Old Teen TV Shows

Did You Even Grow Up in the '90s If You Didn't Watch These TV Shows?

Jul 6 2019 by Sian Meades

These teen TV shows all have two things in common: You'll definitely remember running back from school to watch your favourite (and getting nervous about being held behind after double maths in case you missed the start), and the theme songs will get your nostalgia going good. Who doesn't remember the Grange Hill theme music? Or the Byker Grove intro, with the weird giggle at the end that you and your friends all tried (and failed) to replicate? You've watched your way through the best British kids' TV shows and felt really old discovering which of our favourite TV shows have turned 25 — now it's time to relive the best of your teen years with our absolute favourite teen television.

Image Source: Everett Collection

Grange Hill

Perhaps the most famous school-based drama ever, Grange Hill ran for 30 years, from 1978 to 2008, and introduced us to dozens of actors who went on to star in other big TV hits.

Byker Grove

Byker Grove, set at a youth club in Newcastle, is perhaps most famous for introducing us to Ant and Dec. The episode where PJ gets blinded while playing paintball will go down in TV history.

The Biz!

We still know every word to the theme song of The Biz, which was set at a drama school. Hands up if you had posters of Paul Nicholls on your wall?

Hollyoaks

Channel 4's teen soap Hollyoaks has come a really, really long way since it started in 1995. The first episode barely had any dialogue for the first 15 minutes!

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The Secret World Of Alex Mack

Larisa Oleynik played the girl who could turn into a puddle (amongst other things) in The Secret World Of Alex Mack. We tried really hard to get magical powers in our fingertips. Still nothing.

Clarissa Explains It All

Before she was Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Melissa Joan Hart was the cool artsy girl with the annoying little brother and the BFF who climbed in through the window. And yes, she actually did explain everything.

Sabrina The Teenage Witch

Melissa Joan Hart's second big Nickelodeon show was no less iconic. And though we love the dark and mysterious new version, we'll always have a soft spot for the more comedic Sabrina.

Lizzie McGuire

Hilary Duff has come a long way, but she started strong: Lizzie McGuire was must-watch TV when we were growing up.

Round The Twist

The weirdness never got old in this classic Australian fantasy show that was a huge hit in the UK, too.

Heartbreak High

It wasn't as big as Neighbours or Home & Away, but Aussie teen soap Heartbreak High was always the dream school. They all had leather jackets and somehow lived in a warehouse. Inexplicably, this was our teen dream.

Dawson's Creek

If you weren't watching the loves and drama of the inhabitants of Capeside on a Friday evening, then what on earth were you doing?

Press Gang

Press Gang followed the lives of a group of teens working on a youth newspaper and launched many careers (including those of Lucy Benjamin and Dexter Fletcher). It also introduced us to Lynda Day (Julia Sawalha), a feminist icon.

My So-Called Life

Our crush on Claire Danes started with this moody and memorable '90s teen drama. See also: Jared Leto.

Miami 7

Everyone's favourite pop band, S Club 7, came to fame thanks to this TV show. It was pretty great, and by that we mean it was terrible. But their enthusiasm was as infectious as their songs.

Knightmare

"You're in a room."

The graphics may not have stood the test of time, but Knightmare is still beloved by all who watched it, to the point that it came back as a live show a couple of years ago. Who didn't want to put on that oversize helmet and step into the virtual reality world?

The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air

Before he made it big in Hollywood, Will Smith was big on the small screen in The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. Don't even pretend you can't do the whole intro rap off by heart, even now.

Saved by the Bell

Watching Saved by the Bell in the mornings marked the start of the Summer holidays every year, and introduced most of us to the inner workings of the American high school. Still don't really know what a "pep rally" is, though?

California Dreams

Saved By The Bell was usually followed by California Dreams, which borrowed the same plots and morals and transplanted them into a new setting with a bunch of wannabe musicians ("Surf dudes with attitude . . .") living on the beach. Tony and Sam forever, you guys.

Sunset Beach

It was definitely for adults, but that didn't stop us tuning into Sunset Beach when we had a sick day. Or watching the entire omnibus edition on a Saturday. The only thing weaker than the acting was the plots, but that didn't stop it being brilliant.