Disconnect in '90's and Early 2000's Teen Drama Series πŸŽ₯

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(Edited)

I've watched quite a few teen drama tv-series in "my day" and didn't realize that there was a little disconnect with reality back then. Can't really speak about now, as I have to catch up on what's coming out now. Side note: I'll be excluding teen mystery drama series like The Vampire Diaries, Legacies, etc. as those are another category in itself.


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I have to say that I enjoyed watching those tv-series for the drama, the storyline, the romances and of course the attractive actors playing those characters. So I didn't care about how different it was from my own reality, although maybe that was a good thing. I mean, one of the reasons movies and tv-series are made, is to forget about one's own reality. Even I don't want to watch serious or artistic movies all the time.

But what changed? If I look back, I guess these points were already going through my head subconsciously, but I was so focused on watching these series, that I didn't even think of questioning what I was watching. What was so unrealistic? For starters, that those actors who had to play teenagers were almost all in their twenties and some even in their thirties. Case in point: Gabrielle Carteris playing Andrea Zuckerman in 90210 Beverly Hills.

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I was really questioning why my peers and I didn't look like those actors then, who supposedly had to be in their teenage years. Another disconnect were the constant party or out of school activities that were highlighted; the scenes in class were few to non existent. Good example of those are One Tree Hill and The O.C. As if teenagers had ample time or money to socialize. I know that there are/were teenagers who have/had an active social life, but those are in the minority.

And then there's the drama, alcohol, sex, abuse, manipulation and drugs, especially in Gossip Girl. Of course there are teenagers in real life, who are going through or engaging or dealing with one or maybe all of those topics, so there's some truth to that. I only wonder what the number is of teenagers really dealing with the aforementioned though. Could be that I was pretty sheltered growing up, but I can't remember going to clubs or buying alcohol as a teen. Disclaimer: 18 is the permitted age of drinking and going to clubs here in Suriname, so I'm not talking about 18+.

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But how could a character go through so much like for instance Marissa Cooper in the O.C. or Peyton Sawyer in One Tree Hill, dealing with alcohol abuse, getting (sexually) abused or being shot? How much of so much drama can a real teen handle I wonder. Both actresses playing those roles left the show before the series finale and have said themselves that their characters went through so much, that they wouldn't know which way their story arc could further go.

Now one might argue that these series might've been dull without all of that drama and I agree to an extent. But if you look at The Secret Life of the American Teenager or Boy Meets World, then you can see that it is possible to let teenagers play teenage roles. And though Dawson's Creek was also one of those drama tv series with actors in their twenties, I find that the transition from teen to adult was done quite well in comparison to the other tv-series.

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To close off I have to say that, yes there's some disconnect with real teenagers compared to teenagers in drama series, but they aren't all that bad. What about you, were you able to recognize yourself in teenagers on screen in drama series, a little or hardly any similarities? Let me know in the comments below. πŸ€“


Chasse into the backstage! πŸ’ƒ



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3 comments
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great I will watch it

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Let us know what you found of all the series mentioned 😊.

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