Coming of Age TV Shows: Best Three

What do I like to watch the most? Coming of age movies, films, and tv shows. Coming of age means stories where young people are still finding their way in life as they are growing up. I have come up with my three favorite tv shows in this genre: The O.C., That 70s Show, and Freaks And Geeks. I settled on these three because they are all different, yet similar. So let’s get started.

The O.C.

I remember when The O.C. (Orange County) first appeared in 2003. I was in college, and a group of classmates were arguing over which show was better: Smallville or The O.C. . Smallville was a show that was supposed to be about Superman, but in reality it was about a crybaby with powers he rarely used. The O.C., a show about a lower-class teen being put in an upper-class environment, turned out to be a much better show in comparison. It relied heavily on love triangles, but what always sweet and entertaining. (affiliate link) Of the three coming of age shows I chose to list here, it is my least favorite, however. The first season was great, but the following were never as good. The last nail in the coffin of this show was killing off a major character that was around since the show’s pilot.

That 70s Show

The only comedy on my coming of age list, That 70s show was about a group of teens constantly causing trouble in their small hometown. The brilliant combination of a dumb friend, an ignorant foreign, and a constantly angry father were just the tip of the iceberg of this awesome comedy. (affiliate link) As with The O.C., there were occasional love triangles, but overall the comedy was upheld due to the characters. The series was great until the final season, when the main character of the show was written out. I am not kidding. For some reason, the rest of the cast would still hang out in his basement. Needless to say, the show died.

Freaks And Geeks

Freaks And Geeks could easily be considered among the best coming of age shows ever made. Unfortunately, it was cancelled way too soon and did not live to see a second season. Freaks And Geeks was a drama about a group of teens that were not in the usual crowd of popular people. Because of this, it is the most relatable of the three shows I mentioned. The main character, Lindsay, is a good kid that hangs around a crowd that is a bad influence. Even so, they are her friends, and she can not cut them loose. Freaks And Geeks takes place during the early 1980s, and introduced popular actors such as Seth Rogen and James Franco. Since airing, it had developed a cult following, and a bunch of pissed off people when the show was cancelled before all of the filmed episodes were aired. The show is a must see. (affiliate link)

Now that you’ve heard my opinion, what are your favorite coming of age tv shows? Leave me a comment below.