The Supernatural Action Series You Need To Watch On Amazon Prime Video
MTV has been known for a number of things throughout its long history, from popular music videos and TRL to obnoxious reality television series like Jersey Shore. It has even experimented with scripted television throughout the years, and the early-to-mid-2010s featured some of the network's best attempts, including the fan-favorite supernatural action series Teen Wolf.
Loosely inspired by the 1985 movie of the same name starring Michael J. Fox and adapted for television by Jeff Davis, Teen Wolf stars Tyler Posey as Scott McCall and Dylan O'Brien in his star-making role of Stiles Stilinski. The night before their sophomore year begins, the two best friends set out to look for a corpse that was found in the woods only to discover that they've bitten off more than they can chew. Stiles ends up in trouble with the sheriff (Linden Ashby), who also happens to be his dad, and Scott finds himself on the receiving end of a nasty werewolf bite, which gives him various superhuman abilities and an edge on the lacrosse field.
Not all of MTV's scripted shows, such as Faking It and Sweet/Vicious, are readily available to stream. But Teen Wolf, which ran for six seasons from 2011 until 2017, is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, and it's not to be missed if you love supernatural teen dramas.
Teen Wolf deftly mixes character drama, horror, and comedy
Like other teen-centric supernatural action shows, Teen Wolf chronicles Scott's attempt to balance the familiar demands of high school with his newfound superhuman powers. Stiles is along for the ride as moral support and the show's main source of comedy, but he's also there to fill in the blanks of the supernatural world with research so Scott knows what he is up against. It's the heartwarming bromance between Scott and Stiles that ultimately acts as the glue of the entire show.
But Scott and Stiles aren't alone in their endeavors either. Scott's friends — or his pack — tackle a lot of different supernatural creatures over the years, including the alpha werewolf who bit Scott (Ian Bohen), a kanima (Colton Haynes), a werejaguar (Jill Wagner), and even kitsunes. Early on, the pack includes Scott's girlfriend, Allison Argent (Crystal Reed), who is skilled in archery and comes from a long line of werewolf hunters, as well as Lydia Martin (Holland Roden), a bright and popular girl who eventually discovers she is a banshee. But the group changes as characters come and go throughout the series.
Scott's adventures in lycanthropy also put him on a collision course with the cynical loner Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin), who, unlike Scott, was born a werewolf. He comes from a large family of werewolves, most of whom died in a mysterious house fire approximately six years before the start of the series. He returns to investigate the new alpha werewolf terrorizing Beacon Hills, and while Scott initially resists Derek's help, the older teen eventually becomes a friend and mentor to the younger werewolf.
Over the course of its six seasons, Teen Wolf is exceptionally fun, occasionally scary, and often heartwarming. At the end of the day, though, it's simply nice to see the good guys triumph over the various obstacles thrown in their paths. If you haven't experienced the joys of the show and the McCall pack, now is the perfect time to start watching it on Amazon Prime Video.