5 Teen Drama TV Shows Way Better Than Euphoria

This article contains discussions of addiction and sexual assault.

When Sam Levinson's "Euphoria" started its run on HBO in 2019, the show had so much promise. Ably led by former Disney Channel star Zendaya, "Euphoria," which Levinson adapted from Ron Leshem's Israeli television series of the same name, centered around a group of particularly devious high schoolers in California. Zendaya's Rue Bennett kicks off the show's narrative when, in the aftermath of her father's death, she develops a debilitating addiction to prescription painkillers and hard drugs; after going to a rehab facility, she returns to school for her junior year.

Rue strikes up a friendship-turned-relationship with new student Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer), a young transgender woman exploring her identity, and feebly tries to rekindle her long friendships with popular girls like Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie), Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney), Maddy's boyfriend Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), and Kat Hernandez (Barbie Ferreira), just to name a few. (So many of these actors, especially Sweeney and Elordi, became household names thanks to their success on "Euphoria.") Despite its inventive visual style and excellent performances, "Euphoria" did start to wear out its welcome after a while, and after Ferreira exited in the wake of Season 2 and young star Angus Cloud died under tragic circumstances, a third season seemed ... ill-advised.

We got one anyway, and it's one of the worst TV shows of 2026. With that in mind, what should you watch if you want a gripping teen drama but know that "Euphoria" produces diminishing returns with each season? Here are five excellent picks.

Created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, "The O.C." blends heartfelt emotion with quick, quippy writing and intensely dramatic situations ... and somehow, that mix works perfectly. The show kicks off when Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie) gets caught stealing a car with his troublemaker older brother in Chino, but because Ryan isn't yet 18, he manages to avoid jail. Taking pity on him, Ryan's public defender Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) insists that Ryan go home with him and stay in the pool house of his Orange County mansion; left without any other options, Ryan accepts.

There, Ryan meets Sandy's initially standoffish and extremely wealthy real-estate developer wife Kirsten (Kelly Rowan), the couple's dorky, unpopular, and hilarious son Seth (Adam Brody), and, in the driveway, the beautiful but troubled girl next door Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton). Before long, Ryan becomes a basically permanent fixture in the Cohen household, forming a close relationship with Seth, finding a spark with Marissa, and trying to survive in this ultra-wealthy enclave surrounded by popular high schoolers like Marissa's best friend Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) and Marissa's lifelong boyfriend Luke Ward (Chris Carmack). Even though "The O.C." also admittedly diminished in quality as it continued — especially after it killed off Barton's character Marissa in Season 3 — the first two seasons, at least, are peak television, and the banter is absolutely top-notch.

After "The O.C.," Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage stuck with the teen genre and created one of the most unhinged and delightful entries into the entire canon: their adaptation of young adult author Cecily von Ziegesar's popular series "Gossip Girl." 

The story, which centers around a group of privileged and deliciously cruel teenagers living on Manhattan's ultra-wealthy Upper East Side, begins when teenaged socialite Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) suddenly returns to New York City after time away at boarding school. Because nobody knew she was coming back — or why she left in the first place — Serena's mere presence causes a stir, especially for her estranged best friend Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), who happily took Serena's place as "queen bee" in her absence. Blair's long-time boyfriend Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford) is also startled to see Serena again — because they had an affair before she left town — are is "bad boy" Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) and Brooklyn outcast Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley).

"The O.C." and "Euphoria" both get shakier as they continue, and in some respect, so does "Gossip Girl." The crucial difference here, however, is that Joshua Safran, who took over showrunner duties from Schwartz and Savage starting in Season 4, decided to just let the show go as wild as possible. Blair marries a prince, Serena somehow gets a job working for disgraced director David O. Russell, Nate buys a newspaper, and Dan writes a tell-all book, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Just don't watch the short-lived 2021 HBO Max reboot; it never reaches the ridiculous, far-flung, and delightful heights of the original.

"Skins" isn't just a great teen drama — it's also a British TV series that managed to launch a ton of careers thanks to its absolutely outstanding and constantly shifting ensemble cast. Everyone from Nicholas Hoult to Hannah Murray to Daniel Kaluuya to Dev Patel to Jack O'Connell got their start on "Skins," a series created by Bryan Elsley and his son Jamie Brittain for the British network E4. The show, which spans seven seasons and ran from 2007 to 2013, centers around working-class kids in the English city of Bristol, giving each one their own episode that explains their backstory and struggles. (This format, frankly, just got straight-up stolen by "Euphoria" years later.) Audiences are introduced to the central group initially through Hoult's character, the popular and handsome Tony Stonem, and through him, we're drawn into this sprawling, salacious world.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but truly, "Skins" walked so "Euphoria" could run in that it depicts teenagers dealing with impossibly adult situations in an uncompromising and often frank manner. Across multiple generations, "Skins" tackles everything from disordered eating to drug abuse to sexual violence and does so with nuance and honesty. If you thought "Euphoria" had a promising start, give "Skins" a try.

Created by Rob Thomas and led by the preternaturally talented Kristen Bell, "Veronica Mars" isn't just one of the best teen dramas in that specific canon; it's also just a really good show for viewers of all ages. When we first meet Bell's titular Veronica, she's working as an unofficial but dogged assistant for her private investigator father Keith Mars (the always wonderful Enrico Colantoni) after, shortly before the show began, he lost his job as the sheriff of their small California town of Neptune. So why did Keith get fired? Well, after Veronica's best friend Lilly Kane (played in flashbacks by Amanda Seyfried) was murdered, Keith pointed the finger at her powerful father, only to be forced to resign in disgrace. This scandal also caused Veronica's troubled mother to leave her family, and it also meant that Veronica lost her social standing and all her friends ... including her boyfriend, Lilly's brother Duncan (Teddy Dunn). 

Suddenly an outcast, Veronica restructures her life and starts working for her father while quietly trying to find Lilly's real killer. Also, did we mention that, after her social fall from grace, she was drugged and sexually assaulted at a party, leaving another troubling mystery for Veronica to solve? Across three seasons, a fan-funded movie, and a likely final fourth season on Hulu, Veronica charms viewers with her sharp intelligence, her on-again, off-again romance with wealthy bad boy Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring), and her signature voice-over. Despite all the great work that followed, this is still Bell's defining role — and that's not a bad thing in the slightest.

Not only do we have "Degrassi: The Next Generation" to thank for Drake — yes, the artist formerly known as Aubrey Graham did get his start on this Canadian teen soap opera — but it's also just an outstanding, if a little campy, teen drama that focuses on extremely serious and real issues. Created by Yan Moore and Linda Schuyler, "Degrassi: The Next Generation" is the fourth entry in the overall franchise and features some returning characters (who appear as adults) like Stefan Brogren as Archie "Snake" Simpson, who was a teen in other shows in the franchise before playing a teacher in "The Next Generation."

There are multiple generations of "Degrassi: The Next Generation," which feature everyone from Graham to Cassie Steele (as the gregarious Manny Santos) to Lauren Collins (as queen bee Paige Michaelchuk) to Nina Dobrev (as teen mother Mia Jones). "Degrassi: The Next Generation" does, admittedly, approach its big issues with the blunt sensitivity of an after-school PSA sometimes, but episodes like the two-part school shooting saga or the love triangle between Manny, the artistic but troubled Craig Manning (Jake Epstein), and alternative rock queen Ashley Kerwin (Melissa McIntyre) are true standouts. "Degrassi: The Next Generation" might skew saccharine, but it's at least committed to telling real, raw stories.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).