The 15 Best Teen Drama Shows Streaming on HBO Max (April 2024)

Whether you’re the cool kid or an outsider, high school is an unforgettable time that undeniably leaves its marks for better or for worse. A time for self-discovery, first love, and debauchery, teen drama television series have become a staple within the medium for the better part of the past 25 years and created some unforgettable characters in the process. Looking back on some of the best high school set dramas from the 2000s and beyond is a nostalgic time capsule for simpler times, and Max is host to some of the greatest of all time. Whether you’re in the mood for backstabbing Upper East Siders or angst-filled superheroes, here’s your guide to the best teen dramas streaming on Max right now.

For more recommendations, check out our list of The Best Drama Movies on HBO Max Right Now and the best movies and shows on the platform.

'Gossip Girl' (2007 - 2012)

Rotten Tomatoes: 84% | IMDb: 7.5/10

The boom of glossy, teen dramas during the 2000s was major, and The CW’s Gossip Girl takes the cake as the most glamorous. Following Upper East Side’s elite teens, Blake Lively is Serena Van Der Woodsen and Leighton Meester is her best friend turned nemesis, Blair Waldorf. As they battle to become the queen bee at school, they must also combat the rumors spread by the anonymous blogger Gossip Girl (voiced by Kristen Bell), as she spreads the high schoolers' deepest darkest secrets for all the world to read. Watch on Max

'Betty' (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes: 98% | IMDb: 7.1/10

Betty is an empowering teen drama created by Crystal Moselle based on her touching 2018 film Skate Kitchen, which explored the lives of an all-girl skater group in New York City. Featuring most of the tight-knit cast from the original film, including Dede Lovelace, Kabrina Adams, and Rachelle Vinberg, Betty continues to focus on the Gen Z group of skater girls. Betty dives deeper into their daily lives as these young women navigate both personal stories, as well as the predominantly male-dominated world of skateboarding. While a fictional series, Betty – like Skate Kitchen – found real skaters to portray fictional characters loosely inspired by their authentic selves. – Yael Tygiel Watch on Max

'Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin' (2022 - Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 89% | IMDb: 7.0/10

Secrets are once again tearing up a small town in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. A reboot of the ABC turned freeform series under the same name, the HBO Max original takes place within the same universe and is set in the working-class town of Millwood, Pennsylvania, where five high school girls are hunted down by a mysterious blackmailer named “A.” Embracing the slasher horror film genre, the reboot has won critical acclaim and bathes in dark secrets as "A" preys upon the five girls to make them pay for sins their mothers committed while in high school. Watch on Max

'Euphoria' (2019 - Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 88% | IMDb: 8.3/10

In this southern California-set teen soap drama, the beautiful people on screen commit ugly acts in the same of love, hate, and vengeance. Zendaya stars in Euphoria as 16-year-old drug addict Rue Bennett, and she struggles to stay clean as her classmates deal with their own fair share of problems. The HBO series blew up during its premiere season in 2019, and its loyal following has only grown thanks to all the rumored feuds and behind-the-screen drama rivaling the fiascos on-screen. Season 3 is slated to debut sometime in 2024, and we can only hope for more bottle-breaking fights, meltdowns mid-performance, and catfights in the hallway. Watch on Max

'Nancy Drew' (2019 - Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 53% | IMDb: 6.7/10

Literature’s favorite kid detective transforms into a stealthy, 18-year-old waitress solving crimes on the side in The CW’s Nancy Drew, a dark reinterpretation of the classic novels. Kennedy McMann stars in the titular role, and after dropping out of college due to her mother’s death, Nancy moves back home to live with her dad to grieve while working at the local diner, the Claw. Despite trying to stay away from mysteries, sleuthing runs in Nancy’s veins, and together with the Claw staff, they all work to solve the brutal murder of a local socialite. Watch on Max

The OC (2003 - 2007)

Rotten Tomatoes: 68% | IMDb: 7.6/10

California has never looked more enticing yet terrifying in the teen soap series The OC, a watershed moment in pop culture when it debuted on FOX in 2003 thanks to the muscle tanks, flip phones, and low-rise jeans. Starring Ben McKenzie, Mischa Barton, Rachel Bilson, and Adam Brody as four teenagers living in Orange County, they come from both broken homes and privilege and writhe in dramatic love triangles, affairs, and illicit activities. McKenzie plays new kid in town Ryan Atwood, and as the wealthy Cohen family takes him in, he adjusts to this strange new lifestyle among beach parties and some tasty waves. Watch on Max

One Tree Hill (2003 - 2012)

Rotten Tomatoes: 63% | IMDb: 7.8/10

One Tree Hill is one of the longest-running series on this list, thanks to the never-ending heartbreaks and scandals going down in the fictional town of One Tree Hill, North Carolina. Yet another reason why The CW ruled teen dramas during the 2000s, Chad Michael Murray, James Lafferty, Hilarie Burton, Bethanie Joy Lenz, and Sofia Bush play the various teenagers caught up in love triangles and basketball. Running for a total of nine seasons, the series revolves around small-town secrets and dysfunctional families with too many iconic moments to count. Watch on Max

The Vampire Diaries (2009 - 2017)

Rotten Tomatoes: 86% | IMDb: 7.7/10

Hungry for something a little juicer? Take a bite out of The Vampire Diaries, The CW classic featuring the beautiful undead, chiseled werewolves, and all-powerful witches. Nina Dobrev stars as high schooler Elena Gilbert, and she finds herself in a steamy love triangle between the Salvatore brothers who just so happen to be vampires. Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder co-star as Stefan and Damon Salvatore respectively, and they fight to win Elena’s attention amid showdowns with other demonic monsters in the small southern town of Mystic Falls. Watch on Max

Pretty Little Liars (2010 - 2017)

Rotten Tomatoes: 81% | IMDb: 7.4/10

They’ve got secrets they can’t keep, and they’ll pay for it. Pretty Little Liars stars Lucy Hale, Ashley Benson, Shay Mitchell, and Troian Bellisario as four estranged sophomore high school students hiding dark secrets from their past. Forced to reunite a year after their best friend Allison (Sasha Pieterse) goes missing, they begin receiving texts threatening to reveal all their darkest secrets from the anonymous blackmailer “A.” Based upon the best-selling novel series written by Sara Shepard, the girls band together to solve “A”’s identity, and Pretty Little Liars became an instant hit thanks to the various twists popping up at every corner. Watch on Max

'Naomi' (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes: 91% | IMDb: 4.1/10

In a baffling decision, The CW canceled the critically acclaimed teen superhero series, Naomi, after a single season. From the minds of Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship, Kaci Walfall stars as Naomi McDuffie, a star student and internet sleuth who tracks superheroes' whereabouts. Based on the comic book series under the same name, Naomi soon discovers she has powers of her own and grows into them while maintaining her grades, friendships, and well-being. Watch on Max