The 23 best teen shows on Netflix you can stream in 2022

Ah, the teen show. It’s a hard genre to really codify, but everyone knows it when they see it. Aside from necessarily featuring teenage characters, a teen show could be anything from the lightest comedy to the darkest murder mystery. Many cover heady issues teenage audiences will confront as they become adults with sensitivity and maturity. Many do it in a trashy way, too. Often, shows for teens do all this at once, bouncing between serious and goofy at the drop of a hat. There’s a pretty wide selection of teen shows on Netflix, both originals and more traditional TV series.

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Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best, spanning a variety of genres and tones. To be clear, trashy doesn’t necessarily mean trash. The overwrought, melodramatic elements of many of the Netflix teen shows on this list are why we love them. Many of these stories are patently ridiculous, featuring characters more naive than fifth-graders and more jaded than a noir film detective. It’s all part of the appeal. You can sign up for Netflix at the link below to get a 30-day free trial.

The best teen shows on Netflix:

Editor’s note: This list will be updated as teen shows leave and other new arrivals make their debut on Netflix.

Riverdale

2017-present, 5 seasons

Likely the current strongest contender for the title of arch-teen show, Riverdale brings the classic characters of the Archie comics to the small screen — except where the comics were cartoonish and light-hearted, this show offers something a bit grimmer. Sure, there’s still an element of humor running through it all, but you won’t find Jughead (Cole Sprouse) single-mindedly obsessed with burgers here. Instead, he’s more likely to sit brooding over a coffee, trying to puzzle through solutions to one of the show’s multiple murder mysteries.

Think of this show like if someone threw Twin Peaks and Pretty Little Liars in a stew, then sprinkled Archie details all over it. It’s weird, goofy, and melodramatic in a way only a show about extremely hormonal teens can be. If you’re looking for small-town intrigue featuring a cast of eccentric characters, played by actors who all seem just a little too attractive, look no further.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

2018-2020, 2 seasons

Set in the Riverdale-universe town of Greendale, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina takes a similar approach to adapting the adventures of everyone’s favorite teenage witch. This Netflix Original series swaps the murder mystery of Riverdale for supernatural intrigue.

Where Riverdale forced Betty and Jughead into the role of detectives, and made Archie decide between playing football or music (my, what tough and equal challenges), The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina starts by confronting Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka) with the choice of living as a human or living as a witch. As a human, Sabrina would get to live with the people she loves in Greendale, continuing to go to high school, and leading a normal life. As a witch, she would gain access to wondrous magical power and near-immortality, but she’d need to leave the mortal world behind. To make matters worse, becoming a witch requires signing your name in The Book of The Beast, which binds you to the will of the devil, and forces you to do his bidding whether you like it or not.

Sex Education

2019-present, 3 seasons

If grim teen murder mysteries and the magical struggle between good and evil are a little too heavy, Sex Education might be just the thing. The show follows Otis (Asa Butterfield), the sexually repressed teenage son of sex therapist Jean (Gillian Anderson). Otis is a relative nobody at his school, but a twist of fate finds him going into business with school rebel Maeve (Emma Mackey), giving teenagers sex and therapy advice.

Otis doesn’t have much, if any, first-hand experience, but growing up around his mom has given him a pretty in-depth theoretical understanding of developmental psychology, particularly concerning kids his age. Sex Education manages a pretty impressive balancing act, offering both the comedic and pretty serious dramatic turns typical of the best teen shows on Netflix. You can watch three seasons of this teen show on Netflix; it also made our list of the best Netflix original shows of all time, so you know it’s worth checking out. 

Stranger Things

2016-present, 4 seasons

Seems like Stranger Things is a perennial favorite of just about any type of Netflix list these days. The show draws on so many different influences and covers such varied ground, that it’s hard not to think of it when coming up with entries for sci-fi, horror, and of course teen shows on Netflix.

Check out: Shows like Stranger Things

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Stranger Things is like candy. It’s a concentrated hit of nostalgia for an era many of its viewers were never alive for in the first place. If you somehow haven’t heard of it, it focuses on a group of kids in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s as they help an amnesiac psychic girl named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) deal with monsters from another dimension. Stranger Things is goofy and sweet, with equal parts horror and comedy. If you haven’t watched it, you should fix that. It’s easily one of the best teen shows on Netflix, let alone any other kind.

13 Reasons Why

2017-2020, 4 seasons

13 Reasons Why touches on topics like bullying, sexual abuse, and suicide, among other controversial themes. These subjects are not welcoming, but they are important nonetheless, making this one of the most important teen shows on Netflix.

