5 Shows To Watch If You Like Never Have I Ever

There's nothing like a cozy, feel-good, coming-of-age show, especially when the temperatures start dropping and blanket-assisted TV binging becomes the star of the season. Netflix's "Never Have I Ever" gave us all a standout example through four seasons on the streamer, following the high school escapades of Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), her friends, and their crushes. Created by Mindy Kaling, the show has a perfect blend of comedy, teen drama, and heartfelt family (and found family) storytelling.

It's such a great show that by the time you finish, you may feel a sizable hole in your life that can only be filled by more of the same. While there's no show out there with the exact mix that makes "Never Have I Ever" so easy and fun to watch, there are a lot of other great series that get pretty close and take things in different but equally compelling directions.

The best part is that a lot of these shows are available on Netflix, making them easy to scroll over to as soon as you finish "Never Have I Ever" Season 4. Fortunately, the last several years have seen an explosion in the genre — particularly on streaming. Here are five shows to watch if you like "Never Have I Ever."

If you've been scrolling Netflix long enough to watch all four seasons of "Never Have I Ever," then you've likely already heard of, seen ads for, or even watched a bit of "Sex Education." At the very least, you've had a friend say you ought to check it out, and for good reason. The British series received a ton of critical acclaim and numerous accolades over the course of its four seasons, including several BAFTA nominations, one win, and an International Emmy.

The story follows a group of U.K. teenagers trying to figure themselves out through relationships, awkward moments, and learning about their own sexualities. Lead protagonist Otis (Asa Butterfield) is the son of sex therapist Jean (Gillian Anderson), and he leverages his knowledge of human sexuality to become a therapist of sorts for his classmates. While the show leans more dramatic than "Never Have I Ever," it's also incredibly funny, finding clever comedy in the natural awkwardness of adolescents while also treating its young characters with immense respect.

The ensemble cast is what really elevates this show from good to great. It was a launching platform for young stars like Emma Mackey, "Doctor Who" star Ncuti Gatwa, and "Bridgerton" Season 2 co-lead Simone Ashley. You'll also get great turns from seasoned screen veterans like Hannah Waddingham, Jason Isaacs, and Dan Levy. This is an easy recommendation for anyone who enjoyed the loveable, farcical dramedy of "Never Have I Ever," but it's a step up when it comes to its nuanced character arcs and explorations of life as a young queer person.

Let's be honest: You've likely watched "The Summer I Turned Pretty" already. If you're reading a list like this one, you may have already gone through the biggest, most obvious parallels for "Never Have I Ever," and this would probably be No. 1. But on the off chance you haven't watched Amazon's Jenny Han adaptation yet, a love of the coming-of-age romance genre is all you'll need to feel right at home.

Netflix viewers may have watched the film adaptation of "To All the Boys I've Loved Before," another one of Han's popular books. If you're in that group, "The Summer I Turned Pretty" will feel even more familiar. Isabel "Belly" Conklin (Lola Tung) shows up to her annual summer vacation with her mom Laurel (Jackie Chung) and brother Steven (Sean Kaufman), alongside her mom's best friend Susannah (Rachel Blanchard) and her two sons, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). Belly, who's had a crush on the older Conrad for years, quickly gets tangled up in a love triangle, figuring out who she is and what she wants through a series of beachy adventures and misadventures.

This show doesn't really do anything to flip the genre on its head. It's straightforward and basically everything you'd expect given that synopsis. But sometimes, familiarity is the whole point, especially when it comes to cozy shows. While "Sex Education" is far more ambitious and complex, "The Summer I Turned Pretty" is a comforting and easy watch that won't ask too much of you.

"Heartstopper" fever has taken the world by storm over the past few years, and if you haven't hopped on the bandwagon yet, now's a perfect time. Based on Alice Oseman's webcomic of the same name, the Netflix series premiered in 2022 and quickly garnered widespread acclaim, becoming one of the streamer's biggest hits practically overnight.

The story follows the romance between teenage British classmates Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), as well as their surrounding friends. It's sweet, cozy, very well crafted, and a perfect recommendation for anyone who enjoys the teen rom-com genre, though it leans a bit harder on the "rom" than the "com" compared to some of the other entries on this list, including "Never Have I Ever."

The show has received particular praise for its portrayal of younger LGBTQ+ relationships, but anyone can enjoy the well-paced, exceptionally acted, delicately written story. And again, if you already watched "Never Have I Ever" on Netflix, you only have to scroll down a few times to get to "Heartstopper" Episode 1.

If the specific brand of writing on "Never Have I Ever" is what you crave, then you might be best served by checking out Mindy Kaling's latest TV series, "The Sex Lives of College Girls," which premiered on Max back in 2021. At the time of this writing, Season 3 is right around the corner, so it's a perfect time to hop in.

Kaling took inspiration from her own life to create "The Sex Lives of College Girls," spinning an authentically messy image of young love, drama, and university mishaps. The cast is led by Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, Alyah Chanelle Scott, and musical superstar Reneé Rapp as a quartet of freshmen at the fictional Essex College, all of whom quickly get knee-deep in the struggles of coming of age.

The show has received high marks from both critics and fans, currently holding a 95% critical aggregate and 85% viewer aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes. If you're able to make the jump from Netflix over to Max, it's well worth a watch, especially with Season 3 on the horizon.

"Young Royals" is a Netflix original series, just like "Never Have I Ever," "Heartstopper," and "Sex Education." And just like those, it follows a group of teenagers as they navigate romance, personal drama, and all the other things that come with growing up in the modern world. The two big differences are that "Young Royals" is a Swedish series, meaning that if you want to watch it in English, you'll have to use a dub or read subtitles, and that the main characters are of a slightly higher station than those in these other shows, as the name suggests.

The main plot centers around Prince Wilhelm of Sweden (Edvin Ryding), who falls in love with classmate Simon Eriksson (Omar Rudberg) at their boarding school for the rich and prestigious. While there's plenty here to warm your heart, this isn't a comedy like "Never Have I Ever," and the show doesn't shy away from more serious discussion about mental health, sexuality, bigotry, acceptance, and other topics.

That's why "Young Royals" is great, though — it engages with the many struggles that young people face today, while also anchoring the story with some well-written character arcs and relationships. There's a good reason the show has a rare perfect score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a 96% approval rating among viewers.