Teen dramas have accompanied us through the ups and downs in our teenage years. Millennials grew up with Gossip Girl, which involved universal themes such as relationships between friends and lovers, teenage rebellions, and bullying. In my generation, however, teen dramas that involve darker themes became more prevalent than ever.

Five years ago, the novel-based show 13 Reasons Why rose to become a worldwide phenomenon. We witnessed topics of body-shaming, bullying, betrayal, addiction, sex, rape, and self-harm through the lens of Hannah Baker’s cassette tapes that were recorded before her suicide. The launch of the TV show immediately garnered attention and set off debate on its graphic scenes, particularly when Hannah cut her wrist in the bathroom. Parents of teenagers found it inappropriate and disturbing, eventually leading Netflix to replace the clip.

The series was furthermore sued and suspected to be linked to the sudden rise of suicide rates in America after its premiere.

Scenes on love triangles, teenage rebellions, sex, drugs, and alcohol are common, but dramas like 13 Reasons Why took them to further extremes. Riverdale, an adaptation from the DC Archie comics, went viral around the same time. It showed explicit scenes on murder, sex, drug use, and exaggerated and romanticized relationships, which moved even further from reality.

The recent HBO hit series Euphoria depicts a group of high school students surrounding drugs, sex, trauma, and social media. The series displayed highly graphic sex scenes and nudity, leading to discussion on the appropriateness within a “teen” drama.

The show still made a huge impact on pop culture despite debates on its suitability on teenage audiences. People focused on the glamorous casts, makeup, and fashionable outfits, ignoring the potential lessons the show was intending to teach. This results in the Euphoria effect. Themed parties and fashion based on the show are everywhere.

The dark teen drama trend in recent years is perhaps a reflection of society. Thinking back in history, Gen Z, kids born between the late 90s and the early 2010s, were statistically the most stressed generation. They faced by far the most political unrests, economic recessions, environmental issues, school shootings, and the ongoing pandemic, all and not limited to, of which led to depression and anxiety. Teenagers find the dark topics relatable and watch them as an escape from reality. In order to grow their audience, production companies make them more attractive by adapting their shows from famous comics and books. However, this leads to a vicious cycle.

Portraying explicit scenes on television is not wrong. They can be a way to inform teenagers on topics that are usually kept silent in school and conversations with parents. However, aestheticization and exaggerations of the concepts can deviate far from reality.

Famous teen series usually feature established stars, which people might watch the series by focusing on the celebrities. The fact that Gen Z-ers grew up with these explicit shows is sometimes absurd to think about. Romanticization of toxic romantic relationships, self destruction, and trauma is a grave issue because they might ignore that all actions have consequences and should be taken responsibility.

The Rise of Dark Teen Dramas

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