(Should my) Teen Drama transit to college

[Neil]

Hi everyone,

I was asking myself, if teen dramas should, and if how long, transit to college life.

I´ve been writing a teen drama tv series with some friends of mine, mostly for fun, and we are coming to a point, where the characters should move to college. We are at the end of our fourth season.

The question that arose was, some of us wanted to split up season 4 (final year) into two seasons, so that the series would end after graduation with 5 seasons and 100 episodes.

The other half of us wants the characters to go to college, but is unaware how long the series could run in college.

Probably a little off-topic, but what do you think?

Which direction would you prefer?

I hope, you´ll help me on this.

Please

[Hallow Thorn]

Well, I don't think that all characters need to go to college (eg: Xander/Cordy) I HATE when everyone ends up going to college, I would end it after graduation showing that life might or might not still sucks after the high school and college years, that that you don't have to go to college to have a good life.

[Skytteflickan88]

For me it could go either way, but it would be nice, to see characters I care about, go on with their lives, be it in college or not, and see how they change.

[wenxina]

Or pull a One Tree Hill (another teen drama) and skip past the college years into the "real-life" years. In other words, leave it all in the between season gap, and reference certain events from the college years (or for those that don't end up there, the years when their friends are at college) if it's pertinent to character development.

[jellymoff]

I think its going to depend on if you have more stories to tell with you characters. Is the high school a critical setting to the story, or is it just the background setting. The reason Buffy worked after high school (with the growing pains that was Season 4), was that while the high school was an important setting, it did not define the characters. They grew.

[Neil]

Thanks for the answers. They reinforced me to go on, especially Skytteflickan88.

@ Jellymoff: Well, yes there are.

High School was more or less just a background setting. It had some impact on at least one of the characters, getting trouble with his grades.

@ wenxina: Well, I would like to portray college with it´s positive and negative side, because right now, I find this storyline pretty interesting.

@ Thorn: Well, you are right. I can´t stand it, when all characters are going to college, because this is quite unrealistic.
I´m planing to put four of the six characters into college, while the remaining two won´t go. They will be still connected because of their hometown they are living in.

I want to end the Series after it´s seventh season with the marriage of a couple, because I´ve got enough stories for three further years, without repeating things.

But I´m wondering, if that would be a good point to end the series. Most of the characters are in their third college year, which doesn´t seem to be like a good closure point.

Do you think that this matters?

Would you make afterwards a multiple- year-skip, like on Dawson´s Creek or One Tree Hill for the series finale?

[Hallow Thorn]

I am for the 'afterwards multiple- year-skip' like The OC also done... and maybe go as far as '6 feet under' and show their deaths too. .

[Midnight Butterfly]

Are you going to get people act this out and put it on YouTube? Because it sounds really good and I want to see it lol

[Neil]

Well, thank you!

It´s not that we wouldn´t like to. We have got the scripts and a friend of us could get a real camera, but the problem is, we don´t get "actors".

We don´t have got enough money, to get real actors, nor are we able to convince our friends to play roles (some of the characters are even based on them).

That´s the tricky thing about it.

[Midnight Butterfly]

Aw that sucks. If I were your friend I would jump right on it. Actually I am the killer in my friends upcoming online movie lol. And I do it all for free.

You could always volunteer at an acting group and get people to do it for free, but that would take alot of your time.

In any case I hope it all goes well.

[Neil]

Thanks, me either.

The acting groups are a good point.

What´s the name of the online movie, you´re acting in? And where can I see it?

[Midnight Butterfly]

Its called "Someones out there". My friend only finished the script and we havn't started shooting yet. It will probably be on youtube. I will post a link when it is made ;D
Thanks for your interest ;D

[snizapman6294]

teen dramas aren't really designed for college imo anyway... that's has a lot to do with why The OC was cancelled... the main reason was that Mischa Barton left, but regardless...