If you just finished binging season 2 of Amazon Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty and spinning over the conclusion of the infamous teenage love triangle, you’re not alone. Seriously, the relationships of childhood besties Belly Conklin (Lola Tung), Conrad (Christopher Briney), and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) captured our full attention for the last couple of years and it’s hard to accept it’s over. . . For now. Season 3 is coming, guys. Also, the series is based on books, so you could cuddle up with Jenny Han’s trilogy any time.
Anyways, if you’re not willing to wait for more teen drama and are already busy with The Readheads book club pick for this month, we got you. There are so many other series like The Summer I Turned Pretty that will make your heartbeat just as fast. Sooo, if you’re ready for a nostalgic grown-up sleepover, grab your Katinka PJ set, and an adult beverage—it’s time to binge these 10 shows that give total The Summer I Turned Pretty vibes.
10 Shows Like The Summer I Turned Pretty
Never Have I Ever
If you want teen drama, “Never Have I Ever” has it ALL. Love triangles, arranged marriages, medical trauma, death, complicated relationships, and a traditional cultural backdrop—all the juicy drama. The series spans 4 seasons and covers the highs and lows of Devi Vishwakumar’s entire high school experience. This series is complete and we LOVE the conclusion of Devi’s story. It’s one of the most bingeable on the list!
Where to Watch: Netflix
XO, Kitty
Korean dramas have broken out of their Easy Asian borders and totally blown up in the States and across Europe. People love the emotional depth, realistic characters, charming humor, and quirky cinematography of K-dramas. Because of the success, Netflix decided to create the perfect fusion between a classic American teen love story and a trendy K-drama. The result is XO, Kitty, and its PERFECTION.
It’s actually a spin-off of the movie To All the Boys film series and centers on a long-distance relationship between an American teenager, Kitty, and a Korean high school student, Dae. After she gets into the same school Dae attends in South Korea (also the one her late mother attended), Kitty is reunited with her BF and things do not go as planned. Naturally.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Outer Banks
If you’ve never heard of Outer Banks, just think Goonies, but with like WAY more catty high school drama mixed in. It’s about two classes of North Carolina teens searching for buried treasure in their coastal town. With a classic “working-class” vs “wealthy” rivalry mixed with a high-stakes mission, you’re definitely going to get some juicy drama and forbidden romance!
Where to Watch: Netflix
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
If you’re here for both nostalgic series and the latest teen dramas, you need to tune into High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. It focuses on the “real” attendees of East High and shows what it’s like to go to high school where High School Musical was filmed. To make things complicated, their drama teacher decides to put on High School Musical as a play, hence the mouthful of a title.
It’s a pretty silly (and convoluted) concept that’s been made even more fun with the release of season 4, where classic Wildcats come back to announce the creation of High School Musical 4! (Which isn’t happening in real life, just the series.) It’s a lot to wrap your head around but trust us. You’ll love this one. It has all the same melodrama as the original, and if you get really nostalgic, you can tune into this episode of Not Skinny But Not Fat with our fabulous HSM fave Ashley Tisdale!
Where to Watch: Disney+
One Tree Hill
Okay, speaking of nostalgia . . . this can’t be a teen drama must-watch list without One Tree Hill. If you love the brotherhood element of Jeremiah and Caden’s relationship in The Summer I Turned Pretty, you’ll love the relationship between brothers Lucas and Nathan in One Tree Hill. They have to navigate life, girls, and basketball, which is sooo high school and sooo addicting.
Where to Watch: Hulu, Max, Amazon Prime Video, or Apple TV
The OC
Here’s another oldie but a goodie. The OC is about a troubled teen who is given a second chance when he’s taken in by a rich couple in a much nicer part of town. He enrolls in a new school and the affluent teens couldn’t be more different from him, but this doesn’t stop him from finding purpose, making new friends, and, of course, falling in love.
Here are more shows like The OC if this feels right up your alley!
Where to Watch: Hulu, Max, Amazon Prime Video, or Apple TV
Dash & Lily
Dash & Lily is also based on a book! This one comes from a series by Rachel Cogn and David Levithan, and it’s about 2 teenagers in New York City who develop feelings for each other as they trade messages and dares in a notebook they leave all over the city. This sweet romance affects their friends, family, and their past lovers. It’s charming and heart-warming, and maybe if enough of us tune in they’ll renew it for a second season. We need it!!!
Where to Watch: Netflix
Surviving Summer
We all love those summer romance vibes of The Summer I Turned Pretty, and Surviving Summer has that same setting! It’s actually an Australian teen drama about a rebel teen who gets kicked out of high school in the States and is sent to the stage with an old family friend in Australia. There, she meets a group of competitive surfers. This leads to friendship, love, and heartbreak.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Love, Victor
If you’re kind of over the classic boy-girl romance, you should watch Love, Victor, next. It’s a spin-off of the super successful movie Love, Simon (also based on a book). It’s about a closeted gay teenager who is blackmailed and forced to come out.
In this series, Victor is on a similar path of self-discovery and acceptance with his sexuality, but his home life and high school situation is making everything similarly hard. So, when he gets desperate, he reaches out to Simon for help. Let us tell you, this series will make you feel all the feels.
Where to Watch: Hulu and Disney+
Dawson’s Creek
For the last pick, we had to add Dawson’s Creek to the mix. This show has a simple basic theme: a group of misfits has to navigate life in their small New England town. However, the show handles really big themes like class diversity, mental health, death, divorce, coming out, young love, and everything else that comes with a coming-of-age story.
It focuses on Dawson Leery, who wants to be a filmmaker with his tomboy best friend Joey. Together, they get into a lot of trouble and struggle with a reluctant romance. You’ll be hooked from episode 1 of this classic teen drama!!!
Once you’re finished, you should listen to this episode of Not Skinny But Not Fat where Amanda Hirsch talks with Busy Philipps, who was a regular in seasons 5-6!
Where to Watch: Hulu, Max, Amazon Prime Video, or Apple TV
Binge these other teen dramas like you did The Summer I Turned Pretty!
Find some new shows to watch??? We hope so! If you’ve seen all these already, then you definitely need to give yourself the “pop culture expert” sticker badge to remind everyone how trendy you are. Maybe you’ll find something to binge in this list of other shows like Gossip Girl or this list of series similar to Love Island. Whatever you watch next, sit back and relax with some popcorn and your adult sippy cup. You deserve this.
For more TV series recommendations, life advice, and podcast suggestions, check out the Dear Media blog. We have everything a girl needs to keep the flow of content coming.