Nothing like teen and young adult dramas set in high school or college to make you feel every single emotion on earth.
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Missing school during the summer days? Do you find that your own high school or college experience is vastly boring compared to the movies or shows you watch? It’s often nice to sit back and watch a show that’s all about young people making mistakes, navigating relationships, exploring the wonders of young adulthood. It’s nice to relish in other young people’s shenanigans, hyper-realistic or otherwise. We live for the drama, the intrigue, the romance, the comedy, as well as the coming-of-age beats that often leave us with a reflection or a learning or two.
And we’re not just talking about Glee (2009-2015) (a cultural force which you should already have seen, BTW, otherwise go watch it before you even scroll) or Skins (2007-2013) (a whiplash-inducing classic) or Riverdale (2017-2023) (talk about unrealistic!). If you love those kinds of shows, we got you. From academy romances to college comedies, these TV shows set in high school or college promise to be an exciting time about the exciting times of young people’s lives.
OVERCOMPENSATING
This funny new show has quite quickly proven itself to plenty of audiences. We follow Benito Skinner’s Benny—smart, athletic, confident, closeted—as he tries to fit in at college, where everyone’s truly just finding their own way. He meets Carmen (Wally Baram), and the two hit it off, learning things about life, themselves (like how far they’re willing to go to be accepted), and the people around them.
ELITE
This Spanish teen drama made waves for the sheer drama it has. Besides the usual boarding school BS, Elite (2018-2024) delves into class disparity, homosexuality, abuse, drugs, and even murder as it follows a whole bunch of young students at Las Encinas, a school for the wealthy, and the relationships, friendships, and rivalries formed inside it, exacerbated by crimes, affairs, and some dark, dark secrets.
GOSSIP GIRL
Either version of Gossip Girl, whether the OG that helped shape pop culture today, or the newer reboot, which reflects the culture of today (for better or for worse), are a fun binge-watch. Just the promise of catty fights, dark secrets, illicit romances, and the looming power of anonymous gossip source Gossip Girl gets us hyped.
MAXTON HALL
Kind-of enemies-to-lovers, keeping a relationship secret, pining, yearning, undeniable chemistry? Maxton Hall has got it all as it tells the story of entitled legacy student James (Damian Hardung) and headstrong newcomer Ruby (Harriet Herbig-Matten), who fall in love against all odds. This German series is an endearing, dramatic, atmospheric, but not too heavy watch for all the romance lovers out there—and it’s not as eyeroll-inducing as other types of media like it (ahem, After).
SENIOR HIGH & HIGH STREET
People clocked it for being unrealistic, but honestly? The kind of craziness that happens in homegrown teen drama Senior High (2023-2024) isn’t that impossible. The world is a scary place. The mystery-thriller follows Sky (Andrea Brillantes) as she tries to get to the bottom of her twin sister’s mysterious death at the prestigious Northford High. In her journey to find the truth and to fit in, she meets a whole bunch of characters that hold secrets of their own. The show also spawned a sequel set a few years into the future, High Street (2024), a show just as intense and dramatic, if not more so.
SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS
It’s kind of self-explanatory, really. Sex Lives of College Girls follows a quartet (well, eventually a trio) of college girls from different backgrounds and environments as they explore literally everything, from college sports to ragers, sorority rushes to their own sexualities.
NEVER HAVE I EVER
Not everyone can handle watching media that has them almost yelling at the protagonist, but Netflix’s Never Have I Ever has built itself to be exactly that kind of show. As Devi navigates her teenhood and all the mess that comes with it—from love to grief, identity crises to sexual encounters, insecurities to friendship breakups—you’ll find that you’ll enjoy the show’s cleverness, comedy, and charm.
DANCE ACADEMY
A personal favorite, Dance Academy (2010-2013) is an Australian soap opera-style teen series about the aspiring dancers of the National Academy of Dance in Sydney. An ensemble cast of young, talented, competitive, immature, rebellious, ambitious, and sometimes downright ridiculous dancers welcomes you to the emotional, intense, high-stakes, dramatic world of ballet. Besides laughing, crying, and getting angry, when watching this, you might also find yourself endeared and inspired.
ONE OF US IS LYING
Based on Karen M. McManus’ novel of the same name, One of Us Is Lying (2021-2022) is a mystery-drama set in high school involving a bunch of kids who are embroiled in a sudden, apparent murder. The five students are connected in some way or form to the victim (who’s not as innocent as he seems), and they try to get to the bottom of things, forming connections along the way. We’re not going to lie and say the show is leagues better than the book, but it’s a thrilling watch if you like your Riverdales and your 13 Reasons Whys.
YOUNG ROYALS
If you liked Red, White, & Royal Blue (the book or the movie), this one’s for you. Young Royals (2021-2024) is a beloved Swedish romance-drama that isn’t afraid to get real. At prestigious boarding school Hillerska, Prince Wilhelm of Sweden (Edvin Ryding) (rehabilitating his image as a prince) and scholarship-holding, choir-singing Simon Eriksson (Omar Rudberg) fall in love and try to hold onto each other as everything turns into an obstacle for them as young individuals and as a couple. From navigating royal duties to handling school scandals, Wilhelm and Simon have their work cut out for them.
DERRY GIRLS
Ready yourself for endless laughs with cult-fave Derry Girls (2018-2022). Set in 1990s Ireland, the teen sitcom follows a group of girls and their friends at Our Lady Immaculate College, a Catholic secondary school, as they get up to some hijinks and get into (and out of) trouble. Though predominantly a comedy, the show often gets into the inevitable impact of the Troubles in Ireland. Derry Girls is charming, funny, with plenty of heart.
SKAM (ANY VERSION)
Skam is a European classic—and we’re not just saying that because it spawned eight other remakes across the world (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, the United States, Spain, and Croatia). The friendships, the romance, the drama, the high school shenanigans—they’re just too good. Each remake follows the storylines of the original Norweigan Skam and its ensemble cast bound by friendships and relationships created by Julie Andem, with their own twists and turns.
Each season follows a pairing with a love story of their own. From queer romances to will-they-won’t-they couples, the pairings across every remake each have their own charm. Though where it streams is a little difficult too find, the most recent remake set in Croatia, Sram, is currently streaming on YouTube.
Continue Reading: 9 RoxChie Moments From Senior High and High Street That Have Kept Us Glued To Our Screens
