Summary

  • Sex Education fans looking for similar shows can enjoy hilarious and informative series like "Schitt's Creek" and "Fleabag."
  • "Never Have I Ever" and "Derry Girls" offer a relatable take on teenage experiences, similar to what viewers love about Sex Education.
  • From "Misfits" to "Big Mouth," there are shows that combine humor and teenage experiences in ways that fans of Sex Education will enjoy.

While many fans were sad to see the series end, there are several series like Sex Education that they can watcht. Sex Education is a brilliant and hilarious dive into what it means to be a young person struggling with the realities of their budding sexuality. The show follows Otis and Maeve as they work to set up a healthy environment for their peers to discuss the complexities of relationships and address any questions that they may have. Even with the wild premise, there are shows like Sex Education that deliver a similar tone on the same subjects.

Sex Education is as informative as it is hysterical, so viewers can see how someone would be looking for more. Sex Education season 4 marked the end of the show despite its strong popularity. Thankfully, there are plenty of shows like Sex Education available on multiple streaming platforms to fill that void. Whether it's the complex relationships of teenagers and young adults or the well-timed comedic moments that blend perfectly into the main story, one of these shows is bound to please any Sex Education fans.

Related
Sex Education Season 4 Cast & Character Guide
Sex Education season 4 is the last of the hit coming-of-age series, and luckily, the cast has a healthy mix of familiar favorites and fun newbies.

25 Schitt's Creek

(2015-2020)

Schitt's Creek
TV-14
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Schitt's Creek is a sitcom series created by and starring Dan and Eugene Levy. When the Rose family's business manager embezzles funds from their fortune, they discover that all of their money is gone except for one last piece of property - a small town called Schitt's Creek that they purchased for fun years ago. Now forced to acclimate to an average, borderline impoverished life, the Rose family will attempt to make due with what they have while trying to revitalize the town.

Cast
Catherine O'Hara , Dan Levy , Noah Reid , Emily Hampshire , Tim Rozon , Dustin Milligan , Eugene Levy , Jennifer Robertson , Chris Elliott , Annie Murphy
Release Date
January 13, 2015
Writers
Dan Levy , Eugene Levy , David West Read

The show has a very different premise as it follows a wealthy family of somewhat self-absorbed people who are forced to move to a small town after losing everything.

Like Sex Education, Schitt's Creek was an acclaimed series that didn't overstay its welcome, deciding to conclude its story after its Emmy-winning sixth season. The show has a very different premise as it follows a wealthy family of somewhat self-absorbed people who are forced to move to a small town after losing everything. The Rose family have all of their assets seized by the government and are forced to move into a motel in a small town, adjusting to life as members of the working class, rebuilding their relationships with one another along the way.

The Schitt's Creek cast makes for a wonderful ensemble with hilarious and layered characters. The show also deals with sexuality in an open and honest way and is willing to show fan-favorite relationships that end up not working out. As an added bonus, star Daniel Levy also appears in Sex Education season 4.

Watch on Hulu

24 Fleabag

(2016-2019)

Fleabag TV Poster
Fleabag
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Created by and starring Pheobe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag follows its titular main character through her life in modern-day London. After the death of her best friend and the imminent demise of their joint business venture, the show deals with Fleabag's grief over the loss, her struggle to maintain the business, and her complicated relationships with her immediate family. The show is known for its use of the fourth-wall break and is based on Waller-Bridge's award-winning one-woman show which debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013. 

Cast
Phoebe Waller-Bridge , Sian Clifford , Andrew Scott , Brett Gelman
Release Date
June 21, 2016
Seasons
2
Directors
Harry Bradbeer

Phoebe Waller-Bridge created one of the most acclaimed television shows of the 21st century with the original and impactful Fleabag. The series was nominated for a slew of prestigious awards during its run, from the Critics Choice to the BAFTAs to the Primetime Emmys. Fleabag won the 2020 Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy as well.

Waller-Bridge stars in Fleabag as a young woman living in London who navigates her various sexual experiences and dysfunctional family dynamics while holding onto some darker secrets. In particular, her relationship with Andrew Scott, The Priest, and her ability to convincingly break the fourth wall, entertained audiences. The show is another honest series about sex while also looking at the trauma, mistakes, and anxieties associated with it. Like Sex Education, moments of laugh-out-loud humor are mixed with profoundly human moments as well.

