A
teen drama is a type of
drama series with a major focus on
teenage characters. The
genre was relatively non-existent during the first 45 years of television. It came into prominence in the early 1990s, especially with the popularity of the
Fox series
Beverly Hills, 90210. After
90210 became a success, television writers and producers realized the potential for this new genre to reach out to a previously ignored demographic. In the past, most series that maintained a focus on teenagers had been
sitcoms, while adolescents in drama series were usually part of a larger ensemble that included adults and children.