by Lindsey

When consuming media, I try to pursue a balance in my subject matter. For example, I’ve been reading lots of true crime and murder mystery books lately (I’m nice, I swear), which has led me in search of lighter fare from my Netflix queue. Enter the perfect complement to my scary reading habits: the teen drama.

I find this genre appealing because the high school settings provide a kind of weird nostalgia, while offering that tasty drama that is better viewed than experienced (says the formerly nerdy teen/now happy-to-be-boring adult). I was born in 1986, so I managed to miss some of the quintessential teen dramas of the early 1990s. If you’re interested in playing catch up with me, here are my top picks playing on Netflix now.

Dawson’s Creek: I recently watched Dawson and friends for the first time. Much cheese. So sexy. Very crying. Wow. (I enjoyed it immensely.)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: I’m currently on season two. It’s snappy, fun and it feeds my feminist side. Plus, it gets extra points for adding real monsters to the high school experience.

Gossip Girl: Basically, I watch it for the clothes. No other reason is necessary. Right? Right.

The Wonder Years: This show was a favorite of mine during the Nick at Nite heyday. I plan to start back through with fresh eyes soon.

Next in my queue are Roswell and Freaks and Geeks, because I like aliens and critically acclaimed dramas cut down in their prime.

Honorable (a.k.a. not on Netflix) mentions: Boy Meets World (always and forever), Felicity (basically the girl version of Dawson), Gilmore Girls (fast talking fun) and Sabrina the Teenage Witch (currently playing on Hulu and Amazon Prime).

Oh, you don’t like any of the above teen dramas? 1. Who are you? 2. Here are some July 1 additions to Netflix that might tickle your fancy. I recommend 12 Angry Men and Mean Girls played back-to-back, because I’m all for equal opportunity ugliness from the sexes.