Watch on Amazon Prime Video

23 Never Have I Ever

(2020-2023)

Never Have I Ever Season 3 Poster
Never Have I Ever

Never Have I Ever is a coming-of-age comedy about the complicated life of a modern-day first-generation Indian American teenage girl. The series stars newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi, an overachieving high school sophomore with a short fuse that gets her into difficult situations. Devi continues to deal with the everyday pressures of high school and drama at home while navigating new romantic relationships.

Cast
Darren Barnet , Poorna Jagannathan , Niecy Nash , Jaren Lewison , Sendhil Ramamurthy , Richa Moorjani , John McEnroe , Common , Maitreyi Ramakrishnan , Ramona Young , Lee Rodriguez
Release Date
April 27, 2020
Seasons
3
Writers
Lang Fisher , Mindy Kaling
Directors
Lang Fisher

Like Sex Education, Never Have I Ever season 5 won't be happening with the teen Netflix series deciding to end while it is still believable that the characters are in high school. The show is another series looking at the complications and challenges of growing up in a modern high school setting. It follows the main character Devi as she attempts to capture the teen experiences she feels that she is missing out on.

The show follows Sex Education's formula of touching on real teen issues, including anxiety about sex, bullying, and different sexual identities while still feeling like a personal and entertaining journey of this young woman. The first season focuses on how Devil deals with the grief of losing her father, and the show gradually expands into those other teen issues, including what happens as high school comes to an end and teens find themselves figuring out how to move on.

Watch on Netflix

22 Derry Girls

(2018-2022)

Derry Girls TV Poster
Derry Girls

Derry Girls centers on Erin Quinn, a 16-year-old girl living in Northern Ireland in the '90s. Derry Girls tells the story of her life and the complicated exploits of her family Saoirse-Monica Jackson stars as Erin in this comedy series that lasted for a total of three seasons between 2018 and 2022.

Cast
Saoirse-Monica Jackson , Louisa Harland
Release Date
January 4, 2018
Seasons
3
Writers
Lisa McGee
Directors
Lisa McGee

The high school experiences of teens in a modern English school are very different from the experiences of teens at a Catholic school in 1990s Ireland, yet Sex Education fans will find a lot to like about Derry Girls. The show follows the titular group of female friends (including their one male friend) as they navigate dating, school work, and drama with their parents while living in a tumultuous time in Ireland.

The show is more of a straight-forward comedy than Sex Education with big laughs coming from the colorful characters even though it is set during The Troubles. Even while Erin is dealing with a crush on a boy or getting detention, her parents are watching news of bombings not far from home. There are also poignant moments that feel universal and relatable to anyone who has gone through these awkward and formative years.

Watch on Netflix

21 Degrassi: The Next Generation

(2001-2015)

Captura de Tela 2024-03-19 às 14.16.56
Degrassi: The Next Generation

The next generation of the students at Degrassi are here. "Degrassi: The Next Generation" takes place 14 years after the cult hit show "Degrassi Junior High" as students continue to deal with the obstacles of being a teenager. From issues like relationship problems, homosexuality, and bullying to darker issues like rape, school shooting and death. "Degrassi: The Next Generation" plunges into the world of what this generation is really going through.

Cast
Drake , Nina Dobrev , Shenae Grimes , Cassie Steele , Brendan Fletcher , Jake Epstein
Release Date
October 13, 2001
Seasons
14

Shows about teenagers exploring their sexuality are nothing new to the world of television though nobody seems to do it better than Sex Education.

Shows about teenagers exploring their sexuality are nothing new to the world of television, though nobody seems to do it better than Sex Education. However, credit must be given to Degrassi: The Next Generation, which did this in a groundbreaking way in the early 2000s. The show tackled serious topics and featured many LGBTQ+ characters, just like Sex Education.

Also, like the Netflix series, it helped launch the careers of many talented stars from Nina Dobrev to Cassie Steele to Drake. The Degrassi HBO Max revival was too different from the original show by some measures and received a mixed response, but this reboot of the original Canadian series hit the mark. It was able to incorporate characters from the original series without making it necessary for the new audience to watch the original series.

