Back to School: Exploring the Evolution of Teen Drama from Classic Films to Modern Tropes

It’s back to school time! Even if your high school days are far behind you, and whether you look back at your time in high school with fondness or dread, high school is an inevitable experience that most adolescents face worldwide. The American high school experience has been dramatized and portrayed in films and TV shows since the 1960s. This week’s blog will dive into the “Teen Drama” genre in honor of the confusing, often dramatic, and sometimes joyful period of our lives. 

A teen drama is a type of drama series that centers on teenage and young adult characters. The TV show Never Too Young, aired in 1965, is often regarded as the first teen drama explicitly aimed at a teenage audience. Set in Malibu, the series depicted the lives of affluent high school students and their parents, featuring Tony Dow and Tommy Rettig in leading roles. Although, the genre gained significant popularity in the early 1990s, particularly with the success of the Fox series Beverly Hills, 90210. 

Here are some familiar tropes in the Teen Drama Genre: 

• The Jock and the Cheerleader: Football players and cheerleaders often represent the pinnacle of high school popularity. These characters embody the pressures of maintaining social status and the struggles of living up to expectations. Shows like Friday Night Lights (2006-2011) delve into the complexities of these roles, highlighting the personal and societal pressures faced by student-athletes.

• Cliques and Social Hierarchies: High school is often depicted as a microcosm of society, with clear social hierarchies and cliques. From the nerds and geeks to the goths and mean girls, these groups reflect the diversity and complexity of teenage social structures. Mean Girls (2004) famously satirized these cliques, while The O.C. (2003-2007) explored the intersections between different social groups.

• Peer Pressure and Identity: The quest for acceptance and the pressure to conform are central themes in teen dramas. Characters often grapple with making choices that align with their true selves versus succumbing to peer pressure. 13 Reasons Why (2017-2020) tackled these issues head-on, exploring the consequences of bullying, mental health struggles, and the impact of peer pressure.

• Romantic Relationships: The teen drama genre staples are love triangles, first love, and heartbreaks. These relationships drive much of the emotional narrative, providing tension and resolution. Shows like Gossip Girl (2007-2012) and Riverdale (2017-present) revolve around complex romantic dynamics, often with dramatic twists and turns.

According to an article on The Siren by Karsen Thompson, in modern teen dramas, there are often some negative and questionable tropes, including unrealistic images of teen life, such as Gossip Girl, where the main characters are quite wealthy and party like adults, and Euphoria, where “teens” do extremely addictive and hard drugs. The show also glamorizes toxic relationships and unsafe behaviors. Lastly, Riverdale glamorizes and romanticizes age-gape relationships and illegal and morally incorrect relationships between teachers and students. 

Although there are many more examples of modern teen dramas, there is much to be said about the “Coming of Age” and “Teen Drama” of the 1980s, a golden era for coming-of-age movies, producing iconic films that resonate with audiences today.

The Breakfast Club (1985), directed by John Hughes, follows five high school students from different cliques who bond during a Saturday detention. Hughes' Sixteen Candles (1984) tells the story of a girl whose sixteenth birthday is overshadowed by her sister's wedding. Rob Reiner's Stand by Me (1986), based on a Stephen King novella, captures the adventures of four boys searching for a dead body, and Hughes' Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) chronicles a high school senior's elaborate plan to skip school for a day of fun in Chicago. 

One notable film from this era in our library is High School U.S.A. (1983). The movie follows Excelsior Union High senior J.J. Manners (Michael J. Fox) as he navigates the cliques and rivalries that high school entails, all while pursuing Beth Franklin (Nancy McKeon), the girlfriend of quarterback and class president Beau Middleton (Anthony Edwards). The rivalry for Beth's affection culminates in a drag race, which ends Excelsior's social hierarchy and causes further pandemonium. High School U.S.A. also features Todd Bridges as Otto. It embodies the classic tropes of teen drama, including romantic entanglements and social competition, making it a memorable addition to the genre. 

Whether you're preparing to send your kids back to school or simply want to reminisce about your high school days, watching High School U.S.A. on TheArchive is a perfect way to celebrate this pivotal stage of life. The enduring themes and relatable characters in these teen dramas remind us of all the universal challenges and triumphs of growing up.

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TheArchive channel is dedicated to aficionados and lovers of story, craft, and silver screen fun – streaming rare, retro, and restored films and classic TV. From indies and series, to Oscar winning documentaries, unearthed MOWs, and a killer horror library, TheArchive delivers forgotten, never-before-seen gems for free and many in 4K. Marilyn, Karloff, and Orson Welles stream alongside Reese, Keanu, and Samuel L. Jackson. Find true stories of Queen, Hendrix, and Sinatra, an LGBTQ library, MLK bios, and world history docs. TheArchive has the movies and shows you either saw, should’ve seen, or should be watching now!