Teenage series are called so for a reason, because they tell stories about and for teenagers. Adults have long passed this stage of their lives and they are generally not interested in watching what is happening in such shows. However, it also happens that teen series surprise with their depth or sincerity, or even surprisingly strong story. About six similar modern projects that can chain viewers of all ages to the sofas will be discussed further in the article.
“I do not like it!” (I Am Not Okay With This)
- Kinopoisk: 6.8.
- IMDb: 7.5.
- Number of episodes: 7 (20 minutes).
The heyday of teen shows aimed at adults coincided with the emergence of Netflix as a streaming giant. It was then that the service launched projects such as Stranger Things (2016) and The End of the F***ing World (2017). In 2020, the producers of the former (Shaun Levy and Dan Cohen) hired the director of the latter (Jonathan Entwistle) to create the miniseries I’m Not Okay With This!. Tough humor, interesting life themes, as well as an unusual look at the existence of people with superpowers have made the show one of the most successful modern Netflix projects. Sophia Lillis, star of the latest IT adaptation, stars in the title role.
Seventeen-year-old Sydney Novak struggles to come to terms with her father’s suicide, her strained relationship with her mother, and the imperfection of the world around her. The girl is worried about the misunderstanding of her peers, her own image of a loser, as well as the emergence of new feelings associated with puberty. She might have gone crazy a long time ago if it weren’t for Dean’s girlfriend, who is trying in every possible way to cheer up Sidney and supports her in difficult times. However, one day the main character discovers incredible abilities in herself – she is able to harm people who disgust or hate her with the power of thought.
“I never …” (Never Have I Ever)
- Kinopoisk: 7.3.
- IMDb: 7.8.
- Number of episodes: 20 (25 minutes).
Also in 2020, Netflix launched I Never Never…, a colorful, funny, light-hearted and life-affirming project about teenagers. Unlike many similar shows that focus only on drama and try to squeeze the most unexpected twists out of their story, this series remembers that it is about an ordinary girl. The main character is trying to live and enjoy the process, even despite the terrible events that happen in the life of every person. Perhaps this is why the audience fell in love with the series – it makes you remember that there is only one life and you should not spend it on depression.
Fifteen-year-old girl of Indian origin Devi Vishwakumar survived the death of her father. Against the backdrop of severe stress, her legs were paralyzed. However, one day, seeing a handsome guy on the street, the girl blossomed and got up from the stroller. Now she wants at all costs to remove the label of a disabled person and a loser. Moreover, Devi wants to become the most popular girl in school. She will have to combine studies, showdowns with enemies and girlfriends, plans to win the guy’s heart, as well as meet the expectations of a strict mother, observe Indian holidays and at the same time not lose her own “I” in this cycle of life.
“Normal People” (Normal People)
- Kinopoisk: 7.6.
- IMDb: 8.4.
- Number of episodes: 12 (30 minutes).
The second novel by 29-year-old Irish Sally Rooney, Normal People, published in 2018, became a bestseller, like the first. It honestly and without embellishment told the story of first love and the fact that any relationship has an expiration date. Critics called the writer “Salinger for the millennials and the Snapchat generation”, and the BBC bought the film rights to the novel. The Normal People series was released on BBC Three and Hulu in 2020 and chained all teenagers to sofas. The high ratings made this project more interesting for an older audience, who, thanks to their life experience, appreciated it even more. “Normal People” was the most watched series on BBC iPlayer in 2020.
The main characters of the story are Marianne and Connell, classmates from different social strata and different companies. She is an unsociable and short-tempered girl from a wealthy family that no one wants to mess with. He is the most popular person in the school, living on the edge of poverty. They fall in love, but Connell does not want to advertise this relationship so as not to spoil his image. The couple breaks up after graduation, but soon fate brings them together again in college. True, now Mariana is becoming the center of attention of her peers, and Connell is an outcast in holey sneakers. They are overcome by self-doubt, thoughts about what others will think, and a desire to be normal.
“Young Monarchs” (Young Royals)
- Kinopoisk: 7.7.
- IMDb: 8.3.
- Number of episodes: 6 (50 minutes).
Sweden is known for its detective thrillers. However, in 2021, the Young Monarchs project, which was very unusual for the country, was released, which ended up in the Netflix library. It tells about fictional members of the royal family of Sweden and raises rather controversial topics. It focuses on modern agendas, which already infuriate the audience, but they are shown under such an unusual light that they do not cause rejection. Moreover, it becomes interesting to watch the characters, because they resemble living people with real feelings and emotions. It is because of this that the series is watched by viewers of all age categories, and its rating on various aggregators speaks for itself.
The younger prince of Sweden, Wilhelm, does not care at all about his image and reputation, since the throne does not shine for him anyway. One day he starts a fight at school, gets on the news and loses respect in the eyes of the people. The parents send the prince to the prestigious Hillerska boarding school, where teenagers from upper-class families mainly study. There, Wilhelm continues his wild and vulgar way of life. However, the news that it is he who will become the head of the throne radically changes the situation, forcing the prince to think and reconsider his life priorities.
“Cruel Summer” (Cruel Summer)
- Kinopoisk: 6.7.
- IMDb: 7.4.
- Number of episodes: 10 (45 minutes).
“Cruel Summer” is both a typical teen series and an unusual modern project. On the one hand, the main characters are the owners of standard images: the queen of the school with all the consequences and the nerd who dreams of becoming popular. On the other hand, an unusual narrative leads the viewer between three time periods, each of which has its own color scale and its own atmosphere. In one series, the characters manage to visit colorful and funny scenes, as well as gloomy and harsh ones, which is reflected in the actions of the characters. It is immediately clear how time can affect people. And in this series there is practically no vulgarity and frank erotic scenes, which are now trying to put in every episode of any teenage show.
The series takes place over three years from 1993 to 1995. The story begins with a beautiful and popular girl, Kate, suddenly disappearing in a small Texas town. At the same time, the sweet and clumsy Jeanette, who has long dreamed of popularity, suddenly begins to turn from a gray mouse into a beautiful and spectacular girl. The ugly duckling turns into a local star. However, after just a couple of years, the whole country begins to despise her, and reporters watch her every step. What actually happened?
“Pishcheblok”
- Kinopoisk: 7.3.
- IMDb: 6.1.
- Number of episodes: 8 (50-55 minutes).
And here is the domestic response to “Very strange things” with incredible flavor. The series Kinopoisk “Pishcheblok” is a film adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name by Alexei Ivanov. It captures both a young audience who likes horror stories, vampires and projects about peers, as well as an older audience who found the days of pioneer camps and grew up on dystopian novels about a totalitarian society. The series received many positive reviews. Interestingly, negative reviews mainly contain the phrases “horror and does not smell.” I would like to ask such “reviewers”: “Have you carefully read the genres of the series (fiction, thriller), but do you know the difference between thriller and horror?”
Events develop in the summer of 1980 during the Olympic Games in the USSR. While the whole country is watching the most important sporting event, a new group of pioneers and student leaders arrive at the Burevestnik camp near Kuibyshev. Boy Valerka Lagunov is desperately looking for real friends. He is simply delighted with the camp, until his comrades begin to disappear there. The worst thing is when the missing children return as if nothing had happened, but behave in a completely different way. These are not the same people who came to the camp initially.
Source: Trash Box
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