Watch on Max

20 Special

(2019-2021)

Kim and Ryan sit at a desk on Special

Special follows the life of Ryan, a gay man with cerebral palsy who wants to take on adulthood after years of internships, text-based relationships, and blogging in bed. After landing a job at a popular website, Eggwoke, Ryan lies about his cerebral palsy to escape his identity, telling everyone he meets that he was in a car accident.

This is an adaptation of Ryan O'Connoll's book I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves. O'Connell wrote and starred in the show as its main character, Ryan, and also acts as its executive producer. Not only is the show hilarious and engaging, but it really shows the complexity of how cerebral palsy affects love, work, and sex. The series only has two seasons of eight episodes each, so it's a relatively quick and engaging watch for the audience as well.

Watch on Netflix

19 Please Like Me

(2013-2016)

The cast of Please Like Me TV Show in a bar while one man stares directly at the camera

Please Like Me is an excellent Australian dramedy that follows Josh, a man in his 20s who realizes he is gay after his girlfriend breaks up with him. Like Sex Education, the series isn't as well known by streaming audiences but is more than worth a watch. It's critically acclaimed in its home country of Australia as well with awards from the Australian Producers, Writers, and Directors Guilds racked up during the show's run.

During the series, viewers watch Josh move back into his childhood home to care for his mom, move out with his best friend Tom, and take on the dating world in his own fumbling way. The show has a wide and unique cast and plenty of moments that will make the most awkward of socializers relate, especially fans of Sex Education.

Watch on Apple TV

18 Trinkets

(2019-2020)

trinkets
Trinkets

Created by Emily Meyer, Kirsten "Kiwi" Smith, and Amy Andelson, Trinkets is a Teen Drama created for Netflix in 2019. Starring Brianna Hildebrand, the plot follows three teens from different walks of life that find common ground through shoplifting.

A show that keeps its viewers on edge constantly, Trinkets is Netflix's teen drama that ran for two seasons and starred Deadpool's Brianna Hildebrand, In Treatment's Quintessa Swindell, and Fear Street's Kiana Madeira. The story follows three teenagers who wind up meeting each other while attending Shoplifters Anonymous. While at first they don't want to be known or become friends, their shared addiction to shoplifting brings them together, namely by seeing who can lift the most expensive merchandise from a store.

The show was a critical hit for its sharp writing, dynamic characters, LGBTQ+ representation, and more that viewers also find in Sex Education. Both seasons picked up Best Young Adult Program from the Daytime Emmy Awards, and the second season also picked up the award for Outstanding Writing in a Young Adult Series. The critical acclaim only added to the fan base's disappointment in seeing it end.

Watch on Netflix

17 The Sex Lives Of College Girls

(2021-)

the sex lives of college girls
The Sex Lives of College Girls
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The Sex Lives of College Girls is a teen comedy-drama centering around a group of young freshmen at a fictional college in Vermont. The series tells their stories as they navigate the struggles of adulthood, relationships, and schoolwork. The series was created by The Office's Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble.

Cast
Pauline Chalamet , Amrit Kaur , Reneé Rapp , Alyah Chanelle Scott , Gavin Leatherwood , Christopher Meyer , Ilia Isorelýs Paulino , Renika Williams , Lauren Spencer , Midori Francis , Mekki Leeper , Mitchell Slaggert
Release Date
November 18, 2021
Seasons
2
Writers
Mindy Kaling , Justin Noble
Creator(s)
Mindy Kaling , Justin Noble

The Sex Lives of College Girls is the kind of show that would often feature male leads but instead allows for a real exploration of young women enjoying their college years with partying.

The success of shows like Sex Education allows more TV series to explore the realities of young people's sex lives without it simply being a raunchy and vulgar punchline. The Sex Lives of College Girls is the kind of show that would often feature male leads in the past, but instead the modern day allows for a real exploration of young women enjoying their college years with partying, hook-ups, and self-discovery.

Allowing these girls to be relatable and genuine modern people in their 20s makes for an authentic show filled with likable characters and a great sense of humor. Its premiere season earned a GLAAD nomination for outstanding new series, and there's still more on the way. The series has been renewed for its third season, which is expected to premiere some time in 2024.

