Teen TV - Skins

I don't know why some of the best TV seems to come from the U.K. but they definitely top the list of Teen TV with the show "Skins." The show follows around a group of friends facing all the crazy drama you'd expect (along with some you might not see coming) in a surprisingly non-cheesy way. Plus it has a kick ass soundtrack.

SKINS trailer from UK series only on MySpace


Skins should really be the standard to compare all other current "real life" teen dramas to. It manages to be pretty realistic without boring or deterring viewers and doesn't follow the usual character has problem then learns valuable life lesson by end of episode formula. It's less about teen drama with controlled boundary pushing (which many U.S. & Canadian teen oriented TV seems to do) and more having the characters stumble, trip, and shag their way through life.

Skins can be seen on BBC America though it's currently showing reruns at 3AM (I know, WTF?)
Though they say Season 3 will be airing this Spring, you can find Seasons 1 & 2 in the U.S. iTunes (all 19 episodes bundled into "Skins Season 1" in the store) They're also on DVD though you might want to rent or do research before buying. Some people have reported the DVD versions being edited to exclude scenes or replace original music. As for free episodes online, that's up to you to find.