Television series

H2O: Just Add Water

Three Australian teenagers become mermaids after a mysterious island encounter and must navigate school, friendship, and supernatural secrets while hiding their transformation. It's earnest, emotional, and genuinely funny—a show that treats its magical premise as seriously as it treats acne and crushes. For anyone who loved the earnestness of *Buffy* but wants something sunnier and less gory.

TVMaze rating3.8

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The Vampire Diaries2009

Brooding supernatural drama with genuine emotional stakes, where teenage characters face real consequences for their choices. The mythology deepens brilliantly as it progresses, and the ensemble cast chemistry is magnetic.

But Later seasons sprawl into increasingly convoluted mythology, and the sheer body count can feel excessive. Also significantly darker and more violent than H2O.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer1997

The template for teen supernatural drama done right. Smart writing, gorgeous character arcs, genuine scares alongside laugh-out-loud humour. It understands that being a teenager *is* the horror, and magic just makes it literal.

But Early seasons are visibly low-budget, and the first episode is genuinely rough. Some cultural references have dated badly, and the tone wobbles before finding itself.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer poster

The Lure2015

A mermaid with agency and moral complexity—this Italian-American co-production treats the mythology as serious drama. Gorgeously shot, with folklore that feels lived-in rather than invented for TV.

But Only one season exists. Pacing is glacial and deliberately arthouse; it's nothing like the kinetic energy of H2O.

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Something you would not have found on your own.

Aquamarine2006

Both arrived in 2006 as teen mermaid narratives made specifically for girls, treating friendship as the real magic beneath the transformation.

A mermaid befriends two teenage girls in a swimming pool and grants them one wish. It's slight and silly and kind—a film made the exact same year as H2O that understands mermaids are a vehicle for female friendship, not just a gimmick.

But It's genuinely fluff: sixty minutes of pleasant nothing. If you want depth or stakes or clever writing, keep looking.

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More like this (8)

Merlin2008

Young magic-user hiding extraordinary abilities while managing school politics, friendship drama, and destiny. Genuinely surprising character work, and the show earns its emotional beats through five seasons of careful setup.

But Budget constraints are obvious, and some episodes are forgettable filler. The romance subplots are sometimes frustratingly slow-burned.

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Andi Mack2017

A Disney show that respects its teenage audience and tackles serious emotional stakes—identity, friendship betrayal, first love—with real sensitivity. Warm, funny, and surprisingly moving.

But It's Disney Channel, so the production is glossier and the stakes less supernatural. The final season was cut short, leaving some threads dangling.

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The Owl House2020

Animated series with genuine emotional depth, diverse representation, and a protagonist learning magic while hiding secrets. Balances humour and heart beautifully, with a mythology that genuinely surprises.

But Animation might feel like a step down if you're looking for live-action. Some early episodes are lighter than later ones, so patience pays off.

The Owl House poster

Grimm2011

Portland detective discovers he can see supernatural creatures hidden in plain sight. Procedural format keeps things briskly paced, with genuinely creative monster-of-the-week stories and an ensemble you'll come to love.

But Mythology gets unwieldy by season four. It's more monster-hunting than emotional character drama, so it lacks H2O's heart.

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Jane the Virgin2014

Colombian-American telenovela pastiche that's warm, funny, and emotionally genuine. Uses its heightened register to explore family, identity, and love without ever losing sight of the characters beneath the melodrama.

But Tonally it's very different—much broader humour and more soap-opera DNA. The supernatural elements are minimal.

Jane the Virgin poster

Reign2013

Young women navigating power, danger, and passion in historical fantasy France. Lush production, gorgeous ensemble cast, and surprisingly emotional character work beneath the corsets and intrigue.

But Pacing can feel scattered, jumping between too many plots. The historical accuracy is zero, which bothers some people more than others.

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Labyrinth1986

Both centre on a resourceful teenage girl discovering she's tougher than she believed, with magic serving as metaphor for growing up rather than the point itself.

Teenage girl stumbles into a magical world, must navigate impossible challenges, and discovers her own power. Visually stunning practical effects, haunting David Bowie performance, and a heroine who does her own rescuing. Proof that the best fantasy takes itself seriously.

But 1986 prosthetics and practical puppetry won't look cutting-edge. The tone is genuinely unsettling in places—more eerie than H2O's sunlit Australian vibes.

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Dark2017

Both hide a supernatural mythology beneath the surface of a seemingly ordinary community, and both understand that the real drama is how ordinary people bear the weight of impossible secrets.

German science-fiction mystery where a small town's supernatural secret unravels across generations. Brilliantly plotted, gorgeously haunting, with the emotional stakes of H2O's friendship dynamics married to mythology as complex and interconnected as physics.

But It demands attention and rewards rewatching, which means it's not comfy viewing. The tone is relentlessly sombre, and everything builds toward tragedy.

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