2021 was another great year for teen television shows in both the comedy and drama genres. Several beloved shows returned for new seasons but the year also saw several great teen shows premiere. With the rise of streaming services, there was no shortage of TV shows aimed at that audience leaving many fans scrambling to keep up with what to watch.
Disney+ continued to be a powerhouse of teen TV shows premiering several shows this year while new streamers like Peacock also ed the ranks. Even foreign teen shows saw a rise in popularity this year thanks to Netflix. The best part is that no two new series were alike leaving fans with plenty to watch.
Big Shot
Available On Disney+
John Stamos once again is gracing TV audiences with his face, this time as Coach Marvyn Korn in the Disney+ original series Big Shot. The series centers on Marvyn, a disgraced college basketball coach with a history of frustration-fueled tantrums. When he's kicked out of the college ranks, he takes a job coaching a girl's basketball team at an elite private high school.
The series aired weekly starting in April and was renewed for a season 2 in September. While the show might center around a basketball team, it offers fans much more focusing on friendship, complicated parent-child relationships, and so much more.
Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.
Available On Disney+
The age of reboots and revivals isn't slowing down anytime soon which is why it was the perfect time for Disney+ to revitalize the popular ABC showDoogie Howser, M.D. with the release of Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.
This time around the show centers on Lahela, a brilliant teenager who is a resident at the hospital where her mother works. As if being a teenage doctor isn't enough to handle, Lahela is also navigating "normal" teenage life like finding her first boyfriend. The show is similar to the original and yet different enough that it appeals to a whole new generation of fans.
Ginny & Georgia
Available On Netflix
The stream service Ginny and Georgia, a show that took on many twists and turns that left fans eager for more.
The series, which was picked up for season 2, centers on 15-year-old Ginny and her young-at-heart mother, Georgia, who has moved their family across the country in the hopes of a better life. As Ginny gets comfortable in her new town, secrets concerning Georgia begin to unravel jeopardizing Ginny's life.
One Of Us Is Lying
Available On Peacock
Having launched in 2021, Peacock entered the world of teen TV with the release of Pretty Little Liars and does not disappoint.
The series opens with five students from different cliques who all wind up in detention on the first day of school. Their day turns progressively worse when one of the students mysteriously dies while there. The four remaining students now must stick together and figure out what happened before one of them goes down for Simon's death.
Reservation Dogs
Available On Hulu
It's no secret that television, including teen TV shows, have lacked in the representation department over the years which is why it's so refreshing to see that beginning to change with shows like FX/Hulu's Reservation Dogs. In fact, it's the first show to feature all Indigenous writers and directors.
The comedy-drama series centers on four Indigenous teenagers who all live in rural Oklahoma. Tired of their hometown, the teens will stop at nothing to get to California, even if it means committing and fighting crime.
Shadow And Bone
Available On Netflix
Netflix is no stranger to the world of fantasy and 2021 was no different since. was adapted from two books by Leigh Bardugo - the first being Shadow and Bone and the second being Six of Crows. Season 2 is set to adapt two more of Bardugo's novels.
The first season of Shadow and Bone centers on Alina Starkov, a young soldier who learns she has magical powers after activating them while under attack. The reveal causes chaos in her world with the weight falling on her shoulders as she tries to unite her divided world.
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers
Available On Disney+
It's no secret that Disney's best sports movies of all time which is why it's no surprise the streaming network decided to bring back to the Mighty Ducks for a show.
This time around the Mighty Ducks is an unstoppable team that doesn't have room for players who aren't perfect. This forces Evan off the iconic team and leads his mother, Alex, to create a new hockey team made up entirely of players who simply love the sport. Having no hockey experience of her own, eventually, Alex convinces legendary Coach Bombay to come on board and help her and the team get to the State Championships.
The Mysterious Benedict Society
Available On Disney+
Disney+'s The Mysterious Benedict Society released its first season on in June and was quickly picked up for season 2. The mystery/adventure series appears to be Disney's own version of Limney Snicket's beloved Series of Unfortunate Events.
Based on a children's book series, The Mysterious Benedict Society centers on four gifted orphans who find themselves going undercover at a prestigious boarding school to figure out what sinister plan the boarding school is planning to take over the world.
Yellowjackets
Available On Showtime
The new series The Wilds and is full of entertaining drama and heart. The series premiered on Showtime in November 2021 and has quickly become a favorite amongst teen and adult audiences. Though it should be noted that the show is not meant for young viewers.
In 1996, a high school soccer team is on their way to a national tournament when their plane crashes in the wilderness of Canada. The survivors spend 19 months lost before help finally arrives. The series switches between past and present as fans follow the girls through their wilderness adventure while also catching up with them in the present.
Young Royals
Available On Netflix
Netflix has a plethora of international teen shows but one that managed to break through and become an international sensation was the Swedish created Young Royals. With only six episodes, the series was a quick binge and has fans eagerly awaiting an announcement of season 2.
The drama series centers on teenage Prince Wilhelm of Sweden who is being sent to a prestigious boarding school after getting into trouble at home. Originally annoyed at the arrangement, Wilhelm ends up bonding and starting a romantic relationship with Simon, a scholarship student at the school. While things seem to be going great, Wilhelm's world is shattered when his older brother es away, putting him next in line for the throne.