Everyone loves a good show about college, period. Students like to see themselves in the main characters, while older viewers can get all nostalgic and relive some of the best days of their youth. Here are the top ten best series about students you should watch.
1. Sex Education (2019 – present)
These British series were quite a revelation back in 2019. It’s funny, provocative, sincere, and out of control. Sex Education portrays the reality of British teenagers at the peak of puberty. These years are chaotic, confusing, and full of unanswered questions everyone is too scared to ask. Well, these series will deliver you the answers as long as you dare to watch all three seasons on Netflix.
2. Euphoria (2019 – present)
Euphoria is not your typical teenage drama. It goes deeper than any show before it. The series is not afraid to explore such controversial topics as drugs, porn, addiction, adultery, and more. It sets a light on the most intriguing and complex topics. Teenagers in the series are not the blank portraits of the classical coming-of-age cliches. There is no one-dimensional prom queen or jock. Instead, we see real people with real-life modern problems. Be aware that the series will stay with you for a long time. Partly due to the nuanced and well-crafted plot and partly due to talented actors like Zendaya (with two Emmy awards for that role), Barbie Ferreira, and Sydney Sweeney.
3. Dear White People (2017-2021)
Navigating a world that is not exactly built for you is quite a challenge. Fortunately, the characters in Dear White People are strong and witty enough to make the best out of it. The series depicts a group of black students in predominantly white universities. It shows them questioning the society they live in, the norms we all accept, and the rules that no longer serve everyone’s benefit. The show speaks the long overdue truth while still keeping it light, fun, entertaining, and dramatic at times.
4. How to Get Away with Murder (2014-2020)
How to Get Away with Murder is vibrant, fast-paced, witty, and bold. It took the best from two worlds – coming-of-age drama and detective thrillers. The combination makes it one of the most beloved series about students and crime. It’s worth a go if you somehow missed this masterpiece eight years ago. Mind yourself, though, that there are six seasons in front of you. It may take a while to watch them all. Perhaps, you should consider reading some of the paperhelp reviews before the show takes hold of you completely. This way you won’t have to choose between a deadline and ‘one more episode.’
5. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-2020)
The 1990s teens remember the adventures of Sabrina all too well. It was a fun, family-friendly sitcom about a quirky young witch, her two aunts, and a speaking cat. It was an amusing, relaxing, and light series to watch after school. The modern remake of the series is somewhat different, though.
The Netflix Chilling Adventures of Sabrina acquires a dark undertone, a sense of mystery, and some light horror elements. It is not as charming, fun, and naive as it used to be. Instead, it shows the different side of the magic world, where actions actually have consequences. The series lasted two seasons (four parts), starring the amazing Kiernan Shipka. It got canceled due to the pandemic.
6. Gilmore Girls (2000-2007 / 2016)
Who doesn’t know about the Gilmore Girls? These series were sensational in their time, currently raised to popularity with its infamous four episodes’ comeback season. We watch Rory, the show’s main character, grow from a straight-A high schooler to a Yale student. On her journey, she seeks her own identity and learns about relationships and her role in the world.
The series isn’t gentle with viewers’ feelings, though. The show challenges Rory at every step, forcing her to make wrong decisions and question herself as she grows older. Indeed, it’s a rare example of where an audience slowly grows out of love with a once beloved, idolized character.
7. Fresh Meat (2011-2016)
Anyone familiar with the work of Jack Whitehall knows that the series he plays in must be hilarious. The series is made in the best traditions of dark British comedies. It is funny, provoking, unpredictable, fresh, and daring. Here, we follow the lives of six students who, so happened to be, share a house together. Watching these completely different characters dealing with each other in such a small space is already quite fascinating. Yet, they also have to face the world, its temptations, and challenges. These students make plenty of mistakes, but they are being their authentic selves, making it worth watching.
8. Stranger Things (2016 – present)
Stranger Things has become quite a cultural phenomenon. The first seasons charmed everyone with talented young actors, an accurate portrayal of the 1980s in suburban America, and an interesting plot with a little bit of mystery. Even people born long after the 80s have fallen nostalgic for those less troubled, simpler times.
We have been watching these kids grow up for four seasons already, finally receiving some answers to the original questions in the last season. However, it seems that the show has no intention of stopping with the surprises. With five seasons in the making, we have only to speculate on what turns the plot will take this time.
9. The Umbrella Academy (2019 – present)
Perhaps, The Umbrella Academy is not exactly about students in the traditional sense. Yet, these five people certainly fall under the definition of students. They were brought up together to be the superheroes of their generation. Each one of these characters is flawed in its own way. Each one has unique powers they haven’t fully mastered yet.
As we watch them save the world, again and again, we learn how little superpowers can help us in building healthy relationships or overcoming childhood traumas. The Umbrella Academy offers a great mix of comedy, drama, action, and even a thriller at times. It’s currently in its third season, already prolonged to the fourth one.
10. 13 Reasons Why (2017-2020)
Who doesn’t like a good murder mystery? The show gets you hooked right away. It’s packed with classical teenage drama, first attempts at relationships, school issues, and personal conflicts, all on top of the main mystery of the show. It takes four seasons and 49 episodes to discover what has happened and who was the murderer after all. Some critics say the later season didn’t live up to our expectations. Still, it seems that the show didn’t lose its main fanbase till the very end. Everyone needed to receive the answer to the murder question firsthand.
