Another – Confused by American TV question

[Worst Case Scenario]

I’ve just finished watching the Netflix serial Hemlock Grove which is a sort of Twilight rip off about a bunch of school kids who just happen to be Vampires and Weir wolves.

But the “Kids” mostly have beards, drive cars and drink in bars. Just how old can you be in the states and still go to school?

[JanJan]

I never seen this TV show, but in American TV shows, especially with high school kids (ages 14-18), they usually cast people who are WAY too old to be high school students. Take Beverly Hills, 90210 (both the old show in the 90’s the remake in the late 2000’s) for example. In the 90’s show, they casted a 29-year-old woman to play a 15-16 year old 2nd-year high school student, and in the late 2000’s show, they casted a 33-year-old man to play a 16-17 year old 3rd-year student.

A high school student starts their 1st year usually at 14 and graduates at 18. The driving age is usually 16 years old (depending on the state). In most states, only patrons ages 21 and over are allowed to drink alcohol at bars.

[Katie]

alarnold covered just about everything I was going to say.

I watched the new 90210 series when it was on. It is always funny to go to imdb.com and look at the ages of the actors that are supposed to be playing teenagers. They almost never really are teenagers.

I have never seen the series you are talking about. Were they supposed to be in high school? As alarnold said, age 18 is the last year of high school and 21 is drinking ago. So yup, I could see driving but not drinking in a bar. Every show I watch the kids always have fake ID’s, like they are so easy to get. Who knows, maybe these days they are..lol

 

[photocriticgirl]

That’s not all the way true. You can still be in high school until you are age 21. (They would have just been held back a lot or failed) and I’ve personally known someone who graduated High School 1 month after turning 16.

[Katie]

Or maybe the show you were talking about, the kids are in college?

If that is the case…they could of been any age.

[JanJan]

@photocriticgirl – I said USUALLY high school graduates are around 18. I know there are people who were held back or graduated early. In school, I had classmates who were one year younger and one year older than everyone else.  It’s just a generalization, and generalizations are not 100% true. I’m not sure where you’re from, but where I’m from, I hardly see 21-year-olds attend school with younger students. Usually students who were held back attend continuation school, adult schools, or get their GED’s.

 

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