The 10 Best Teen and YA Dramas of 2023
Photos Courtesy of Netflix, Prime Video, and The CW
Despite the fact that I, a little under a week ago, declared the teen drama officially dead, there were still a number of admirable teen and YA TV outings to grace our screens in 2023. Even in spite of shorter seasons, longer hiatuses, and the death of the traditional avenues where teen and YA shows thrived on the small screen, these series still captured everything we love about soapy teenage storytelling. From haunting mysteries to supernatural shenanigans to grounded melodramas, here are our picks of the best teen and YA offerings of 2023:
10. Harlan Coben’s Shelter
Harlan Coben’s Shelter, based on the prolific writing of author Harlan Coben, follows Mickey Bolitar (Jaden Michael), a high schooler still processing his father’s recent death. He finds himself in Kasselton, New Jersey, a sleepy suburb where his dad grew up, and unfortunately, the echoes of his family’s former life here make healing doubly difficult. The only consolation is that Mickey quickly befriends a group of fellow outsiders, including Spoon (Adrian Greensmith), a witty but earnest classmate, Ema (Abby Corrigan), a secretive girl who takes interest in Mickey’s troubles, and Ashley Kent (Samantha Bugliaro), a fellow new kid. However, just as he begins to settle in, a string of strange occurrences reveal that this unassuming town hides grim secrets.
Even as the tendrils of a greater mystery reach out from beneath the veneer of quiet suburbia, upfront, this tale shares more in common with the teen dramedies of yesteryear than anything else. There is quite a bit of John Hughes in these high school shenanigans, and the banter between its central friend group is full of whip-smart quips that makes it a delight to spend time with them. Although I came to Shelter expecting its central intrigue to be the star of the show, its cast of charmingly disastrous teens ended up stealing the spotlight. Between their convincing verbal spats and entertaining antics, they are a blast to root for. While the endpoint of this mystery tale leaves something to be desired, the path to get there is filled with good company. —Elijah Gonzalez
9. Wolf Pack
Wolf Pack follows high schoolers Everett (Armani Jackson) and Blake (Bella Shepard) after a traffic jam on the highway next to a blazing California wildfire leaves both of them experiencing hallucinations, getting mysterious phone calls, and nursing nasty, supernatural bite marks. Due to their new inexplicable connection, Everett and Blake cross paths with twins Harlan (Tyler Lawrence Gray) and Luna (Chloe Rose Robertson), as they question why the full moon seems to draw them all together. After a stampede and utter devastation from the fire, enter LA Fire Department investigator Kristin Ramsy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), whose joint task force with the police department is investigating the true cause of the wildfire, and her first mission? Question our newly lycanthropic teens. While some elements of the series are more bark than bite (like Gellar’s minimal inclusion from the jump, for example), Wolf Pack manages to offer enough thrills and chills to stick around for, especially for fans of Davis’ other werewolf project Teen Wolf (which is completely unrelated to this show). Despite not yet being renewed for a second season, Wolf Pack’s ambitious teen angst and werewolf stakes make it worth a binge. —Anna Govert
8. Sex Education
In Sex Education’s final season, it ultimately feels reluctant to end. After the explosive Season 3 finale that saw Moordale High being shut down, the cast finds themselves in a new environment and dealing with big changes and new problems to solve. Sex Education ends by saying that therapy and growing up are an ongoing process that never ends. You don’t just come of age once and then you’re grown. You come of age over and over again. You constantly need to build yourself up, take more risks, and deal with your troubles no matter how overwhelming they are. By the time the final credits roll, you don’t get a sense these characters are done with their issues. You understand that they finally learned they will be growing up for the rest of their lives. There is a comfort in realizing awkwardness isn’t a phase, it’s forever. —Leila Jordan
7. School Spirits
Watch on Netflix
Watch on Paramount+
From series creators Nate and Megan Trinrud and helmed by Pretty Little Liars alum Oliver Goldstick as showrunner, Paramount+’s School Spirits follows Maddie (Peyton List), a high school student who was murdered at school and is now trapped there for her eternal afterlife. The only catch? She can’t remember how she died or who killed her, resulting in a murder mystery that finds its victim turning into one of the amateur sleuths attempting to solve the case. Aided by her friends Simon (Kristian Flores) and Nicole (Kiara Pichardo) from the land of the living, as well as a number of spirits from different eras stuck within the school as well—like ‘80s jock Wally (Milo Manheim), ‘90s nerd Charley (Nick Pugliese), and ‘50s beatnik Rhonda (Sarah Yarkin)—Maddie must confront her past in order to solve her murder in the present—all while trying to adjust to high school purgatory. The resulting series splits its tone between a comedic Ghosts-esque Afterlife Support Group and a compelling murder mystery, marrying those two focuses through the well-placed themes surrounding grief, loss, love, and connection. Endlessly charming in spite of its sometimes clunky execution, School Spirits is a ghastly good time, and worthy of haunting your watchlist. —Anna Govert
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