Teens on Screen

As we all know, teen life is nothing like Fox’s “The O.C.” — at least not in Atlanta, anyway. However, there are several TV shows and movies that over the years have accurately depicted the troubles and joys of teenagers. VOX’s writers have picked out some of their favorites.

‘Degrassi: The Next Generation’
“Degrassi” is one of the rare TV shows that I feel really connects with teens today, primarily because almost all of the drama takes place in high school. It follows the lives of dozens of Canadian teens who go to Degrassi High, and what sets it apart from other teen shows is that it depicts how teens realistically deal with different issues in their lives. These include some pretty serious topics such as teen pregnancy, depression and homosexuality.

When I first started watching the show about six years ago, I was really drawn to the characters who were most like me and my friends. I noticed that my best friend was like Manny, a girl who was really sweet and innocent at first but then winds up doing some very bad things. I personally connected with Emma, a girl who was very focused on school but gets into some trouble when she started dating boys.

One storyline that I was drawn to involved Liberty, a hard-working girl who got pregnant by her crush, a goofball named J.T. She thought she could handle the pressures of being a mom, but it turns out that she couldn’t, and she gives the baby up in an open adoption. What happened to Liberty really made me appreciate my parents and how they set limits for me, including how they always tell me to wait to have sex until I’m married. I can’t help but notice that a lot of girls at my school have had babies or have at one time been pregnant — and I don’t want that to be me.

“Degrassi” is probably one of the best shows for teens to watch to get an understanding of issues that they may one day face. What’s great is that the show isn’t just about teaching you a lesson; it’s also very entertaining. If you’re one of the few teens who hasn’t seen “Degrassi,” you can check it out on The N. Back-to-back-to-back episodes run on Saturdays and Sundays starting at 7:30 p.m.

Raiona Green / VOX Staff

‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’
Believe it or not, despite the fact that main character is a witch, this TV show accurately conveys what it’s like to be a teenager. Even better, “Sabrina” demonstrates that teenage problems can’t be solved by magic alone. Sabrina, played by Melissa Joan Hart, is a nice, goofy girl who finds out on her 16th birthday that she’s a witch. She moves in with her aunts Hilda and Zelda, who help her cope with her powers as well as her teenage crises.

Pretty much every time Sabrina tries to use magic to get out of a situation it backfires. For example, in one episode, Sabrina uses magic to transform one of the snobbiest girls into a frog when she attempts to steal Sabrina’s boyfriend. Now I know many of us would love to be able to do that to one of our annoying classmates, or to cast a spell and get whatever we wanted. But the show teaches us that such wishes only hide the real issue, and that we must confront our problems head on.

In dealing with peer pressure and other very real stresses of school, Sabrina proves to be a smart, funny girl who many of us can identify with. Her adventures in magic and life are silly and almost always make me laugh while I’m learning something new. Though the show ended after seven seasons, you can still catch “Sabrina” re-runs air on ABC Family Channel at 4 and 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and on The N at 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday.

Stephanie Smith / VOX Staff

‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’
“In west Philadelphia, born and raised…” Around the world, thousands of teenagers grew up knowing the lyrics of the theme song of the popular sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” by heart. Starring the brilliant Will Smith, before his blockbuster movie fame, the show promoted strong family values and taught life lessons in a format that made it easy for teens and adults alike to relate to. In the show, Will was a street-smart youth shipped off to posh Bel-Air to learn to stay out of trouble and grow up. However, for his “uppity” Bel-Air relatives, the Banks, this is easier said than done. The misunderstandings between them and Will provided lots of laughs and learning.

“The Fresh Prince” succeeded where a lot of other “urban” sitcoms failed, by delivering its goofy but believable characters in a way that spoke to both all audiences, regardless of race. Whether discussing sex, violence, drugs, teenage love, college or other issues teens wrestle with on a daily basis, the show never took itself too seriously — or too lightly for that matter. In my opinion, the show balanced its comedic performances and lessons perfectly, and never let the audience know they were actually taking something other than a laugh away from an episode. Will Smith turned out to be a role model who I could easily relate to and admire. The show taught me that while being a class clown was cool, being serious about school was equally as important.

All in all, “The Fresh Prince” truly presented teen life in a fresh entertaining and thoughtful way. You can still catch reruns late at night on Nickelodeon (times vary).

L’Andre Farrell-Andrews / VOX Staff

‘The Breakfast Club’
What would you do if you had to spend a perfect Saturday in detention with people outside of your social group? I would declare my life over. But that’s the situation director John Hughes set up in his classic teen movie, “The Breakfast Club.” Though it was released in 1985, the film works today, mainly because the same teenage stereotypes and cliques still exist.

In “The Breakfast Club,” five teens with seemingly nothing in common come together to serve detention under the watchful eye of tyrannical principal Mr. Vernon (played by Paul Gleason). And in doing so, they realize that they’re not all that different, despite the fact they all come from varying social groups. Bender (Judd Nelson) is the troublemaker, Clair (Molly Ringwald) is the rich spoiled brat, Andrew (Emilio Estevez) is the egotistical athlete, Allison (Ally Sheedy) is the unstable basket-case and Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) is the brainy geek.

So just when you think you don’t have anything in common with the school bully or a rich chick, “The Breakfast Club” makes you realize you just might. The students learn that they’re all worthwhile people with real strengths and weaknesses, and real thoughts and feelings. The movie also teaches us that no one’s issues are necessarily bigger than anyone else’s. “The Breakfast Club” is on DVD and often airs on cable channels like TNT.

DeAndre Brittingham / VOX Staff