What else to stream on Netflix if you can’t stop thinking about “13 Reasons Why”
13 Reasons Why was perfect (and agonizing), let’s all of us TV-lovers agree. But there was only so much of it and whether you breezed through it like some of Hannah’s friends do with her tapes or measure them out, slowly and surely, like Clay, you’re going to need something else once it’s done. (After you cope with the ending, obviously.) Luckily, this is 2017, and there are a bunch of shows to stream on Netflix that are just like 13 Reasons Why. Or as good as it can get.
There are a few reasons that 13 Reasons Why is sort of hard to replace. It was one of those rare occurrences in television where the actual show was almost (maybe, don’t get upset) better than the book it was adapted from. Also, it’s just really hard to capture the teenage experience *so perfectly*. Ugh, we’re sad we have to wait for a second season, too.
But while you wait (and who knows how long that will be), here’s what to stream on Netflix if you’re still in the 13 Reasons Why headspace.
1 Freaks and Geeks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc_TB41SLk4?feature=oembed
While there definitely isn’t as much intrigue as on 13 Reasons Why, Freaks and Geeks is a really honest, deep dive into what it’s like to be an average teenager with a lot of things on the proverbial dinner plate (that your mom is hounding your teenage self to show up to and eat). Also, we’re talking prime James Franco, Seth Rogen, and the legendary Busy Philipps here.
2Skins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FKPoVNtmK0?feature=oembed
If you haven’t watched this British series about teenagers yet, you’re missing out. Like in 13 Reasons Why, people are revealed nice and slowly, for better or worse.
3As Cool As I Am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpQbYM3XUqY?feature=oembed
Claire Danes and James Marsden star as the not-so-perfect parents a teen girl comes to see for what they are. And she’s dealing with her own sexual awakening, too.
4Revenge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMPTdCtwJRc?feature=oembed
Okay — here us out on this. The series was pretty well-rated on ABC when it aired but was cancelled without much fanfare. But don’t judge it. It’s not about high school per se, though everyone acts like they are just entering 10th grade. If you were kind of into how 13 Reasons Why explored how the every day — and very extreme — actions of others affect a person, in this case Emily Van Camp (played Emily Thorne), then this show’s seasons-long intrigue will have you hooked.
5Friday Night Lights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG37AylK1_s?feature=oembed
Whether or not you already know all about the benefits of clear eyes and full hearts, Friday Night Lights (the series, or the movie) is a nice way to follow up the 13 Reasons Why‘s finale. It’s long, complicated, and beautiful people abound. #TeamRiggins4Ever.
6Pretty Little Liars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1mqgKH2u18?feature=oembed
There are two kinds of people in this world: people who love Pretty Little Liars and those who want nothing to do with it. But! If you’re part of the latter group and loved 13 Reasons Why, you will definitely like the first five seasons of Pretty Little Liars (and once you’ve watched that many, you can’t quit, so PLL fans win either way). Just give it a chance! Sure, this is a more romanticized, fictional look at small town life. But try to see the extreme things as a metaphor for what the characters in 13 Reasons Why actually dealt with. Also, there are great high school lesbian (and straight) love scenes. Just saying.
7Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dldpFxUJbok?feature=oembed
Sometimes, British humor works. Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging is a totally amusing look at one British teenager’s life. Think Bridget Jones’ Diary, but ten years before Bridget Jones was Bridget Jones.
8So Awkward
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v8XhEKflRg?feature=oembed
So Awkward is, well, awkward. This Canadian series is about three 13-year-olds who might be too smart for their own good. (As if that were possible.)
Because we were trying to simplify and keep things strictly Netflix, there are some great 13 Reasons Why replacements out there that we had to skip. Like My So Called Life, which is available on ABC’s Apple TV or Roku app. Or the movies Charlie Bartlett, Saved!, The Road Within, or The Perks of Being a Wallflower. All of them are available elsewhere and will hit you right in that teen drama spot in your binge-watching soul. Whatever you choose, you really can’t go wrong.
