7 shows for teens and young adults

Whether they’re rooted in real life or fantasy and magic, these series represent the whole glorious world of possibilities that are open to you as an older teen or young adult. Some are pure fun and some tackle serious issues from bullying to broken hearts. Here are eight shows that hit the mark.

The Bold Type

Oh, the glamour of being young and gorgeous and working at a glossy magazine in New York City. This series is inspired by the real life and times of Cosmopolitan former editor-in-chief Joanna Coles – who serves as an executive producer.

At the core of The Bold Type are Jane Sloan (Katie Stevens), Kat Edison (Aisha Dee), and Sutton Brady (Meghann Fahy), best friends living in New York City and working for Scarlet, a fictional global women’s magazine, spearheaded by its editor-in-chief, Jacqueline Carlyle (Melora Hardin). The young women navigate their lives in the big city, including their career trajectories and romantic relationships.

If that sounds fluffy, it’s really not. The show takes on some serious issues, from fertility to sexual assault to sexual identity and diversity.

Charmed

Good news for fans of this remake of the original (1998-2006, achieving cult status) is that it has been renewed for a third season. The Charmed Ones were three sisters, the most powerful good witches of all time. Three is a potent number, everyone knows that. Like their predecessors Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), Prue (Shannon Doherty) and Piper (Holly Marie Combs), the reboot’s trio – Macy (Madeleine Mantock), Mel (Melonie Diaz) and Maggie (Sarah Jeffery) – each has a special power. After the death of their mother, they discover they are the Charmed Ones, destined to protect innocent lives from demons and other dark forces.

Deadly Class

A one-season wonder, this series is based on the comic book series of the same name. The setting is the late-1980s, and it revolves around King’s Dominion, an elite private academy where students are trained to become assassins.

Marcus Lopez (Benjamin Wadsworth) is a homeless orphan doing his best to survive on the streets and, as the prime suspect in the burning of an orphanage and the death of dozens of kids, has to avoid the cops at any cost. And you think you’re having a bad day. After a particularly fraught run-in with the law, Marcus is saved by a mysterious girl with a sword who offers him a new life and a new purpose at King’s Dominion.

Euphoria

This series blew minds when it was released almost a year ago. Exquisitely filmed using various techniques, in a nutshell, it follows “a group of teens as they navigate drugs, sex, identity, trauma, social media, love and friendship.” Ironically, it’s for adults only, and carries an extra warning ahead of the HBO intro logo.

This is unlikely to stop anyone younger to watch it, let’s be frank, and as explicit as it is, the topics in Euphoria are relevant to the age group it depicts.

Word is, there is a second season which has begun filming but is now at a standstill.

The Girl From St Agnes

A Showmax Original, this limited series smashed viewership records on the day it was launched.

The setting is posh girls’ school St Agnes where Lexi Summerveld (Jane de Wet) is found dead on the night of the Valentine’s Day dance. The police rule it as an accident and close the case, but one of Lexi’s teachers, Kate Ballard (Nina Milner) refuses to accept this and relentlessly pursues the truth. During the course of the series, many other shocking secrets are revealed, everyone is affected, and everyone is hiding something.

The suspense and mystery is maintained right up until the very last minutes of the last episode. The series is polished and well-written, and the performances from all the cast members – from veterans to brand newcomers – are superb throughout.

His Dark Materials

Clickbait is a thing, and it’s evil. After enjoying season one, there’s nothing worse than opening a link which promises all sorts of information about a second and then turns out to be peppered with “not yet confirmed” and “no date has been set” and the cast “may include” Dafne Keen as Lyra Belacqua, Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulter, Clarke Peters as The Master, James Cosmo as Farder Coram. Which would be helpful, since they are in the first season.

His Dark Materials is set in a multi-world reality, with the action moving from one world to another. The story begins in an alternate world where all humans have animal companions called daemons, which are manifestations of the human soul.