As we eagerly anticipate the second season of the remarkable Netflix series Heartstopper on August 3, we all need shows that are just like Heartstopper while eating supper. Whether it’s high school romantic romance or complex depictions of queerness, there are a plethora of series that might fill the emptiness in your heart and keep you going till season two.
1. Young Royals.
Young Royals, Netflix’s second hit queer youth romance series, will undoubtedly be the first show recommended after you finish watching Heartstopper. This one takes us back over the pond, this time to Sweden, where a young prince is caught up in some negative publicity and sent to a prominent boarding school, where he must balance being an actual prince with falling in love. It’s sweet, touching, and brilliantly crafted, with everything that made Heartstopper so special.
2. SKAM
Returning to international teen hits, SKAM (Shame in Norwegian) is an anthology that follows a teen through a year of high school at one of Oslo’s most recognizable institutions. While the entire series is wonderful, the third season, chronicling Isak’s coming out experience, is certainly one of the best homosexual teen tales on television.
Coming out stories may appear stale, as they are frequently done in haste, making them feel inconsequential, or in drawn-out hysterics that help no one, but this series does it correctly. Along with gay tales, the series has well-thought-out plots about teenagers coping with love, faith, and school challenges.
3. Degrassi.
There are few influential teen series as storied as Degrassi, the decades-old Canadian show that not only launched the careers of Drake, Nina Dobrev, and Stephen Amell, to name a few, but it is still one of the few teen shows to truly delve into some historic LGBTQ+ topics.
Far from flawless, Degrassi should be considered as a living time capsule, one that learned from its flaws and matured while being at camp. It undoubtedly contains some problematic tropes. However, it also featured some of the earliest representations of gay and trans characters, such as Adam, who was one of the first trans characters on teen television and the first trans portrayal many people saw on television.
4. Love, Victor.
This teen series, a spin-off of the 2018 film Love, Simon (and Becky Albertalli’s book), follows Victor as he struggles to come to terms with his sexual identity. Over three seasons, the Hulu series followed Victor’s journey from closeted to proudly out, complete with all of the delicious boyfriend drama you’d expect. In terms of these recommendations, this one may be the most similar to Heartstopper in terms of its content and storylines.
5. Sexual Education
Sex Education is a Netflix series starring Asa Butterfield as the son of sex therapist Gillian Anderson that has quickly become a phenomenon since its launch in 2019. His best friend, soon-to-be Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa, and his crush, Emma Mackey, persuade him to launch a sex therapy program at his school.
It’s easy to understand why it’s a smash, as it’s gloriously sex-positive and queer. With its fourth and last season scheduled to premiere later this year, now is the perfect moment to catch up.
MORE STORIES
- Sites Similar to WatchSeries: Top 10 Free Similar Sites
- The 21 Cult TV Shows Ever Ranked by Fans
- 7 Airlines With the Best In-Flight Entertainment According to Social Media Users
- The 10 Best Mystery Movies That Every Whodunnit Fan Needs to See
- The 15 Best Classic Movies That Every Film Fan Needs to See
6. Gossip Girl (2021)
This revival of the 2000s teen hit is one of the most unexpected LGBT series to air on television in the 2020s. Anything you know about the original is irrelevant because this series only connects by taking place in the same school, where this time head it-girl Julien meets her estranged sister Zoya, who isn’t ready to enter the hell of a high school for the richest and most elite New Yorkers.
The series tackles highly complex approaches to parents’ gender identity and divorce, queerness, polyamory, and a lot of other trivial issues, but that’s what makes it so entertaining to watch. This sitcom may be one of the most campy teen shows ever, and it’s a wild thrill to watch while remaining queer to the bone.
7. High School Musical: The Musical, The Series
This series’ tone may be a touch more campy than Heartstopper’s, but it is one of the most wholesome on this list. A faux-documentary series about the high school where the original film was situated, with a theatrical presentation of the film. You’ve probably heard of it—or at least its stars, Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett.
Aside from that, the series has some excellent queer representation, and who doesn’t enjoy two teen gays singing nice songs to each other? The dark side of this series is undoubtedly Glee…
8. The Bastard Son and The Devil Himself
If Heartstopper’s portrayal of bisexuality made your face hurt while smiling, The Bastard Son will do the same, but with a lot more blood. This spectacular fantasy adventure, based on a young adult novel series about two opposing factions of witches, contains one of the most organic bisexual stories since, well, Heartstopper.
If you like the feeling, It star Sophia Lillis leads another one-season Netflix cancelation, I Am Not Okay With This, which has similar concepts.
9. Sex Lives of College Girls
Mindy Kaling’s teen comedy Max, which follows the lives of four college freshmen, has a devoted fanbase due to its funny take on young sexuality. Season one finished with Renee Rapp’s character coming out as a lesbian, giving the show even more depth to celebrate.
In a similar spirit, Mindy Kaling’s Netflix series Never Have I Ever tells a hilarious teen drama with poignant gay representation.
10. Elite.
Elite is one of the most talked-about (and controversial) shows of the last decade, portraying a group of Spanish teenagers at a privileged private school. This program isn’t hesitant to cross the line, but its LGBT storylines are still some of the most popular on teen television. A charming blend of soap opera melodramatics and teen pranks, it’s an unforgettable series, even if it’s similar to Riverdale.
