10. Gossip Girl
This is the newest show on the list. It is the only show still on the air with actual high school characters. Gossip Girl has it all, rich kids, with rich parents, with lots of drama. From the writing genius of Josh Schwartz of OC fame, Gossip Girl is the OC and Beverly H
ills 90210 in the mecca of the rich: Upper East Side New York City. Based on the best selling teen book series by Cecily Von Zeigler, the television show only borrows the names of the characters and the location. They are all beautiful, they are all rich, and they are all full of drama dram drama. What separates this show from the rest is its great cinematography.9. One Tree Hill
Two brothers, the same father, different mothers. The concept pulled me in right from the start. The brother from the other side of the tracks and the brother in the hu
ge house. What brings these two obviously different characters together: basketball, oh and Nathan's suddent interest in Lucas' best friend Haley. One of the greatest showcests in teen melodrama existence. Nathan started off dating Peyton, who dumped him for Lucas, who started to date Brooke and is best friends with Haley, who dated then married Nathan. Yes married. The act that shocked all melodrama enthusiasts everywhere. Now in its 4th year, it is the only other show on this list that is still running. One Tree Hill avoided the one thing that has hurt high school melodramas everywhere. It skipped College. after taking a hiatus, it came back four years in the future. The is the best move that show could have taken. Now it is more of a Melrose Place, than a 90210.8. The OC
This show had one of the best first seasons of any show. It had so many twists and turns, than an episode of Lost. It pulled me in immediately, my mother, my friends, even my
dad for some episodes. The first season was so good, that it tried to live up to that for the remaining 3 seasons and never really could. This is where it went wrong. When you can't live up to your first season, you won't maintain viewership. What made this show great was the character of Seth Cohen. He was the conscience of the show with his witticisms and critique of the lives of the rich and famous. Seth was the glorified nerd and had everyone wanting to listen to Death Cab for Cutie and go to the comic book store. I know I did (even though I was doing this already...yes nerd). No other character has really been able to live up to the indie status that Seth brought to audiences through the OC, but they have tried, i.e. Dan on Gossip Girl (I don't believe it).7. Dawson's
CreekThis was one of the first successful teen shows after creation of 90210. It was about a bunch of normal kids who live in Capeside, Mass. Well when I say normal I mean not a bunch of rich kids. Yea the main characters talk older than their age with the vocabulary of a college student studying for the GRE and the knowledge base of a professor of pop culture. Some would say that is where the show lost its realistic approach, others (specifically myself) would say that is the reason why I own every season on DVD. Who cares if Dawson constantly talks about his feelings while constantly spouting out every obscure word from the thesaurus. The show fell victim to the death that is college, but we all re
member its early days of melodrama glory.6. Beverly Hills 90210
The original. 90210 is one of those shows that needs to be on this lists because it was the one that started the phenomenon. Yes the writing was terrible, the characters had no depth, and every show I felt like morality hour, but it started the base for all the other shows that came after it. It didn't really accomplish anything or introduce anything new, but it layed the path for shows that became more than just a teen melodrama.
5. Freaks and Geeks
The first of the two great one season teen shows. Freaks and Geeks was Judd Apatow's first work. The same creator of pretty much every descent comedy to come out in the last five years. Freaks an
d Geeks was about the geeky kids and the "freaks" aka the burnouts. The show was genius in that it took place in 1980 even though it debuted in 1999. It is the the only "period" teen show on the list (actually I think it is the only period teen show every created, well Avonlea doesn't count. Darn Canadian television). Even though the show takes place in 1980, it still feels like it could be in the present. It shows that life in high school is pretty much the same at any point in time. It kind of makes you feel bad that your parents had to go throught he same experience you did (crazy). The show jump started the careers of Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jason Segel, and Linda Cardenelli. The former three continuing on the Judd Apatow path. Ending only after 17 episodes, Freaks and Geeks will always remain the one career endevor that Judd Apatow wishes he put more effort into (maybe that is why he tried to do Undeclared and the Cable Guy).4. My So-Called Life
It is 1994 and we all hate our life, well if our name is Angela Chase and Jordan Catalono will just not pay attention to us. Angela was the quintessential "'emo" kid but that was ok in the mid 90's as you listened to grunge rock and wore head to toe flannel. With its focus on the main
character Angela and her constant journal-like narration, My So-Called Life is probably one the the truest television shows to the actual life of a teenager. Angela isn't some rich popular girl with the most beautiful boyfriend, and the perfect family. She complains about her life, her best friend sleeps with her boyfriend, and her parents are constantly on the verge of a divorce (but still sleep with eachother pretty much every episode?). WIth only one season, My So-Called Life ended making viewers want more. It never really got its worth until about 5 years after its debut, but now it has a cult following and we all know Claire Danes is regretting giving up on the show so quickly. I guess we will never know who Angela chose in the end, Jordan or Brian. It still remains one of the greats in teen melodrama.3. Gilmore Girls
Okay, this was a focus on a mom and daughter, but it had its teen attributes. Boyfriends, high school, best friends, applying for college. Since there really isn't a definition as to what a teen television show is, I
will allow it on this list because I like it. Gilmore Girls had great dialogue (even though they talk fast and make really obscure pop culture references every five seconds), great characters, and was actually successful when the show went to college. What probably kept the show together though was the second half of the show was about the life of mother and all the drama that went along with it. After 7 seasons, many boyfriends(my favorite being Jess and his literate, great music listening self), and an ending that still kept me wanting 
more, Gilmore Girls is one of the best shows WB/CW has outputted.2. Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is the gem that UPN/CW never really put their self behind. It was about a girl that loses her beloved place in the 09er crowd (popular kids) when her father accuses her boyfriend's father of killing her best friend and her boyfriends sister (that is the same person by the way). The first season focuses on Veronica trying to adjust to her new life and her attempt to find out who really killed her best friend. What made Veronica Mars different from most shows was its Film noir style with every episode having Veronica act like a private detective while she helps her fellow classmates solve mysteries, along with her job as her father's assistant at his job as a private detective. No other show has kept me on my toes and guessing the entire season as VM did. Every season finale made me want more. VM was cut short after three seasons leaving viewers not knowing what was going to happen next in our protagonists life. Rumors have been circling though that Rob Thomas, series creator, is planning a VM movie. We can only hope.
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The typical life of a high school student: bestfriends, boyfriends, vampires, witches, demons, and werewolves? Well that is the life of Buffy, the vampire slayer and her life at Sunnydale High. Buffy is your typical high school student dealing with life in high school, well typical being that her boyfriend is a Vampire, her best friend is a witch, she dusts vamps and slays demons. Other than that she is a pretty a typical high schooler. The show revolves around the main character Buffy and h
er destiny as the Slayer, a girl that is chosen to save the world from the evils and the demons that are in it. Buffy's slaying world and high school world intertwine often as her high school sits atop of the Hellmouth which is the entrance to hell. Creator Joss Whedon makes Buffy's world as a Vampire Slayer a metaphor for what high school actually is. Yes in real life the popular girls aren't really monsters, but in Buffy's world they actually are. The ingenius nature of Buffy makes it the best teen show of all time (according to me) and number one on my list.New shows come out all the time including the 90210 remake coming out this fall, but really, it is going to take a lot to top these great nostaglic shows. Good luck CW, you know, the mecca of teen melodrama.
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