The story follows ClayJensen and his relationship with a group of high-school students who find themselves in a series of bad situations. As you can expect, it’s no happy story, but it has its good moments and it’s a captivating series for young adults to dig into. At the very least it will create consciousness about problems that are hard to talk about. You can stream all four seasons now.

Everything Sucks!

2018, 1 season

A nostalgic comedy-drama set in the 1990s in Boring, Oregon, Everything Sucks! was tragically cancelled after one season, but it remains one of the best teen shows on Netflix. With great performances, killer tunes, and a heartfelt coming-of-age, this one’s well worth checking out.

See also: The best LGBTQ+ shows and where to stream them

A group of outsiders find support and friendship amongst each other as they band together to make a movie, all while navigating first love and the pitfalls of young adulthood.

Heartstopper

2022-present, 1 season

A touching and feel-good queer coming-of-age drama, Heartstopper was a huge hit when it premiered on Netflix in 2022.

Adapted from the webcomic and graphic novel of the same name by Alice Oseman, heartstopper follows Charlie Spring, who begins to develop romantic feelings for his friend and classmate Nick Nelson, who may well feel the same.

The Society

2019, 1 season

When All of the adults in town mysteriously vanish, the surviving teens have to come together to form a new society. While the newfound freedom is a welcome change at first, the kids soon break off into factions, fighting for supremacy in their new, terrifying reality.

Blending elements of HBO’s The Leftovers and The Lord of the Flies, The Society is a teen thriller worth checking out.

First Kill

2022-present, 1 season

Teen vampire Juliette is ready to make her first kill to prove herself and take her place among her vampire community. She’s also set her sights romantically on a new girl at school, Calliope, who shares her attraction. Little does she know, Calliope belongs to a powerful guild of vampire hunters. Can love conquer all, or will the two would-be-lovers have to face off?

This queer coming-of-age story is hard to resist. It’s dark, campy, and seductive fun, and it’s among the best teen shows on Netflix.

All of Us Are Dead

2022-present, 1 season

Surviving a zombie apocalypse is hell. But it’s even worse when you’re trapped in the very school where the zombie plague originated. That’s what we’re dealing with in Korean coming-of-age zombie drama All of Us Are Dead, as a group of teens tries to survive and make it out before they’re overtaken by mindless hoards of undead classmates.

See also: Movies and shows like All of Us Are Dead

Following the success of fellow Korean Netflix original Squid Game, All of Us Are Dead rocketed to the top of the streamer’s top 10, and for good reason. It’s one of the best teen shows on Netflix.

American Vandal

2017-2018, 2 seasons

Satirizing the true crime boom, American Vandal is a mockumentary about a high schooler who starts chronicling vandalism and pranks at his school, hoping to get to the bottom of things and identify the culprit.

While the series was cancelled after two seasons, it developed a cult following and is among the best teen shows on Netflix.

Gilmore Girls

2000-2007, 7 seasons 

This CW series follows the titular Gilmore girls, mother and daughter Lorelei and Rory. Best friends and confidants, the two experience the highs and lows of love, school, careers, family, and more in the idyllic town of Stars Hollow.

You can also watch the reunion miniseries Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life on Netflix.

Atypical

2017-2021, 4 seasons

Atypical follows autistic teen Sam Gardner (Keir Gilchrist) in his quest to get a girlfriend and looks at the ways in which that goal affects his family. This smart coming-of-age drama offers an interesting look at an autistic person learning to interact with a world that doesn’t move at his pace, and at the people around him all learning how to interact with him.

This show hops back and forth between serious and comedic as well as the best in the genre, with great performances from its lead, as well from Michael Rapaport and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It also gets awkward as heck. There are currently four seasons of Atypical available on Netflix.

Your Lie in April

2014-2015, 1 season

It feels like a no-brainer to include at least one anime series in a list like this — basically half of the medium is about teens, regardless of the genre. Your Lie in April follows Kosei, a former child piano prodigy. Now in his teens, Kosei is unable to play the piano after a mental breakdown following his mother’s death years previous. That all starts to change when he makes a new friend, the talented and free-spirited violinist Kaori.

The show is visually fascinating, gradually introducing more vivid colors as Kosei comes out of his shell. It’s also perhaps one of the most emotionally manipulative stories on Netflix. I mean that in a good way — expect to finish this one crying. This was a limited series, and the show concluded after its single 22 episode season.

