1. “Gossip Girl”: Rich People Being Messy
Before influencers, there was “Gossip Girl”: a show about New York’s elite teenagers who apparently never attended class but somehow got into the Ivy League. At the center of the chaos were Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen, BFFs who spent equal time hugging and getting revenge. Meanwhile, a mysterious online presence (the titular Gossip Girl) exposed everyone’s deepest secrets. If designer clothes, illogical plot twists, and characters making the worst possible decisions at any given time are your thing, then “Gossip Girl” is your series. Of course, who could forget: “You know you love me. XOXO, Gossip Girl.” Chills.
2. “Gilmore Girls”: Caffeine, Wit and the Fastest Dialogue Ever
If “Gossip Girl” was all about careless spending and breaking hearts, “Gilmore Girls” is its quirky cousin who can out-debate you while chugging a venti latte. Centered around the mother-daughter relationship of young mom Lorelai Gilmore and bookworm Rory, this show made us believe that consuming four cups of coffee before noon was a personality trait. The dialogue is razor-sharp, the small-town charm is unbeatable, and it offers some of the most intense debates in pop culture history: Who’s Rory’s best boyfriend? Is Jess the worst or the best? Why does Luke only own one flannel shirt? If you don’t feel like you’re meant to be in Stars Hollow after this, you’re lying.
3. “The O.C.”: California, Here We Come
“The O.C.”: the show that single-handedly made indie music cool. Centered around privileged Orange County kids and their beloved outsider, Ryan Atwood, this show has it all: love triangles, high-stakes family drama, and enough slow-motion scenes to make a Coldplay song sob. “The O.C.” nailed the concept of the teen soap opera: iconic couples (Seth and Summer), a devastating death here and there, and lots of unnecessary angst.
4. “One Tree Hill”: Basketball, Brotherly Fights and Tons of Drama
A seemingly straightforward pilot revolving around half brothers fighting their way onto the basketball team (and, of course, vying for the same girl) will soon become the most dramatic teen series. “One Tree Hill” gave us plot twists that, while making absolutely no sense, had us sobbing at 2 a.m. This show knew no limits of psycho stalkers, dramatic weddings, time jumps and an inexplicably evil Dan Scott, possibly one of the greatest TV villains of all time. And, of course, “One Tree Hill” taught us the most valuable lesson of all: No matter how much drama goes down, there’s always time for a heartfelt basketball metaphor.
These shows defined a generation of pop culture references, fashion choices and unrealistic expectations for high school. Whether you love these shows for their over-the-top drama, swoon-worthy romances or wild plot lines, one thing is certain: Teen TV in the 2000s is iconic. Break out your MP3 player, put on some Death Cab for Cutie, and dive into these early 2000s teen dramas, because real life is never this interesting.