Watch on Max

16 Awkward.

(2011-2016)

Awkward.

An unpopular 15-year-old gains immediate, yet unwanted, popularity at her high school when the student body mistakes an accident she has for a suicide attempt. "Awkward" is about high-schooler Jenna, who is just trying to survive high school Her BFF "T" is the one who gives her advice, good and bad.

While MTV is better known for reality TV programming these days, that wasn't always the case. It used to have addictive scripted programming like Teen Wolf and Awkward. MTV's Awkward follows high schooler Jenna Hamilton after she receives a "care-frontation" letter that gives her harsh suggestions on how to be less of a "loser."

She also has a subsequent freak accident that is believed by everybody to be a suicide attempt, bringing her unwanted attention from almost everyone in school. Through the dating drama, therapeutic blogging, and constant peer pressure, Jenna has to navigate her way through the minefield that is high school, albeit with a refreshing take on the subject filled with Awkward's other likable characters. It's a must-watch among shows like Sex Education, and Ashley Rickards especially shines in her portrayal of Jenna.

Watch on Paramount+

15 Misfits

(2009-2013)

misfirs
misfits
Sci-Fi

Misfits is a British sci-fi show that ran for five seasons between 2009 and 2013. After being struck by lightning, a group of young offenders starts to develop strange supernatural abilities. The series was created by Howard Overman and starred Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Joe Gilgun, Iwan Rheon, Lauren Socha, Antonia Thomas, and Karla Crome

Cast
Lauren Socha , Robert Sheehan , Iwan Rheon
Release Date
November 12, 2009
Seasons
5
Writers
Howard Overman

On the surface, Misfits might not seem like it has a lot in common with Sex Education. After all, the former is a show where the main characters end up with superpowers, which is certainly not happening in the realistic world of the latter. However, Misfits works for fans of Sex Education because of the style of humor at its heart. The British brand of comedy is clear in both shows and although this has a sci-fi feel to it, it also deals with the troubling time of adolescence.

Misfits was also the breakout role of Umbrella Academy star Robert Sheehan, who played the immortal Nathan, and of Game of Thrones' Iwan Rheon, who played the meek-turned-powerful Simon. Viewers looking for shows like Sex Education who also enjoy superhero movies will feel right at home with Misfits.

Watch on Hulu

14 Euphoria

(2019-)

Euphoria Poster
Euphoria
TV-MA
Drama

Euphoria is a teen drama created by Sam Levinson and starring Zendaya, Maude Apatow, and Angus Cloud. The series deals with the dark reality of a drug-addicted teen on her road to recovery as she faces a multitude of challenges and issues.

Cast
Storm Reid , Jacob Elordi , Maude Apatow , Hunter Schafer , Zendaya , Barbie Ferreira , Alexa Demie , Nika King , Colman Domingo , Eric Dane , Sydney Sweeney , Angus Cloud , Algee Smith
Release Date
June 16, 2019
Directors
Augustine Frizzell , Sam Levinson , Jennifer Morrison , Pippa Bianco

The most talked-about teen show right now is easily Euphoria. Any fan of shows revolving around growing teenagers is sure to get engaged by this, though they shouldn't expect a tone that is anything like Sex Education. This is a gritty show that deals with some serious subject matter from drug addiction to sexual assault. No topic is made light of in Euphoria as the show pushes its characters often to their breaking points.

The highly controversial show is also often sex-positive and features high school LGBTQ+ characters who are incredibly popular. Watch Euphoria for an intense viewing and follow it with Sex Education for something fun. Fans can expect some more intense storytelling when Euphoria returns for season 3 with Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, and Hunter Schafer in leading roles.

Watch on Max

13 Everything Sucks!

(2018)

Elijah Stevenson and Sydney Sweeney in sunglasses by a fence in Everything Sucks

Everything Sucks is set in Boring, Oregon in the 1990s. The outcasts of Boring High School's AV and Drama club are tired of being bullied and never being taken seriously, as is the case with so many of the outcasts in teen television. In order to get the attention and platform they crave, they decide to put their talents to good use and make a movie that nobody can ignore.

Add romantic drama and the typical teenage struggles (also found in Sex Education) onto the pile and there is a recipe for a gripping and entertaining snapshot of the '90s high school life in a tiny, dead township. The series offers a frank look at coming of age in the '90s, and it does it in only a single season, making for an easy binge-watch.

