Items14The creator’s order
  1. 1My So-Called Life (1994)My So-Called Life (1994) 8.4/10 on IMDbFirst aired Aug 25, 1994Angela Chase's crush on Jordan Catalano is only one reason to start the show. Claire Danes makes you hear the gap between what Angela thinks she's saying and what the people around her can possibly know. Pick this if you want small decisions about attention and friendship to carry the weight of a…0
  2. 2Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990)Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) 6.6/10 on IMDbFirst aired Oct 4, 1990Start at West Beverly High, when Brenda and Brandon Walsh are new arrivals from Minnesota. Their outsider's view makes a good way into a show where school and social life bleed into one another. Enjoy the earnestness of the early stories and let the messier loyalties reveal themselves over time.0
  3. 3Dawson's Creek (1998)Dawson's Creek (1998) 6.8/10 on IMDbFirst aired Jan 20, 1998Dawson loves movies, and the quiet coastal town gives him and his friends more time to talk than they probably know what to do with. If you want a drama that lets teenagers argue out of proportion to whatever happened that afternoon, this is a good place to spend time.0
  4. 4Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) 8.3/10 on IMDbFirst aired Mar 10, 1997Buffy's high school sits on a Hellmouth, which brings a little clarity to the feeling that the building itself has it in for you. Start with her high-school years for the most direct version of the joke and for a show that can let a fight with a monster lead into a much more ordinary fear of losing…0
  5. 5Freaks and Geeks (1999)Freaks and Geeks (1999) 8.7/10 on IMDbFirst aired Sep 25, 1999Lindsay Weir tries a new crowd while her brother Sam and his friends try to get through school without giving the bullies fresh material. The two stories give the same hallways different stakes. Start here if you'd rather watch people make on-the-spot decisions about where they sit than hear them…0
  6. 6Party of Five (1994)Party of Five (1994) 6.9/10 on IMDbFirst aired Sep 12, 1994After their parents die, the Salinger siblings have to make a household work under their eldest brother's watch. Julia wants independence, and Bailey and Claudia both have to help keep the family together. Watch this if you miss family dramas that give teenagers enough responsibility to make their…0
  7. 7Heartbreak High (1994)Heartbreak High (1994) 7.8/10 on IMDbFirst aired Feb 27, 1994The original is set at Sydney's Hartley High. The pleasure of going back to it is how little room it leaves between an ordinary school day and somebody's home trouble following them through the door. Give it a try if the more glamorous American shows leave you wanting a busier, pricklier school.0
  8. 8Popular (1999)Popular (1999) 7.4/10 on IMDbFirst aired Sep 29, 1999A cheerleader and a school journalist have to deal with the fact that their parents are getting married. The collision is a perfect excuse to make the high-school social ladder look absurd. Try it once you're in the mood for a teen drama with a sharp mean streak and room for very broad jokes.0
  9. 9Roswell (1999)Roswell (1999) 7.5/10 on IMDbFirst aired Oct 6, 1999Liz finds out there is something different about Max when he saves her after a shooting at the Crashdown Café. The first version of Roswell gives you the romance, then asks what it means to keep someone's secret when simply being seen together can attract attention.0
  10. 10Ready or Not (1993)Ready or Not (1993) 6.9/10 on IMDbFirst aired Apr 3, 1993Amanda and Busy have different ways of getting through adolescence, which gives their friendship room to change before you notice it has. Choose this Canadian drama for the unshowy treatment of body changes, first love, and family trouble. A friend can be worried about the wrong thing and still be…0