15. One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill is one of my favorite teen shows and for a lot of my friends – even though we weren’t old enough to watch it when it came out. It transcends generations with understandable messages and connects the characters to us with timeless struggles, like love, emotions, social status, and family problems. We are able to easily put ourselves in the situations that play out and that is what makes it such an awesome show! – Reagan Harrison
14. Glee
I’m a sucker for musicals and drama; Glee had a great blend of that. Some of my favorite musical covers were done by the Glee cast. Despite getting slushies thrown at their faces, they stood for something. Glee reminded us to embrace who we truly are no matter what other people thought. It was a show that proved that the underdogs in the school can also have their day in the spotlight. There’s a reason why the show has aired for so many seasons because of its strong message to youth. – Camille Espiritu
13. Gossip Girl
Centered on the children of Manhattan’s elite and the never-ending drama going on in their lives, Gossip Girl was juicy fun with full of charismatic yet complex characters that often riveted us with their dilemmas. Despite its ups and downs, Gossip Girl is a seminal show of the teen experience during the dawn of the digital age, being one of the very first shows to grasp how the internet can be incorporated into teenagers’ social lives. However, it wasn’t just the characters who invited the internet into their lives, but the audience as well. In its first two seasons, it established a dedicated online fanbase and changed the way we watched television. TV was no longer an individual experience but one where you can pull out your smartphone, tweet, react, and converse with other fans as each week’s crazy revelations unfolded live. It helped turn TV watching into the communal experience we have today. – Gabrielle Bondi
12. Hannah Montana
Most “average people” are fascinated by fame, and Hannah Montana entertained this fascination by creating Miley Stewart, an average girl who secretly performed as a world-famous pop star with a rhyming pseudonym and a wig. The show stayed amusing because of the way its premise lent itself to a myriad of amusing situations—for example, paparazzi assuming that Jackson, Miley’s brother, was Hannah’s boyfriend. However, its real strength lay in the fact that it never failed to focus on Miley’s life just as much as Hannah’s, with all of her everyday problems and triumphs. Of course, the catchy, feel-good songs that were incorporated into episodes, such as “I Got Nerve” and “If We Were A Movie,” added to the show’s appeal. – Brittany Menjivar
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11. Saved By The Bell
This show of six of the bestest friends navigating their way in high school (and then a spinoff on college but who really watched all of that?) was one of my bibles. I mean, this is one of the very shows that taught me what a high schooler faces. It had its comedic episodes, but the series also captured serious topics that pushed boundaries which not a lot of teenage television showed at the time, such as drug addiction, dating and peer pressure. I’m also pretty sure Zack Morris was one of my very first TV crushes. Am I right? – Ashley Bulayo
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