17 Unwritten Rules Of Teen Dramas That Are So Ridiculous, I Can't Believe We've Accepted Them

    Does everyone have a secret sibling? Yes.

    Hi, I'm Hannah, and I'm shamelessly a fan of teen dramas.

    Though I love getting way too invested in these storylines, I can't deny the obvious formula these shows all follow. The plots may differ, but there are plenty of cringey and tired tropes that stretch across the entire teen drama universe.

    So, I've decided to put together my own list of the absolutely bonkers "unwritten rules" that all teen dramas seem to follow.

    1. Everyone is inexplicably hot. Like, smokin' hot.

    KJ Apa, Blake Lively, and Rudy Pankow

    2. The teenagers must all be played by grown-ass adults.

    Ed Westwick and Ian Ziering

    3. School dress code is nonexistent.

    4. It wouldn't be a drama if we didn't include at least one love triangle.

    Archie and Veronica, then Reggie and Veronica

    5. There's nothing unnatural about the supernatural.

    A vampire, a woman performing magic, and a guy becoming a werewolf

    6. There is never any parental supervision.

    7. No one is ever going to class or doing their homework...

    8. ...but everyone keeps getting into Ivy League schools.

    "Yale" an arrows pointing to Betty Cooper and Serena van der Woodsen

    9. The parents of two of the main characters will inevitably be long-lost lovers.

    FP and Alice kissing, then Lily and Rufus kissing

    10. Someone's bound to have a secret sibling.

    Charles from Riverdale and Scott from Gossip Girl

    11. Money must grow on trees.

    12. Everyone takes fashion REALLY seriously.

    Veronica singing, next to Blair walking

    13. Everyone has aggressive school spirit.

    High schoolers all expressing great school spirit

    14. There's probably gonna be a time jump.

    Dan admiring Serena as she comes down the stairs in her wedding dress

    15. Someone's an imposter...but who?

    Question marks all around a man and woman's heads

    16. Student-teacher affairs are commonplace.

    Student-teacher affairs in TV shows

    17. Finally: Life is never mundane...like, EVER.

    What are some more classic teen drama tropes? Drop 'em in the comments below!