Considered by many to be one of the best TV shows on Netflix and, most definitely, one of its most popular in recent memory is Outer Banks. Created by Shannon Burke with Jonas and Josh Pate, the series — which first premiered in 2020 — follows a young man (Chase Stokes) who discovers that his father’s disappearance is connected to a lost treasure that he and his friends set out to find, which soon brings him face-to-face with death multiple times as a result.
However, the Outer Banks cast is not the only group of teens that you can find on the small screen who live dangerously… or, at least, have a lot of problems that seem to get worse with each season. As fans await the upcoming fourth season’s currently unannounced premiere date on the 2024 TV schedule, let’s dig up some similar favorites that you can bide your time with.
Surviving Summer (2022-Present)
An expelled Manhattan teen (played by Sky Katz) is sent to the land down under where she makes herself at home in a small town where surfing is treated like a way of life.
Why it is one of the best shows like Outer Banks: The similarities between OBX and Surviving Summer do not just stop at the title — considering how John B. and company genuinely struggling to make it through the season alive — since this coming-of-age Australian import (also featuring Talk to Me cast member Chris Alosio) also boasts some stellar scenes of characters surfing the waves.
Stream Surviving Summer on Netflix.
Blood & Water (2020-Present)
A young woman (played by Ama Qamata) enrolls into a prestigious school where she begins to uncover shocking secrets about her own family history.
Why it is one of the best shows like Outer Banks: Yet another Netflix exclusive, international teen drama where the title reflects some of OBX’s own plot details, South Africa’s Blood & Water is also a compelling mystery thriller that will have viewers of all ages hooked.
Stream Blood & Water on Netflix.
On My Block (2018-2021)
A group of bright teens and close friends try to keep each other out of trouble while living in South Central Los Angeles.
Why it is one of the best shows like Outer Banks: Before the action gets going, OBX is, essentially, the story of a young quartet dealing with romantic troubles, family issues, and their own hometowns economic hardships — much like the great Latinx TV show, On My Block, which later spawned a spin-off called Freeridge in 2023.
Stream On My Block on Netflix.
Panic (2021)
A high school senior (played by Fear Street cast member Olivia Scott Welch) and other hopeful graduates participate in a mysterious annual tournament consisting of high stakes challenges for a life-changing reward.
Why it is one of the best shows like Outer Banks: Created by Lauren Oliver (who also wrote the original novel), the Amazon Prime original miniseries Panic, like OBX, focuses on teens whose aspirations to leave their hometown end up putting them in harm’s way, but with a twist similar to The Hunger Games movies without the dystopian setting.
The Wilds (2020-2022)
When their plane crashes on a deserted island, a group of teenage girls must learn how to survive the harsh terrain and each other.
Why it is one of the best shows like Outer Banks: The teens from OBX may be fed up with their hometown, but at least they are not quite as desperate to leave the island like the young ladies on the Amazon Prime original, The Wilds — a TV show that was cancelled before reaching a proper ending, but is worth giving a try for the thrill.
Stream The Wilds on Amazon Prime.
The Society (2019)
A teenager girl (played by Kathryn Newton in one of her best roles) and other youths discover that all of their adult peers have suddenly vanished from their small town, which they are also mysteriously unable to leave from.
Why it is one of the best shows like Outer Banks: If the teens from OBX actually found themselves physically and inexplicably unable to leave their hometown (and they did not live near water) their situation might resemble the plot of Netflix’s The Society — another prematurely cancelled coming-of-age drama, but with a sci-fi twist, and one of Natasha Liu Bordizzo’s best TV shows, too.
Stream The Society on Netflix.
Riverdale (2017-2023)
The increasingly unsettling adventures of Archie (K.J. Apa), Betty (Lili Reinhart), Jughead (Cole Sprouse), Veronica (Camila Mendes), and others in a small American town plagued by shady individuals and haunting secrets.
Why it is one of the best shows like Outer Banks: While the setting of The CW’s dark adaptation of the Archie comics is not as idyllic and some plot points border on the supernatural, the situations that the Riverdale cast members finds themselves in — ranging from murder mysteries to love triangles — are not too different from what the OBX crew often face.
Stream Riverdale on Netflix.
Buy Riverdale on Amazon.
Dawson's Creek (1998-2003)
A young aspiring filmmaker (played by James van der Beek) and his friends find themselves at odds with life and with each other as they approach adulthood.
Why it is one of the best shows like Outer Banks: When first promoting Outer Banks, Netflix literally referred to it as “Dawson’s Creek meets The Goonies,” which is a concept that might go over their target audience’s heads, but is just another reason for them to check out creator Kevin Williamson’s primetime soap opera that launched the careers of Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, and others when The CW was still called The WB.
Stream Dawson's Creek on Amazon Prime.
Stream Dawson's Creek on Hulu.
One Tree Hill (2003-2012)
A young man (Chad Michael Murray), his half brother (James Lafferty), and their loved ones face various social and professional challenges while growing up together in a small town from North Carolina.
Why it is one of the best shows like Outer Banks: What could be considered The WB’s successor to Dawson’s Creek is this intense coming-of-age drama that also served as breakthrough for many members of the One Tree Hill cast — including Sophia Bush and Brooke Davis Baker.
Stream One Tree Hill on Hulu.
Stream One Tree Hill on Max.
Buy One Tree Hill on Amazon.
Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017)
After the disappearance of their friend, four young women become taunted by an unknown enemy that puts their deepest and darkest secrets at risk of being revealed.
Why it is one of the best shows like Outer Banks: One of the most popular series about attractive youths in danger in recent memory (and with multiple spin-offs to prove it) is Pretty Little Liars — an adaptation of Sara Shepard’s best-selling book series that lasted long enough to see its parent network, ABC Family, eventually become Freeform.
Stream Pretty Little Liars on Hulu.
Stream Pretty Little Liars on Max.
The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022-Present)
A teenage girl (Lola Tung) suddenly finds herself embroiled in a love triangle with two of her childhood friends (Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno) while spending the summer at their beach house.
Why it is one of the best shows like Outer Banks: In case you come to a point where you have had enough of attractive youths in danger, but still long for Outer Banks’ picturesque setting and romantic complications, Amazon Prime’s series adaption of the novel The Summer I Turned Pretty should do the trick.
Stream The Summer I Turned Pretty on Prime.
Hopefully, these are just the right treasures that should satisfy your appetite for more Outer Banks.
