Line #15 Main/TeenDrama


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4	[[quoteright:350:[[Series/Runaways2017 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mv5bntczogzlmtytztlmmy00mmzmlwjlzjitmdg4mdrlmtnmymfhxkeyxkfqcgdeqxvymtc0nzi3mdq_v1.png]]]]
5
6	->'''Devi:''' No, man. We're watching ''Series/{{Riverdale}}''. Buckle up for some steamy teen romance.\
7	'''Kamala:''' These are high schoolers? And their parents are okay with them taking showers together in their homes?\
8	'''Devi:''' Yeah, Kamala. Welcome to American teen soaps. The actors are also older than Mom.
9	-->-- ''Series/NeverHaveIEver''
10
11	Any show where the central focus is on teenagers, their [[TroubledTeen angst]], pimples, and/or clothes. Best describes shows like ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'' and ''Series/DawsonsCreek'' (or anything else on Creator/TheWB or Creator/TheCW, really). Most likely place to find the VerySpecialEpisode.
12
13	The kind of show where [[DawsonCasting everyone looks too old]] and [[ShortTeensTallAdults too short]] to be teenagers, [[CousinOliver they have to bring new people in]], [[ShirtlessScene the men keep taking their shirts off]], there are no more than [[TokenMinority two non-white main characters]], [[MostWritersAreAdults the teens talk much more like adults than teenagers]], and [[AdultsAreUseless anyone over a specific age is bad news]].
14
15	See also KidCom which also features teenage protagonists and many of the same tropes, but generally in a far more light hearted manner. YoungAdult fiction is the rough [[{{Literature}} literary]] equivalent of the teen drama. Compare SoapOpera and PrimeTimeSoap.
16
17	When the lens is reversed to focus on the flaws of the kids' entire families, it's StepfordSuburbia.
18
19	See TweenDrama for the child-friendly equivalent to the Teen Drama.
20	----
21	!!Examples:
22
23	[[index]]
24	* ''Series/SeventhHeaven'', mixed with religion.
25	* ''Series/ThirteenReasonsWhy''
26	* ''Series/AllAmerican''
27	* ''Series/AllAmericanHomecoming'', though it's set in college.
28	* ''Series/AllOfUsAreDead'', deals with the social problems of south-Korean teenagers, albeit in a zombie setting.
29	* ''Series/AlRawabiSchoolForGirls''
30	* ''Series/AmericanVandal''
31	* ''Series/AndiMack'', a KidCom that's growing up fast. An ongoing StoryArc will do that.
32	* ''Series/{{Awkward}}''
33	* ''Series/{{Baby}}''
34	* ''Series/TheBestYears'' -- made in Canada, set in Boston, Massachusetts.
35	* ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'', both the [[TropeCodifier trope codifying original]] and the {{revival}}.
36	* ''Webcomic/BittersweetCandyBowl'' -- Even if they are {{Funny Animal}}s.
37	* ''Series/BloodAndWater''
38	* ''Series/BlueWaterHigh''
39	* Everything made by WebVideo/{{Brat}}.
40	* ''Series/BreakerHigh''
41	* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' (though the main characters are in their 20s by the end)
42	* ''Series/TheBureauOfMagicalThings''
43	* ''Series/CaitlinsWay''
44	* ''Series/TheCarrieDiaries'', the [[ShortRunner short-lived]] prequel to ''Series/SexAndTheCity'', focusing on a teenage Carrie Bradshaw.
45	* ''Club Der Roten Bänder''
46	* ''Series/ControlZ''
47	* ''Series/DanceAcademy''
48	* ''Series/DareMe''
49	* ''Series/DawsonsCreek''
50	* ''Series/DeadBoyDetectives2024''
51	* All versions of the ''Franchise/{{Degrassi}}'' franchise (except the original ''Series/TheKidsOfDegrassiStreet''):
52	** ''Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh'', the TropeMaker
53	** ''Series/DegrassiHigh''
54	** ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration''
55	* ''Series/DisConnected''
56	* The 21st century parts of ''Webcomic/TheDreamer'' can count as this.
57	* ''Series/{{Elite 2018}}''
58	* ''Series/TheEndOfTheFuckingWorld''
59	* ''Series/{{Everwood}}''
60	* ''Series/{{Euphoria}}''
61	* ''Series/EverythingNow''
62	* ''Series/EverythingSucks''
63	* ''Series/{{Extracurricular}}''
64	* ''Series/FakingIt''
65	* ''SeriEs/FateTheWinxSaga''
66	* ''Series/FindMeInParis''
67	* ''Series/FirstKill''
68	* ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks''. Made by future comedy overlord Creator/JuddApatow, and stars many actors that went on to be famous through his movies. [[ShortRunners Lasted only one season]], but became a CultClassic in the process.
