15 Best Teen TV Shows Of All Time, Ranked

When you’re a teenager, every single event and emotion in your young life takes on massively outsized importance; a failed chemistry test can feel like the end of your world, and you might exclaim that your “life is over” if your crush doesn’t like you back. That’s just one reason that teen dramas have been a TV staple across the past several decades — those big feelings translate perfectly to the small screen and keep the audience hooked, whether they’re 15 or 55.

With that in mind, which teen dramas are the best of the best? There are so many out there, so winnowing it down can feel a little intimidating if you’re looking for coming-of-age stories about headstrong, passionate, and often very funny young people figuring out who they are and where they belong in the world. We’ve got you covered! This ranking takes 15 teen shows from those aforementioned past few decades and ranks them from “pretty amazing” to “untouchably perfect.” 

Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever” centers around high schooler Devi Vishwakumar (newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), who’s still grappling with the sudden loss of her beloved father as she tries to fit in at her Los Angeles high school. At school, Devi, along with her best friends Eleanor Wong (Ramona Young) and Fabiola Torres (Lee Rodriguez), tries to make new strides, especially when it comes to boys like the school’s heartthrob Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet) — even as she competes academically with Ben Gross (Jaren Lewison). At home, Devi tries to fulfill the high expectations set by both her mother Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan), a successful doctor, as well as her cousin Kamala Nandiwadal (Richa Moorjani), who’s pursuing a PhD but also bristling at her own cultural restraints.

Add in famously irritable tennis pro John McEnroe, who voices Devi’s inner monologue, and four seasons of funny, cringey, and emotionally resonant storylines, and you’ve got a pretty great teen drama. Don’t say never to “Never Have I Ever.”

Cast: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan
Creator: Mindy Kaling, Lang Fisher
Number of Seasons: 4
Where to watch: Netflix

“Skins,” without question, changed the landscape of teen dramas and pushed the boundaries of what they could show. This British series — which introduced a number of huge stars to the world, including Nicholas Hoult, future Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya, eventual “Game of Thrones” standouts Joe Dempsie and Hannah Murray, and “Slumdog Millionaire” star Dev Patel — shows the grittier side of being a teenager as its characters dabble in drugs and casual sex as they try and find their places in the world and the stratified rungs of society in the United Kingdom.

“Skins” isn’t necessarily for the faint of heart, but it’s a landmark and a staple in the teen drama genre, so it should definitely be on your watchlist. Plus, you won’t get bored; there are seven full “series” of “Skins,” each of which move through generations to feature different teens and their stories.

Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Kaya Scoledario, Daniel Kaluuya
Creator: Bryan Elsley, Jamie Brittain
Number of Seasons: 7
Where to watch: Hulu

Like “Skins” before it, the British teen comedy “Sex Education” covers some pretty taboo topics — but it uses a very clever narrative device to explain why it delves into the sex lives of these secondary schoolers. After a lifetime living with his extremely open sex therapist mom — Jean, played by the eternally great Gillian Anderson — Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) decides to put his knowledge to good use and make some money, setting up an impromptu sex clinic in an abandoned shed on the grounds of his school. (It’s sort of like Lucy’s advice booth in “Peanuts,” but a lot dirtier.) As Otis helps his classmates and discovers his own desires — and harbors an intense crush on his friend Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey) — his friends, like Ncuti Gatwa’s Eric Effiong, come to terms with their own sexual identites and preferences.

Sure, “Sex Education” can be over-the-top and filthy, but it also tackles some serious topics — like asexuality and even harassment — with seriousness and aplomb. Plus, if you loved Aimee Lou Wood on “The White Lotus,” you won’t want to miss her breakout performance here as the sweet, eminently lovable Aimee Gibbs.

