Lindsay Weir: Big sister to Sam, former mathlete and aspiring freak, no one in the history of teendom has ever rocked an army jacket better than Lindsay Weir. There are plenty of reasons to revisit all 18 episodes of Judd Apatow’s touchingly funny “Freaks and Geeks,” but Linda Cardellini’s performance as Lindsay is the only one we need.
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Updated 10:22 AM ET, Sat August 7, 2021
Lindsay Weir: Big sister to Sam, former mathlete and aspiring freak, no one in the history of teendom has ever rocked an army jacket better than Lindsay Weir. There are plenty of reasons to revisit all 18 episodes of Judd Apatow’s touchingly funny “Freaks and Geeks,” but Linda Cardellini’s performance as Lindsay is the only one we need.
Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
From gossip girls to mean girls, teenage girls aren’t always portrayed in a positive (or accurate) light. But here are ten teen TV characters who got it right.
Elena Alvarez: On “One Day at a Time,” Elena (Isabella Gomez) is every parent’s dream — she’s smart, informed, unapologetically herself and lovably nerdy. Yes, she may end up lecturing you about your recycling or the patriarchy at dinner, but it comes from a good place. She believes in lifting up the marginalized, giving voice to the voiceless and, above all, doing what she feels is the right thing in her heart. If this isn’t someone worth looking up to, who is?
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Daria Morgendorffer:
In “Daria,” this monotone teen (Tracy Grandstaff) delivered truth bombs like she was a scuba diver and they were her only source of air. In many ways, though, Daria’s singular way of seeing the world was a source of life for those surrounded by more Quinns and Brittanys than Janes and Darias. The character kept space for a whole generation of girls who didn’t want to be like someone else; they just wanted to be. In her words: “I’m not miserable. I’m just not like them.”
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Denise Huxtable:
Free spirited, fashionable, fiercely independent and a little eccentric, Lisa Bonet as Denise Huxtable in “The Cosby Show” and Season 1 of “A Different World” showed a generation of teen girls how to march to the beat of their own drums with confidence.
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Andi Mack: In a sweet coming-of-age series from the creator of “Lizzie McGuire,” Andi (played by Peyton Elizabeth Lee) learns as a 13-year-old that her super cool older sister is actually her mom. We love Andi because she’s smart, a little awkward (as actual teens should be) and highly relatable. “Andi Mack,” which wrapped in 2019, tackled tough topics with respect for its young audience and broke new ground by introducing Disney Channel’s first openingly gay character in Andi’s friend, Cyrus.
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Buffy Summers: In “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) saved the world…a lot. Watching her juggle very not-normal teen problems with school and study dates created a world that, though heightened, allowed a young woman’s vulnerabilities to co-exist with her strength. She was a role model whose struggles made her stronger, not weaker. In other words, Buffy was slaying and “slaying” long before it was cool.
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Moesha Mitchell: Like most teens, Moesha (played by Brandy Norwood) is trying to find her place in the world. But with a boldness to speak her truth and stand up for what she believes in, Moesha has courage and strength beyond her years. “Moesha,” which ran from 1996 -2001, explores some of life’s toughest challenges with a lot of heart and just enough humor.
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Joey Potter: It could be argued that teens don’t really speak in the densely-packed monologues “Dawson’s Creek” became known for, but when you are Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) and you lost your mother to cancer at age 13, and your father is in and out of prison for drug trafficking, and you’re in constant conflict sorting out the love you have for your boyfriend and your childhood best friend/soulmate, well you have lived in your young life and there’s a lot of angsty internal dialog bursting to be shared. (Insert heavy sigh.) Joey and Dawson (or Pacey) forever.
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Angela Chase: Played beautifully by Claire Danes, Angela is doing the work of being a high school sophomore, navigating fraught friendships, family relationships, first crushes and hair color. Another great show that only ran for one season, “My So Called Life” — Angela in particular — is an accurate and sensitive depiction of this often uncomfortable phase of life.
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Veronica Mars: This teen detective (Kristen Bell) is witty, clever and a whole lot of fun to hang out with. Aided by the sometimes dark tone of the show, Veronica is a teen with layers and an antidote to the one-note Queen Bees that so often pop up on teen shows.
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