Not Only Stranger Things: 5 Best TV Series With Kids and Teenagers in the Main Roles
The childhood of a cult character, a Norwegian hit series and a 2000s teen classic.
For some, the teenage years evoke pleasant nostalgia, reminding them of a time when everything was much simpler. But there are also those who remember the period of growing up as a severe test.
Unlike movies, which do not always have the time to delve into certain nuances of teenage life, multi-episode projects have much more time to reveal the inner world of both the main and secondary characters.
1. Skam, 2015-2017
The Norwegian drama series was released in 2015 and immediately won the hearts of viewers. The actors played an important role in this – they really looked like teenagers, unlike, for example, the characters of Euphoria.
The teenagers met in groups after school, fell in love and searched for themselves. No mysterious murders or grotesque humor – the writers made Skam as real as possible and therefore understandable for young viewers.
2. Skins, 2007-2013
The show's creators, Jamie Brittan and Bryan Elsley, wanted to create a portrait of youth in the early 2000s. To make it realistic, they chose actors who were the same age as the characters and the viewers.
A special world was built around the project: not only the main actors were young, but also the scriptwriters – many of them were in their 20s. This was reflected in the plot. Endless parties, addictions, mental problems, self-discovery – this was the project created by teenagers for teenagers.
3. Young Sheldon, 2017-2024
Fans of The Big Bang Theory have been waiting for the spin-off to find out how young Sheldon built a death ray in his garage and finished school as a transfer student. We got all that, but in an unexpectedly sweet and childlike way.
The suspicious physicist was replaced by a charming kid trying to understand the world. The only thing left of Sheldon from the early 2000s sitcom is the voiceover. The showrunners got a family comedy in which conservative relatives from Texas try to find a common language with a child prodigy.
4. Wayne, 2019
A road movie about teenagers born to break the rules. Rebel Wayne and thief Delilah meet while selling cookies. Both had difficult childhoods: Wayne's mother abandoned him for a life in Florida, and Delilah's mother committed suicide.
When the boy's father dies, he is left all alone. The boy decides to go to his stepfather and take the car he once stole from Wayne's father. He takes Delilah with him, but her family does not want to let the runaway go and goes looking for her.
5. Shameless, 2011-2021
The comedy series about a dysfunctional family was released on Showtime in 2011. At the time, all of Frank Gallagher's children except Fiona were minors, according to the plot. They literally grew up before the eyes of the viewers – and did not always become hardworking members of society.
In the first season of Shameless, Ethan Cutkosky, who played Carl, was only 12 years old. The character is portrayed as a mischievous person who constantly suffers from his parents' mistakes.
As a child, social services tried to take him away, and as a teenager he ended up in prison for selling drugs. Paradoxically, the character became one of the most decent as an adult and even began working as a police officer.