5 Netflix Shows Way Better Than Outer Banks

"Outer Banks" has been one of Netflix's most popular shows since its first season premiered in 2020, but all good things (and teen dramas) must come to an end. Six years and five seasons later, fans have bid farewell to John B. Routledge (Chase Stokes) and his friends, their treasure-hunting hijinks, and the eternal, mythical rivalry between those two sacred institutions, the Kooks and Pogues.

Whatever will we do in the aftermath? Where will we get our fix of maritime murder, adolescent crime, and young love? Well, friends, fear not. Netflix has plenty of other series perfect for "OBX" fans, from more grown-up versions of the show to other teen series that deliver the same high-stakes interpersonal drama the cool kids crave. And yes, some of them are even better.

Before that subscription lapses or you bite the bullet on a rewatch, give these five Netflix shows that are better than "Outer Banks" a try.

If you love watching bands of teenage knuckleheads getting into absolutely absurd life-or-death situations that walk the line of outright nonsense, do we have the Netflix show for you. "Cobra Kai" is sort of like "Riverdale," only instead of musical episodes, magical powers, interdimensional travel, and death cults, it has karate — kind of like how "Outer Banks" has boats.

A bit of familiarity with the details of the "Karate Kid" movies will certainly give you a head start here, but it's not necessary. All you really need to know going in is that Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) lost a karate tournament in high school, and 30 years later, he's still upset about it. But when a chance encounter with put-upon teenage dork Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) gives Johnny a taste of the sensei life, he opens his own dojo and starts passing down the Cobra Kai method.

Of course, things rapidly fly off the rails. This is a show of full-scale high school brawls, attempted (and actual) murder, Vietnam War flashbacks (yes, for real), prison breaks, and — somewhere in between all that — some genuinely compelling intergenerational storylines filled with teenage romance, begrudging adult friendships, and mentorship. "Cobra Kai" is always a lot and occasionally too much, which should make fans of "Outer Banks" feel right at home. But it's a fun, feel-good ride that's never boring and frequently features some genuinely great karate action to augment the more traditional drama.

Ever since its largely ignored release back in 2024, "Ripley" has been one of the most underappreciated masterpieces on Netflix, and arguably the defining hidden gem on the platform. Written and directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter (and five-time nominee) Steven Zaillian, and shot in gorgeous black and white by Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Elswit, this modern adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is a stunningly crafted noir saga of class division, betrayal, hidden secrets, and getting murdered on a boat — kind of like a really good, grown-up version of "Outer Banks," if you squint.

In an era when entirely too many shows are named after their lead character, this is one where the title is actually appropriate. Andrew Scott is the main attraction as Tom Ripley, with a performance across the eight episodes that's arguably the best of his career. He plays the con man as sneaky, slimy, deeply sympatheti,c and downright pathological, and always somehow both one step ahead and one step behind at the same time.

If you aren't as much of a fan of slower-burn stories, "Ripley" may be a bit harder to get into, but the pacing is the point. The show is fascinated by the minutiae of crime, of the aftermath of horrible accidents and deadly decisions, showing every step in the process with some of the most sophisticated and stylish filmcraft you can find on any streaming platform. To this day, "Ripley" remains one of the best miniseries on Netflix and an absolutely fantastic watch.

Everybody loves some good teen drama. But what about a great teen comedy, written as much for adults? Mindy Kaling has had her share of hits and misses over the course of her career, but "Never Have I Ever" is a home run. At face value, it's a pretty standard ensemble tale of high school romance, family expectations, and John McEnroe, the Bad Boy of Tennis. Okay, so that last part is a bit less traditional, but it is essential.

What sets "Never Have I Ever" apart is two things: a particularly fantastic cast, and a level of self-awareness to the teen drama that makes every joke land. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is a powerhouse in the lead role of high-schooler Devi Vishwakumar, who tries to distance herself from her nerdy image among her peers while also grappling with the trauma of her father's sudden death. Devi's relationship with her mother (Poorna Jagannathan) is just as central to the show as her various romantic interests and friends, and every character is treated with a high level of respect, even as many of them also poke fun at genre stereotypes.

"Never Have I Ever" is an easy show to watch, free of the high-stakes tension that defines "Outer Banks" but with plenty of the same compelling character dynamics. It's a perfect palate-cleanser before jumping into your next beach murder show.

It's hard to put together any list of great Netflix original series and not include at least one Mike Flanagan show. Though the acclaimed horror writer-director is about to make his Prime Video debut with his upcoming "Carrie" series, he built his reputation at Netflix with shows like "The Haunting of Hill House," "Midnight Mass," and "The Midnight Club."

The last of those three is a bit different from the others, focusing on a group of terminally ill teenagers who bond at a hospice center. It's a dire premise, but one that Flanagan and company craft into a deeply moving story about friendship, death, grief, and belief in the supernatural. As the teens share ghost stories at their titular Midnight Club meetings, they begin to unravel a real horror mystery right beneath their feet.

While certainly much darker and more severe in its themes than "Outer Banks," "The Midnight Club" deals with similar issues of teenage frustration with an unfair world, and Flanagan handles the whole thing with his usual deftness. It's a show that will make you cry (and all the more because it never got a second season), but never in a cheap way. While the series got a bit less attention in its time than some of Flanagan's other Netflix horror shows, it's one of his strongest, and a perfect addition to any list of the platform's top dramas starring younger ensemble casts.

Arguably the best show on Netflix when it comes to high-stakes teen drama is "Elite," the Spanish series that ran for eight seasons from 2018 to 2024. It's a great binge with plenty of material, and while it features all the romance, hidden secrets, petty crime, serious crime, and betrayal that similar shows like "Outer Banks" are famous for, "Elite" elevates the genre with some slightly more sophisticated ruminations on themes like emotional abuse, sex, and "delinquent" behavior.

It's the best of both worlds: soapy and campy in all the ways you want from a good teen drama, but with a level of depth in the character and story writing that makes it just a little bit better. The later seasons may not hold up quite as well as the peak the show reaches early on, but with so much material to keep you occupied, some variances in quality are easy to forgive. It's a more diverse and politically complex show than "Outer Banks," but with similar themes of class division and in-group/out-group dynamics at its center.