Introduction:
One of the handful of things keeping Netflix ticking over nicely is their High School TV show library. For oldies, being fed shows about teenagers may get a little bit too exhausting––seeing so much energy and flare on the screen might not just be your cup of tea. Scenes of talking in front of lockers may not have given you the same excitement as before. However, what people have all gone through are their 20s––the crossing-over to adolescence.
It seems as though every week, Netflix’s ‘Recently Added’ section is being filled with High School TV shows. Not only that, social media has also been the streaming giant’s chosen platform to release trailers for the likes of The Society, Never Have I Ever, and even Riverdale. Netflix has, more or less, put their eggs in one basket for the past couple of months.
Why?
It’s simple. Teenagers make up a third of Netflix’s audience-base and therefore, more High School TV shows are released since teenagers are the perfect market to showcase that with. Another great thing about High School TV shows on Netflix is that teenagers relate to it very well. Practically, teens are wired to be dramatic and are poor in decision making––affirming what teenage audiences are going through with their lives.
Through what they see on TV will influence what they decide to do in real life, impulsive decisions, dating the wrong person, and experimenting with drugs and alcohol have always been part of growing up for most people. It’s essentially Sex and the City, just with more youthful faces.
Now, if you’re a parent and wildly opposed to letting your children watch people their same age take drugs or go on blind dates––take refuge in knowing that teen dramas today are more educational than undomesticated. For example, High School TV shows on Netflix such as Euphoria and The Society have both brought unspoken problems such as mental health, addiction, sexuality and the use (and misuse) of social media into light. One season of Sex Education gives you tons more knowledge about sexual health than a whole day of asking Google or attending the actual class.
Conclusion:
Netflix is big on statistics, and statistics show that a handful of their audience are teenagers. With this in mind, it wouldn’t be as surprising to know that the majority of Netflix’s series are High School TV shows.
However, the current age of entertainment––especially tackling teenagers––has already evolved into both educating and entertaining the viewer. It’s a win-win situation, at this point. With series such as Euphoria and Sex Education on the table––both tackling certain generational problems other generations could never get a hold of––it seems as though shows like these are much more beneficial than it is inappropriate.
The young have found themselves a way to interact and entertain within themselves through Netflix’s library of High School TV shows but more importantly, they’ve found a way to fill in the gaps of what it is to be young.