Teen Drama Links for April 8, 2025

Apr 08, 2025

When TDW subscriber Alicia recently shared the above graphic on social media, I was instantly drawn in. I love “This or That” games. Coke or Pepsi? Vanilla or Chocolate? (Coke and Chocolate, for me.) But a “This or That” about teen TV? Sign me up.

So, where do I stand on the above the match-ups? Well…

“Sister, Sister” or “So Weird”

My first thought here was, “I don’t even know what ‘So Weird’ is.” Then I realized I did sorta know what it is but have never seen an episode. I did, however, watch a fair amount of “Sister, Sister” and liked it well enough (especially the theme song and opening credits), so that’s easily my winner here.

“Sabrina the Teenage Witch” or “All That”

I was big into SNICK, so “All That” was usually weekly viewing for me. But I’ll be honest: I really don’t care much for sketch comedy. I’ve seen fewer than a handful of “SNL” episodes — they just don’t do it for me — and “All That” was like “SNL” for kids. So even though there were certainly “All That” segments that I liked, I have to go with “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” That’s a show I consistently liked (and one that featured a memorable appearance from Brian Austin Green, amidst many other teen drama connections).

“Clarissa Explains It All” or “Moesha”

I don’t feel particularly strongly about Melissa Joan Hart, but her show “Clarissa Explains It All” is my preference here, too, albeit by default. Though I like Brandy (who recurred on “90210”), I’ve never seen “Moesha.” “Clarissa” is one of the first-live action Nickelodeon shows I remember watching. Notably, it was also one of James Van Der Beek’s earliest gigs.

“Boy Meets World” or “Beverly Hills, 90210”

Well, my choice here is obvious. “Beverly Hills, 90210” is my all-time favorite television show. Case closed. But I did really enjoy “Boy Meets World” growing up and I liked revisiting it in recent years for some articles I edited for my day job. Up against something else, “Boys Meet World” might’ve gotten the win.

“Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” or “Clueless”

I’ve watched a ton of “Fresh Prince” over the years. It would make me laugh quite a bit. I liked Clueless the movie but never as much as others seemed to. I didn’t care for the television adaption at all, even though most of the film’s cast — several of whom appeared in our teen dramas — reprised their roles. This is an easy decision here; “Fresh Prince” all the way.

“Saved by the Bell” or “Full House”

I have no bolded winner here because I simply cannot choose! These two shows defined my childhood. Hardly a day went by when I didn’t watch one or both of them, and often more than one episode at a time. Obviously, they have very different premises and I certainly had no idea at the time that one of the “Saved by the Bell” cast members, Tiffani Thiessen, would go on to star in my favorite show of all time. But I can’t give either series the edge here. I love them equally and always will.

“Buffy” or “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”

I can’t choose a winner here, either, but for a different reason. I’ve never seen a full episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and while I probably have seen at least one or two “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” episodes in their entirety, I don’t like spooky. I don’t like scary. I don’t like violence. I don’t like gore. So when it comes to these two shows, my answer is pass and pass.

“Kenan & Kel” or “The Amanda Show”

This is an understandable pairing, given that all of the actors broke out on the previously mentioned “All That.” Though I said earlier that sketch comedy isn’t really my thing, I had more tolerance for the humor of “Kenan & Kel” and its two stars than I did for “The Amanda Show” and its star. I will also never tire of singing Kel’s orange soda jingle to myself.

“Animorphs” or “Blossom”

I’ve never seen “Animorphs,” but even if I had, “Blossom” would probably still be my choice here. I don’t remember watching a lot of the show, which featured two actors who would later memorably appear on “Beverly Hills, 90210” (Michael Stoyanov and David Lascher). But I also don’t remember disliking what I saw.

What would be your choices for the match-ups above? Share in the comments below!