sex lives. It’s a story between Twilight’s unrealistic young love and American Pie’s obsession with losing one’s virginity.
Rating: 94%
Worst: The Beautiful Life (2009)
The Beautiful Life is an American teen drama on The CW co-produced by Ashton Kutcher. The series is about a group of models who all live together in New York City. Unfortunately, we never knew how it ended since it was canceled during its second episode due to low ratings. They had filmed six episodes but only two were aired.
The glitzy drama starring The OC’s, Mischa Barton, only had 1.46 million viewers for its pilot episode. The second episode came in lower with 1.09 million. The CW decided to cut its losses and let go of The Beautiful Life.
Rating: 25%
Best: On My Block (2018 – present)
On My Block is another teen comedy-drama series on Netflix. The series revolves around four teenagers living in a rough neighborhood of South-Central Los Angeles. Their friendships are tested as they start high school and deal with the struggles of teenage life.
Although these teens often get in trouble and are comedic in a way, the show doesn’t fail to include race, social class, and ethnicity as thematic elements. This series has been well received by the world for its colorful cast, great acting, and enticing storyline.
Rating: 95%
Worst: 90210 (2008-2013)
90210 is an American teen drama produced by CBS and it is the fourth spin-off from the original Beverly Hills: 90210. The series is about the lives of rich students at West Beverly Hills High School. After they graduate, the same set of friends either attend college or explore other opportunities.
The show primarily tells the story of the Wilson Family who returns to Beverly Hills from Kansas to deal with a family problem. The first episode featured some of the cast from the original series but later moved on to a different storyline. The first episode was rated 48% by Rotten Tomatoes, which is still low, and it got worse as the series progressed.
Rating: 37%
Best: Elite (2018-present)
Elite is a Spanish teen thriller-drama on Netflix. The series follows the dilemmas of three working-class students who were granted scholarships to an elite secondary school. They weren’t embraced well by their rich schoolmates. The school’s lack of acceptance of these three students leads to a murder that heightens the students’ hostility and suspicion, trying to figure out who did it.
The series also tackles issues about class structure and the issues surrounding the gap between the privileged and the deprived. Critics have highly praised the story and character development. Riverdale meets Gossip Girl is the kind of series we never knew we needed.
Rating: 97%
Worst: 13 Reasons Why (2017-2019)
13 Reasons Why is an American teen drama on Netflix, based on Jay Asher’s novel of the same name. The series is about a box of cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker just before she committed suicide. The tapes containing the details preceding her demise were passed on from one person to another, slowly concluding with why she did it.
Although it was one of the US’s most popular TV shows and the most talked about show on Twitter, it is total trash to Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have called out the show for deviating from the original source and for being too graphic, which raised a lot of questions from mental health advocates.
Rating: 38%
Best: American Vandal (2017-2018)
American Vandal is a satirical teen drama and parody of true crime documentaries. It reveals the costly consequences of a simple prank. Twenty-seven school faculty member's cars were vandalized and a sophomore documentarian examines the controversy surrounding the expulsion of the student who committed the vandalism.
The story was unique and the humor was unconventional. The show was awarded a Peabody award and was even nominated for an Emmy for outstanding writing. However, American Vandal was canceled after two seasons. The reason was due to Netflix’s effort to control global rights since the show was produced by an external studio.
Rating: 98%
Worst: Skins USA (2011)
Skins is an American teen drama featured on MTV, adapted from the original Skins in the UK. The series is about young amateur artists and their teenage life struggles. It was not as much of a hit with American viewers as it was in the UK. It caused controversy because it was accused of containing child pornography and encouraging minors to drink alcohol since most of the actors were minors.
Some of the contents were also insensitively racy and critics expressed their dismay at the casts’ poor acting. Sponsors dropped the show amidst the controversy, leading to its cancelation after just 10 episodes.
Rating: 46%
Best: Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
This American teen drama aired on NBC. In it, a gifted teenage girl befriends a group of ‘freaks’ and becomes a rebel. This creates friction between her and her parents and makes her question her self-image. Her brother, on the other hand, befriends the ‘geeks’ and finds a way to fit into their group.
The series has consistently been listed as one of the greatest shows of all time. It has launched the careers of Hollywood stars Linda Cardellini, James Franco, Martin Starr, Seth Rogen, John Daley, Jason Segel, and Busy Philipps. The show was canceled after 12 episodes but fans created a campaign for NBV to televise the remaining episodes.
Rating: 100% Certified Fresh
Worst: The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008-2013)
Televised on ABC Family, The Secret Life of the American Teenager is another rotten teen drama. The series is about a pregnant teenager’s journey to motherhood and it has collected mixed reviews from critics. It has the highest number of viewers for a pilot episode in the history of ABC Family and viewers applauded the actors’ portrayals. However, it was criticized for being unrealistic. It didn’t really touch on the struggles of teen pregnancy and mostly concentrated on the sexuality of teens.
It has a 38% rating for its first season and goes down from there to a staggering Rotten Tomatoes score of 20% for the last season.
Rating: 53% audience score