Wed Apr 1, 2026 | Updated 08:31 AM IST HZ Awards 2026
‘Euphoria’ completely ripped up the teen drama rulebook when it dropped in 2019. Rather than glossing over the messy parts of growing up, the show threw Gen Z's darkest struggles, from heavy drug use to crippling depression, straight at the screen.
You can always stream the second season on JioHotstar to jog your memory, but the long hiatus is finally ending. After so many production delays, series three officially kicks off on April 12, 2026. HBO and Max will drop the new eight-episode run weekly on Sundays.
But what do you do while you wait for those new episodes? You binge something else. Here are seven fantastic teen dramas that explore the same messy, complicated growing pains.
‘Everything Sucks’ captures that same teenage angst but with the intensity dialled right down. Planted firmly in the 1990s, the series ditches smartphones and dating apps for a quieter look at secondary school life. It covers the usual growing pains, crushing on the headmaster's daughter, navigating blind ambition, and dealing with cheating, whilst keeping the overall vibe entirely nostalgic.
Any conversation about modern teen telly has to include this massive Netflix hit. Viewers remain sharply divided on how the writers handled incredibly heavy subjects like sexual assault and emotional abuse. Even so, the show successfully forced the public to finally acknowledge the severe mental health issues affecting kids in the classroom.
Imagine taking your standard, hormone-driven teen drama and throwing telekinesis into the mix. Based on the comic book of the same name by Charles Forsman, this coming-of-age black comedy is brilliantly weird. If you took out the drugs in ‘Euphoria’ and replaced them with kitschy, uncontrollable superpowers, you would get this exact show.
If you love the messy, trauma-bonded friendships in ‘Euphoria’, this adaptation of Kirsten Smith’s 2013 novel hits the exact same note. The plot follows a teenager dealing with a major loss who transfers to a new school. She ends up making friends with two of her classmates, but only because they keep bumping into each other at mandatory Shoplifters Anonymous meetings. It is a brilliant, grounded look at finding your people when you least expect it.
If you love the darker, thriller elements of high school telly, you need to watch this Spanish hit. ‘Elite’ brilliantly explores the massive class divide between wealthy and working-class teenagers, whilst also deeply exploring the many different shades of queerness. Structurally, it is incredibly addictive; each season uses a flash-forward plot and splits the timeline in two to unravel a central murder mystery.
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Set deep in the heart of Texas, this gripping series follows a group of high school leavers competing in a dangerous, illegal game. The characters have to survive a series of terrifying challenges to escape whatever trauma or dead-end life they are running from. With a massive, ‘Squid Game’-style cash bounty dangling right in front of them, making the ethical choice is never as easy as it looks.
Long before ‘Euphoria’ and its gritty contemporaries came along, this was the original teen drama obsession. It was one of the very first programmes to put a glaring spotlight on the sheer arrogance and entitlement of obscenely wealthy private school kids. But the real twist is watching the relatively less privileged teachers finally decide to strike back.
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