Life as a so-called teenager is one full of braces, pimples, break-ups, and trying to stay afloat in school. It’s hard to navigate your way in the world when everything about life feels like it stinks, and it seems like you have little to no power. Luckily, these TV shows can give any young teens out there some much-needed comfort, and provide comfort or nostalgia to those who are older but experienced something similar. These shows detail the problems of bullying, parental issues, budding sexuality, friendship, and even drug experimentation.

Watching these shows certainly gives the viewer a sense of belonging and ease as their down-to-earth and plausible messages are echoed in adolescents' hearts and minds. Granted, a lot of these shows have happy endings where the awkward nerd may get the hot girl or the bully finally gets his comeuppance. Understandably, that isn’t the case in reality, and a lesson of television is to always take it with a grain of salt-- it's being sold to you, after all. As a teenager, life may not work out the way that you hoped, but people can still make the most of it with luck and skill.

Updated on September 5th, 2023 by Timothy Lindsey: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.

10 Sex Education

4 Seasons

This critically acclaimed British comedy going into its fourth season is a lot more graphic than the others on this list, but it certainly packs a punch. Sex Education follows a shy, young student named Otis (Asa Butterfield) who hatches a plan with his love interest Maeve (Emma Mackey) to provide a therapy service for students in their school who are sexually frustrated or confused. Otis briefly becomes emotionally involved with Maeve, only for things to not go their way and one or both parties get hurt, in the process.

The show is diverse in its cast and execution. Its explicit and raunchy themes may be harder for younger viewers to digest but probably (to the chagrin of their parents) somewhat relatable, and its amiable demeanor and progressive attitude toward sexuality and the acceptance of other people is something that needs a warm round of applause in an age where teenagers feel lost, depressed, and alone.

9 Pretty Little Liars

7 Seasons

Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017) was one of the most intriguing television shows ever created, regardless of who the target audience is. The show surrounds a group of teenagers who come back together a year after the disappearance of their friend, Alison.

The group starts to receive dangerous messages from an unknown person named "A". Throughout the show, clues are revealed that tell the group about how Alison disappeared. All of this occurs as the girls are trying to balance their lives as friends and as high schoolers. Unlike almost all the shows on this list, this show lacks comedy but contains loads of suspense.

8 Sister, Sister

6 Seasons

Sister, Sister (1994-1998) is one of the more underrated '90s sitcoms simply because of the humor involved, as well as the fact that the '90s were stacked with great shows. Remember, this show was going on while others like Full House, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Boy Meets World, and even Friends were airing. Sister, Sister tells the story of two twins named Tia and Tamera, who were separated at birth. The two later cross paths at the mall and after their adoptive parents meet, Tia and her adoptive mother move in with Tamera and her adoptive father.

However, like another show on this list Drake and Josh, this show portrays how just because you are siblings doesn't mean you are exactly alike. Tia and Tamera must find a way to navigate their teenage years while also navigating family life together. For a show to run for six seasons in the mid-1990s, that tells you how funny, honest, and clever the show truly was.

7 Drake and Josh

4 Seasons

Being a teenager is one of the most trying and difficult stretches of one's life. It can be made all the more difficult when your parents remarry, which means you might be introduced to a new sibling or two. That is exactly the premise of Drake and Josh (2004-2007). After their parents remarry, Drake (Drake Bell) and Josh (Josh Peck) become step-brothers.

The problem is that both could not be different from one another. Drake is the popular, rock star brother while Josh is the more mature brainiac brother. Both not only have to navigate being high school students, but they have to navigate being new brothers. This was one of the best teen sitcoms of the mid-2000s.

6 Freaks and Geeks

1 Season

This was one of those television shows that was canceled far too soon. It only lasted one season, but in that season, viewers got a glimpse of what high school was like for small, geeky, young girls and boys and freaky, more developed teenagers. Freaks and Geeks revolves around siblings Lindsay and Sam Weir, who have very different lives at their school. Throughout the series, the two get caught up in the cross-hairs of bad predicaments but still either learn a lesson or have fun along the way.

This '80s-centric series deals with family problems, growing up weird, and the usual teenage talking points. What truly makes this show great is the fact that it drenches itself in realism and shows the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of being a teen and trying to make the most of it. It also launched the careers of Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, Martin Starr, and many others.

Related: Here's Where the Cast of Freaks and Geeks Is Today

5 Big Time Rush

4 Seasons

Big Time Rush (2009-2013) tells the story of four hockey players and best buds from Minnesota who make the transition to becoming a popular boy band group. The friends were chosen by famous music producer Gustavo Rocque to become his next great band. They move out to Hollywood and begin their journey as hopeful stars in the making.

However, they also know that they can't let anything come between their friendships while trying to make it as teenage pop stars. The sitcom is proof to all teenagers that life can come at you fast sometimes. The series is based on the same band that rose to fame starting in 2009.

4 That '70s Show

8 Seasons

Of course, no list of teen-themed television could ever be complete without talking about the acclaimed That '70s Show. The show had its main protagonist Eric Forman (Topher Grace, of Spider-Man 3) managing to get through the challenges of dating, recreational drugs, confused parents, and everyday problems that teens go through or experiment with.

It’s funny and romantic at its core and contains some very sweet sentiments about never-ending friendship. The series was so successful that it spawned a new show called That '80s Show, but it failed to get past the first season. However, another spinoff show called That '90s Show is currently streaming on Netflix. Only time will tell if the series will match the level of nostalgic hilarity that its predecessor did in television.

3 Boy Meets World

7 Seasons

The classic '90s sitcom Boy Meets World follows Corey Matthews (Ben Savage), a young middle-schooler who lives through the series growing up from foolish kid to older teenager, to finally a married man succumbing to the zany trials and tribulations of life.

The show is not only a testament to what it’s like being a teenager, but it also gives a glimpse at the ups and downs of the future and adulthood as perceived from youth. Corey begins to develop a crush on a young girl named Topanga Lawrence, and the two mature throughout the show and eventually consummate their relationship by getting married. This is the one show on this list that perfectly illustrates the growth of children into mature adults, and it is captured beautifully.

2 Teen Titans

5 Seasons

To be fair, teenagers don’t go around saving their respective cities, and they don’t have superpowers. But, Teen Titans is a show that understands that kids at that age fall in love, have mood swings, and are riddled with angst.

Each season is a character study of teenage life, detailing a different hero’s journey and their growth and maturity in the process. Like the others on this list, it is heartfelt and relatable for teens and has proven to be helpful for many adoring fans in better understanding their own lives.

1 Glee

6 Seasons

Glee (2009-2015), simply put, is one of the most popular comedy-drama shows ever made. It tells the story of the glee club at McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. Teacher Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) is the leader of the club and has dreams of helping the students in any way that he can while also taking them to nationals.

He must also overcome cheer coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), who tries to create trouble for the club every chance she gets. The show addresses social issues, as well as how hectic and crazy the life of an everyday high school student is. The soundtrack of the show is quite impressive considering the cast performs re-makes of hit songs in every episode. There won't ever be a show like this one ever again.