Just like the Colonel's secret recipe, it takes a special mix of herbs and spices aka storylines and plot devices, to create a memorable teen show.
Before you ask, yes I watched a lot of teen shows to write this blog—all in the name of research. How's that for dedication?
10. Budget for Buckley.
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| Buckley's been busy working on upcoming anticipated series starring Bella Thorne. |
He makes the kind of television episodes where you press pause to go get a drink, and end up pausing yourself and thinking wow, this shot is art and could be printed as a still and framed.
To see this guy's resume of teen TV, check out episodes
of The O.C., Gossip Girl, and Pretty Little Liars for starters. Such a great
eye. #UneedNorm
9. Understand The Allure Of The
Talkative Dork.
WORD. It’s all about the
banter. An awkward character who says the wrong things at the worst time is #adorkable
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| Chrismukkah anyone? |
While first place goes to Seth Cohen
from The O.C. for making his own holiday, Willow Rosenberg from Buffy The Vampire Slayer
and Stiles Stilinski from Teen Wolf almost took the title.
(This type of character often proves more popular than the legit star. I know the leads are supposed to be relatable, but the girl
next-door/boy next-door tropes are dulllllllll af. #quirkyisbest)
8. Be Intense, Teenagers Are Complex
Creatures.
Run the gambit of emotions. Get melodramatic:
tormented teens are misunderstood by THE WORLD. Humiliation, heartbreak,
screaming, and sobbing are only Step One.
Prime examples? My So-Called Life
(even the title is emo), Degrassi (any version), Switched At Birth, and Dawson’s
Creek. Although Pretty Little Liars with its conveyor belt of murders and follow-up funerals definitely takes it to the edge.
7. Going Superhero Or
Supernatural? Whatever. Be Sure To Super-Run With It.
Teen shows love unnatural creatures (idk maybe a metaphor thing?) If you’re going there, revel in the Supe World. Work that weirdness!
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| Scream Lydia. Scream! |
Teen Wolf wins this category for creative modern takes on wild myths. (I like the look of The Wild Hunt in the upcoming final season. They make people forget you ever existed... metaphor for a teen life crisis or what?)
Misfits is a gritty and powerful
paranormal series. Buffy The Vampire Slayer is an obvious classic. On the alien
front (super-space?) Roswell is standout for the Ultimate Outsider. #starcrossedlovers4real
6. Find Your Chuck and Blair So We
Can Ship It
Aw, the mismatched couple that hate
each other a little yet end up an OTP as the show progresses… Good times.
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| Who didn't want to have sex in the back of a limo after this? |
Snappy dialogue, sexual
tension, power struggles, and a complicated, ever-shifting couple dynamic are key. Note: Sizzling onscreen chemistry a MUST.
Popular ships that spring to
mind include:
-The wasted ship of Caroline and Klaus in The Vampire Diaries (God damn spin-off).
-The rediscovered ship of Alison+Emily on Pretty Little Liars.
-The will they/won't they ship of Lydia+Stiles in Teen Wolf.
-The lost ship of Clarke+Lexa on The 100 (RIP).
5. Address Bullying
Most teen shows do mention bullying at some point, but longer, more complicated plots are better; look past the “baddie” portrayal of a bully and try to unravel the motivations
while also following the victims as they deal with the consequences.
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| Best buds/bromance goals. |
Korean teen drama Cheer Up! aka
Sassy Go Go follows academic and non-academic
students forced to become a cheerleading squad. This brilliant series seamlessly blends humor and intensity while tackling bullying, abuse by parents, cutting, and teen suicide.*
Glee was another show that approached bullying head on and tried to make
audiences understand both sides of the equation.
4. Offer Complex Villains We End Up
Loving.
Who could compare to Mona Vanderwaal from Pretty Little Liars? A nerd made over into a glam mean girl, revealed
to be the first “A” blackmailing/threatening the leads. (Let's not talk about the show fake-killing this gloriously layered character for a short time. #winteriscoming )
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| Glamping for Mona's bday, where she snuck off to run over her bff with a car. (Mona's mind=a complicated place.) |
You admire the intelligent,
dastardly ways of these charming evildoers while being appalled by their choices. Other standout villains
that evoked empathy over the years include Lex Luthor from Smallville, and Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries.
3. Create A Sexy Rebel.
Never forget to include a
misunderstood character with a chip on their shoulder.
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| My subconscious blocked out Brandon's nickname for Dylan. Apparently Google is having the same problem. |
The winner here is Dylan McKay from
the original Beverley Hills 90210. Only supposed to be in an ep or 2, he won over audiences and kept the part because, hello, textbook rich kid rebel. #showusthemoney
Second place is a tie between James Franco’s Daniel Desario in Freaks
and Geeks, and Eliza Dushku’s legendary slayer-without-a-surname Faith in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and
Angel.
2. Write Female Characters That
Don’t Suck.
Here’s looking at you, Veronica
Mars. My girl V is the obvious choice when it comes to resourceful, clever, and kindhearted teen female characters who also make mistakes. #represent
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| A teen tv hero has to be flawed in some ways to be relatable, so Veronica has a few chinks in her armor. |
Clarke Griffin from The 100 is created in a similar vein, and of course Buffy Summers from Buffy The Vampire Slayer is an
iconic example. What’s interesting is how all three shows brim with
multifaceted female characters; it's not just the leads who rock.
1. Keep It Quippy
A show that has sass is a winner. In high school you
wish you could be witty 24/7. When you did think of a comeback it was
rarely as funny as you imagined. Standout teen TV dialogue has a touch of
could-have-been wish fulfillment happening.
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| A wild night of braiding and Bollywood movies. #teenlyf |
The best scripts brim with pop culture praphrasing. Joss Whedon set a new standard in
the nineties with Buffy The Vampire Slayer while Rory Gilmore in Gilmore Girls wins the random
references award.
Recent sitcoms Suburgatory
and Awkward are a little hit and miss, but occasionally make a person LOL with their acronym-saturated sarcastic teenspeak.
Bonus Point: I Gotcha Back. Life Is A Friend Fest.
Remember, every lead needs back-up: if not a whole crew, then at least an awesome best friend. Teen shows thrive on INTENZ friendships.
For Buffy Summers it was the Scooby Gang, Scott McCall has his
pack, Veronica Mars will always have Wallace Fennel, Dawson Leery had Joey Potter, and Lane Kim will forever be the bff of Rory Gilmore.
Even Dan Humphrey had, um,
his cabbage patch doll Cedric. O_o
XOXO
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