Cast: Asa Butterfield, Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa, Aimee Lou Wood
Creator: Laurie Nunn
Number of Seasons: 4
Where to watch: Netflix

It’s impossible to discuss great teen dramas without mentioning “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” Joss Whedon’s series adaptation of the movie of the same name that casts Sarah Michelle Gellar as the titular teen vampire slayer. Aided by friends like Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon) at Sunnydale High School, Buffy Summers also romances vampires like Angel (David Boreanaz) and consults with her “Watcher” Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head). Beyond that, the series helped make bigger stars out of Michelle Trachtenberg, Charisma Carpenter, and James Marsters, just to name a few.

From its musical episode to a particularly heart-wrenching episode about Buffy’s family (the Season 5 episode “The Body”), “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is one of the most famous teen TV shows in the genre’s history. Check it out if you haven’t.

Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan
Creator: Joss Whedon
Number of Seasons: 7
Where to watch: Hulu, Disney+

There aren’t really any great animated teen dramas in the genre, because animation tends to cater to kids or adults and skip that generation — but at least we’ve got “Daria.” Technically a spin-off of Mike Judge’s “Beavis and Butt-Head,” “Daria” focuses on the titular sardonic teen, Daria Morgendorffer (voiced by Tracy Grandstaff), who’s got a signature monotone and cynical outlook to match. Alongside her best friend, the budding artist Jane Lane (Wendy Hoopes), Daria deals with her inexplicably popular but secretly bright younger sister Quinn (Hoopes) — who’s part of the high school’s elite “Fashion Club,” run like the Navy by queen bee Sandi Griffin (Lisa Kathleen Collins) — and Daria and Quinn’s erratic but loving parents, power attorney Helen (Hoopes) and quick-tempered, sensitive sales consultant Jake (Julián Rebolledo).

With the original series and two films — “Is It Summer Yet?” and “Is It College Yet?” — there’s a ton of “Daria” out there for you to explore if you haven’t checked out this groundbreaking series just yet. Queue it up and, before long, you’ll be wishing the in-universe show “Sick Sad World” was real.

Cast: Tracy Grandstaff, Wendy Hoopes, Sarah Drew
Creator: Glenn Eichler, Susie Lewis Lynn
Number of Seasons: 5
Where to watch: Paramount+

Adapted from Jenny Han’s novel trilogy of the same name, Amazon Prime Video’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” orbits around Isabel “Belly” Conklin (Lola Tung), who undergoes a typical teen transformation before spending her annual summer in the fictional town of Cousins Beach at the beloved Fisher house (kept by matriarch Susannah, played by Rachel Blanchard, who happens to be best friends with Belly’s mom Laurel Park, played by Jackie Chung). Upon her arrival, Belly realizes that Susannah’s sons — Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher, played by Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno — see her in a different light, and the love triangle officially begins.

Across the three seasons (one for each book), Belly flits between Conrad and Jeremiah before finally striking out on her own in a big way in the final season (which we won’t fully spoil here). “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is nostalgic, overdramatic, and full of big feelings; it’s literally everything you could want from a teen drama.

Cast: Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno
Creator: Jenny Han
Number of Seasons: 3
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

The show that helped introduce future stars Claire Danes and Jared Leto to the world also happens to be one of the best teen dramas ever made. “My So-Called Life,” which only aired for one short season in the mid-1990s, centers around Angela Chase (Danes), who lives in the suburbs of Pittsburgh and is just trying to get through high school relatively unscathed … and who is hopelessly in love with the most popular and mysterious boy at school, Jordan Catalano (Leto). As she pushes boundaries and tries new things alongside her best friends Enrique “Rickie” Vasquez (Wilson Cruz) and Rayanne Graff (A.J. Langer), Angela tries to figure out what kind of woman she wants to be.

“My So-Called Life” is short but a staple, so give it a try — especially if you’re a fan of Danes, who proved that she can carry a series all on her own many years before “Homeland.”

