9 Great High School TV Shows (Past and Present)

You don’t have to be a high schooler to enjoy high school-centered dramas and comedies. Perhaps you like the show because of the interesting plots or you can relate to the characters and their situations. Or it could be that you feel a sense of nostalgia, especially if it is a show that you made it a point to watch back when you were in high school. No matter your motivations, there are plenty of high school TV shows for you to binge on. Let’s take a look at 9 of the greatest high school TV-oriented programs  ever created.

1. The Wonder Years

What made this show such a success was its mixture of sweet, funny moments along with tragedy and heartbreak. Set in 1968 through 1973, an unseen adult Kevin Arnold (narrated by Daniel Stern) reminisces about his teenage days (played by Fred Savage) where he experiences love and all of the joys and painful experiences that middle/high schoolers go through. Of course, it also addresses the Vietnam War, perhaps the most prevalent subject of the era. It also features arguably the greatest soundtrack in TV history, including hit music that corresponds with the particular year the season is set in.

2. Riverdale

If you’re an American who has never heard of the Archie Comic books, rest assured that your grandparents or even great-grandparents were fans of the comics back in their teenage days. Currently airing on the CW Network, Riverdale is a modern re-imagining of the 80-year old series, featuring Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the rest of the crew in ridiculous but original storylines involving murderers, mafioso-types and even a Satanic board game. It’s almost as if the writers are trying to outdo each other in terms of sheer lunacy, and we can all be thankful for that!

3. Gossip Girl

This series about girls who attend the posh Constance Billard School for Girls and live a privileged life in the Upper East Side of Manhattan features Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) as the main protagonist along with her best friend/arch nemesis Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) and several boys who go to St. Jude’s School for Boys. This critically acclaimed series ran from 2007 through 2012 and was the winner of 18 Teen Choice awards along with many more nominations. The show is available on HBO Max.