Prime Video has been hitting out of the park with its selection of young adult drama series. From The Summer I Turned Pretty to Every Year After, Off Campus to Elle, We Were Liars to Maxton Hall, the streaming service is home to many of the latest fan-favorite coming-of-age series that are packed with twists, romance, and emotional stories. And the streamer just added another hit.
Sterling Point ended Prime Video's summer of teen dramas on high note, once again enchanting audiences hungry for this kind of storytelling with its undeniable blend of addictive drama and refreshing authenticity. The series comes from teen drama vet Megan Park, who starred in ABC Family's The Secret Life of the American Teenager, as well as Gossip Girl, The O.C., Nancy Drew, and Looking for Alaska executive producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage.
The eight-episode first season of Sterling Point goes by in a flash, especially when you're sucked in enough to consume the entire season in one sitting. But it's that good and that much of a breath of fresh air in the teen drama genre. If you're a younger audience member looking for recommendations for throwbacks to check out, or an older viewer looking for either a nostalgic rewatch or one of the latest hits to finally dive into, here are three shows you have to watch next!
The O.C. (watch on HBO Max and Hulu)
Obviously, it wouldn't be right to kick off a list of teen drama shows like Sterling Point without including Josh Schwartz's first and most iconic creation: The O.C. The series has stood the test of time and remains beloved by both the millennials who came of age with the Core Four and the next generation, who are still discovering it. (Ella Rubin wrote a paper on Marissa Cooper in college!)
The O.C. isn't exactly one-for-one with Sterling Point, but there are some similarities. The 2000s classic centers on coastal teens, some living in excess and some not, navigating the complicated nature of family secrets and changing dynamics in both their households and relationships. But there's fiercely loyal friendship, brotherhood, and sisterhood among these various found families.
The series ran for four seasons and under 100 episodes, but it's far more of a commitment binge-watch than the popular streaming shows of late. Not to mention, The O.C.'s shorter run didn't interfere with its pop culture legacy one bit. It's the perfect show to throw on after Sterling Point since, and I think Park would agree, I can't in good faith recommend The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
Dawson's Creek (watch on Netflix and Hulu)
For a bit of a better take on the secret lives of American teenagers, here's another throwback pick that you can't go wrong with and has inspired so many modern teen dramas without being named. Dawson's Creek raised many of generations of teenagers to grapple with their own emotional intelligence and expand their vocabularies, and it still holds up today.
Dawson's Creek came from an era of teen dramas where a hook or conceit wasn't needed to get viewers to tune in. We didn't need a genre element or a mystery or a secret sister (no shade intended or meant) to watch the lives of teens unfold. That's simply what teen dramas were in the '90s and early '00s: Teenagers finding their way through life, first loves, and first heartbreaks.
The series aired for six seasons on The WB (a network teens these days will never get to experience firsthand but still get to experience nonetheless) and continues to be a staple in the genre. While other teen dramas had also explored sexuality, Dawson's Creek did so with nuance, allowing those that came after it, like The O.C. and Sterling Point, to tell similar stories with the door broken down.
The Summer I Turned Pretty (watch on Prime Video)
Finally, what's a list of addictive teen dramas without what's probably the most popular teen drama series on the air right now? While I'd love to recommend another throwback, Felicity isn't currently available to stream. (But keep that earmarked for whenever it returns to streaming!) So, that leaves Sterling Point fans hop right on over to another hit on the same streamer.
Prime Video offers a wide variety of coming-of-age series that can keep you plenty busy, but right now, The Summer I Turned Pretty has the most seasons available to watch. If you haven't watched the series yet, that's much more intriguing of a proposition than another series with just one eight-episode season. What's more, there's a movie on the way, though devoted fans already knew that.
Like Sterling Point, Jenny Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty features a female perspective, both behind and in front of the camera, which wasn't always the case with the teen dramas of yesteryear. Both series feature family and grief at the forefront. Oh, and also love triangles. Who doesn't love a love triangle? Whether for the first time or the millionth, dive right into this guilty pleasure!
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