Cast: Claire Danes, Jared Leto, A.J. Langer, Wilson Cruz
Creator: Winnie Holzman
Number of Seasons: 1
Where to watch: Hulu, Disney+

If you grew up with ABC’s weekly “TGIF” block of programming, you’re definitely already familiar with “Boy Meets World,” the series that follows Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) from middle school all the way to college. As Cory falls in love with his middle school classmate Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel) and gets into scrapes with his best friend Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong), he also learns plenty of lessons with his family, including his goofy brother Eric (Will Friedle) and his doting parents Amy and Alan (Betsy Randle and William Huss). 

The one person who’s always there to help Cory learn about life, though, is Mr. George Feeny (William Daniels), his teacher who, somewhat explicably, “follows” him through middle and high school and even to college so that he’s always on hand to dispense necessary wisdom. “Boy Meets World” is a relic of its time — it’s got a laugh track, after all — but it’ll transport you right back to the 1990s.

Cast: Ben Savage, Rider Strong, Danielle Fishel
Creator: Michael Jacobs, April Kelly
Number of Seasons: 7
Where to watch: Disney+

Even though Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, who star on “Friday Night Lights” as unmatched cool parents Coach Eric Taylor and his wife Tami, are ostensibly the draw of the series, this teen drama boasts performances from future stars including Jesse Plemons, Zach Gilford, Minka Kelly, Gaius Charles, Jurnee Smollett, and even a young Michael B. Jordan (not as young as he was on “The Wire,” but still). As we follow football teams in the small fictional Texas town of Dillon — first the Panthers, then the East Dillon Lions, both of which Eric coaches throughout the show — we meet teenagers like the shy starting quarterback Matt Saracen (Gilford), headstrong cheerleader Lyla Garrity (Kelly), Matt’s nerdy but unexpectedly athletically gifted best friend Landry Clarke (Plemons), and even Eric and Tami’s eldest daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden), who ends up involved with Matt.

You don’t need to like football — or even know much about it — to appreciate the genius of “Friday Night Lights,” which uses a cinema verité style of filming to seem as “realistic” as possible. For a teen drama with a side of sports, try this pick.

Cast: Kyle Chandler, Jesse Plemons, Zach Gilford
Creator: Peter Berg, Jason Katims
Number of Seasons: 5
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

The premise of “PEN15,” produced by the comedy group The Lonely Island, is both bizarre and simple: creators and stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle play themselves as 13-year-olds in middle school amongst a cast of actually 13-year-old actors. (Before you start to worry, there are kissing scenes, but the workaround the show devises is both hysterical and avoids any horrifying situations.) As Maya Ishii-Peters (Erskine) and Anna Kone (Konkle) try to navigate music recitals, first kisses, sleepovers, and even a passing shared interest in witchcraft, they always try to stick together no matter what … and they might remind you of you and your best friend in middle school.

“PEN15” is gross, hilarious, gut-busting, and even devastating at points — and it easily proved that Erskine and Konkle aren’t just fine performers, but two genuinely great writers and creators. Head back to middle school with “PEN15,” but also be prepared to cringe a bit.

Cast: Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle
Creator: Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Sam Zvibleman
Number of Seasons: 2
Where to watch: Hulu

Kristen Bell is basically the queen of the small screen thanks to shows like “Nobody Wants This” and “The Good Place,” but for her origin story, you’ve gotta watch “Veronica Mars.” After her popular, beautiful best friend Lilly Kane (played in flashbacks by Amanda Seyfried) is murdered, Veronica is abandoned by the rest of her clique and starts operating alone at Neptune High by day … but by night, she’s an assistant to her private investigator and disgraced former Neptune sheriff Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni). 

Each season of “Veronica Mars,” including the fourth season that released in 2017 and the crowdfunded 2014 movie, focuses on a season-long mystery with other “cases of the week” interspersed throughout, and Bell is absolutely irresistible as the whip-smart, wise-cracking Veronica. Any and all Bell fans absolutely need to go watch “Veronica Mars.”

