After three years and three gorgeous seasons, The Summer I Turned Pretty is finally coming to an end. With the finale dropping tonight, it’s time we prepare ourselves emotionally to say our goodbyes to our trio of beloved, messy teenagers, Belly (Lola Tung), Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno).
While we may not know exactly how Jenny Han’s television adaptation of her much-loved series ends just yet, I do think it’s smart to begin planning how we’re going to fill the void once The Summer I Turned Pretty is over.
After all, watching season three has been a communal experience bringing people together physically and lighting up the group chats around the world. So, if you’re like me and know you’ll be suffering withdrawals once it’s over, allow me to share seven shows that will hopefully allow you to feel a similar sense of yearning, whimsey and teenage angst that TSITP does so damn well.
7 shows to watch after The Summer I Turned Pretty
1. XO Kitty
If you’re not ready to step out of the brilliant mind of Jenny Han just yet, I’ve got you. XO Kitty is another Jenny Han-created drama. It’s a spin-off based off her 2014 YA trilogy and Netflix movie series, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.
While To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before follows Lara Jean Song Covey (Lana Condor), XO Kitty’s protagonist is her little sister, Kitty Song Covery (Anna Cathcart). It all kicks off when Kitty applies for a scholarship to the Korean Independent School of Seoul — the same school that her online boyfriend Dae (Choi Min-young) goes to — and gets in. But when she arrives, she finds out that Dae has been hiding a little secret. Now, Kitty is forced to stay and find her feet in a whole new country.
It’s giving Belly in her Paris era, if you ask me. You can watch XO Kitty on Netflix.
2. My Life With The Walter Boys
If you yearn for a love triangle with two brothers, My Life With The Walter Boys is the perfect show for you. It follows a 15-year-old city girl named Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) who is relocated to a country town in rural Colorado after her parents tragically pass away with a car accident. She’s taken in by a kindhearted family called the Walters who have seven sons and one daughter.
As you might expect, the sons are hot — especially Alex (Ashby Gentry) and Cole (Noah LaLonde). In true Belly fashion, miss Jackie finds herself attracted to them both.
Based on Ali Novak’s 2014 novel, this series hit Netflix in 2023. Recently the series was renewed for a third season, so at least you won’t have to say goodbye to the characters so soon.
You can watch My Life With The Walter Boys on Netflix.
3. The Runarounds
The Runarounds is your best bet if you want a show that truly leans into the ups and downs of a coming of age story — and love a musical number. It is about a group of recently-graduated teenagers from a small town who crave big city lights and fame. So, instead of going to college, they decide to follow their dreams and head around the country trying to make it as musicians. Of course, they fall into all sorts of trouble, drama and love along the way.
You can watch The Runarounds on Prime Video.
4. Outer Banks
In 2020, everyone was obsessed with Outer Banks — and for good reason. The teen drama combined the wistfulness of the coming-of-age experience, the divide of social classes and a compelling mystery all wrapped into one.
In the Outerbanks universe, the working class are referred to as the “Pogues” while the wealthy are the “Kooks”. But one young trailblazer, John B. Routledge (Chase Stokes) is determined to change that. His father had gone missing in search of a hefty amount of gold. Now, John B is following in his footsteps, and with the help of his friends, is hunting for the gold that would turn their lives around.
Does the plot sounds ridiculous? Yes but if you’re looking for a binge-worthy show with something for everyone? Outer Banks has you covered.
You can watch Outer Banks on Netflix.
5. One Day
If you love the yearning aspect of The Summer I Turned Pretty, you have to watch One Day. It’s a bittersweet story that follows Emma Morley (Ambika Mod) and Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall), two people who meet and share a platonic evening after their graduation ball. The unique selling point about this story is that it follows them in increments, checking up on where they’re at in their lives on July 15th every year since their first met in 1988.
It is a truly beautiful tale of growing up, slow burn love and the unpredictable throes of life. One Day is based on the 2009 novel by David Nicholls, and if you can’t get enough of it after the limited Netflix series, the book was made into a film adaptation in 2011 starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.
You can watch One Day (the series) on Netflix.
6. Never Have I Ever
If you’re looking for a layered teen story with more of a comedic edge than The Summer I Turned Pretty, look no further — Never Have I Ever is perfect for you. The series follows 15-year-old Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) as she tries to give her reputation a complete rebrand after a truly terrible first year at high school. You see, the year prior her father had passed away suddenly, Devi experienced such intense grief that she was left temporarily psychologically paralysed. But after eventually getting her ability to walk back, Devi decides that she will do whatever it takes ot become popular during her sophomore year. Oh, and hopefully hook up with the hottest boy in the grade, Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet), while she’s at it.
You can watch Never Have I Ever on Netflix.
7. The O.C.
This one goes out to my sweet pea little Gen Z angels who might not have seen The O.C.
The O.C is one of the OG teen dramas which first aired in 2003. It follows the story of Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), a clever yet troubled teenager from a rough background is taken in by a kindhearted (and very wealthy!) lawyer named Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher).
He quickly befriends Sandy’s son Seth (Adam Brody) but struggles to find his place in the affluent community of Newport Beach. It’s not long before he kicks of a relationship with Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton), one of the most iconic on-screen teen relationships of all time.
For those of you who loved the fish-out-of-water trope of Belly at the Cousin’s Beach club, this is a good pick for you.
You can watch The O.C on 9Now.
Well, there you have it! If this doesn’t fill the void, maybe go to therapy because I don’t know what will. Or, you could always rewatch The Summer I Turned Pretty on Prime Video.
Whatever works for you, works for me!
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