Joanna Hagan

American Teen Dramas: From Sunnydale to Riverdale Joanna Hagan

When teenagers emerged as a unique television audience in the early nineties, the way stories were told on screen changed forever. Overnight vampires became about more than just horror, soap operas got a new lease on life and high school became the new home for clever, creative drama. In the years since the first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer television has changed wildly, but teen dramas have remained a constant throughout.

This is the story of what teenage tastes did to television. It’s the story of how music became an essential part of these worlds, how these shows incorporated a wealth of pop culture, and how the networks who staked their claim on the teen market became the homes of so many iconic and beloved shows. This is a history of how massive online subcultures sprang up around TV shows about high school, hell, cliques, cheerleaders and subverted cliches.

Alongside Buffy, shows like Supernatural, Gilmore Girls and Riverdale have become cult classics; telling weird, unexpected and off-the-wall stories and building up hordes of obsessive, caring fans. The story behind these shows, how they came to be, the networks that nurtured them and the people that loved them, is essential to understanding television today. This is more than just television; these are teen dramas.