69	* ''Series/GenV''. A spin-off of ''Series/{{The Boys\|2019}}'' set at a corporate-sponsored superhero college.
70	* ''Series/{{Gigantic}}'': the Creator/TeenNick show about the teenage children of celebrities.
71	* ''Series/{{Glee}}'', which also double as a musical with [[{{Funny/Glee}} comedic elements.]] Well, [[{{Tearjerker/Glee}} mostly comedic.]]
72	* ''Series/{{Glue}}'' - otherwise known as "''Series/{{Skins}}'' meets ''Series/{{Broadchurch}}''".
73	* ''Series/Goosebumps2023''
74	* ''Series/GossipGirl2007'', which was based on a book series that [[AdaptationDisplacement it has since eclipsed]].
75	** ''Series/GossipGirl2021''
76	* ''Series/GrandArmy''
77	* ''Series/GrangeHill'' - a mixture of a teen drama and SoapOpera. First aired in the 1970s and lasted for 30 years.
78	* ''Series/{{Greek}}'', although it's set in college.
79	* ''Series/GrownIsh'', though it's set in a college.
80	* ''Manga/GTOTheEarlyYears'' focuses on teenage JapaneseDelinquents, and has been adapted to live-action twice.
81	** The sequel ''Manga/GreatTeacherOnizuka'', which also had two {{Live Action Adaptation}}s, is more of a borderline case, since the protagonist is the teens' adult teacher (who is still quite a {{manchild}}).
82	* ''Series/H2OJustAddWater''
83	* ''Series/HeartbreakHigh2022''
84	* ''Series/{{Heartstopper}}''
85	* ''Series/TheHeirs''
86	* ''Series/HiddenPalms''
87	* ''Series/HomeBeforeDark''
88	* ''Series/HowtoSellDrugsOnlineFast''
89	* ''Series/IAmFrankie'', same as ''Andi Mack'' above, but on Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}.
90	* ''Series/IAmNotOkayWithThis''
91	* ''Series/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer2021''
92	* ''Series/InstantStar''
93	* ''Series/ElInternadoLasCumbres'', a teen thriller drama set in a BoardingSchool for "problem students" in Spain.
94	* ''Literature/{{Intertwined}}''
95	** ''Literature/IntertwinedIITheLostSpirits''
96	** ''Literature/IntertwinedTheSeries''
97	* ''Series/JoanOfArcadia'''s [[SecondSeasonDownfall second season]].
98	* ''[[Series/{{Jonas}} JONAS L.A.]]'' The prequel falls under SitCom category.
99	* ''Webcomic/KhaosKomix'' is another webcomic example.
100	* ''Film/{{Klass}}''
101	* ''Series/LifeAsWeKnowIt''
102	* ''Series/LifeUnexpected''
103	* ''Series/LookingForAlaska''
104	* ''Film/TheLoveOfSiam''
105	* ''Series/LoveVictor''
106	* ''WebVideo/LPSPopular''
107	* ''Series/{{Misfits}}''
108	* ''Series/MustangsFC'' - set around a newly formed all-girl soccer team, the show focuses as much on the relationships between the girls as the action on the field.
109	* ''Series/MyMadFatDiary''
110	* ''WebAnimation/TheMarkSide'' - a WebAnimation example that is also a [[BlackComedy comedy]].
111	* ''Series/MySoCalledLife'' was a {{deconstruction}} of the over-the-top teen dramas of TheNineties. It is also considered a classic of the genre, despite [[ShortRunners lasting only one season]].
112	* ''Series/NeverHaveIEver''
113	* ''Series/TheOC''
114	* ''Series/OddGirlOut''
115	* ''Series/OnMyBlock''
116	* ''Series/OneOfUsIsLying''
117	* ''Series/OneTreeHill''
118	* ''Series/OpenHeart'', which is also a CrimeAndPunishmentSeries/DetectiveDrama and Medical Drama.
119	* ''Series/OppositeSex''
120	* ''Series/OuterBanks''.
121	* ''Series/PartyOfFive''
122	* ''Series/PatitoFeo''
123	* ''Series/PointPleasant''
124	* ''Series/{{Popular}}''
125	* ''Fanfic/PowerChordHighSchoolMusical''
126	* ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'', which also [[AdaptationDisplacement started out as]] a [[Literature/PrettyLittleLiars book series]].
