The majority of shows aimed at teens are often bubbly sitcoms where every episode begins with a trivial problem and ends with a definitive solution. These shows might be a great distraction from the woes of adolescence (or even adult life), but they’re not always the most realistic.
While middle and high school are often dubbed as “the best years of your life,” most would agree that they can also be the most awkward. Trying to navigate new friendships, first-time relationships, and what kind of a person you eventually want to become can be exciting, painful, and extremely confusing.
In this instance, one might think that a comedy would be just the thing to cheer up a moody teenager. But sometimes, it's actually better to sit and brood with someone who feels the same way.
Over the years, there have been countless teen dramas which have tried to capture the uncertainties of growing up. Some have missed the mark, others have gotten close, while a few have hit the nail right on the head. Let's take a look at the teen dramas that the critics believe have done the best job of making adolescents both entertaining and relatable.
While some of these shows go strictly for realism, others rely on supernatural elements or mysteries to keep things engaging. They all use character drama to give the show its heart-- or, in a few instances, its lack thereof.
Here are the 16 Best (And 5 Worst) Teen Dramas, Ranked According To Rotten Tomatoes.
21. Worst: 13 Reasons Why (53%)
If not for the second season of 13 Reasons Why, this Netflix original could very well have been ranked amongst the best-reviewed teen dramas on Rotten Tomatoes.
Upon its debut, 13 Reasons Why both shocked and captivated audiences with its story of Hannah Baker, a deceased 17-year-old who leaves behind a box of cassette tapes for her best friend, Clay Jensen, which chronicle her reasons for taking her own life.
The first season earned an 81% approval rating and was praised for its ability to tackle dark subject matter head-on. However, the second batch of episodes turned many off with another graphic abuse scene, which one critic called "ridiculously gratuitous and irresponsible."
The result was a season two approval rating of just 26%.
20. Best: The Get Down (80%)
The Get Down debuted on Netflix in the summer of 2016, and the eleven-episode series followed a group of teens in the Bronx during the disco and hip-hop revolution of the 1970s.
The series was co-created by Baz Luhrmann, the visionary director of Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, and The Great Gatsby.
Luhrmann's sweeping style was praised once again in The Get Down, as was the music selection, set design, and engaging characters.
However, some critics faulted the show’s uneven pacing, claiming that The Get Down tries to tackle too much at once and never fully develops its teenage leads. While later episodes did show improvement, the series was never reprised for a second season by Netflix.
19. Best: Pretty Little Liars (81%)
While critics were never as nice to Pretty Little Liars as the show's devout following, this teen drama still managed to land a respectable 81% average rating on Rotten Tomatoes for its seven-season run.
The show first debuted on ABC Family in the summer of 2010, and the teen mystery followed an estranged group of friends who reconnect when they begin to be blackmailed by an unknown person.
The show was a ratings hit, prompting an extended first season and drawing more widespread attention to the young adult book series the show drew its inspiration from.
Pretty Little Liars was praised for its intriguing mystery, which many critics agreed could be enjoyed by teens and adults alike.
18. Best: The Carrie Diaries (81%)
Drawing inspiration from the 2010 young adult novel of the same name, The Carrie Diaries is a prequel to the HBO hit series Sex and the City.
While doing any type of spin-off to an iconic show is a roll of the dice, most critics agreed that The Carrie Diaries managed to capture the spirit of the original series while transporting the story to the 1980s and centering on a cast of teenagers.
In fact, the CW series managed to nab a higher rating than Sex and the City, which only pulled in a 71%.
But because The Carrie Diaries was canceled after only two seasons, the teen dramedy never enjoyed anything near the mainstream success as the original.
17. Best: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (81%)
For a show about a high school that sits on top of a gateway to hell itself, Buffy the Vampire Slayer managed to tackle the struggles of teenage life in a much more meaningful way than many straight-forward dramas.
The show ran for seven seasons on The WB and UPN, and it followed a group of friends as they try to navigate the woes of adolescents while simultaneously trying to save the world.
The first three, high school-set seasons used many different monsters as metaphors for the struggles teens face.
The supernatural elements might have been what drew many into the series, but some of the show's most memorable moments are devoid of any monsters or vampires.
16. Best: The Vampire Diaries (85%)
Speaking of vampires, this supernatural teen drama series was another hit amongst most critics — many of whom agreed that The Vampire Diaries was a lot better than it should have been.
The series debuted on The CW in 2009 and quickly became the network's biggest hit. It followed a teenage girl who gets wrapped up in the lives of two vampire brothers — one who wishes to protect her, and the other who wishes to cause mischief throughout their picturesque town of Mystic Falls, Virgin.
