Good TV Shows for Teens
Finding the best shows for teenagers to watch can be tricky. Not all TV shows starring teens (or actors playing teens) are necessarily the best for teens to watch - themes can get too dark, romances too intimate, or morals too thin. Conversely, some “grown-up” series are not only great for teens, but they’re also something they can watch with their parents, too! If you’ve been looking for good shows for teens, this list of the best television shows appropriate for teens will help find the right balance of what is “good for teens” and “actually fun to watch.”
Every teen is different and just because someone is now high school-aged doesn’t mean they automatically are ready to watch crime shows or edgy humor. But that doesn't mean they want to watch shows for kids anymore either. The best shows for teens to watch find a balance between compelling and creepy, romantic and raunchy. Some good shows for teens portray positive examples of family, such as Jane the Virgin, Gilmore Girls, and Moesha. Others offer good role models or even open up dialogues about the stress of being a teen, like Degrassi and My So-Called Life.
Which television shows are the most appropriate for a teenager to watch? Vote up the best shows for teens, vote down the shows that they wouldn't enjoy, and add any good series for teens that are missing.
- 1Anjelica Bette Fellini, Maddie Phillips, Kadeem Hardison
- Premiered: August 14, 2020
Twin sisters Blair and Sterling balance teen life with an unlikely new career as bounty hunters. - 2Rachel Griffiths, Sophia Ali, Shannon Berry
- Premiered: December 11, 2020
Teenage girls are stranded on a remote island as subjects of an elaborate social experiment. - 3Kimie Tsukakoshi, Elizabeth Cullen, Mia Milnes
- Premiered: July 8, 2018
The adventures of Kyra, who learns of a magical world that exists secretly all around her. - 4Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper
- Premiered: September 19, 2016
Eleanor Shellstrop finds out that even in the afterlife, it's never too late to change your ways. - 5Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott
- Premiered: September 30, 2009
A middle-class family tries to keep its collective head above water. - 6Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Richa Moorjani, Poorna Jagannathan
- Premiered: April 27, 2020
The complicated life of a first-generation Indian-American teenager. - 7Tyler Posey, Dylan O'Brien, Holland Roden
- Premiered: June 5, 2011
A teen struggles to understand who he is and what he's becoming after being bitten by a werewolf. - 8Andy Samberg, Andre Braugher, Terry Crews
- Premiered: September 17, 2013
An offbeat police squad must get its act together to impress its precinct's new captain. - 9Benjamin McKenzie, Donal Logue, David Mazouz
- Premiered: September 22, 2014
Detective James Gordon and a young Bruce Wayne navigate the dangerous world of Gotham City. - 10Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders
- Premiered: September 19, 2005
Through a series of flashbacks, Ted tells his kids how he met their mother. - 11Daisy Edgar-Jones, Paul Mescal, Eliot Salt
- Premiered: April 26, 2020
Marianne and Connell come from different backgrounds but weave in and out of each other's lives. - 12Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Tyler Blackburn
- Premiered: June 8, 2010
Four teenagers band together against an unknown foe who threatens to expose their secrets. - 13Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Melissa McCarthy
- Premiered: October 5, 2000
A woman endeavors to raise a daughter on her own. - 14Gina Rodriguez, Andrea Navedo, Justin Baldoni
- Premiered: October 13, 2014
A 23-year-old virgin is accidentally impregnated during a routine visit to a clinic. - 15Ed O'Neill, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell
- Premiered: September 23, 2009
A diverse clan bridges cultural and generational gaps. - 16Amanda Arcuri, Jamie Bloch, Chelsea Clark
- Premiered: January 4, 2016
Students encounter common high school issues. - 17Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Vinette Robinson
- Premiered: July 25, 2010
A contemporary spin on the novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring the peerless Sherlock Holmes. - 18Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, Jason Dohring
- Premiered: September 22, 2004
The title character works as a private investigator to solve crimes in the seaside town of Neptune. - 19Teri Polo, Sherri Saum, Noah Centineo
- Premiered: June 3, 2013
Two mothers raise a multiethnic family of foster and biological children. - 20Abigail Cowen, Hannah van der Westhuysen, Precious Mustapha
- Premiered: January 22, 2021
Fairies learn to master their magical powers while attending a magical boarding school. - 21James Roday Rodriguez, Dulé Hill, Corbin Bernsen
- Premiered: July 7, 2006
A novice sleuth convinces the police to let him help on baffling cases by pretending to be psychic. - 22Kaya Scodelario, Jack O'Connell, Hannah Murray
- Premiered: February 15, 2007
The lives and loves of a group of raucous teenagers growing up in Bristol, England. - 23Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Yara Shahidi
- Premiered: September 24, 2014
A black husband and father tries to establish a sense of cultural identity for his family. - 24Ashley Rickards, Beau Mirchoff, Molly Tarlov
- Premiered: July 19, 2011
A teenager gains notoriety after an accident. - 25Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tika Sumpter, Christina Anthony
- Premiered: September 24, 2019
Rainbow Johnson recounts her experience growing up in a mixed-race family in the '80s.