127	** ''Series/PrettyLittleLiarsOriginalSin''
128	* ''Series/{{Privileged}}''. Although the twins are not the main characters, their actions and crises drive a lot of the plot.
129	* ''Series/{{Rebelde}}''
130	** ''Series/Rebelde2022''
131	* ''Series/RebeldeWay''. Takes place in Argentina amidst the rich kids, but it also discusses elements of the lower classes. So the idea of "rich white kids" has a different connotation in the third world than in the USA or the UK. (Not to mention the idea of light-skinned/white-passing Latinos, which are fairly common in South America but rare to see in the USA).
132	* ''Series/RedBandSociety'', which is also a MedicalDrama.
133	* ''Series/RedRose''
134	* ''Series/{{Reign}}'': Unlike most of these examples, is set in the 16th Century rather than modern day.
135	* ''Series/Rise2018'': ''Glee'' take 2.
136	* ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'': Based on ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' with mystery.
137	* ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'': OlderThanSteam, which just goes [[JustForFun/TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples to show...]]
138	* ''Series/{{Room 222}}''
139	* ''Series/{{Roswell}}'' ([[Series/RoswellNewMexico its 2019 reboot]], in contrast, has an explicitly older cast)
140	* ''Series/{{Runaways\|2017}}''
141	* ''Series/SecondNoah''
142	* ''Series/TheSecretCircle''
143	* ''Series/TheSeaBeyond''
144	* ''Series/SexEducation''
145	* ''Series/TheSecretLifeOfTheAmericanTeenager''
146	* ''Series/That70sShow''
147	** ''Series/That80sShow''
148	* ''Series/ShutUpFlowerBoyBand''
149	* ''Series/{{Skam}}''
150	* ''Series/{{Skin}}'', a short-lived SettingUpdate of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''.
151	* ''Series/{{Skins}}''
152	* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' was one of these, before the SciFi and geeky ComicBook fanservice took over.
153	* ''Series/SouthOfNowhere'': A Creator/TeenNick drama. Unusual because it had a 30 running time for the most part.
154	* ''Series/TheSpiderwickChronicles2024''
155	* ''Series/StarCrossed''
156	* ''Series/{{Stargirl\|2020}}'': Superhero series with a high school setting.
157	* ''Series/TheStoryOfTracyBeaker''. Set in a care home.
158	* ''Series/{{Summertime}}''
159	* ''Series/TeenWolf''
160	* ''Series/TheTribe''. A [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic]] teen drama from UsefulNotes/NewZealand.
161	* ''Series/Twisted2013''
162	* ''Series/TheVampireDiaries''
163	* ''Series/VeronicaMars'' -- TeenDrama meets FilmNoir.
164	* ''Series/{{Violetta}}''
165	* ''Film/TheWanderers'' is a teen drama about a youth gang in the Bronx.
166	* ''Film/TheWayHeLooks''
167	* ''Series/WeakHeroClass1'' is an action/drama set in a school where vicious bullying always happens.
168	* ''Series/{{Wednesday}}''
169	* ''Series/Yellowjackets'' is divided in two timelines, the 1996 year where all the main characters are teens lost in the woods of Canada, and the 2020s, where they are all adults.
170	* ''Webcomic/YuMeDream'' is a {{webcomic}} teen drama.
171	* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'' is a WebOriginal SerialNovel Teen Drama set in a SuperheroSchool.
172	[[/index]]
173
174	'''Parodies:'''
175	* Brilliantly spoofed in an episode of ''Series/StargateSG1'', "200", with a scene showing SG-1 recasted with "[[YoungerAndHipper younger, edgier actors]]" -- one of whom is a young Cory Monteith, who went on to star in an ''[[Series/{{Glee}} actual]]'' [[Series/{{Glee}} teen show]]. A lot of fans took it as a [[AffectionateParody light-hearted crack]] at ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'', given the similarities between the parody and the new ''BSG''. Nowadays, this parody is often used as a TakeThat towards ''Series/StargateUniverse'' in certain sections of the fandom, as [[HilariousInHindsight much of that stuff was actually present]] in ''SGU''.
176	* ''Moody's Point'', the hilariously over-the top ''Series/DawsonsCreek'' parody on ''Series/TheAmandaShow''.
177	* ''Teen Canyon'' is another ShowWithinAShow ''Series/DawsonsCreek''-like parody, this time on Disney's animated series ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders''.
