Television series

Sex Education

A British sixth-form comedy-drama where awkward Otis, raised by a sex therapist mother, becomes his school's accidental agony aunt alongside sharp, guarded Maeve. It's frank, funny and unexpectedly tender about bodies, shame and growing up, mixing raunchy set pieces with real emotional intelligence. Great for anyone who wants their teen drama to actually talk about sex instead of just implying it.

TVMaze rating7.8

If you liked this

Big Mouth2017

Animated puberty horror comedy that's even filthier and somehow just as emotionally honest, with literal hormone monsters narrating every mortifying urge.

But The crude, cartoonish gross-out humour is a different flavour entirely and can feel relentless if you preferred the warmth.

Big Mouth poster

Derry Girls2018

Same messy, hormonal teen chaos and school-set comedy energy, but set in 1990s Northern Ireland with a whip-smart ensemble and huge heart.

But Less focused on sex specifically, more on friendship and politics, so the tone shift might surprise you.

Derry Girls poster

Heartstopper2022

Gentler, sweeter British teen romance with the same generous, inclusive spirit around queer identity and first love, minus most of the raunch.

But Far softer and lower-stakes; if you liked the frankness and edge, this will feel almost too wholesome.

Heartstopper poster

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High1982

Same blueprint decades earlier — comedy and cringe used to sneak in genuinely thoughtful, non-judgmental storylines about teenage sex, including one of the first sympathetic abortion plots on screen.

The film that basically invented this whole genre: horny, funny, surprisingly humane teens figuring out sex, work and each other in one California school year.

But Very much a product of its time, with dated attitudes and pacing that feel loose compared to modern streaming polish.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High poster
More like this (8)

Never Have I Ever2020

Mindy Kaling's coming-of-age comedy shares the mix of grief, horniness and comic overreaction, with a similarly big-hearted view of teenage mess.

But American high school gloss and a chattier, sitcom rhythm replace the British dryness and slower emotional builds.

Never Have I Ever poster

The End of the F***ing World2017

Darker, tighter British teen story about outsiders figuring out intimacy and identity, with the same deadpan humour hiding real vulnerability.

But Much bleaker and more clipped in style, with violence and dread the show never really goes near.

The End of the F***ing World poster

Skins2007

The scuzzier British ancestor: same school, same sprawling ensemble structure, same willingness to let teenagers be reckless, funny and sad in the same scene.

But Rougher production values and a nastier streak of self-destruction with far less therapeutic framing or kindness.

Skins poster

PEN152019

Adult actresses playing seventh graders makes the awkward sexual confusion of adolescence even more excruciating and hilarious, with real specificity about embarrassment.

But The uncanny casting gimmick and middle-school setting (rather than sixth form) take some adjusting to.

PEN15 poster

Atypical2017

Another Netflix family dramedy tackling teenage sexuality and identity honestly, this time centred on an autistic teen navigating dating for the first time.

But Softer stakes and a more conventional sitcom-family structure than the ensemble chaos you're used to.

Atypical poster

Grand Army2020no page yet

A grittier New York high school ensemble dealing with sex, trauma and identity with less comic relief and more raw urgency.

But Considerably heavier and angrier in tone, with storylines around assault and racism that don't offer much comic cushioning.

SKAM2015

Sex Education's blend of frank sexual honesty and genuine teenage vulnerability is part of a lineage Skam kicked off across Europe — same DNA, different language and format.

The Norwegian teen drama that started the modern wave: clips released in real time as the characters' week unfolds, with raw, unglamorous honesty about sex, consent and shame.

But Subtitled, slower-burning, and its real-time release gimmick is lost once you're bingeing the compiled episodes.

SKAM poster

Ginger Snaps2000

Where Otis and Maeve talk their way through the terror of changing bodies and unruly desire, this film literalises that same anxiety as a monster clawing its way out.

A werewolf movie that's really about puberty: a teenage girl's first period triggers a monstrous transformation, played with black comedy and real body horror.

But It's a horror film with blood, claws and violence — a genuinely different, much nastier register than a Netflix dramedy.

Ginger Snaps poster

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