Freeform's Freefall: The Collapse Of Cable's Teen Drama
Back in middle school and high school, my go-to way to avoid thinking about the over-the-top complexities of my teenage drama was escaping through…teen dramas. (Yes, it’s ironic.)
ABC Family (now Freeform) was my top choice for escapism. The plethora of teen dramas featured was enough to make my problems seem miniscule. It could always be worse: I could be receiving anonymous death threats between classes, like the girls of Pretty Little Liars; or torn between two families, like the frenemies of Switched at Birth; or facing a forbidden love with a foster sibling, like the protagonist of The Fosters.
I still do the same with more modern teen dramas, like Genera+ion and Tiny Pretty Things. Outside of my own favorites, the genre is vast. Shows like Sex Education and Euphoria feature diverse casts, socially relevant storylines, and enough drama to keep viewers captivated, all tied together with the melodrama of the teenage years.
Notably, these are all available on subscription services, which have dominated cable television for years. Modern viewers still adore teen dramas, and cable has not been completely overthrown (consider The CW’s All American). Yet, the once-hub for teen dramas may still be standing, but it’s failing to stay relevant.
Freeform, as ABC Family, was less racy and flashy than The CW, but still told teen stories. Notably, these shows earned iconic statuses because besides their ostentatious drama; they pushed the envelope in the way few other shows had.
The Fosters, which ran from 2013 to 2018, stands out as a trailblazer. The show exposed audiences to topics that television often deemed taboo. It dived into the complexities of the foster care system, interracial and same-sex marriage, and a plethora of social justice issues, from classism in the education system to discrimination in the immigration system.
Art by Francesca Polistina
Switched at Birth was another ABC Family frontrunner, winning the Peabody Award for outstanding and invigorating storytelling in 2013. Disability representation was taken to the next step when deaf characters were played authentically by deaf actors, and even more so with the 2013 episode “Uprising,” in which dialogue was communicated entirely through ASL.
These shows were truly just a perfect blend—they were progressive and made great social commentary, and at the same time, they were chock-full of entertainment. Some of the storylines featured were entirely absurd, and there was no shortage of parties thrown with parents out of town, boyfriends stolen with no respect for “girl code,” and life-threatening accidents that are neatly resolved by the next episode.
In 2016, though, a shift in the network’s branding led to a shift in content, and a shift away from audience interest. ABC Family was renamed Freeform, hoping to move away from family-centered material and develop more risque teen content.
Given ABC Family had pushed the envelope so much in its time, anticipation was high for what Freeform would do to up the ante. The execution, though, was sorely lacking, and failed to live up to the set expectations.
The rebrand opened with the fantasy-drama Shadowhunters, which seemed to set the tone for Freeform’s newer creations: it featured a racially diverse cast, beat out The Fosters for a GLAAD award in 2017 (shoutout #Malec), and then was cancelled after three seasons. The rise of streaming services stood in the way of cable views, so Freeform resorted to cancellation instead of acceptance of this new era of television.
Without giving new content the chance to obtain the iconic status of older shows, Freeform resorted instead to nostalgia.
As of 2021, Freeform’s frontrunners are Grown-ish and Good Trouble, spinoffs of Black-ish and The Fosters, respectively. An audience is guaranteed with the feature of beloved characters from old shows, rather than taking a risk on new content.
Additionally, for a channel that was once so forward, the progressivity is strangely portrayed. Rather than fully incorporating modern issues within the plots, the characters simply discuss these issues, akin to a Socratic seminar. What draws in viewers is not the intriguing drama, nor the admirable progressivity, but rather, the attachment to shows of the past.
The network seems to be torn between its content, either strong new ideas that quickly face the chopping block because of the downfall of cable, or spinoffs that lack the excitement of the original. It’s no wonder Freeform fails to keep up in the age of streaming services. Teen dramas exist for a mix of escapism and entertainment, and when neither of those boxes are checked, Freeform’s freefall is undoubtedly inevitable.