Youth in rebellion: 8 series about fearless young adults

All of these series about teenagers and young adults are ready to start binge-watching immediately, for fans of YA fiction, superhero fantasies, vampires, werewolves, comic books and comedy.

A nerdy teenager thinks that he’s been bitten by an ordinary wolf. Except it’s not – it’s a werewolf and now so is he. Overnight young Scott goes from wimp to wimp with strength, speed, superpowers and everything a growing boy has, like growing fur in funny places.

This reboot series of the early 90s sci-fi teen drama is just as witchy as the original. Three young women are united by their shared love for spells and all things witchy. Don’t worry about green warty skin and black pointy hats (or even broomsticks): this trio are giving witchcraft a fun, clean, wholesome (and sexy) makeover by fighting for the good side as they protect their town from demons.

If your fingers type code faster than most people can blink, this is the comedy for you. There’s as much tech talk as laughs when six nerdy buddies take on Silicon Valley with their mega compression algorithm. But each time the friends take one step forward, they’re kicked five steps back by the tech giants who choose to fight dirty because they can’t beat the keyboard-clicking besties.

The teens from the Archie comic books are given life as they rebel against everything from corporate takeovers to illicit student-teacher affairs and dark family secrets. Loads of fun musical numbers and very pretty people make this a must-watch for everyone from jocks to nerds.

Newbie resident in Mystic Falls Elena falls for two broody brothers who turn out to not just be older than her (by centuries) but also vampires. As they fight over who deserves who in this love triangle, they face off against other supernatural beasties to save the town. Super broody, angsty teen fantasy at its sexiest.

Four teens bond as they enter high school, united by their lives and experiences in their hardened inner-city neighbourhood in Los Angeles. There are humorous moments, but the coming-of-age drama propels the series. No one needs to feel out of place here.

This hit anthology sci-fi-ish series follows a group of teens in the early 80s who’re brought together by some very strange, very unexplained events. And while it does get dark at times, the friendships formed by the teen actors (you can tell that they’re all friends offscreen) makes their performances even more enjoyable.

The Locke kids and their mom move back to their family’s ancestral home named Keyhouse. That’s where the sadness of loss is replaced with the wonder of magic as the youngsters discover that they have superpowers in this comic book adaptation. But as much fun as the trio have in their new home and world, a dark spirit is haunting their every move.