Ranked: The 18 best Netflix teen dramas, according to Rotten Tomatoes

You don’t have to be ashamed to admit if you love nothing more than a trashy teen drama to pass the time of day. Netflix makes them in the bucket load, so clearly we all adore them and a lot of them are just really good and easy TV. Not all teen dramas are designed to be cutting-edge, award-worthy shows that break boundaries and cover gritty topics, but some of the best on Netflix really do, and their Rotten Tomatoes rating reflects that. Whilst others are just trash and that’s okay too, of course.

From your Ginny and Georgias to your Sex Educations and all that’s in-between – it’s a spectrum of shows that really has it all. So how well does your favourite fare? Here is a list of the all-time best teen dramas on Netflix, by how they score on Rotten Tomatoes.

18. Grand Army – 67 per cent

Grand Army scores a not bad 67 per cent. In the show, five students at the largest public high school in Brooklyn take on a chaotic world as they fight to succeed, survive, break free, and seize the future.

17. Ginny and Georgia – 68 per cent

Despite not scoring hugely on Rotten Tomatoes, Ginny and Georgia is one of the best performing shows on Netflix ever, and you can’t help but have a soft spot for it. It follows mother and daughter duo, Ginny and Georgia, as they move to a new town. Ginny struggles fitting in at school, before she finds a new group to settle in with, and her mum Georgia is chaos personified and is a little bit of an icon.

16. Outer Banks – 78 per cent

It’s a bit of a travesty that our favourite Pogues don’t score higher on Rotten Tomatoes – I demand justice for John B again!!! The series follows John B as he enlists his three best friends to hunt for a legendary treasure linked to his father’s disappearance. If you want beachy vibes, loads of good looking people and mystery, this one’s for you.

15. The Irregulars – 80 per cent

The Irregulars is the perfect blend of teen drama, mystery and period drama – if you’re into that sort of thing. It follows a bunch of teens who are drafted in Dr Watson and his shadowy associate, Sherlock Holmes, to solve some of the strange goings on in spooky Victorian London.

14. The Society – 86 per cent

The Society is a modern take on the Lord of the Flies novel and follows teens as they head on an extended camping trip but are forced to come back, finding there is now nobody to watch over them. At first the freedom is fun, but then the teens have to form alliances to survive.

13. I Am Not Okay With This – 86 per cent

I Am Not Okay With This is based on the graphic novel by Charles Forsman. It’s about a girl named Sydney who is dealing with the issues of high school, her budding sexuality, her grieving family and her new found superpowers.

12. Atypical – 87 per cent

This show is as heartwarming as it is a great insight into the day-to-day of an autistic teenager. Sam, his best friend Zahid and the rest of the young cast deal with the typical struggles that teenagers face; sexuality, parties, dodgy dress sense and sex. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show currently has a score of 87 per cent.

11. Stranger Things – 91 per cent

Stranger Things is one of the biggest Netflix shows ever, and at this point is a staple series. The strange and paranormal goings on in Hawkins and what the gang get up has scored them 91 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

10. Julie and the Phantoms – 93 per cent

In Julie and the Phantoms, teenager Julie finds her passion for music and life while helping the Phantoms, a trio of ghostly guys, become the band they were never able to be. It scores 93 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

9. On My Block – 93 per cent

On My Block is all about four bright, street-savvy friends who are navigating their way through high school. Lifelong friendships are tested as Monse, Ruby, Jamal and Cesar confront the challenges of adolescence and life in their predominantly Hispanic and black neighbourhood in South Central Los Angeles. It scores 93 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. 

8. Teenage Bounty Hunters – 94 per cent

In Teenage Bounty Hunters, twin sisters Blair and Sterling balance teen life at an elite Southern high school with their unlikely new careers bringing in local criminals. Despite scoring very well on Rotten Tomatoes, it has been cancelled after one season.

7. The End Of The F***ing World – 94 per cent

This show is another based on the work of Charles Forsman. It’s about two 17-year-old outsiders, James and Alyssa, who embark on a road trip to find her estranged father – who left home when she was a child. James, who is also just casually convinced he’s a psychopath, has decided it’s time for him to graduate from killing animals to something bigger – and he already has a target in mind. Alyssa is desperate for adventure. Put the pair of them together and it’s a walking disaster, basically. 

6. Never Have I Ever – 94 per cent

No character on Netflix has ever been as chaotic as Devi in Never Have I Ever. It follows her life as a first generation Indian-American teenager and all the awkward situations she gets herself into. Plus, the biggest question of them all: Does she want Paxton, the school hottie, or Ben, her brainy arch-nemisis who she kinda fancies at the same time, to be her boyfriend? Big decisions.

5. Sex Education – 95 per cent

Of course Sex Education scores high, it would be an injustice if it didn’t. Moordale High is home to our fav characters and the trials and tribulations of them and their sex lives. In season one, Otis and Maeve set up a sex clinic to offer advice to their fellow horny classmates, and the rest is history.

4. Elite – 97 per cent

Elite is the fourth best of the teen dramas currently on Netflix, scoring an impressive 97 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. The Spanish series follows three working class teens who enrol in a private school and the subsequent clash with them and the wealthy students – which leads to murder.

3. Dash and Lily – 100 per cent

No shade to Dash and Lily, it’s equal first not third – but on the Rotten Tomatoes site it comes in third. This incredibly cute and festive series scores the perfect 100 per cent. It follows Lily, who leaves a mysterious diary in her local library leaving clues as to who she is – which leads her to Dash. It’s all set at Christmas time and is the perfect series to curl up in a blanket with a hot chocolate and cry at how cosy and cheesy it all is. Despite all this, it got cancelled after one season. Sigh.

2. The Baby-Sitters Club – 100 per cent

The Baby-Sitters club is officially one of the best of all Netflix teen dramas – and is the second to score a full 100 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. It follows a group of friends who set up a babysitting business (surprise) and is just all-round quite light-hearted and wholesome fun.

1. Heartstopper – 100 per cent

It’s official: Heartstopper also scores the top score possible, 100 per cent. Not a day goes by where I don’t think about Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson and cry. They will be forever in our hearts.

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