Unlike a lot of teen dramas that become increasingly sloppy and rely heavily on melodrama during the later seasons, The Vampire Diaries was a standout in that its reviews seemed to improve with each of its eight seasons, all the way until the series finale.
15. Worst: The Secret Life of the American Teenager (50%)
The Secret Life of the American Teenager debuted on ABC Family in 2008 and ran for five seasons. It followed high school student Amy Juergens (played by Shailene Woodley of Divergent fame), who discovers that she is pregnant at the beginning of season one and must deal with the fallout of breaking the news to her friends and family.
While critics were on the fence about the series — with many claiming the show felt more like a teen soap than a realistic exploration of teenage pregnancy — The Secret Life of the American Teenager was still a hit amongst audiences.
It broke the record for the number of viewers to tune into a series pilot for ABC Family, and its numbers only continued to climb for the first three seasons.
14. Best: Riverdale (88%)
With the first and second season of the show both pulling in a solid 88% approval rating, it’s clear that Riverdale is currently one of the best teen dramas available on TV.
The CW mystery draws its inspiration from the long-running Archie Comics series, which follows the eponymous teenager as he unravels that darker mysteries hiding within the seemingly idyllic town of Riverdale.
Critics have praised the show's creative adaptation and its self-aware tone.
The engaging mysteries and ability to tackle contemporary issues involving teenagers have also been applauded.
Riverdale isn't just a hit amongst critics either, as the second season seeing a generous boost in ratings. Anticipation is high for the upcoming third season as well, which debuts this October.
13. Best: Finding Carter (88%)
A dramatic premise if there ever was one, Finding Carter kicks off with series' protagonist Carter Stevens discovering that her mother is not her mother at all, but rather a woman who abducted her when she was 3 years old.
The first seasons follows Carter’s return to her biological family, which most critics agreed was far more dramatic and emotionally resonant than what one would expect from a teen series on MTV.
MTV even decide to extend the episode count for season two from 12 to 24. Despite the positive reviews, the show underwent a drop in ratings and was never brought back for a third outing.
Only ten Rotten Tomatoes critics have reviewed the series, which is further indication that Finding Carter was yet another high-quality show to be buried amongst today's onslaught of new content.
12. Best: The 100 (91%)
Much like its title, The 100 managed to achieve a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes for its latest season, with the critics' consensus reading that “Five years in, The 100 manages to top itself once again with an audacious, addicting season.”
If that’s not enough to make the sci-fi junkies who missed out on this series the first time around go back and binge-watch The 100, then we don’t know what is.
The CW series follows a group of adolescent prisoners who are sent back to Earth nearly a century after a nuclear apocalypse, only to discover that they weren’t the only ones to survive.
The 100 is a rare show that continues to get better with age.
With the fifth season just wrapping up this summer, a sixth is already in the works.
11. Best: On My Block (94%)
This coming-of-age drama follows five inner-city L.A. teens as they embark on their first year of high school and face a number of trials which test their friendship.
The show dropped on Netflix just earlier this year, turning out a 10-episode season that was exceedingly well-received. Most notably, On My Block was praised for focusing on the types of communities and teens that rarely get recognized on mainstream TV.
The series has its fair share of lighter moments that capitalize on the awkwardness of being a teen. On My Block also isn’t afraid to tackle serious topics, including immigration issues, racism, and gang activity — which many young people of color have to deal with on a daily basis.
10. Worst: Jane by Design (44%)
Jane by Design follows a teenager who is hired to work alongside an iconic fashion designer when she is mistaken for an adult.
The fish-out-of-water premise had many critics calling this ABC Family series a rip-off The Devil Wears Prada.
As The AV Club wrote, “Jane by Design is sewn from bargain-basement material, constantly borrowing without offering the least bit of originality.” Even those who wrote a more positive review acknowledged that the premise of this teen dramedy would be difficult to sustain into the second season.
This, along with low viewership, was likely why ABC canceled the series only a few weeks after the season one finale.
9. Best: Veronica Mars (96%)
Few teen dramas have bolstered as passionate of a following as Veronica Mars, whose fans have helped the character live on long after the critically-acclaimed show was canceled.
The mystery series ran for three seasons on UPN and The CW, and it followed the eponymous character who attends high school (and eventually college) while also working as a private eye.
