Best teen drama shows on Netflix right now (2020)

There’s nothing better to watch when you’re feeling down than cheesy teen drama shows. With raging hormones abound, way more murder than normal, and little-to-no parent supervision, teen dramas are a great escape when real life gets a little too serious. If you’re in the mood to binge some soapy teen dramas this weekend, we’ve got you covered.

Here is a list of the best teen drama shows on Netflix right now.

1. Sex Education

I cannot say enough good things about Sex Education. It’s charming, funny, heartfelt, and incredibly well-written. It features wonderful portrayals of the LGBT community and openly discusses sex, but not in a heteronormative way.

Sex Education stars Asa Butterfield as an insecure teenager named Otis who decides to team up with outcast Maeve (Emma Mackey) to give the students at their high school sex advice in exchange for money. How does an awkward teen know so much about sex? Why, his sex therapist mother, of course, played by the fabulous Gillian Anderson!

Seriously, you won’t regret giving Sex Education a try. Who knows, you might learn a thing or two!

2. 13 Reasons Why

Based on the book of the same name by Jay Asher, 13 Reasons Why has taken the world by storm since it premiered on Netflix in 2017. The first season revolves around high school student Clay Jensen as he deals with the aftermath of his classmate Hannah Baker’s suicide.

Hannah leaves behind cassette tapes detailing why she decided to end her life. Subsequent seasons depict a wide range of issues affecting modern youth, including sexual assault, bullying, racism, and drug addiction.

3. How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)

Based on a true story, How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) follows high-school outcasts Moritz (Maximilian Mundt) and his friend Lenny (Danilo Kamperidis) as they work to sell ecstasy online. However, what starts as a small business quickly spirals out of control, leaving the teens to deal with the consequences of large scale drug trafficking.

4. Get Even

If you used to watch Pretty Little Liars, then you’ll love Get Even. Based on the Don’t Get Mad book series by Gretchen McNeil, the series focuses on a group of high school girls who make a pact to expose the bullies at their school.

I decided to check the series out, and it was actually pretty good! It’s not a copycat of Pretty Little Liars, but it has a similar vibe. The core of the story is the girls’ friendship, along with the murder investigation they get pulled into along the way.

5. Riverdale

Riverdale is one of the ultimate guilty pleasure teen drama shows available on Netflix. It’s based on the characters of Archie Comics, with the main cast consisting of KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Madelaine Petsch, Charles Melton, and Vanessa Morgan.

Each season continues to demonstrate that even though Riverdale seems like a small town, hidden under the surface is big-time trouble.

6. Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl became an instant teen classic when it premiered on The CW in 2007, and the show aired for six seasons before concluding in 2012. Narrated by the unknown, omniscient blogger “Gossip Girl,” the series revolves around the lives of uber-wealthy teens living in Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

7. The Vampire Diaries

Move over, Twilight: The Vampire Diaries features the OG vampire love triangle. Seriously, though, The Vampire Diaries book series was published over ten years before Bella Swan was even a glint in Stephenie Meyer’s eye.

Set in the mysterious town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, the series follows the life of Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), a teenage girl whose life is complicated when she falls in love with a 162-year-old vampire named Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley).

8. Outer Banks

Set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the aptly named series follows a group of teenagers as they race to find out what happened to the missing father of the group’s ringleader, John B., and solve the mystery of his connection to a legendary treasure.

9. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a supernatural horror series based on the Archie Comics character Sabrina Spellman. In this dark coming-of-age show, Sabrina must come to terms with her half-Witch, half-mortal heritage, and fight the forces of evil working against her.

10. Glee

I know Glee has its cringe-worthy moments, but nearly all teen drama shows do. Even though Glee has some problematic moments looking back, it still makes me laugh and I love watching New Directions perform together.