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Teen drama

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A teen drama is a television drama series that centers on teenage characters. The genre is a relatively new one, first dating to the late 1980s. These shows are usually serial dramas, which start when the characters are well into their teenage years (usually 15 or 16 years old) and if they have a long run, end when the characters are in their twenties.

Popular types of teen dramas

Teen dramas, as the name alludes to, are generally those which appeal to teen audiences. The most popular teen dramas are set in upper-class locales (ie. Beverly Hills 90210, The O.C..), or if set in another type of town setting (ie. Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill), feature attractive actors whose cast members are in their late teens at the youngest. Shows that depict teen life in a more realistic manner with a cast of actual teenagers tend not to do nearly as well. Notable examples include the critically acclaimed teen dramas My So-Called Life and Freaks and Geeks, as well as the less acclaimed Life As We Know It, none of which lasted a full season.

A notable exception to this trend is the Canadian-produced Degrassi series. All three Degrassi shows (Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High, and ) have been very successful in Canada. Degrassi: The Next Generation has even been successful in the United States (where it is shown on the cable channel The-N), where its popularity among teens has been near the popularity of the currently popular One Tree Hill#redirect .

It is also interesting to note that the most successful teen dramas are shown on the youth-oriented Fox and The WB networks, while the less successful shows have historically been shown on the Big Three networks (CBS, NBC, and ABC).

History of teen dramas

The first teen-oriented dramas didn't call themselves by the actual name "teen drama." One of the earliest shows was the one-year-wonder soap opera Never Too Young, which aired from 1965 to 1966. As the late 1960s and early 1970s progressed, younger viewers began to find relatable characters on more daytime soaps. In 1967, Love is a Many Splendored Thing premiered and quickly became a hit with teen audiences. It was soon followed by All My Children in 1970 and The Young and the Restless in 1973.

In primetime, various shows which centered on the whole family focused much of the attention on the adolescent characters. Such examples include Eight is Enough, Family, Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, and the short-lived James at 15. As a result, young stars such as Willie Aames, Kristy MacNichol, and Melissa Gilbert became youth icons.

The first show to target itself directly to teenage audiences in the United States was Beverly Hills, 90210. The Canadian show Degrassi Junior High was very popular in Canada as well. The stars of “90210” became instantly popular with young audiences, especially with popular actors such as Luke Perry and Jason Priestley. The show remained popular throughout the first half of the 1990s, and remained on the air until 2000.

The next teen drama to make it on the air was My So-Called Life on ABC in 1994. My-So Called Life was not a success in the ratings and was cancelled after the first season. One reason for the show's low ratings was its placement in the 8:00 P.M. time slot on Thursdays. It was beaten considerably by Friends, another show that premiered in 1994. Nonetheless, My-So Called Life launched the careers of young actors Claire Danes and Jared Leto.

Fox’s Party of Five, which premiered in 1994, became an instant hit with teenage audiences. Stars Matthew Fox and Scott Wolf became heartthrobs, and it also launched the careers of Jennifer Love Hewitt, Neve Campbell, and Lacey Chabert.

The creation of the teen-targeting The WB network in 1995 helped to launch a whole new era for teen dramas. Within three years, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Felicity, and Dawson's Creek were premiered, soon acquiring large teenage fan bases. The family drama 7th Heaven also became popular among teenagers. Dawson’s Creek was considered by many to be the “heir apparent” to Beverly Hills, 90210.

Over the next few years, The WB’s Everwood and Gilmore Girls became popular with teenage audiences. Smallville is another example of a WB show that is a successful teen drama, because although it is supposed to be a sci-fi show based on Clark Kent's years before becoming the Superman of today, it focuses on him as a teenager, and many of the stories revolve around teenage relationships between the characters. Degrassi: The Next Generation also began to have a growing fan base in the United States. However, NBC’s critically acclaimed Freaks and Geeks did poorly, despite its cult following, and was cancelled after less than a season due to low ratings. Many believe these were the result of the show's constant movement of poor timeslots, little promotion, and its realistic view of teen life.

By 2003, a whole new set of teen dramas sought fan bases. That year, both Dawson’s Creek and Buffy, The Vampire Slayer ended their runs. That fall, The O.C. premiered on Fox and One Tree Hill premiered on The WB. The former became a hit among teens very quickly, while the latter started rather slowly, but soon garnered a fan base.

The O.C. inspired the MTV reality show . It was structured as an unscripted serial drama, akin to The O.C. The show is very popular among teenagers as well. Its fan club group on MySpace is the second-largest group on the site, with over 100,000 members.

In the UK Teen dramas were more aimed both older Children and teenagers but taking place in set locations such as Grange Hill, Byker Grove and Childrens Ward which took place in a school, a youth club and a Childrens Ward in a hospital. The shows dealt with teenage issues in safe ways in there timeslots. These shows were shown during special veritiy shows with presenters indroducing these shows in between cartoons and other childrens programs during after school hours.

In 1995 a Hollyoaks was launched on Channel 4 a teenage (as well as 20 somthings) aimed soap drama about teenagers and their families in a fictional village near Chester as they attend Hollyoaks comprehensive and Hollyoaks community college. The show also focused on some teenagers as they became adult 20 somthings starting up life at work and even having kids of there own. Unlike other UK shows aimed at teenagers Hollyoaks was shown later and dealt with teenage issues more controversial ways.

Also In the UK The O.C is a popular show and is shown in the same time spot on T4 as Dawsons Creak when it was shown in the UK. T4 is a special weekend morning teen-aimed slot on Channel 4 which also shows One Tree Hill, repeats of The O.C and other teenage aimed tv shows made in the UK and US.

As long as there is a reliable teenage audience, teen dramas will continue to be an important part of the television schedule. 

List of teen dramas


















 





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