Not Another Teen Drama: Rai, Platformisation, and New Representations of Teenagers

In line with the multiplication of teen series that has characterized the international TV and streaming landscape, Italian TV industries have considerably increased the number of shows dedicated to teenagers in the last years: not only Netflix has directed some resources towards the production of local series aimed at, and starring, teenagers, but also Rai is expressing a renewed interest in the genre (already addressed in the past with some successful titles, ranging from older shows like I ragazzi del muretto and Compagni di Scuola, up to Braccialetti rossi, Fuoriclasse and the most recent La compagnia del cigno, Mare fuori, Il professore). Building on these considerations, we believe that it is worth investigating Rai serial production targeted to teenagers for two main reasons: a) First, the increasing number of youth series may be an answer to win back younger audiences, notoriously alienated from Rai programming; b) Second, this phenomenon appears to be connected, at least in part, to Rai effort to diversify its offer between traditional TV channels and the free streaming platform Raiplay, which, besides functioning as an archive of already aired contents, also serves as a destination for previews and for shows exclusively distributed online. Moreover, RaiPlay teen dramas share some recurring topics and narrative traits, such as a focus on teens’ vulnerability and issues arising from marginalization, diversity, or relational difficulties, as well as a realistic approach to the representation of adolescence. Among these titles Nudes and Mental stand out, two Italian adaptations of a Norwegian and a Finnish format respectively. Our proposal aims to explore and define the scenario of Rai teen dramas, with a focus on those products specifically intended for RaiPlay, which appears to be the preferred destination for more daring and even “experimental” teen series, compared to the public service standards. In particular, we will analyse the recurring themes and topics and the ways they are shaped and developed in Raiplay teen serial narratives, trying to define their specific traits and characteristics.