Feature – BEST AMERICAN TEEN DRAMAS

The British do many things better, but arguably teen dramas isn’t one of them. Americans know their ridiculous drama – we are willing to bank they created it. Their addictive teen soap operas have kept audiences around the world religiously glued to their television week after week. The first season of Friday Night Lights – that’s all 22 episodes – is hitting the DVD shelves on Monday, and has inspired us to take a look at the show’s finest company. Here are a few we will always consider a guilty pleasure:

THE OC
Modern day hipsters discovered most of their favourite bands from this show -though they would never it it. The OC – based on the lives of four affluent teens living on the coast of Orange County, California – will always remain teen drama gem. This is where we first saw the adorable Rachel Bilson take the screen and epitomize a California girl and the lovable Adam Brody play mega-dork Seth Cohen. We learned words like Chrismakuh and discovered Death Cab For Cutie. It will forever hold a place in our California-loving hearts.

The O.C. [season 1] trailer Published via LongTail.tv

DAWSON’S CREEK Show writer Kevin Wlliamson became known as a television-writing genius after he gave America one of its most iconic TV love triangles. The years of romantic tension between and unfolding story of Dawson, Joey and Pacey still cues an onslaught of nostalgia and watery eyes. We’ll never forget the finale as the camera zoomed out and the audience saw Pacey and Joey were sitting on the couch – together. Oh and Michelle Williams got her start here too – such a young Marilyn.

Dawson’s creek final episode trailer Published via LongTail.tv

VAMPIRE DIARIES
Despite the overkill of the vampire element lately, this one is still keeping viewers glued to the television and maintaining plenty of juicy twists and American drama. Kevin Williamson has done it again with his powerful and addictive love triangles – but this time it centres around a small-town girl being love torn between two vampire brothers. The series has even bred two fierce and terrifyingly ionate fan bases based on which brother they want the heroine to end up with: Team Stelena and Team Delena (the choice for anyone with a heart).

The Vampire Diaries Official Trailer 2009 exteneded version HD Published via LongTail.tv

Gossip Girl Based on the novels of the same name, Gossip Girl is a show about the scandalous lives of This Manhattan’s young elite and “it” girls Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen. This show took drama to a new level and always managed to leave teen girls everywhere in a painful fit of anxiety in between episodes Now going into its sixth and final season, the teen drama is leaving TV dramatically and everyone rooting for Chuck and Blair to finally be together – arguably the hottest young couple to ever hit television. I mean how many times can you let a chance with Chuck Bass slip through your fingers?

Gossip Girl 5X24 Finale Promo & Spoilers – Blair and Chuck! Published via LongTail.tv

Pretty Little Liars
Whenever an episode of this TV obsession airs, fan commentary from seemingly everyone one knows takes over Facebook and Twitter feeds (hashtag: #PLL). There is just something so addictive and satisfying about watching four young girls band together to secretly solve their friend’s murder while keeping concealed their own dark and haunting secrets. What happened to the good ol’ simple days when young girls wanted to live vicariously through Southern Californians?

Pretty Little Liars Season 3 Promo Published via LongTail.tv

Beverly Hills 90210 Oh! Here they are. The whole world seems to have one thing in common: their obsessed with the lives of fictional Californians. It could be said that Beverly Hills 90210 started the obsession. After all, Southern California is literally in real life a jungle gym for scandal, drama and the ridiculous antics of the rich – so it’s no wonder so many shows have successfully been adapted to portray the madness. Even the modern version of this show has been wildly successful!

Beverly Hills 90210 – Original Trailer Published via LongTail.tv

Party of Five
This one aired on FOX for six seasons and started the career of the lovely Jennifer Love Hewitt – still one of our favourite acting darlings. The teen drama sucked the TV viewership in with its emotional story about five siblings who fend their way through a life after their parents die in a car crash. Nothing makes the masses more sad than an orphan, and this show had five of them. Combine that with adolescent issues, romance and life-threatening diseases and you have a long running drama.

Party of Five Promos Published via LongTail.tv

Friday Night Lights Deemed a classic by Entertainment Weekly, Friday Night Lights effortlessly weaves quality drama in with the classic American pastime of football. It’s no wonder teens, adults and the whole family gather around the television every week to watch this one together, it’s also the show that launched the career of teen heart-throb Taylor Kitsch! You can relive the tender moments and favourite scenes with the show released on DVD on Monday.

Friday Night Lights Published via LongTail.tv

All 22 episodes of Friday Night Lights Season 1 arrive on DVD on June 25, which includes the full length feature film.Friday Night Lights – Season 1 – Complete [DVD]