On Thursday, September 21st, the fourth and final season of Netflix’s hit coming-of-age series, Sex Education dropped and we said goodbye to the beloved characters we’ve been attached to since 2019. Season 3, which debuted in September 2021, had 66.6M views in its first 91 days, and it will be interesting to see the numbers released by Netflix for season 4. If you’ve already binged season 4 and are in need of similar content, here are 15 series like Sex Education to watch next which center on identity exploration in a variety of ways.
Baby (2018-2020)
Cast: Benedetta Porcaroli, Alice Pagani, Lorenzo Zurzolo, Riccardo Mandolini, Giuseppe Maggio, Brando Pacitto, Chabeli Sastre Gonzalez, Mirko Trovato, Claudia Pandolfi, Isabella Ferrari,
Synopsis: “By day, Chiara is a promising student at one of Rome’s most elite private high schools; by night, she leads a scandalous secret life.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Chewing Gum (2015-2017)
Cast: Michaela Coel, Danielle Isaie, Susan Wokoma, Shola Adewusi, Robert Lonsdale, Kadiff Kirwan, Olisa Odele, Maggie Steed, Jonathan Bailey, John MacMillan, Sarah Hoare
Synopsis: “Meet Tracey, a religious Beyoncé-obsessed 24-year-old who is fast finding out that the more she learns about the world, the less she understands.”
Where to watch: Hoopla, Max
Derry Girls (2018-2022)
Cast: Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, Nicola Coughlan, Dylan Llewellyn, Leah O’Rourke, Siobhán McSweeney, Kathy Kiera Clarke, Tara Lynne O’Neill, Ian McElhinney, Tommy Tiernan
Synopsis: “The personal exploits of a 16-year-old girl and her family and friends during the Troubles in the early 1990s in Northern Ireland.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Fresh Meat (2011-2016)
Cast: Charlotte Ritchie, Kimberley Nixon, Greg McHugh, Jack Whitehall, Joe Thomas, Zawe Ashton, Sophie Wu, Tony Gardner, Gemma Chan, Jelka van Houten, Faye Marsay
Synopsis: “A comedy that follows a group of six students about to embark on the most exciting period of their lives so far, university.”
Where to watch: Fubo, Plex, Prime Video, Tubi
Genera+ion (2021)
Cast: Haley Sanchez, Chase Sui Wonders, Chloe East, Uly Schlesinger, Justice Smith, Lukita Maxwell, Nathanya Alexander, Anthony Keyvan, Sydney Mae Diaz, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Martha Plimpton, Nava Mau, Marwan Salama
Synopsis: “High school students explore modern sexuality, testing deeply entrenched beliefs about life, love and the nature of family in their conservative community.”
Where to watch: Tubi
Heartbreak High (2022 – )
Cast: Ayesha Madon, Thomas Weatherall, Asher Yasbincek, Josh Heuston, Chloé Hayden, James Majoos, Will McDonald, Brodie Townsend, Bryn Chapman Parish, Gemma Chua-Tran, Scott Major, Rachel House, Chika Ikogwe
Synopsis: “Heartbreak High is a high-octane ride into the minds and lives of a group of Australian teenagers. The discovery of a secret map that charts all the hook-ups in the school year makes its architect, AMERIE (16, rebel, loudmouth – THE HEART), an instant pariah. In an effort to set the hypersexual students straight, the school forces them into a Sexual Literacy Program. With her new friends, outsiders, QUINNI (neuro-divergent truth bomb – THE BRAINS) and DARREN (ambitious, super-dooper gay – THE CLITORIS), Amerie must repair her reputation, whilst navigating love, sex, and heartbreak.”
Where to watch: Netflix
In My Skin (2018 – )
Cast: Gabrielle Creevy, Jo Hartley, Poppy Lee Friar, Zadeiah Campbell-Davies, Laura Checkley, Rhodri Meilir, Aled Ap Steffan, Richard Corgan, Steffan Rhodri, Di Botcher
Synopsis: “The coming-of-age story of 16-year-old Bethan as she deals with comical and painful insecurities of teenage life.”
