Why Do Nigerian Filmmakers Shy Away From Making Young Adult Tv Series? 

Nollywood has continued to grow and explore new genres, storylines, and generations, but young adult TV series remain largely absent. While more young adult films like “Far From Home,” “Ijogbon,” and “Larabe and Balarabe” continue to pop up, the industry is still lacking young adult TV series. In this article, we explore the possible reasons behind the lack of young adult television series.

Why Do Filmmakers Avoid Making These Series? 

There are many reasons why Nigerian filmmakers stay away from the young adult genre, and some of those reasons are: 

• Inconsistency of Target Audience

The Nigerian audience that keeps up with Nollywood television is largely the millennial and boomer audience, with Gen Z typically focusing on international television. With Nollywood’s history of focusing on adult relationships, marriage dynamics, and family drama, the younger audience has shied away from the industry, which makes it difficult to draw their attention when films made for their demographic are created. 

• Criticism Against Inauthenticity 

One of the major factors affecting the production of young adult television shows in Nigeria is a factor that has received criticism in the films. With popular series like “Far From Home,” young Nigerians complained about the inauthenticity in the show, citing that it was not fully grounded in the young Nigerian identity. Filmmakers could struggle with creating relatable young adult content, with them having to find the right balance between fantasy, acknowledging adolescent experiences in Nigeria, and also imputing the westernized touches that would ultimately determine the success of the series.

• Casting Issues 

Another issue facing young adult shows in Nigeria is the casting dilemma. Due to the highly religious nature of Nigeria, young adults cannot take on roles with explicit characters or storylines without facing backlash. The struggle to cast actors who are young, properly trained for the roles, and able to play these risqué characters puts a damper on these shows. Producers are often forced to cast older actors in teenage roles, which in turn draws backlash from audiences and puts pressure on show creators.

• Production Costs 

Nigerian filmmakers typically avoid creating television shows because of high production costs, especially for young adult series, which require more episodes, more characters, and more world-building. Because advertisers and investors often prefer safe, family-oriented, or adult-themed dramas over niche teen-audience shows, producers struggle to secure investment.

Why Do Nigerian Filmmakers Need To Create More Young Adult Television Shows?

Nigerian young adults deserve young adult shows, and it goes without saying that there are reasons why; here are some of the reasons:

1. Representation Matters

Nigerian youth will feel motivated to connect with Nollywood when they see themselves represented. A huge reason for the disconnect between Nollywood and the young Nigerian audience is the lack of representation or the misrepresentation that’s rampant in Nollywood. If the Nigerian film industry puts more effort into representing young adults in media, it could attract new audiences to the Nigerian film market, which would, in turn, help with financing. 

1. The History of Success 

Although Netflix’s “Far From Home” drew criticism, it also caught the attention of young Nigerian audiences, who were pleased to see teen and youth culture represented on television. More shows like this will contribute to Nollywood’s success and create more opportunities for niche films.

1. Cultural Relevance 

Teen and young adult shows have a history of becoming international cultural phenomena, and the Nigerian film industry could tap into that potential. Youth-oriented series like “Divergent,” “Percy Jackson,” and “Harry Potter” have created their own fandoms, and most recently, Prime’s “Off Campus” received huge media attention and became a cultural phenomenon. Young-adult shows in Nigeria could create cultural phenomena that the next generation can enjoy and participate in.

What do we think? 

Nigerian filmmakers need to tap into the underserved young-adult demographic that wants more representation in the media. While international shows may meet many needs, other young adults crave shows where people with similar, relatable backgrounds are represented as the main character.

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