In 1990,Beverly Hills, 90210invited us to the Peach Pit and it changed everything.
“My first memory of teen TV was seeing a commercial forBeverly Hills, 90210.”
Nowadays, she continues, “teen TV is important because it’s new.”
ISABELLA B. VOSMIKOVA/NETFLIX; Casey Durkin/Peacock; HBO; ABC/Erika Doss; The CW; Karolina Wojtasik/HBO Max
New in the grand scheme of things, at least.
They needed more a mystery, a murder, or both.
(As if being a teenager wasn’t hard enough.)
Today, that theme is bigger than ever thanks to fantasy epics like Netflix’sShadow and Bone.
Which raises the question: Could a show likeDawson’s Creekeven succeed today?
But isAll Americanthe last of its kind?
Are classic high school stories just not as exciting anymore?
“You could really look at that space for those nostalgia shows, the simple stories, theEverwoods.”
Then again, it’s possible that today’s viewers are less interested in those simpler stories.
“Once HBO’s putting their hat in the ring, the content changes,” saysO.C.creatorJosh Schwartz.
But maybe going darker isn’t the next wave at all.
To date, the biggest and most welcome change with this latest batch of reboots is their on-camera diversity.
So what does the future hold for teen TV?
More representation, edgier stories, a return to those WB days?
Whatever comes next, “authenticity is always the key,” says Berlanti.
“They have to be truthful.”
Read more fromI Want My Teen TV, EW’s summerlong celebration of teen shows past and present.
