{"id":253,"date":"2013-08-26T10:17:49","date_gmt":"2013-08-26T10:17:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cantshutupabout.com\/?p=253"},"modified":"2019-10-04T18:25:54","modified_gmt":"2019-10-04T18:25:54","slug":"its-a-teen-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cantshutupabout.com\/2013\/08\/its-a-teen-drama\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s A Teen Drama?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As drama addicts and box-set junkies I’m sure you’ve had the problem of trying to describe a great show to someone whose not quite convinced. It’s a problem with a lot of the best shows because often what makes them great is the part that can’t be covered in a standard synopsis or format and genre description. On top of that some of the best shows go ahead and call themselves ‘Battlestar Galactica’ (or ‘Stargate Universe’) so that as soon as you mention the title people tend to look at you like you’ve grown a second head.<\/p>\n

Of course since they are great shows and you know friends and family would love them if only they’d give it a chance so you try various descriptions to see if any work. “Imagine a cross between Lost and Deep Space Nine!” was one such description I tried for Battlestar to no avail, possibly because everyone to who that description is appealing was already watching. “It’s really great drama that just happens to be set in space!” seemed to be the most effective one for BSG. “It’s similar to BSG” worked to get a certain audience to try Stargate Universe.<\/p>\n

But as hard as its been to get people on board with ‘Drama that happens to be set in space’, another genre has proved monumentally harder to get people interested in. Teen Drama. “A teen drama?” people will say before you apparently vanish into thin air. There is a massive stigma. I am guilty of giving someone the odd sideways glance when they recommend a Teen Drama as worth a watch. That’s despite 3 of my favourite shows fitting squarely in the genre. Of those 3 shows I’ve never been able<\/a> to get anyone to watch them, nada, not one single person.<\/p>\n

The Stigma is an odd one, but very real. In the case of Veronica Mars (one of the 3 shows), creator Rob Thomas said recently said that if he hadn’t written the show he might not have watched the show himself!<\/p>\n

To try to break though this stigma I thought I’d rave about my 3 favourites in the hope that I might convince at least 1 person to give one of them a go or look on the genre slightly more generously.<\/p>\n

I know my readership isn’t massive but I’d appreciate people posting their favourites in the comments.<\/p>\n

Without further ado, in the order I came across them…<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The O.C.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Probably partly responsibly for the most recent wave of teen dramas, is also a good example of how quickly the tastes of TV execs change, after being an almost instant hit after being a mid-season replacement its first season was apparently extended several times. It was then cancelled at the end of its third season as new execs didn’t think it fit with rebranding the Fox network was undergoing.<\/p>\n

It’s hard to summarise the beginnings of the plot but the important bit is a friendship between Ryan a ‘kid from the wrong side of the tracks’ and Seth the geeky loner son of Ryan’s public defender. They develop a brotherly bond which drives the show forward when it’s slipping into genre clich\u00e9s elsewhere.<\/p>\n

The show itself is one of my guilty pleasures, that’s another term that has some negative connotations, although in this case it probably fits well, but don’t let that put you off. The quality is inconsistent at times, but I always cared about the core cast of characters, Seth and Ryan especially. At its best it is up there with the very best of the genre, particular highlights include:-<\/p>\n