Cast: Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, Jason Dohring
Creator: Rob Thomas
Number of Seasons: 4 (and a movie)
Where to watch: Hulu

When we first meet the quick-talking, coffee-swilling Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) in “Gilmore Girls,” she’s in a bit of a bind … because in order to send her precocious daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel) to a prestigious preparatory school, Lorelai needs to borrow money from her wealthy but estranged parents Emily and Richard Gilmore (Kelly Bishop and the late, great Edward Herrmann). This brings Richard and Emily back into Lorelai and Rory’s lives and puts the booksmart teenager Rory on a fast track to great things like Ivy League universities and major journalism opportunities, and as we follow young mom Lorelai and her teen daughter, their lives constantly intertwine and echo each other.

While Lorelai’s journey is plenty fascinating, watching Rory go from high school to college — and beyond, in the 2016 reboot miniseries “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” — is incredible, and to this day, people will ferociously argue about which of her boyfriends is best between Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry), Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia), and Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki). (Hint: it’s not Dean.)

Cast: Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Kelly Bishop
Creator: Amy Sherman-Palladino
Number of Seasons: 7 (and a miniseries)
Where to watch: Netflix, Hulu

The original “Gossip Girl” (which is based on a series of novels by Cecily von Ziegesar) is deliciously nasty, wild, and unhinged … and that’s what makes it so great. When the beautiful but troubled Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) returns to Manhattan after time away at boarding school, her friends and enemies — including queen bee Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), bad boy Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), conflicted rich kid Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford), and “lower-status” Brooklyn dweller Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) — are all forced to adjust to her return. What follows is … insane.

To be clear, “Gossip Girl” takes place in a reality where teenagers frequent New York City bars and buy hotels — and when they do head to college, they never, ever go to class — but this tongue-in-cheek, always fascinating series is just a blast. Ignore the HBO Max reboot, though; that just didn’t work at all.

Cast: Leighton Meester, Blake Lively, Penn Badgley
Creator: Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage
Number of Seasons: 6
Where to watch: Netflix, HBO Max

“The O.C.” is, without question, one of the best and most influential teen dramas ever made — to the point where its showrunner and creator Josh Schwartz took on the aforementioned “Gossip Girl” after it ended. Our entry point to the wealthy California enclave of Orange County is Chino teen Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie), who gets arrested stealing a car with his older brother and almost ends up in a juvenile detention center but is saved by his big-hearted public defender Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher). Sandy, against the wishes of his wealthy and successful wife Kirsten (Kelly Rowan), brings Ryan back to the massive Cohen estate and puts him up in the poolhouse, and before long, Ryan is friends with Sandy and Kirsten’s nerdy but lovable only child Seth (Adam Brody) and strikes up a romantic connection with the beautiful girl next door, Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton).

Though the quality of “The O.C.” pretty famously dips after Season 2, the show is great — particularly when characters like Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) and Julie Cooper (Melinda Clarke) get more play — but it’s still worth watching all the way through. Besides, if you don’t know that this show is the origin of the mish-mash “holiday” “Chrismukkah,” you’re in for a treat.

Cast: Mischa Barton, Rachel Bilson, Adam Brody, Benjamin McKenzie
Creator: Josh Schwartz
Number of Seasons: 4
Where to watch: Hulu, HBO Max

“Freaks and Geeks” only ran for one short season, but it remains the best teen drama of all time. Fed up with her dull suburban life, high schooler Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) makes friends with the “freaks” — Daniel Desario (James Franco), Ken Miller (Seth Rogen), Nick Andopolis (Jason Segel), and bad girl Kim Kelly (Busy Philipps) — while her younger brother Sam Weir (John Francis Daley) runs with “geeks” Neal Schweiber (Samm Levine) and Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr). Across that single season, Lindsay and Sam navigate their new friend groups, learning important lessons along the way … and you might notice that this cast is a who’s who of future movie and TV stars, so the entire thing is performed beautifully.

Maybe “Freaks and Geeks” is so good because it was cut tragically short. Maybe it would have been perfect if it continued. Either way, watch “Freaks and Geeks” if you haven’t; you won’t regret it.

Cast: Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, Seth Rogen
Creator: Paul Feig
Number of Seasons: 1
Where to watch: Paramount+