Shows Centered on Teen Characters Receive Recognition
by Miranda McCannon
Three shows centered around teenagers were nominated at the 2022 Emmy awards for Outstanding Drama Series: Stranger Things, Yellow Jackets, and Euphoria. While they all lost out to the adult show, Succession, their prevalence has raised questions surrounding the impact of television made about and for teenagers.
The growth in teen media, especially those deemed explicit, has resulted in pushback from parents scared that their children will likely partake in what they consider scandalous activities.
However, some teens claim that these shows don’t influence their actions. Emery Frost, a Nashua North senior, says, “People find catharsis in watching people do bad things rather than wanting to participate in them.”
North Student, Sasha Riabova, is more wary, saying that “Some kids are smart enough to separate shows from reality but some just don't understand that distinction.”
To understand how teenagers will be affected by media, one must first understand their reasons for watching it.
Lucas Gendron, another Nashua North student, says, “I like to watch something that I can separate myself from..it's sometimes nice to just distance yourself from day to day life.” He usually avoids teen media, and opts for adult-centered television like Breaking Bad and Letterkenny.
Frost, who similarly watches adult television shows, finds not only escape in them, but also anticipation for the future. When speaking of her favorite show, Ms Scarlett and the Duke, she says “I like this show because it gives me an idea of what adulthood could be.”
Riabova also finds escape, but in shows geared towards teens. When she describes her favorite program, That 70’s Show, she mentions the feeling of getting “stuck in it.” Similarly, she watches Euphoria for the engaging plotlines and unique cinematography rather than for relatability.
Whether or not shows like Euphoria are relatable is a highly contested subject, with claims that partying, sex, and other elements of these dramatic shows are unrealistic to American teenagers.
“I refuse to watch teenager pieces because they are incredibly unrealistic,” says R. Salazar, a North Student. However, Salazar acknowledges that their high school experience has been swayed by their social group saying that “Im not in a group that is very much always having sex nor do we have access to drugs,” and that this might impact how much they can relate to teen media.
In addition to social groups, teens feel that their upbringing also greatly influences what they can relate to. Frost, who had a great deal of independence in her childhood, finds that she can relate more to stories where characters have autonomy, asserting that “People's ability to relate to shows is impacted by their upbringing.”
In fact, some teens argue that they are more drawn to shows that highlight different aspects of their identity, regardless of age. Salazar, who watches the children’s shows Maya and the Three, finds “Shows that bring in my culture rather than shows that are pushed towards my age group more satisfying to watch,” citing the fact that their whole family can relate to the show on a deeper level.
From looking at this snapshot of teens in Nashua, it seems that local students consume their media critically, but as Riabova mentioned, what happens to kids that can’t separate shows from reality?
