Some TV shows only make sense with characters of a certain age, but others are only entertaining and logical if you ignore how old they are. There are titles that have specific world-building or rules that easily explain why young characters act a certain way. One example is Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) and her peers having a lot of free, unsupervised time on the Netflix hit Wednesday.
While boarding school students aren’t watched by their parents 24/7, other shows aren’t set up the same way, and we’re left wondering why kids or adolescents seem more like 20- or 30-somethings. From a sweet animated story about three good friends to several popular teen dramas, these otherwise solid shows have characters who don’t act their ages at all.
The Powerpuff Girls (1998-2005)
How Can Kindergarten Students Fight Crime?
The Powerpuff Girls may be an adorable animated series, but if you think about it, the premise doesn’t make a lot of sense. Buttercup, Bubbles, and Blossom are only in kindergarten, which makes their crime-fighting activities seem ridiculous. Whether they’re going up against The Sandman or characters who are prank-calling, they’re definitely too young to punish those who are causing problems.
Sure, the girls have magical powers, which makes them different from most cartoon or even live-action child characters. Still, it’s hard to believe that this is how they spend their time. Isn’t anyone concerned that the Powerpuff Girls are battling dangerous characters who could hurt them? It’s best to forget about this and just enjoy their charm.
Game Of Thrones (2011-2019)
Is Arya Stark Really A Teenager?!
The intricate character dynamics, heartbreaking betrayals, and exciting battles aside — not to mention the finale, which still sparks debates in the world of pop culture — there’s one main problem with Game of Thrones, and that’s how old many of the characters are vs. how old they act and look.
This is true of players like Jon and Daenerys, who start the series in their teens, and it’s especially noticeable with Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), who is a child in the pilot and in her late teen years in the last episode. Even with the fantasy setting and characters being aged up from George R.R. Martin’s books, it’s hard to square some of their interactions and choices with how old they are.
Of course, considering how thrilling and devastating almost every episode of Game of Thrones is, it’s also easy to forget about this problem and pay attention to the wild storylines instead.
Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-2000)
29-Year-Old Gabrielle Carteris Played A High Schooler
There are coming-of-age TV shows, like the groundbreaking Degrassi franchise, where the actors look like they’re the same age as the characters they’re playing — often because they’re teenagers themselves. However, that isn’t the case with Beverly Hills, 90210. Jason Priestley, Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth, Shannen Doherty, and Luke Perry look like it’s been years since they graduated from high school.
Gabrielle Carteris was 29 when she portrayed Andrea Zuckerman, who was 16. Carteris told People that everyone learned how old she really was as the show became popular, but she said she was 21 years old in order to be cast.
If we ignore how mature everyone looks when hanging out at the Peach Pit or Beverly Hills, we can still enjoy 90210. There are still plenty of worthwhile elements, like the famous love triangle between Kelly Taylor, Dylan McKay, and Brenda Walsh, as well as meaningful plotlines about fitting in. The show’s cultural significance can’t be forgotten, either.
One Tree Hill (2003-2012)
How Did Haley Go On Tour In High School?
There are a lot of relatable parts of One Tree Hill, from Lucas Scott’s (Chad Michael Murray) curiosity about the dad he never spent time with to the friend group’s struggles to learn who they are. However, some storylines aren’t logical when you consider how old they are.
Haley James (Bethany Joy Lenz) is the most confusing character, as almost nothing she does seems like it would be allowed or possible. She’s still a student when she goes on tour with musician Chris Keller (Tyler Hilton) in season 2, and it’s difficult not to wonder why her teachers and parents didn’t say anything.
It’s also dubious that Haley and Nathan Scott (James Lafferty) get married when they’re still adolescents in the season 1 finale. As long as we suspend our disbelief that Haley’s singing career and marriage could have waited until after high school, we can still enjoy the ride.
Dawson’s Creek (1998-2003)
The Parents Had Almost Nothing To Do With Their Kids
Dawson’s Creek has a reputation for being a teen drama about characters who talk like adults, but those deep conversations are part of its charm. What is tougher to understand is how the main characters genuinely have no adult supervision.
Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) and Dawson Leery’s (James Van Der Beek) sometimes melodramatic friendship includes many sleepovers, and they often share a bed. Although she tells him in the pilot that they can’t do that anymore, since they’re starting ninth grade, it seems unlikely that no one cared before, especially given when the series came out.
The season 2 episode “The All-Nighter” also brings up some age-appropriate questions, as the characters stay up all night studying for a test at school. Again, wouldn’t their parents worry about them or wonder where they are? As long as you don’t think about the neglectful parents, Dawson’s Creek is a significant and entertaining show, but it starts to fall apart once you do notice.
Veronica Mars (2004-2007)
Keith Mostly Ignores Veronica’s Dangerous Private Investigator Hobby
Veronica Mars is a fantastic staple of the teen category, but only if you look past the way that Kristen Bell’s clever character spends her time and how her dad Keith (Enrico Calatoni) reacts.
Inspired by her dad’s private investigation company and led by her natural curiosity, Veronica loves to solve crimes and tries to help people whenever she can. But shouldn’t her father be more concerned about her getting hurt?
When Veronica tries to find her best friend Lily Kane’s (Amanda Seyfried) killer in season 1, she puts herself in harm’s way. Even when she goes to college, she seems to spend more time as an amateur detective than going to class or studying.
The show works better if we pretend that Veronica is already in her mid-20s when she’s actually a teenager. After all, she’s more self-assured than most people her age.
Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017)
Wouldn’t The Parents Know A Violent Stalker Was Targeting Their Kids?
Throughout seven seasons of watching “A” stalk and harm Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale), Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario), Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell), Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse), and Hanna Marin (Ashley Benson), there’s one major issue: the parents don’t seem aware of the trouble their kids are in.
Considering how many characters in Rosewood die and how much time the liars spend sneaking around and spying on possible suspects, it doesn’t seem logical that the adults would be so oblivious to what’s really going on.
As long as you don’t think about this too much and instead become invested in the strong friendships and mystery surrounding who A is, Pretty Little Liars is still as good as it gets when it comes to a teen mystery.
Gossip Girl (2007-2012)
The Characters Don’t Act Like They’re In The Early 20s
The wealth and privilege of Gossip Girl‘s main characters is a crucial part of the show, since they come from well-off backgrounds and are used to doing whatever they want in New York City. But Gossip Girl becomes particularly strange in season 5, when the characters have jobs and lives that 20-somethings never even could.
It’s confusing that Serena Van Der Woodsen (Blake Lively) would still get money from her mom considering she doesn’t have a real job. Then there’s Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) easily getting a book deal and Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) wanting to run Bass Industries, which seems unrealistic for their ages.
The show makes things worse when Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford) is in charge of the newspaper, The New York Spectator. But perhaps most perplexing is that the characters enter college in season 4 and then somehow don’t go to school anymore in season 5. The soapy storylines are still fun, but this is definitely a particularly unrealistic season of TV.
Source: People.com
