The Most Controversial Teen Shows, Ranked By Outrage Caused

The Show: Set in Baltimore, the 2011 US adaptation of the British sensation Skins follows the debaucherous lives of a group of teenagers through their final years of high school. 

The Scandal: The risqué MTV drama received major backlash after the Parents Television Council deemed it “the most dangerous television show for children to watch that we have ever seen.” Calling for a federal investigation for exploitation and possible child p*rnography, a handful of the show's advertisers withdrew from the show, and it was canceled shortly thereafter.

The Show: High school student Ruby "Rue" Bennett (Zendaya) and her friends grapple with drug addiction, teen romance, and emotional trauma in the dark, coming-of-age HBO series that debuted in 2019.

The Scandal: The sensationalized drama has been widely criticized for its glamorization of drug use and explicit sexual content in a high school atmosphere. Based on creator Sam Levinson's history with substance abuse, the show hones in on the main characters' addictions, highlighting Rue's drug overdose in the pilot episode. 

Pushing sexual boundaries, Euphoria's laundry list of graphic nude scenes includes an episode with nearly 30 shots of male genitalia. Even the script proved too edgy for some cast members, causing actor Brian Bradley to leave the show before it aired. 

The Show: The four-season Netflix series traces high schooler Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) and his search to learn why his classmate Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) took her young life.

The Scandal: Before the 2017 premiere of 13 Reasons Why, Netflix corresponded with the Suicide Awareness Voices of Education director to gauge if releasing a show that dealt intimately with teen suicide was a wise decision. In short, they were warned the dark subject matter might have a negative impact on impressionable young audiences, but Netflix pushed forward. A month after the show's controversial release, studies showed a nearly 29% spike in suicides in youths ages 10-17. Two years after the series premiered, Netflix removed a graphic scene involving Hannah taking her own life.

Further controversies came from the show's plot lines revolving around rape. While several main characters endured severe trauma after sexual assaults by the same man - including Hannah, who listed it as one of her 13 reasons for dying by suicide - audiences criticized the show for trying to humanize the offender in later seasons.

13 Reasons Why creator Brian Yorkey defended another controversial scene in which bullies assault a character with a mop handle:

When we talk about something being “disgusting” or hard to watch, often that means we are attaching shame to the experience. We would rather not be confronted with it. We would rather it stay out of our consciousness. This is why these kinds of assaults are underreported. This is why victims have a hard time seeking help. We believe that talking about it is so much better than silence.

The Show: One year after the sudden disappearance of their best friend Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse), an estranged clique of high school girls begins receiving text messages from the anonymous “A," who threatens to unveil their darkest secrets. Together, they investigate to reveal who “A” is and uncover what happened to Alison.

The Scandal: The love affair between 16-year-old Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale) and her 25-year-old English teacher Ezra Fitz (Ian Harding) was problematic from the start. Even more unsettling was how the show encouraged viewers to root for the inappropriate student-teacher relationship, painting them as “star-crossed lovers" destined to be together. Their on-again, off-again romance spanned seven seasons - ultimately ending in marriage - and managed to gloss over the illegal beginnings of the courtship.

The show, which ran from 2010 through 2017, also received backlash after the only transgender character was revealed to be the central villain, perpetuating the stereotype that trans people are deceptive by default.

The Show: Based on the Archie comics, this teen drama follows a group of friends as they unravel the dark secrets of their fictional town, Riverdale. 

The Scandal: The series finale in 2023 (it was on the air since 2017) ruffled some feathers after four of its lead characters entered a polyamorous relationship. The advocacy group Organization for Polyamory and Ethical Non-monogamy criticized the depiction of the quad relationship as a “shocking twist,” calling the show out for being uninformed and lacking substance.

In another criticized plot line, one of the main characters was revealed to be a serial killer due to a rare “serial killer gene." Not only is there no such thing, but the imaginary diagnosis was perceived as dismissing actual mental health issues.

The Show: A group of misfits form a glee club, singing their way through high school dramas and relationships in showrunner and co-creator Ryan Murphy's teenage musical sensation, which ran from 2009 through 2015.

The Scandal: Allegedly, prima donna character Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) wasn't just acting. Off-screen, Michele was accused of going on power trips and bullying people on-set. Most notably, her Black castmate Samantha Ware came forward with her experiences during the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Glee is soundtracked by sunny Top 40 hits, but it's no stranger to dark subject matter. In the second season, gym teacher Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) becomes depressed and attempts “Sue-icide” by overdosing on gummy vitamins. The episode raised eyebrows for downplaying depression and making a rather insensitive pun.