I never thought I’d say this, but I’m starting to miss Riverdale.
During a time when shows like The Summer I Turned Pretty are gaining popularity, it’s clear that the Young Adult genre is going in a new direction — one that orients around love triangles.
But there’s a gaping hole where YA supernatural-themed shows used to be.
It’s been a while since a popular one has risen to the top. Maybe Stranger Things could count if you squint really hard.
And as much as it can be tempting to rewatch The Vampire Diaries over and over, the genre desperately needs new material.
So, in a time when things in reality are far from perfect, we need to bring back YA supernatural shows.
Remember the Good Old Days?
Even a mere ten years ago, you could find many more fantasy-oriented shows targeted towards young adults than you could today.
After all, who could forget the popularity of series like Teen Wolf?
These YA supernatural shows gave us some of the most iconic heartthrobs and love interests, along with thrilling stories.
Nowadays, YA shows have cookie-cutter plotlines based on misunderstandings and petty drama rather than high-stakes stories.
Plus, the escapism offered by shows like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina the Teen Witch is a great getaway and stress reliever.
So many of these kinds of shows have also gained a long-lasting legacy, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
In fact, this show has become so iconic that it’s getting a spinoff.
Part of the problem might also be that The CW has slowly been in decline over the years. It’s been one of the few networks to commit to great YA shows set in fictional worlds.
This proves that more than ever, the YA genre sorely needs more supernatural-based series to engage our imaginations.
That’s why we watch TV; it should entertain us rather than stress us out by the lead character choosing the wrong guy.
Book Adaptations Are Nothing New, But We’ve Lost the Plot
I don’t think the problem with newer YA shows is that they’re book adaptations.
So many popular YA supernatural shows have been based on popular teen book series, such as Shadowhunters and The Vampire Diaries.
The problem is that the only books networks and streamers are adapting into shows focus on romance rather than on building a fantasy world.
It can be fun to watch people argue over whether Belly should choose Conrad or Jeremiah.
However, I miss the days when people could choose between involving themselves in shipping wars or just focusing on what new details about the universe the latest episode of Riverdale revealed.
And again, some of these YA fantasy and supernatural shows might not be the highest quality.
Still, they were always entertaining rather than frustrating to watch, with the same love triangle over several seasons.
Trying to appeal to the Booktok audience might be tempting, but I genuinely miss the days when TV shows assumed better of their audiences and wholeheartedly embraced ridiculous storylines rather than spoon-feeding them to us.
There are still plenty of YA books set in magical worlds that are waiting to become TV shows.
So, I’m begging networks and streaming services to consider pivoting away from trashy romances and back to the supernatural world.
Even if there’s a pivot away from book adaptations, plenty of YA shows have also been original content.
As much as I love Overcompensating, I would love to get overly emotionally invested in vampires to distract myself from reality.
What do you think about this trend of YA shows?
Do you have any favorite shows from the early 2000s that you miss?
Or are you an avid The Summer I Turned Pretty defender?
Comment your thoughts below!
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