Television series

13 Reasons Why

13 Reasons Why is a high school mystery-thriller centred on a girl's suicide and the cassette tapes she left behind, naming those she felt wronged by. It's graphically direct about pain, bullying, and trauma—sometimes to its detriment. Best for viewers ready to sit with heavy material; not comfort viewing, and occasionally exploitative in its seriousness.

TVMaze rating3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a slow, character-driven puzzle about who knew what and when, and you can stay with ugly small cruelties rendered in patient, unhurried detail.

Skip it if you have personal experience of suicide that would make this too raw, or you want a brisk watch, since the hour-long episodes linger on painful scenes at length.

What it asks of you: Four seasons and nearly fifty hour-long episodes, watched with close attention, since timelines and names pile up quickly and the tone stays heavy throughout.

If you liked this

Riverdale2017

Similar teen ensemble cast navigating dark secrets and small-town tragedy. Pulpy but genuinely gripping at its best, with real stakes and complex character dynamics that evolve across seasons.

But Becomes increasingly absurd and melodramatic as it goes on. The mystery solving gives way to pure chaos, and some plot threads feel abandoned entirely.

Riverdale poster

Cruel Intentions1999

Teenage cruelty with real consequences and a protagonist damaged by manipulation. Stylish, darkly funny, and it doesn't let its characters off easy for the harm they cause.

But A 90s teen movie that sometimes feels dated. The twist ending divides people; some find it brilliant, others feel it softens the moral clarity.

Cruel Intentions poster

My Life as a Teenage Robot2003

Animated exploration of social alienation, not fitting in, and feeling fundamentally separate from your peers. Deceptively thoughtful about adolescent loneliness beneath the sci-fi premise.

But It's a Nickelodeon show with cartoon violence and comedy beats. If you want grounded realism, this trades it for metaphor, which some find evasive.

My Life as a Teenage Robot poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from 13 Reasons Why

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Requiem for a Dream2000

Both are uncompromising about the interior logic of self-destruction. Neither offers easy redemption; both insist you witness the full cost of damage done.

A brutal, unflinching look at how addiction and compulsion destroy four separate lives. Darren Aronofsky's formal inventiveness makes the psychological deterioration visceral. It understands despair without sentimentalising it.

But Genuinely difficult to watch—graphic imagery, no relief, and a relentless descent. The film's stylistic intensity can feel oppressive rather than enlightening.

Requiem for a Dream poster
More like this (7)

Skins2007

British teen drama that sprawls across friendship groups with real ensemble depth. Episodes dedicated to single characters build empathy; it captures the texture of actual adolescence, including its mundane cruelty.

But Shifts cast between seasons, which disrupts investment. Early seasons lean harder into partying than trauma; later ones struggle to sustain their own intensity.

Skins poster

The Perks of Being a Wallflower2012

A quiet, introspective teen film about depression, trauma, and finding belonging. Written and directed by the novel's author; faithful, careful, and genuinely moving without being manipulative.

But Deliberately slow and inward. If you want plot momentum, this prioritises emotional texture. Some find it precious rather than profound.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower poster

Atypical2017

Family drama where pain and growth coexist without melodrama. Characters make mistakes and face consequences; the show lets them be complicated without defining them by their worst moments.

But Tone can feel uneven—sometimes it's comedy, sometimes serious, sometimes both at once. Takes time to find its footing in early episodes.

Atypical poster

Everything Sucks!2018

A high school comedy-drama about misfits, real friendships, and how people reveal vulnerability. Funny without being cynical; warm even when addressing real problems like depression and identity.

But Cancelled after one season, so it doesn't resolve everything. If you need closure, this will frustrate you.

Everything Sucks! poster

Never Have I Ever2020

A girl navigates grief, ambition, family pressure, and first love after her father's death. It's funny, but never uses comedy to dodge the actual pain. Diverse cast, authentic high school energy.

But Narration device can feel forced sometimes. The love triangle plot drags across seasons; some find the romantic drama overshadows the character development.

Never Have I Ever poster

The Spectacular Now2013

Both centre on a high school student facing the weight of unresolved emotional truths. Where 13 Reasons looks backward through blame, this looks forward through connection—same adolescent intensity, opposite direction.

A teenage love story that treats adolescent relationships as real, serious, and sometimes tragic. It's about connection and loneliness, but told with warmth and actual humour instead of grinding darkness.

But A romance at heart; if you're not invested in the relationship, the film feels slight. Some find the magical realism ending undercuts the grounded realism of the setup.

The Spectacular Now poster

The Act2019

Both examine how isolation and manipulation can warp perception until violence feels inevitable. Both ask: who bears responsibility when systems fail to protect vulnerable people? Both refuse easy answers.

A true-crime limited series about Gypsy Rose Blanchard and the death of her mother—told with genuine complexity about manipulation, isolation, and psychological harm. Gaga gives a haunting performance; it doesn't judge its subjects, just exposes the mechanics of control.

But Based on real tragedy involving a real family still living. Some find dramatising recent true crime exploitative. The pacing is slow; if you want conventional crime-thriller momentum, you won't get it.

The Act poster

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