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With the third and final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty finally upon us, it’s nearly time to say goodbye to Cousins Beach one last time. But if you’re anything like me, then you probably want to revel in the show’s feel-good vibes for as long as possible—whether or not Belly ends up with Conrad or Jeremiah. Luckily, TV has plenty in store for The Summer I Turned Pretty fans who are in search of their next binge watch. There are young-adult series that similarly take place in a beachy locale, like Outer Banks and We Were Liars. Other shows focus on their own addictive love triangles, from Vampire Diaries to Daisy Jones & The Six. Coming-of-age storylines also take center stage in shows like Never Have I Ever and Overcompensating.
For a full rundown of the best 15 shows to watch after The Summer I Turned Pretty, keep scrolling.
Dawson’s Creek (1998—2003)
Dawson’s Creek walked so that The Summer I Turned Pretty could run. Not only does this teen drama feature a love triangle between its three main characters, but it also takes place in a fictional Massachusetts town that essentially looks like a copy-and-paste of Cousins. We can also thank Dawson’s Creek for jumpstarting the careers of Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, Joshua Jackson, and James Van Der Beek.
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The Vampire Diaries (2009—2017)
Adapted from L. J. Smith’s young adult book series of the same name, The Vampire Diaries was a teen cultural phenomenon for a reason. Nina Dobrev starred as Elena Gilbert, a teen girl who finds herself at the center of a supernatural maelstrom that involves werewolves, witches, and, of course, vampires. Like Belly, Elena also gets caught up in a love triangle between two brothers Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder).
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One Day (2024)
The will-they-won’t-they nature of Belly’s relationships makes The Summer I Turned Pretty impossible to turn off. It’s an energy you can also find in One Day, Netflix’s limited series adaptation of David Nicholls’s 2009 novel of the same name. Set on the same day for 14 consecutive years, One Day follows best friends Emma (Ambika Mod) and Dexter (Leo Woodall), who face life’s unexpected challenges side-by-side.
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The O.C. (2003—2007)
If all you want is to simply watch rich teen drama, then look no further than The O.C. This iconic early aughts series brings viewers to the California enclave of Newport Beach, where the philanthropic Cohen family adopts Ryan (Ben McKenzie), a troubled teenager. The Cohens clash with their shallow yet similarly monied peers, bringing up important conversations on class and wealth.
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Forever (2025—Present)
As Belly says, “First loves are important, but not as important as lasts.” This Mara Brock Akil-helmed Netflix series brings another first-love dynamic to the screen. Adapted from Judy Blume’s 1975 novel, Forever shows Los Angeles teens Keisha (Lovie Simone) and Justin (Michael Cooper Jr.) falling in love as they navigate school, family, and other growing pains.
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Daisy Jones & The Six (2023)
No one does a love triangle like Prime Video. Daisy Jones & The Six, adapted from Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2019 novel, brings the love triangle dynamic all the way back to the 1970s. Formatted as a music documentary, the show follows the explosive rise of fictional rock band The Six, whose married frontman unexpectedly falls for a free-spirited singer.
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Never Have I Ever (2020—2023)
Helmed by Mindy Kaling, this Netflix coming-of-age dramedy revolves around Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), a 15-year-old girl dealing with the emotional aftermath of her father’s unexpected death. While navigating through the complicated emotions of grief, Devi gets romantically entangled with two different love interests: Paxton (Darren Barnet), a popular jock, and Ben (Jaren Lewison), Devi’s longtime nemesis.
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Sex Education (2019—2023)
The pining is one of the best parts of The Summer I Turned Pretty, and Sex Education similarly delivers on that front. The comedy centers around Otis (Asa Butterfield), a sexually repressed teen who becomes his high school’s de facto sex therapist. While there are plenty of laugh out loud moments, Otis’s longing for his co-business partner/friend, Maeve (Emma Mackey), is the beating heart of the series.
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My Life with the Walter Boys (2023—Present)
Belly isn’t the only fictional teen girl bouncing between brothers. Introducing Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez), a teen New Yorker who is forced to relocate to rural Colorado after a terrible accident leaves her orphaned. After moving in with the family of her late mother’s best friend, Jackie becomes intrigued and romantically conflicted with two brothers, Cole (Noah LaLonde) and Alex (Ashby Gentry).
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Outer Banks (2020—Present)
As the title implies, the series takes place along the coastal Outer Banks of North Carolina, where a group of teen best friends set out to find treasure after the disappearance of their ringleader’s father. While the show leans into adventure and mystery more than The Summer I Turned Pretty, it also includes some romantic storylines between its characters.
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XO, Kitty (2023—Present)
The Summer I Turned Pretty isn’t Jenny Han’s only TV show adaptation. The young adult fiction author also helms XO, Kitty, a spin-off of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before film franchise. Instead of continuing the love story between Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky, however, the series focuses on Lara Jean’s little sister, Kitty (Anna Cathcart), who studies abroad in South Korea.
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Gilmore Girls (2000—2007)
Sometimes, the best low-stakes TV shows are the ones that allow for a robust debate about its character’s various love interests. That’s exactly what both The Summer I Turned Pretty and Gilmore Girls do. The drama chronicles the lives of mother-and-daughter duo Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel), who juggle their small-town lives with the expectations of Lorelai’s insanely rich parents. Expect a lot of boyfriends and a lot of debates.
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Overcompensating (2025)
Getting to witness the growth of The Summer I Turned Pretty’s characters over the course of three seasons is one of the most satisfying parts of the show. To fill that coming-of-age void, consider Overcompensating. The Prime Video comedy, which is loosely based off Benito Skinner’s college experience, follows an overachiever named Benny (Skinner) as he begins his freshman year at the fictional college of Yates University. Benny struggles with his sexuality, masking his true feelings with a studied (and utterly hilarious) performance of machismo.
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We Were Liars (2025)
Prime Video is banking on another young-adult novel after the commercial success of The Summer I Turned Pretty. We Were Liars, based off of E. Lockhart’s 2014 book, follows the wealthy Sinclair family, who spend their summers vacationing on a private island near Martha’s Vineyard. When a tragic accident happens, the family’s eldest grandchild, Cady (Emily Alyn Lind), embarks on a journey to discover the truth.
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Ginny and Georgia (2021—Present)
The Summer I Turned Pretty isn’t just about a sappy love triangle. The show also explores complicated family dynamics—a theme it shares in common with Ginny and Georgia. The Netflix drama follows the titular mother-and-daughter duo, played by Antonia Gentry and Brianne Howey, who set out to build a new life in a small Massachusetts town. They soon discover, however, that their address may change, but their past will always find a way to catch up to them.
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