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Always filled with drama, laughs, and insanely iconic soundtracks, the beauty of teen shows is that they're either endearingly relatable (hi, Lorelai and Rory) or super far-fetched and seriously aspirational (we wish, Blair and Serena). Whether you're looking for empathy or an escape, you simply can't go wrong with a coming-of-age fave.
From '90s classics that paved the way for an amazing wave of high school-centric series (My So-Called Life and Dawson's Creek will always have a spot in our nostalgic-loving hearts) to shows currently on our Hulu queue (Pretty Little Liars, anyone?), we've rounded up the best-ever shows to grace the small screen that you should watch—or rewatch, as the case may be—ASAP.
Before Jared Leto and his perfect hair/face/everything took over the world, he was romancing Angela Chase (played by the amazing—and amazingly young—Claire Danes) as Jordan Catalano on My So-Called Life. While it spanned only 19 episodes and was canned after its first season way back in 1995, the MTV series managed to win the hearts of pretty much everyone everywhere as it touched on the darkest, most trying parts of the teenage years.
Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Tim Riggins. We legitimately felt like we were saying goodbye to everyone we've ever loved when we said goodbye to Friday Night Lights—that's how connected we were to the tiny town of Dillon, Texas and its brilliant cast of characters. The relationships are real, the football is fun, and Tami Taylor's hair is perfect. Texas Forever, y'all.
No one drinks as much coffee as mother-daughter duo Lorelai and Rory Gilmore do (thanks to Luke's Diner!), which must be why they're always so darn quick and witty and brimming with pop culture references. Set in the quirky town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, Gilmore Girls centers around the ups and downs of Lorelai and Rory, whose relationship is closer to best friends than multigenerational family members—Rory was born when Lorelai was only 16, after all. The pair works through life and love in their own way, paying no attention to Lorelai's judgmental parents or Rory's uppity private school classmates—it's a heartwarming thing to behold, and not to mention, hilarious.
Where would reality TV even be without L.C.? Set in Laguna Beach, California, the wildly popular MTV show documents the high school lives of Lauren Conrad—known back then by her initials—and her friends (and enemies...who could forget the epic Kristin/Stephen love triangle?). Plus, it led to The Hills, which chronicles L.C.'s move to Los Angeles as she pursues a career in the fashion industry (and interns at Teen Vogue!). Also? The greatest display of mascara tears of all time.
Pro tip: Don't watch _Pretty Little Liars_alone in the dark before bed. It's not only truly scary, but it's also so freakin' good it's impossible to stop watching. One cliff-hanger after another, Pretty Little Liars follows the lives of four best friends who suffer a major falling out after the mysterious disappearance of the leader of their clique, Alison—until, that is, the foursome begins receiving messages from "A," an anonymous mastermind who knows all their secrets and threatens to reveal them. Hey, "A," why don't you reveal the girls' fashion secrets instead?
Of all the reasons to watch The O.C. (and there are a lot of 'em), the adorably geeky Seth Cohen is easily number one. In fact, we could just stop there. But we won't! When the ever troubled and always brooding Ryan Atwood finds himself in a sticky situation, public defender Sandy Cohen (those eyebrows!) and his good-hearted, glossily-manicured wife Kirsten welcome him into their wealthy Newport Beach, California neighborhood, giving their son Seth a much-needed buddy. With girl-next-door romances (Summer! Marissa! Anna!), a whole lotta scandal, and maybe the best TV soundtrack ever, what's not to love? And ten years later, it still holds up.
The teen drama of all teen dramas. Set in the seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, the hit series follows big-city dreamer Dawson Leery and his friends Joey, Pacey, and Jen as they navigate the journey from adolescence to adulthood while decked in really, really great '90s denim.
The scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite—complete with incestuous relationships (is it even legal to date your step-brother?), private jets, and no-holds-barred Barneys shopping sprees—gave us six glorious seasons of over-the-top drama produced by The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz. In case you didn't flip on the TV even once during 2007, the series follows the glamorous lives of Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen, wherein their really beautiful and expensive dirty laundry always winds up being aired out on the internet.
Sports have a funny way of bringing people together, which is what kind of happens when half-brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott end up on the same high school basketball team, fighting for control of the ball. Issues on and off the Tree Hill, North Carolina court (family tragedy, girl drama—y'know, the usual) both bring the brothers together and tear them apart.
While it was only around for one short season (sob!), Freaks and Geeks found a way to pack a whole lot of high school realness into just 18 episodes. Set in Michigan in the 1980s, the dramedy follows brother-and-sister duo Lindsay and Sam Weir through the not-so-glamorous parts of growing up. Lindsay (who hangs with the rebellious freaks) and Sam (geeks!) find solace in their band-of-misfits-esque circles, which makes life at McKinley High just a little more bearable. Bonus: James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Jason Segel are all in it—that alone makes it worth watching.