High school and high school are a never-ending source of good television. Beverly Hills became style-forming in the early nineties. Not least in terms of portraits of privileged white, young Americans. The OC from 2003 and the Gossip girl from 2007, which takes place in the American upper class on the US west and east coast - got extended with a handful of new seasons. Although none of them showed up in Beverly Hills, ten were stunned.

Sexual liberation

Characteristics of American teenage series have traditionally been the more or less bankruptcy elements. In Mitt so-called life (1994), Dawson's creek (1998) and Friday night lights (2006), for example, it pays to be enterprising and good at school. At the same time, successful television for young people must be more than escapism and education. It understood Beverly Hills and that knowledge has been inherited. It should be credible. And credibility includes for a teenager not just school, sports and kissing. In the UK, SKINS broke ground in 2007 with sexual frustration and experimental desire. Here, the school plays a supporting role, drugs flow and language is dirty and hygiene as well. It was a success.

First season of UK SKINS Photo: Channel 4

Katherine Langford as Hannah in the TV series 13 Reasons Why.

In the 1990s, mental ill-health also began to take a bigger place in youth series. Of course, depression, anxiety attacks, addictions and eating disorders also belong to the teenage reality. More recently, this is clearly evident. In addition to the reboot fever with Beverly Hills (which also includes the '80s Heathers and the revival of the old cartoon characters Sabrina and Acke - or Riverdale) has been very much about difficulty. In Netflix, Thirteen noted why from 2017, based on the book of the same name by Jay Asher, teenage boy Clay Jensen tries to understand why his friend Hannah killed himself. And recently, Euphoria finished on HBO with superstar Zendaya in the lead role, depicting drug abuse, sex abuse, bipolarity and depression in explicit scenes.

Hunter Schafer and Zendaya play the lead roles in Euphoria. Photo: TT

The 2010 youth series also demands multidimensional characters. The 90's appreciations and pluggies no longer hold. Norwegian SKAM (2015) built the story around one figure at a time and reflected the teen to a group. The group spreads in sexuality, background, beliefs and driving forces. So as reality looks. The series' success also became a receipt for the action not having to take place in the United States for a television series to become internationally viable. Following SKAM, the streaming giants have invested in teenage content from, among others, Spain (Elite School 2018), Italy (Baby 2018) and Jordan (Jinn 2019).

Below, the Culture News tips on their best youth series:

Friday night lights (NBC 2006):

FNL about life in Little Dillon, Texas, is still holding. The play revolves around the city's football team but does not leave the audience dry with "jocks" and cheerleaders, but also prepares space for discussion about class affiliation and racism.

Euphoria (HBO 2019):

An heartfelt and almost physically painful story, following the Israeli model of being young, a prisoner in himself and in the hands of the adult world that can sometimes be so cruel. Fortunately, the series has been given the go-ahead for a follow-up season.

Sex education (Netflix 2019):

A dazzlingly beautiful Welsh landscape is the backdrop for this series which takes on the teeniest of all with great British humor: sex.

Veronica Mars (UPN 2004):

Like a noir version of the Kitty books, this gem of the Californian upper class takes place, whose dark secrets stand in stark contrast to the palm-fringed boulevards.