Since the invention of television, an increasingly wide variety of series and programs have emerged, aimed at different audiences. One of the most particular targets and for which specific programming is most often designed is adolescents, and that is why there is a great diversity of series aimed at them or based on the problems of this sector of the population.
In short, adolescence is an age group that consumes many audiovisual fictions, and therefore it is important that there are good references in this medium.
That is why throughout this article we are going to see some of the best series for teenagers, generally starring themselves
This is a selection of television series with adolescent themes or focused on the type of problems that they usually face in their daily lives. In this list there are some examples that are highly known today or that were tremendously popular at the time, as well as some examples of lesser-known series but of possible interest.
1. Merlí
Very successful and high-quality Catalan series, of which a total of three seasons have been broadcast (between 2014 and 2018) on TV3 and of which versions have been made in other countries.
Merlí shows us the story of a very particular philosophy professor, who comes to work at the Àngel Guimerá Institute to make his students reflect on their subject with a creative and unusual methodology. In addition to this, we will see how the students relate to each other and how they face their lives and their socio-family dynamics, referring to diverse and profound topics in a natural and critical way.
One of the series of the nineties that accompanied the young people of the time and that for four years was a reference in terms of adolescent series. It tells us the story of the students and teachers of a school, Azcona, working from personal relationships to problems such as gender violence or drugs. It was a series that marked an era and even has a movie.
With a theme and style very similar to the previous one, Leaving Class was also a very successful teenage series at the time, with the participation of numerous renowned actors and actresses on the Spanish scene. In this case, the action took place at the Siete Robles Institute, and in this place plots were developed that range from from romantic relationships between teenagers to manipulations work problems or coping with drug use.
4. The 100
With a mix between a teenage series and a science fiction series, the 100 represents a different approach to the type of series mentioned so far: the action moves to a stage of post-apocalyptic history, in which humanity has been on a base for almost a century. space after having to flee the planet after a nuclear war.
There are only a few thousand people left, who must subsist with the few resources they have and crimes being punished with expulsion into space (which implies death). The only exception is minors, whose crimes are punished with prison sentences
However, due to the decreasing amount of resources, it will be decided to send a hundred of these young people to Earth, in order to check if it is habitable again. Once there, the young people must face a wide variety of challenges in order to survive, including internal conflicts or even the presence of other inhabitants on the planet.
5. Misfits
Another series in limbo between teen drama and science fiction, Misfits shows us how five young convicts gain powers after being hit by a storm ; powers that they are not able to control and that will make them have to help each other.
This series is highly known and has been a source of controversy regarding the themes it deals with. “13 Reasons Why” tells us how a young woman sent a series of cassette tapes to a classmate so that he could pass them on to a total of thirteen people, before committing suicide. In them we can see how the different actions of the thirteen people led the young woman to cause her death, and how the development of suicidal tendencies It does not arise in isolation in the person, but has to do with the context
A series that reflects the reality of the Foster family, made up of two women and their five children (four of them adopted). This series is of special relevance since allows us to account for the diversity of existing families working on aspects such as sexuality, equality, the search for identity and the problems of both the couple and the children.
8.Glee
A well-known teenage series, Glee tells us how Professor Will Schuester receives (initially reluctantly) the command of the William McKinley High School choir, to which he will try to restore its prestige. For it recruit the few students and little by little and with some strategy and talent managing to make the chorus something memorable.
9. My Mad Fat Diary
Another series that tells us about life in a high school but in this case has a particularity: it is focused on the life of Rae, a teenager with obesity and mental problems who must face entering the institute and returning to society after having been admitted to a psychiatric hospital. With a relatively short duration (it consists of a total of 16 chapters) and a style between drama and comedy, it is a very particular series.
A somewhat particular series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer tells us the story of a young woman who will be chosen to become a hunter of all kinds of evil creatures that attack Sunnydale, with the help of several friends and allies. It is a typically adolescent series with supernatural overtones which enjoyed great popularity.
11. Skins
Well-known series that already has seven seasons and deals with the lives of a series of young teenagers and the problems they must face as they begin to experience contact with the adult world It is a dramatic series that, with an irreverent tone, touches on very diverse topics, including sexuality, drugs or marginality.
12. Everything sucks!
A series that takes place in the city of Boring, tells the story of different misfit teenage students in their high school years, who decide to make a film to show in class. Based in Oregon in the 90s, it will let us see the different problems and experiences that these boys and girls have in their daily lives. Unfortunately and despite its good reception, after completing its first season the series has been cancelled.