Though Veronica Mars was a critical hit, faltering ratings lead to the series cancellation in 2007. Six years later, lead actress Kristen Bell and series creator Rob Thomas launched a Kickstarter campaign for a follow-up film, which shattered multiple fundraising records.
The film was released the following year (which also hold a "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes), and just earlier this month a Hulu revival series is reportedly in development.
8. Best: Friday Night Lights (96%)
With three of its five seasons earning 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Friday Night Lights is one of the best-reviewed teen dramas of all time.
The show draws inspiration from a 1990 non-fiction book of the same name, which centers around a high-school football team in small-town Texas. But Friday Night Lights is far from just a sports show.
The series was praised for its depiction of small-town life and tackling a number of social and economic issues.
A joint production between NBC and DirecTV saved the series from cancellation after its second year, but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the shorter season actually helped maintain the show’s drama during the later years.
7. Best: The End of the F***ing World (98%)
One of the more off-beat teen dramas to make the cut, The End of the F***ing World is a dark-comedy/ drama series about two teenage outcasts who develop a highly unorthodox relationship with one another.
James is a 17-year-old self-described psychopath who decides that his rebellious classmate, the potty-mouthed Alyssa, will be his first victim. When Alyssa asks James to run away with her, James seizes the opportunity and the two embark on a haphazard road trip across England.
With only one negative review, critics agree that The End of the F***ing World is darkly hilarious and expertly crafted, making it an ideal alternative to those tired of your typical, sappy teenage love stories.
6. Worst: 90210 (40%)
The fourth installment of this teen drama series, 90210 ran for five seasons on The CW, where it followed a group of rich students who attend high school in Beverly Hills.
A number of cast members from the original Beverly Hills, 90210 made guest appearances on the show, but by and large, the new series focused on the Wilson family, who moves from Kansas back to California at the beginning of season one.
Teenage daughter Annie Wilson is the focal point of the series, as she aspires to become an actress without getting dragged down into vapid lifestyles of those around her.
While some critics acknowledge the show as a worthy guilty pleasure, most thought it was a step down in quality from the ‘90s series — which was never a favorite amongst TV critics in the first place.
5. Best: Bunheads (100%)
Bunheads is a comedy-drama series that aired on ABC Family for one season between 2012 and 2013. It centers around a down-on-her-luck dancer who decides to teach ballet alongside her mother-in-law in a small, southern California town.
Amy Sherman-Palladino — the woman behind Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — co-created the show while also writing a number of episodes. Just like those two series, Bunheads has no shortage of whip-smart dialogue and charming characters. Lead actors Sutton Foster and Kelly Bishop received particular praise for their performances as the former Las Vegas showgirl and her overbearing mother-in-law.
However, Bunheads never managed to find its audience, and despite overwhelmingly positive reviews, it was never picked up for a second season.
4. Best: Sweet/Vicious (100%)
Like every other perfectly-reviewed teen drama on Rotten Tomatoes, Sweet/Vicious is another one-hit wonder which received stellar reviews but never drew in a strong enough audience to merit a second season.
The MTV series debuted back in 2016, and it revolved around two female college students who work in secret to take down sexual assailants who have escaped justice.
Sweet/Vicious walks a razor-thin tightrope by tackling the issue of campus assault while blending together the genres of comedy, drama, and action.
The audacity alone was enough to warrant the attention of many critics.
It was ultimately the clever writing, spot-on style, and chemistry between the two female leads that earned Sweet/Vicious its 100% approval rating.
3. Best: My So-Called Life (100%)
With 12 critics giving this ‘90s series an average rating of 8.34 out of 10, My So-Called Life is the second-best reviewed teen drama on Rotten Tomatoes.
The series aired for one season on ABC from 1994 to 1995, and it revolved around 15-year-old Angela Chase (played by Claire Danes) and her group of friends who come to find out that being a teenager isn’t nearly as fun as other ‘90s shows made it out to be.
Angela narrates a majority of the episodes, where she acts as somewhat of a teenage philosopher by trying to navigate the issues of substance use, orientation, and abuse — all while trying to pin down her own identity.
2. Worst: The Beautiful Life (21%)
You know a show must be bad when the network decides to cancel it after only two episodes had aired. Such was the case with The Beautiful Life, a CW series which followed a group of models living together in the Big Apple.
Though only six episodes were produced, only the first two ever made it to air, with three more eventually getting an online release.
With barely anyone tuning in in the first place, one has to wonder if viewers were actually asking for these extra episodes to be made available.
Most critics ripped the show apart, calling it a “shamelessly sordid melodrama” with “dialogue so bad, it’ll make you laugh out loud.”