The End of The F***ing World

2017-2019, 2 seasons

One of the strangest teen shows on Netflix, End of the F***ing World follows James, a 17-year-old boy who thinks he’s a psychopath. After he gets bored of killing animals, James decides to give killing a person a try. He settles on rebellious teen Alyssa, who upon meeting him convinces James to travel across England with her. Thinking this will provide a good opportunity to kill her, James agrees, and the two go on a trip and eventually develop feelings for each other.

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This may sound a little psychotic for a teen coming of age show — it is — but End of the F***ing World is actually strangely sweet, and often quite funny. The difference in James’ narration, which occurs throughout the show, and how he interacts with other characters often leads to pretty entertaining situations. If you’re looking for something more offbeat, this will certainly scratch that itch. There are two seasons of the show available on Netflix.

Outer Banks

2020-present, 2 seasons

Modern teens who want to watch a new take on an old-fashioned TV show like Dawson’s Creek or One Tree Hill should check out this series. Set in the Outer Banks islands of North Carolina, this show follows a group of good-looking teenagers who are spending the summer together. They thought they would just party the summer away. However, one of them has a missing father, and the group wants to find him, and also possibly a huge treasure that might be hidden somewhere in the area.

This is pure melodrama here, but with great photography and, more importantly, sexy teens. You can watch the first season now on Netflix and a second is in the works.

Never Have I Ever

2020-present, 3 seasons

This show was co-created by The Office writer-actor and The Mindy Project co-creator Mindy Kaling. It’s based in part on her own teenage years. The show centers on Devi, who was born in India but raised mostly in the US. She goes through lots of the typical teen struggles in this very funny show, such as her wish to be more popular in school or getting a boyfriend.

This is a show with a highly diverse cast, and that, combined with some laugh-out-loud funny scenes, makes this one of the best teen shows on Netflix right out of the gate. You can watch the first two seasons now.

Derry Girls

2018-2022, 3 seasons

A coming-of-age comedy set in 1990s Northern Ireland, Derry Girls is not to be missed.

The series is based on creator Lisa McGee’s own upbringing. It chronicles teen life for a group of friends at a girls’ Catholic school during the final years of “the Troubles,” when violence would break out in the ongoing conflict between Northern Ireland and England.

The 100

2014-2020, 7 seasons

After generations living in orbit of an uninhabitable earth, a colony of surVivors sends a scouting mission to see if it’s safe to return home following an apocalyptic event. The first transport down carries 100 juvenile prisoners, leading to Lord of the Flies-style conflicts and new hierarchies.

But the teens aren’t alone. As they explore their new home, they come to realize that some people survived on Earth, and they’re still around. This CW series is a gripping dystopian thriller and an engaging teen drama.

Teenage Bounty Hunters

2020, 1 season

Executive produced by Jenji Kohan, creator of Orange Is the New Black and Weeds, Teenage Bounty Hunters follows two twin sisters who are dealing with all the usual teen drama. But they’ve got a little extra on their plates. They take on work as bounty hunters when they need cash after damaging their dad’s pickup truck.

A pitch-black comedy with heart, Teenage Bounty Hunters didn’t make it past one season, but make sure to add it to your list of Netflix teen shows.

Friday Night Lights

2006-2011, 5 seasons

Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose. Friday Night Lights, adapted from the 2004 film of the same name and the 1990 nonfiction book of the same name by H. G. Bissinger, is among the best teen shows on Netflix. 

The series follows a small town football team, using the tight-knit community’s passionate support of the team to explore wider national conversations. The show was a critical hit and developed a huge following in its five seasons on NBC.

Big Mouth

2017-present, 5 seasons

Not for the faint of heart, Big Mouth is Netflix’s reigning gross-out comedy series. The animated show features the voice of co-creator Nick Kroll, along with Maya Rudolph, John Mulaney, Jason Mantzoukas, Jordan Peele, Fred Armisen, and more.

Big Mouth follows a group of middle schoolers as they navigate puberty and their own unique sexual awakenings. Along the way, the youngsters are guided by crass “hormone monsters,” literal beasts who act as both good and bad conscience to the main characters on their misadventures.

The Vampire Diaries

2009-2017, 8 seasons

Based on the eponymous book series L. J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries is a supernatural teen series from Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer scribe Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. The fan-favorite show spawned a massive franchise including comics, novels, web series, and spinoff shows including The Originals.

The Vampire Diaries centers on a love triangle between two vampire brothers and a teen girl as they face various foes, including a resurrected former lover who looks just like the teen.

There are tons of other teen shows on Netflix, and we’ll add more as new ones come out.