Where to watch: Hulu
Lovesick (2014-2018)
Cast: Johnny Flynn, Antonia Thomas, Daniel Ings, Joshua McGuire, Hannah Britland, Jessica Ellerby, Richard Thomson, Rosalie Craig, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Jamie Demetriou
Synopsis: “After finding out he has an STD, Dylan must get back in touch with every girl he has ever had sex with to let them know the bad news.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Never Have I Ever (2020-2023)
Cast: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Darren Barnet, Jaren Lewison, Poorna Jagannathan, Richa Moorjani, Lee Rodriguez, Ramona Young, Benjamin Norris, Megan Suri, Alexandra Billings, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Niecy Nash
Synopsis: “The complicated life of a first-generation Indian-American teenage girl, inspired by Mindy Kaling’s own childhood.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Please Like Me (2013-2016)
Cast: Josh Thomas, Thomas Ward, Debra Lawrance, Wade Briggs, Renee Lim, Hannah Gadsby, Caitlin Stasey, Keegan Joyce, David Roberts, Emily Barclay
Synopsis: “Twenty something Josh is going through a number of big changes as he navigates his first decade of adulthood. After being dumped by his girlfriend, he comes to the realization that he is gay.”
Where to watch: Apple TV
Prisma (2022 – )
Cast: Mattia Carrano, Lorenzo Zurzolo, Caterina Forza, Chiara Bordi, Matteo Scattaretico, LXX Blood, Caterina Forza, Riccardo Afan De Rivera Costaguti, Flavia Del Prete, Andrea Giannini, Elena Falvella Capodaglio, Zakaria Hamza
Synopsis: “Prisma explores the relationships and the identities of Andrea and Marco, two twins identical on the outside, but very different in their approach on life; and of their group of friends, united by the search for their place in the world.”
Where to watch: Prime Video
The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021 – )
Cast: Reneé Rapp, Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, Alyah Chanelle Scott, Mekki Leeper, Gavin Leatherwood, Midori Francis, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, Christopher Meyer, Nicole Sullivan, Sherri Shepherd, Vico Ortiz, Lauren ‘Lolo’ Spencer
Synopsis: “Four 18-year-old freshman roommates at Essex College in Vermont. A bundle of contradictions and hormones, these sexually active college girls are equal parts lovable and infuriating.”
Where to watch: Max
Sexify (2021 – )
Cast: Aleksandra Skraba, Sandra Drzymalska, Maria Sobocinska, Jan Wieteska, Piotr Pacek, Kamil Wodka, Cezary Pazura, Alex Rose Wiesel, Wojciech Solarz
Synopsis: “Budding software developer Natalia knows a lot about programming, and very little about sex. With her friends Monika and Paulina, she embarks on a quest to better understand the mysteries of the female orgasm, build an app that will win an inter-university competition and maybe, just maybe, serve the needs of her peers.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Skins (2007-2013)
Seasons 1-2 Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Hannah Murray, Mike Bailey, April Pearson, Joe Dempsie, Larissa Wilson, Dev Patel, Mitch Hewer, Kaya Scodelario
Seasons 3-4 cast: Kaya Scodelario, Jack O’Connell, Luke Pasqualino, Ollie Barbieri, Lisa Backwell, Lily Loveless, Kathryn Prescott, Megan Prescott, Merveille Lukeba
Seasons 5-6 cast: Dakota Blue Richards, Alexander Arnold, Freya Mavor, Laya Lewis, Will Merrick, Sean Teale, Jessica Sula, Sebastian de Souza
Synopsis: “This incisive series centers on the tense lives of a group of teenagers as the friends and wannabe lovers weather their final two years of school.”
Where to watch: Hulu
Young Royals (2021 – )
Cast: Edvin Ryding, Omar Rudberg, Malte Gårdinger, Frida Argento, Nikita Uggla, Ivar Forsling, Nils Wetterholm, Felicia Truedsson, Fabian Penje, Nathalie Varli, Samuel Astor, Inti Zamora Sobrado, Carmen Gloria Pérez, Beri Gerwise
Synopsis: “Prince Wilhelm adjusts to life at his prestigious new boarding school, Hillerska, but following his heart proves more challenging than anticipated.”
Where to watch: Netflix
_