10 TV Shows Like Sterling Point You Should Watch Next
Prime Video’s recent hit, Sterling Point , is a perfect coming-of-age drama, blending romance and family drama. While there’s nothing particularly groundbreaking about it, it also boasts well-crafted detective elements. However, the series stands out for its tone and pacing: Sterling Point never feels rushed, which sets it apart from other action-packed teen series. Despite the intense romantic drama and family secrets, it feels serious from the start, and the laid-back summer vacation vibe never gets tiresome. While we wait for the promised second season, enjoy these other incredibly smart teen dramas.
The Summer I Became Beautiful (2022–2025)
Based on Jenny Han’s trilogy, this series follows the coming-of-age of 16-year-old Belly Conklin (Lola Tung). Belly and her family spend every summer at Cousins Beach with the Fisher family. This tradition is a happy one until she develops a romantic attraction, first to one Fisher brother (Christopher Briney), then to the other (Gavin Casalegno). This sets the stage for a love triangle that unfolds over several summers, resulting in Belly growing up to a soundtrack composed largely of Taylor Swift songs. The three-season series has concluded, but a feature-length sequel is in the works. Watch “The Summer I Turned Beautiful” on Prime Video.
Outer Banks (2020–2026)
This seasonal beach drama centers on two families of roughly equal rank. The working-class “Pogs” (as they’re called) live on the coastal island of Kildare year-round, while the wealthy “Cookies” (also a nickname) only appear during the summer months. Naturally, the local leader (Chase Stokes) takes an interest in the rebellious daughter (Madeline Cline) of the seasonal residents. There’s more going on here than just a summer romance: in the first episode, the locals explore a sunken ship and discover a large sum of money, important documents, and a gun, which will play a crucial role when the warring factions engage in figurative and literal combat.Watch Outer Banks on Netflix .
Forever (2025–)
Who better to tackle teen drama than Judy Blume? This adaptation of her censored 1975 novel moves the action to contemporary Los Angeles and expands its exploration of the complexities of teenage love and sex, including issues of youth, exceptionalism, and Black identity in 2020s America. Keisha Clarke (Lovie Simone) attends a majority-Black private school and aspires to earn an athletic scholarship to Howard University, while Justin Edwards (Michael Cooper Jr.) is a white student and follows in his parents’ footsteps, aiming to attend Northeastern University, ideally on a basketball scholarship. The clever series explores their budding romance in a way that feels realistic and gripping—more focused on the central relationship than Sterling Point , yet more grounded than most teen dramas.Watch Forever on Netflix.
Cruel Summer (2021–)
When beautiful and popular Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt) disappears without a trace in 1993, awkward Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia) takes her place, emulating Kate by infiltrating her social circle and becoming close to her boyfriend. Everything is going well until Kate resurfaces two years later, accusing Jeanette of witnessing the events surrounding her disappearance and keeping quiet. Trouble. More happens as the series switches between 1993, 1994, and 1995, gradually revealing missing details. Season two tells a different story, set in 1999 and 2000, and the upcoming third season will change everything again. While the focus is on mystery, this is a show about the effects of trauma and the dark secrets that can destroy families and communities. Watch Cruel Summer on Hulu .
Ginny and Georgia (2021– )
Brianna Howey plays Georgia, who became a mother at 15 and spent much of that time on the run from persecution, fleeing several abusive relationships and going to extreme lengths (including possibly murder) to protect her two children. When Ginny (Antonia Gentry) reaches adulthood, she must come to terms with her mother’s actions (Ginny typically learns some of her backstory along with us, the viewers) and try to understand the reasons behind them. Their relationship is close, but also complex and at times hostile. In the first episode, single mother Georgia describes herself and her daughter Ginny as “…like Gilmore Girls , but with bigger boobs!”—so the show has this atmosphere of close yet complex family relationships that is reflected in the relationship of the Sterling Point sisters.Watch Ginny & Georgia on Netflix.
Looking for Alaska (2019)
John Green is best known for his deeply moving teen dramas (his most successful work being the novel and subsequent film adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars ). This miniseries, based on Green’s semi-autobiographical debut novel, follows a death-obsessed teenager who moves to Alabama to attend boarding school and experiences both enlightenment and tragedy in equal measure. Like Green’s novels, the material transcends obvious emotional cliches, and the miniseries has been well-received by both newcomers and fans of the book. It shares not only themes of grief with Sterling Point but also creative directors Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, whose credits also include such classic teen television series as The O.C. and Gossip Girl . Looking for Alaska is available for purchase on Apple TV.
Season (2026– )
The story centers on wealthy people, so your impressions may vary, but the atmosphere is very reminiscent of White Lotus, which makes it all a bit more bearable. Early in the film, we see a flashback to the future, where the protagonist, Kola (Jessie-May Lee), floats unconscious, possibly dead, while a yacht burns and sinks behind her. Flashback a few weeks later: Kola has taken a summer job in Hong Kong at an asset management firm. The summer social season is upon us, and Kola is expected to network among the wealthy and reclusive yachtsmen who have come to the city for the summer. We quickly learn that our heroine is not as naive as she seems, and that her motive for interacting with Hong Kong’s young elite is connected to family secrets and a thirst for revenge. It’s all very beautiful and artful, and at the same time very gripping. Watch “The Season” on Hulu .
Hart of Dixie (2011–2015)
Rachel Bilson plays Zoe Hart, who moves from New York City to the small town of Bluebell, Alabama, to take over part of her father’s medical practice—she had little choice, given that her poor patient communication skills made her virtually unfit for the job. Now she must rebuild a life among three generations of her family in a town full of eccentrics. The film may be a bit lighter and perhaps a bit more sentimental than Sterling Point , but the plots begin from similar starting points: Zoe must create a new life in a new town while discovering a family she barely knew. Watch Hart of Dixie on Prime Video .
Never in my life have I done this (2020–2023)
After a family tragedy, already awkward 15-year-old Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) endures a disastrous first year of high school and decides to change things up next year, hoping that a quasi-academic study of sex will help her find the guy (or guys) her raging hormones crave. It works, to a point, but an unexpected consent from her crush makes her question how much she’s truly ready for. This series, produced by Mindy Kaling, explores budding sexuality more than it specifically explores sex, and is both honest and charming.Watch Never Have I Ever on Netflix.
Every year after (from 2026)
Percy Fraser (Sadie Soverall) returns to the coastal town of Barry Bay after a ten-year absence for the funeral of her ex-boyfriend Sam Florek’s (Matt Cornett) mother and his brother, Charlie (Michael Bradway). Reuniting with her family and old friends, she travels back to the summers of yesteryear to discover what exactly happened between Percy, Sam, and Charlie. The plot isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s still an impressively intelligent look at young love, loss, and betrayal. Watch “Every Year After” on Prime Video .