178	* ''Series/TheOC'' had a ShowWithinAShow called "The Valley". The characters frequently made remarks about it that [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] some of the cliches teen dramas (including ''Series/TheOC'' [[SelfDeprecation itself]]) exhibited.
179	* Constantly the subject of spoof on {{sketch show}}s.
180	** ''Series/MadTV1995'' had one memorable sketch entitled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH6OUmsPA0I "Pretty White Kids With Problems"]], which was the name of this trope's redirect.
181	** ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', during Creator/BlakeLively's hosting gig, parodied ''Literature/GossipGirl'' with [[http://www.hulu.com/watch/113211/saturday-night-live-gossip-girl-staten-island a spinoff set in Staten Island]] (for those who "hate the sophistication of Manhattan").
182	* Heavily spoofed, along with teen movie cliches, by ''Film/NotAnotherTeenMovie''.
183	* ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' gave us this gem: what would ''Franchise/StarWars'' be like [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/04/27/ if it was a WB TV show]]?
184	* ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'' is entirely about spoofing the genre and its cliches (especially the {{Very Special Episode}}s.) in the most over-the-top manner possible.
185	* ''Series/StrangersWithCandy'' was a parody of both this and [[Series/AfterSchoolSpecial after-school specials]]. Most of the usual high school problems ("Am I cool? Should I rat out my friend?") belonged to the forty-six-year-old freshman main character and her teachers, while the teenage students were usually the [[OnlySaneMan only sane ones]]. There's also at least one horrible SpoofAesop per episode.
186	* A ''Webcomic/PennyAndAggie'' strip parodied social networking sites and online media mergers by imagining them as [[http://www.pennyandaggie.com/index.php?p=680 teen drama characters]].
187	* ''Series/SonnyWithAChance'' had ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxiftGfU8zQ&feature=related Mackenzie Falls]]''.
188	* In the book ''Schooled'' by Gordon Korman, the main character Capricorn gets addicted to a show called ''Trigonometry and Tears'', in which, from the descriptions provided, is a [[SoapWithinAShow very over-the-top relationship show]]. However, since Capricorn has no TV at his real house, he thinks it's the best thing ever (and tries to talk to the character).
189	* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' parodies both teen dramas and RealityTV. Most of the contestants are deliberately exaggerated takes on the stock characters found in teen dramas and other works about high school.
190	* Parodied in the first episode of ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'' with "High School Heights", an over-the-top drama where teens are making out in every shot and a character's dark secret is his inability to read, airing on "The WC".
191	* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' did it.
192	-->'''Teen:''' Now I'm going to go to a lake and stare meaningfully at the sunset.\
193	'''Voice Over:''' ''[singing]'' High school is such a serious thing. These problems really matter.
194	* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' suddenly shifts from a GenreBusting series with a mix of sci-fi, [[NightmareFuel horror]] and [[BlackComedy comedy]] to a mostly slow TeenDrama-filled (though still filled with humor and horror elements) [[ArcFatigue Act 6]]. Knowing [[TrollingCreator Andrew Hussie]], this was likely intentional.
195	* During the 1990s run of ''[[Series/TheMickeyMouseClub The All-New Mickey Mouse Club]]''; there was a recurring serial that served as a teen drama spoof called "Emerald Cove".
196	* One of Music/TheLonelyIsland's early projects for Website/{{Channel 101}} was a teen drama parody called ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODz2rUXpKWw The 'Bu]]''. (Young, sexy people that live in Malibu call it The 'Bu, because when you say the entire word, it takes time, and then you wouldn't be young anymore.)
197	* ''Literature/SkippyDies'' gives the genre the LitFic treatment. The book's plot is basically about a group of teens' relationship and friendship dramas, which have life-or-death consequences, and the book makes use of a number of SchoolTropes, but this is mixed up with social commentary and a stream-of-consciousness writing style.
198	* ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020'': The segment "Teeniacs" is a parody of supernatural teen dramas like ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and ''Series/TeenWolf''.
199	-->'''Wakko:''' But we're only three weeks into the school year and so much as changed already. We moved to a small town, we found a treasure map, our dad was blackmailed by the guy who owns the marina, our best friend was possessed, we proved the existence of alternate haunted timelines...
200	-->'''Yakko:''' ''(drives a car through the wall)'' And I finally got my learner's permit!
201	* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "Disney's The Reboot," where one of the ways Disney executives propose to reboot the show is as the more supernatural variant of this trope. "The Q" features Chris and his high school friends investigate the death of Meg by a werewolf who turns out to be Brian.

Context Main / TeenDrama