Why Is Every Teen Show so Dark?

“You haven’t seen the new episode of Euphoria?” “Have you heard what’s going on in Riverdale?”

“Fate…the Winx Club reboot…”

No, I have not watched any of these shows and let me tell you why; I am just not built for dark and grim tv shows.

It’s just not for me. Everything is so serious, the themes are so heavy and lighting is usually, literally, very dark. I should not have to set my brightness to 100 to understand the plot.

To me, tv shows are a channel through which escapism is practiced. I personally believe that the world is already so dark and grim on its own; what with climate change, capitalism, the end of democracy as we know it; you know those kinds of problems? As a member of a generation who grew up hearing nothing but the constant rise of global issues, you’d think I'd be used to it by now. But alas, I am not.

Hence, a distraction, or several are needed; and thus follows a delve into the world of television. My preferred genre of television is comedy. My rotation involves Brooklyn Nine Nine, One Day At A Time (Reboot), Golden Girls and Modern Family. These shows are light hearted and are chock filled with zingers and jokes that always make my day. I enjoy watching these shows as they always make me feel better and in that moment, I forget all my troubles and allow myself to laugh.

You may ask, “I get it, you like comedies! What does this have to do with ‘dark’ tv shows?”

Excellent question! Let me introduce you to what I believe was the catalyst in turning most television shows as grim as they are now, a little television show titled Teen Wolf.

Inspired by the 1985 film of the same name, Teen Wolf follows Scott McCall, an awkward teenager, who becomes a werewolf after being bitten by one. He must learn to adjust to his new identity while navigating adolescent life with the help of his friends.

Teen Wolf started off as a supernatural comedy and focused on keeping it’s plot lighthearted yet captivating with supernatural aspects in its first two seasons; and then came season 3.This season had twenty-four episodes divided into two twelve-episode arcs labeled Part A and Part B.

Part A: Scott McCall and his buddies are up against a new adversary in Beacon Hills: the deadly Alpha Pack. In addition to this threat, a dark Druid has been taking human sacrifices and ritualistically slaughtering them in order to obtain the strength needed to oppose the Alpha Pack.

Part B: A 900-year-old Celestial Kitsune, connected to the mighty Nogitsune, who had escaped the prison he was thrown into by Noshiko in 1943 and possessed a new vessel, Scott's best friend, Stiles Stilinski. The newly established McCall Pack must find a way to liberate Stiles from his clutches without murdering him.

So why bring this up? Well it was during this season, particularly 3B, which garnered the highest views for the series with 2.429 million estimated viewers.

It was at this point in the show where the plot took a turn and delved into darker themes, like asylums, possessions, and human sacrifices, while still maintaining its integrity as a show meant for teenagers.

I believe this worked well because the audience had already seen the characters for two seasons prior and were well aware of their strengths, weaknesses and goofy traits; because this is a dramedy after all. Thus it makes sense to thrust them into a darker adventure at some point, after the audience is fully aware of the pack’s capabilities.

A key highlight in season 3 was Dylan O’Brien’s performance as Stiles, the once happy-go-lucky goofball turned possessed, brooding teenager. Fans were drawn to this darker side of Stiles, better known as Void Stiles, throughout this era of the season. Daddy O’Brien’s performance in this role is still fondly remembered amongst fans as one of the best elements of the series.

In my opinion, I believe that the writers saw how successful they were with this “dark plot” and ran with it. However, as they went on, they slowly faded out the aspect of comedy, eventually turning the show into a supernatural drama.

As mentioned earlier, 3B was widely revered amongst teenagers at the time of its release. I believe that other writers saw its success and tried to emulate it into their manuscripts, but right from the start.

Either that or no one’s been able to find their funny bone in years since.

Television shows are getting grimmer and darker than ever, especially reboots. Shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air are famously known as sitcoms. In today’s day and age, surrounded by negative news and deadly viruses, why would we, the audience, need a dark remake of a sitcom?

People have turned to “retro” television shows because everything that has been produced recently is fairly dark. However, the streaming services take note of which shows have been gaining popularity and then a year later, we get a dark, modern reboot of it.

As plots get darker, so do the themes discussed; drugs, sex, alcohol, what have you. Not to say that teenagers are 100% pure and innocent and have never tried any of these, but it becomes a concern when these elements become the focal point of a show that is aimed directly at them. *cue riverdale*

I truly believe that we are in need of a laugh, now more than ever; especially teenagers. Their formative years are already hard enough, but to spend your days cooped up at home could not be easy.

Thankfully, there are some modern-day television shows that focus on bringing a smile to people’s faces. Abbott Elementary, Mr Iglesias, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder and more.

I look forward to the new age of television on streaming services and pray that they give us more light-hearted content because my weak little heart can only take so much.

Last note: This is an opinion piece. I’m not saying that my taste in television is superior and that dark remakes are 100% bad. This is purely subjective, with no malice intended.