The Hollywood Reporter ranks 15 television teen dramas, arguing that the strongest series are often short-lived and sometimes cancelled prematurely. It treats the genre as relatively recent, largely English-language, and distinct from teen comedies, which it says warrant a separate ranking.

– Glee is praised for capturing adolescent intensity through pop music despite its uneven writing and shifting tone.
– Bunheads is described as a series that improved markedly during its sole season, making its cancellation particularly regrettable.
– Swagger, inspired by Kevin Durant, is commended for its basketball realism and its portrayal of a talented working-class Black teenager.
– The ranking excludes several international series and comedy-leaning programmes under the publication’s chosen criteria.