It’s no surprise to most that some of the best high schoolers on television have been out of high school for quite some time. After all, one of the best high schoolers depicted on television was played by Gabrielle Carteris, long after her high school years were prime on the original Beverly Hills, 90210.

So who is taking over that role these days?

90210
The oldest cast member is Trevor Donovan, 30. But I certainly think he looks his age, unlike
29-year-old Michael Steger (Navid), who’s actually several years older than the cast member playing his teacher, Ryan Eggold (25 in real life).

Gossip Girl
Oldest Cast Member: Jessica Szohr, 24
It’s not usually the women who can get away with being the oldest cast member, surprisingly! But not so Gossip Girl, where Jessica Szohr holds that title, outranking next-oldest actor Chace Crawford by almost 16 months.

I’m also really surprised by this because Ed Westwick looks like he’s pushing 30. A very attractive 30, but 30 none the less.

On Glee, the oldest cast member is Cory Monteith, 27. For a high school show, Glee has an unusually young cast — 18-year-old actor Chris Colfer (Kurt) could even be a senior in real life. And then there’s Cory Monteith, who plays the school’s male lead, Finn, and turned 27 before Glee’s spring premiere. It’s an interesting juxaposition between the two!

The Secret Life of the American Teenager
Oldest Cast Member: Greg Finley, 24
Greg Finley (Jack) will be turning 25 next month and it’ll have been six years since he was a teenager. He definitely looks his age though.

What do you think? Who is the oldest person playing a teen on television and do they pull it off well?