Hi Julia, I think the best teen drama by far is "Degrassi: The Next Generation". It is an incredible show!!!!!!!!! I know a lot of other teens and young adults that also love it.
I really like it because not everyone is perfect looking and they aren't all super rich like in "90210" and "Gossip Girl" (which aren't bad shows but nothing like Degrassi). The acting is really good as well. If you've never watched the show, I'd recommend watching it from the first season. It may seem cheesy the first couple of seasons but it keeps getting better and better. And it still has a lot of drama. I mean, does "Gossip Girl" ever show a girl that got an STD from having oral sex? "Degrassi" does. They deal with real issues as well as the juicy gossip! They just deal with VERY REAL, NOT ALWAYS SO PRETTY ISSUES, you know? And the cast is phenomenal. Lots of hot guys and pretty girls but then there's a bunch that are average looking too just like every highschool in the country. So far, there have been 8 seasons (I think)! Netflix has all of them that you can rent. Also, the "N" and "MTV" play them all the time (but mostly the past few seasons) and you can also watch them online.
HERE'S THE LINKS WHERE YOU CAN WATCH FULL EPISODES FOR FREE ONLINE!
http://www.mtv.com/shows/degrassi/series.jhtml
http://www.the-n.com/theclick/?categoryId=5006&?cid=YSSP_Q
Here's some sites that you may be able to watch from season 1:
However, your best bet is to join Netflix. They have every season of Degrassi that you can rent.
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Degrassi_Th…
There is a free trial offer right now so you can watch the whole season free!
Here are some sites online where you might be able to watch it for free:
http://www.flickpeek.com/tv-shows/Degras…
http://www.sidereel.com/Degrassi_A_The_N…
DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION is on every Friday night at 9/8 central on the "N". This Friday they are having a movie "Degrassi Goes to Hollywood" which you can read about more on that link from the "N".
Some other teen dramas I recommend are the following (some of them are no longer on the air but are frequently re-run on tv as well as being available on DVD and online):
1. The Secret Life of the American Teenager (ABC FAMILY)
2. Dawson's Creek
3. The original 90210 which you can watch on Soap Net (great show)
http://sn.soapnet.go.com/shows/beverly-hills-90210
4. The Vampire Diaries (a new show on the CW):
http://cwtv.com/shows/the-vampire-diaries
5. MY SO-CALLED LIFE (one of best teen shows ever TRUST ME!):
http://www.clickfornick.com/tvonline/2009/08/watch-my-so-called-life-online.html
and Netflix has it:
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/My_So-Called_Life/60030599?mqso=80020215&partid=My_So_Called_Life
6. GREEK (not one of my favorites but some of my friends always watch it)
7. the new 90210 (CW)
8. Gossip Girl (CW)
9. One Tree Hill (is on Soapnet and the CW)- NEW SEASON STARTS SEP. 14rth!
http://www.cwtv.com/shows/one-tree-hill
10. old OC episodes on Soapnet
My advice is to really join Netflix which is very cheap and has like every movie and tv show ever made. I'd rent "Degrassi: The Next Genearatioin" from season 1 and "My-So-Called Life" which I think only had 2 or 3 seasons.
SERIOUSLY! Give "Degrassi: The Next Generation" a shot! It plays on MTV every morning around 9 or 10 (depending onyour time zone) so you can see if you like it.
HOPE THIS HELPS! I TRIED!
GOOD QUESTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!