Euphoric Endorphin Rushes To Keep Your Buzz Going
Euphoria is a dark, gritty, incredibly well written teen drama with some gorgeous cinematography to boot. If you’ve finished watching this and are looking for alternate shows, fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle of having to try and find something similar with our top 10 picks for alternate viewing. To keep things simple for skim-readers we’ve added what similarities these have. Of course for all the shows we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that series and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with. So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming Euphoria.
Skins
Similarities – Teen Issues
Skins is an intriguing and well written British series, centering on a group of teenagers navigating the highs and lows of life. As one may expect, all the usual drug taking and love making arrive, along with a host of eclectic characters too. With little parental supervision, Sid, Tony and Michelle are our main characters, although they’re joined by gay and popular friend Maxxie. Joining them are anorexic Cassie and virgin Anwar, along with a host of other supporting teens too. Along the way, these characters become entangled in a web of messy emotion, romance and substance abuse. The show has an interesting dynamic shift midway through its run, with the third and fourth season switching viewpoints up respectively.
Baby
Similarities – Rebellious Teenagers
Loosely inspired by a true story, Baby is an Italian series that revolves around a group of Roman high schoolers. Specifically, we hone in on Parioli teens as they defy society in search of identity and independence. It’s typical teen drama fodder, and in a way is quite tropey – which should suit fans of series like Elite and Rebelde, hence its inclusion here! The story centers on student athlete Chiara who forges an unlikely bond with rebellious classmate Ludovica, and mysterious new boy, Damiano. Across the three seasons their tale unwinds in suitably dramatic and enticing ways.
Elite
Similarities – High School Drama & Mystery
The story begins at the end of our story; a murder has taken place and a police detective begins interviewing visibly shocked teenagers that could have committed the crime. It’s a bold opening and one that manages to grip you immediately. This murder mystery hook expands out across the entirety of this highly engrossing show, which takes place in an illustrious private school known as Las Encinas. When Book smart Nadia, shy but level-headed Samuel and brash Nano arrive to shake things up, Las Encinas will never be the same again. If you’re looking for compelling murder mystery vibes with an eclectic group of characters, this one’s definitely worth checking out.
Grand Army
Similarities – Teen drama
Grand Army begins with a bang – quite literally. Grand Army High School and its various colourful characters therein are thrown into lockdown thanks to a bomb blast several blocks over. Heralded as the worst terrorist attack since 9/11, the teens caught up in this deal with the aftermath of the attack while grappling with the gravitas of their own problems. Much like Euphoria and other teen dramas of its kind, Grand Army does not shy away from big issues. Some of these problems do feel a little on-the-nose but for the most part are actually handled quite well. The diverse cast at the center of all this drama have their own subplots and the story develops nicely across the space of its 9 episode season. You can read our thoughts on Grand Army in our full season review here!
Dare Me
Similarities – Teen Issues
Dare Me is an interesting cheerleading drama that takes elements of Gossip Girl and other melodramas of its kind and blends them up into a 10 episode series driven by dark, central themes around murder, rape and jealousy. Based on the best-selling 2004 novel of the same name, Dare Me is a tale that predominantly revolves around three females. Addy and Beth are best friends; inseparable teenage girls reveling in the heady world of alcohol, drugs and parties. When new cheerleading coach Colette arrives to shake things up, what follows is a story that starts to drive a wedge in Beth and Addy’s friendship, while dark secrets blanket the trio. The “whodunit” mystery is pretty strong and it’s backed up by some good character development too. You can read our thoughts on Dare Me in our full season review here!
It’s A Sin
Similarities – Tone
It’s a sin that this Channel 4 show hasn’t released earlier than 2021. Mixing the crackling dialogue of Russell T. Davies with a harrowing, poignant and incredibly well written story, It’s A Sin shines a grim spotlight on the epidemic that plagued the 80’s. At the center of all this lies a solitary apartment in London that’s shared by five eclectic characters. Together, these characters are forced to navigate the murky world of the AIDs epidemic, along with all the heartbreak, loss and pain that comes with it. This 5 episode series should have been longer but it certainly packs quite the emotional punch across its run-time. You can read our thoughts on It’s A Sin in our full season review here!
We Are The Wave
Similarities – Rebelling & Characters
We Are The Wave is a surprisingly thought provoking show, one that offers a voice to those misfits unable to slot into the usual high-school cliques. The story itself revolves around Lea, a popular girl at school who finds herself disinterested in her current humdrum of social media perfection and tennis, desperately craving freedom and creative expression. When new boy Tristan shows up at school, she finds what she’s looking for through his ideology and forms a rebel group called the “Wave”. While this show doesn’t have a lot of hard drug taking or mystery, it does fit into the rebellious streak of rising up against the system and fighting back. You can read our thoughts on We Are The Wave in our full season review here!
Recovery Road
Similarities – Rehab & Trying To Get Clean
Recovery Road is a well written series that was cancelled before its time. Despite there only being a single season, this teen drama shines a light on rehab in a really compelling way. The story centers on party girl Maddie, who finds herself faced with expulsion from school after being caught with alcohol. The only way out comes from frequenting a rehab facility during the evening, where other recovering addicts happen to be. Fleshing out the series are a few other subplots too, which help to give this drama some depth as Maddie attempts to go 30 days sober and change her life for the better.
Extracurricular
Similarities – Teen Issues
With lots of flawed characters throughout, Extracurricular offers a slightly different flavour of spice to this teen drama genre, one that increases in pacing and tension across the episodes. The story itself revolves around Ji-Soo, a model student in the eyes of teachers and other students. He keeps his head down, has no friends and spends most of his days acing exams and staying invisible. Under this façade however is a darker side to Ji-Soo’s persona which is revealed in the first episode and continues to snowball as his tight-knit operation goes horribly wrong. Well written and engrossing, this one’s definitely worth watching – and also on Netflix too. You can read our thoughts on Extracurricular in our full season review here!
Skam
Similarities – Teen Issues
Skam is a Norweigan teen drama that is absolutely on the money. Well written with some great underlying themes, Skam backs this up with a lot of representation and a solid storyline. The show revolves around young teenagers and pupils at Hartvig Nissens upper secondary school, deep in the heart of Oslo. The episodes revolve around the troubles, scandals and everyday lives of these different boys and girls. Interestingly, each season is also told from a different person’s point of view. When it comes to good characters and compelling storytelling, this one should definitely be on your radar. So there we have it, our 10 TV show alternatives to watch when you’re finished with Euphoria on HBO! What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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