Premiering in 2002, Greg Berlanti’s Everwood very much fits into the mold of what one expects from a teen-centered television series of its era, so to satisfy your watch list, we have provided 10 TV shows like it. Airing for four seasons on The WB Network, the series was the creation of Greg Berlanti, coming off the back of having made major contributions to Dawson’s Creek.
Shot on 35mm film, with a very autumnal feel and launching the careers of several of its younger cast members (Emily Van Camp, Chris Pratt, Gregory Smith), while Everwood is perhaps not as instantly iconic as many other teen series from the 200s, it has retained an air of importance beyond its premiere.
10 TV Shows like Everwood
Gilmore Girls (2000)
Amy Sherman-Palladino’s iconic drama has never left our screens. Still streaming to this day on Netflix, it even gained a revival in 2016. An exploration of mother and daughter Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, the series benefitted from tremendous performances from its entire cast, as well as magnificent writing from Sherman-Palladino.
Clearly a fan of classic screwball Hollywood comedies, Sherman-Palladino brought a similar sense of energy and pace to the dialogue that makes the series endlessly quotable but one that is never shy of angst and drama at the same time.
Dawson’s Creek (1998)
Kevin Williamson’s forever-popular 90s teen drama was a massive success at the turn of the millennium.
For some, it’s perhaps more famous for the crying James Van Der Beek meme. For those who grew up during the period it was on the air, Dawson’s Creek was a must-watch thanks to those earlier scripts from Williamson and the cast, which also included Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson, all making an early impression in their careers.
One Tree Hill (2003)
One of the stranger series on this list. While One Tree Hill aired on The WB at the same time as Everwood, it was a frequently crazier concoction than many of the other teen dramas mentioned here.
Creator Mark Schwahn wasn’t afraid of shying away from outlandish plot developments, but in its more subtle moments, One Tree Hill could work on the level that so many great American teen dramas were capable of. That is until crazy stalkers and serial killers showed up.
The OC (2003)
While it ended up being canceled after its fourth season, it’s easy to forget just how seismic an impact The OC had when it premiered. With a pilot episode directed by Doug Liman, the series felt a little off-kilter and different, even if the raw edges of that opening episode were shaved away as it went on.
A fish-out-of-water story of what it’s like to find oneself in the world of the rich and privileged, The OC worked, as many teen series usually do, thanks to the magical chemistry of its cast. Peter Gallagher as Sandy was one of the many parental figures in a teen drama that we all wished we had as a parent.
Riverdale (2017)
It’s hard to know what to say about Riverdale that hasn’t already been said. What started off as a darker adaptation of Archie Comics, the series had a spark in its first season that felt as if David Lynch had directed Dawson’s Creek.
The first season’s murder mystery plot and the stylized nature made it very enjoyable, but it soon went off the rails in season two and made the crazier moments of One Tree Hill look like documentary realism. It was also part of a massive boom in Greg Berlanti-produced television to emerge in the latter half of the 2010s.
Veronica Mars (2004, 2019)
A combination of teen drama and film noir, Rob Thomas’s cult favorite remains an immaculate and daring piece of work. Like Everwood, it benefits greatly from having one of the all-time great child and parent duos presented on the small screen.
None of Veronica Mars would work half as well if it weren’t for how brilliant Kristen Bell and Enrico Colantoni are as Veronica and Keith Mars and their many battles against the town of Neptune. Its revival season in 2019 is perhaps amongst the best television revivals for daring to ignore obvious audience nostalgia.
Suburgatory (2011)
One of the more comedic additions to this list, Suburgatory, only lasted for three seasons, sadly, but it was amongst one of the funnier American network comedies airing at the time.
Both a wonderfully witty father and daughter story, it was also a biting satire on the strangeness of American suburban life with a great father and daughter duo at its heart thanks to great writing and the performances of Jane Levy and Jeremy Sisto.
Jack & Bobby (2004)
A co-creation between Everwood‘s Greg Berlanti, Vanessa Taylor, Steven A. Cohen, and Brad Meltzer, Jack & Bobby was a very ambitious concoction that sadly only lasted one season.
Centered on two teen brothers, the series was uniquely structured in that one of the two leads would become the President of the United States in the future, with most of the plotting centered on his youth and the relationship with his brother growing up.
Do you have any other recommendations for TV Shows like Everwood? Let us know in the comments.
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