Since the invention of television, an increasingly wide variety of series and programmes have been produced, aimed at different audiences. One of the most particular targets and for which specific programming is most often designed is adolescents, and for this reason there is a great diversity of series aimed at them or based on the problems of this sector of the population.

In short, adolescence is an age group that consumes many audiovisual fictions, and it is therefore important that there are good references in this medium.

That is why throughout this article we are going to see some of the best series for teenagers, generally starring themselves .

Recommended series for adolescents

This is a selection of TV series with a teenage theme or focused on the type of problems they usually face in their daily lives. In this list there are some examples that are highly known nowadays or that were extremely popular at the time, as well as some examples of less known but potentially interesting series.

1. Merlí

A very successful and high quality Catalan series, of which a total of three seasons (between 2014 and 2018) have been broadcast on TV3 and versions have been made in other countries.

Merlí shows us the story of a very particular philosophy teacher , who comes to work at Àngel Guimerá Secondary School to make his students reflect on their subject with a creative and unusual methodology. In addition, we will see how his students relate to each other and how they face their lives and their social and family dynamics, making reference to diverse and profound themes in a natural and critical way.

2. Partners

One of the series of the nineties that accompanied the young people of the time and that for four years was a reference in terms of adolescent series. It tells us the story of the students and teachers of a school, Azcona , working from personal relationships to problems such as gender violence or drugs. It was an epoch-making series that even included a film.

3. When leaving class

With a very similar theme and style to the previous one, when it came out of class it was also a very successful teenage series at the time, with the participation of many renowned actors and actresses within the Spanish scene. In this case the action took place at the Siete Robles Institute, and in this place were developed plots ranging from love relationships between adolescents to manipulations , work problems or dealing with drug use.

4. The 100

With a mix between a teenage series and a science fiction series, the 100 is a different approach to the type of series mentioned so far: the action moves to a stage in post-apocalyptic history, where humanity has been in a space base for almost a century after having to flee the planet after a nuclear war.

There are only a few thousand people left, who must subsist with the few resources they have and punish their crimes with expulsion into space (which implies death). The only exception are the minors, whose crimes are paid with prison sentences .

However, due to the decreasing amount of resources, it will be decided to send a hundred of these young people to the Earth, in order to check if it is habitable again. Once there, the young people will have to face a great variety of challenges in order to survive, including internal conflicts or even the presence of other inhabitants on the planet.

5. Misfits

Another series in the limbo between teenage drama and science fiction, Misfits shows us how five young convicts acquire powers after being hit by a storm ; powers that they are not able to control and that will make them have to help each other.

6. 13 reasons why

This series is highly regarded and has been controversial with respect to the issues it addresses. “13 reasons why” or “For Thirteen Reasons” tells us how a young woman sent a series of cassette tapes to a classmate to be passed on in a chain to a total of thirteen people, before committing suicide. In them, we can see how the different actions of the thirteen people led the young woman to cause her own death, and how the development of suicidal tendencies does not arise in an isolated way in the person, but has to do with the context .

7. The Fosters

A series that reflects the reality of the Foster family, formed by two women and their five children (four of them adopted). This series is especially relevant since allows us to account for the diversity of existing families , working on aspects such as sexuality, equality, the search for identity and the problems of both the couple and the children.

8. Glee

A highly popular teen series, Glee tells the story of how Professor Will Schuester is given (initially reluctantly) the command of the William McKinley High School choir, to which he will try to restore his prestige. To do this he recruits the few students , and little by little and with some strategy and talent he manages to make the choir memorable.

9. My Mad Fat Diary

Another series that tells us about life in a high school but in this case has a particularity: it is centred on the life of Rae, an adolescent with obesity and mental problems who will have to face the entrance to the institute and the return to society after having been admitted to a psychiatric hospital. With a relatively short duration (it consists of a total of 16 chapters) and a style between drama and comedy, this is a very particular series.

10. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

In a somewhat unique series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer tells the story of a young woman who will be chosen to become a slayer of all kinds of evil creatures that will attack Sunnydale, with the help of several friends and allies. This is a typically teenage series with supernatural overtones that enjoyed great popularity.

11. Skins

This is a well known series that has seven seasons and deals with the lives of a number of young adolescents and the problems they face as they begin to experience contact with the adult world . It is a dramatic series that, with an irreverent tone, touches on very diverse topics, including sexuality, drugs or marginality.

12. Everything sucks!

A series that takes place in the city of Boring, tells us the story of different teenage misfits in their high school years, who will decide to make a film to be shown in class. Based on the Oregon of the 90’s, it will let us see the different problems and experiences that these boys and girls have in their day to day. Unfortunately and despite its good reception, after finishing its first season the series has been cancelled.