Watch on Netflix

12 The End Of The F---ing World

(2017-2019)

A teenage boy and girl stand in the middle of the woods staring directly at the camera in The End of the Fing World

If fans looking for a show that deals with British teens and budding sexuality while delivering a bit of a twist, then Netflix’s The End Of The F---ing World may be the perfect show for those fans. The series follows James (a teen whose homicidal inclinations happen to be budding just as much as his sexuality) and Alyssa (a rebellious teen — and James’ potential first victim), who just wants to get away from the life she’s in.

They decide to take a trip around the country after stealing James’ father’s car and holding up a gas station. Along the way, they find that their perception of one another, and themselves, might not be entirely accurate. Although the tone is different from Sex Education, these are still teens going through something major and finding potential romance along the way.

Watch on Netflix

11 Freaks And Geeks

(1999)

Freaks and Geeks TV Poster
Freaks and Geeks
Drama
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Judd Apatow's Freaks and Geeks is a comedy-drama series centered around several now-popular stars in their first-ever appearances as outcast teenagers dealing with the "hilarious unfairness of teen life." The friend groups are split into "freaks" and "geeks," each with their own quirks that resonate with teens today as they try to find their place in the socially complex world of high school.

Cast
James Franco , Busy Philipps , Jason Segel , Linda Cardellini , John Francis Daley
Release Date
September 25, 1999
Writers
Paul Feig
Directors
Paul Feig , Judd Apatow

In a lot of ways, it was Freaks and Geeks that paved the way for shows like Sex Education. While this doesn't deal with the sexual aspect of being a teenager, it does lend itself to many other things that high school students deal with. That includes trying to fit in with the cool crowd, forming cliques, going through awkward phases, and more. Freaks and Geeks had characters with all sorts of personalities, and it brought laughs in the same way that Sex Education manages to.

The show tackled social division in high school, first loves, and toxic relationships. It also provided the breakout roles for the likes of Jason Segel, John Francis Daley, Linda Cardellini, and Busy Phillips. It's criminal that the show only has a single season of episodes for TV fans to enjoy.

Watch on Amazon Prime Video

10 Looking For Alaska

(2019)

A boy and girl stand close to each other in Looking for Alaska

Once again, this is a series that might not seem like it is made for fans of Sex Education at first glance. After all, Looking for Alaska mostly takes place outdoors as it follows a group of teenagers at a boarding school. That being said, it's the young characters that make these shows connect. The two main characters are smart and whimsical, and have a potential romance going on that helps drive things forward. It's not as overtly a show similar to Sex Education as some others, but there's significant thematic and tonal overlap that's clear from the first episode.

The series is inspired by the John Green novel of the same name. Fans who find themselves interested in more content from the author might also enjoy movies like Paper Towns and The Fault In Our Stars, though the latter is a much more bittersweet tale.

Watch on Apple TV

9 A.P. Bio

(2018-2021)

a.p.bio
A.P. Bio

A.P. Bio is an NBC comedy that premiered in 2018. The sitcom stars It's Always Sunny in Philidelphia's Glenn Howerton as Jack Griffin, a former philosophy professor who starts working as a high school advanced placement biology teacher. After season 2, A.P. Bio moved to Peacock for two seasons before getting canceled in 2021.

Cast
Glenn Howerton
Release Date
February 1, 2018
Writers
Mike O'Brien
Seasons
4
Directors
Mike O'Brien

While Sex Education takes a young student and hoists him into a position of knowledge and power above his peers, helping them learn and grow as healthy young adults, A.P. Bio does the exact opposite. A.P. Bio follows former Harvard philosophy professor Jack Griffin as he reluctantly heads back to his hometown to teach A.P. Bio at his former high school after losing his job at Harvard.

Jack is in a position of power over these young kids, and while he is teaching them, the lessons usually revolve around things like catfishing his nemesis and former coworker Miles, head of the Philosophy department at Harvard. So if people are in need of a crass, rude, and hilarious teacher corrupting a class filled with exceptional young students, then A.P. Bio is a show they'll want to check out.

Watch on Peacock

8 Skins

(2007-2013)

skins
Skins
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Created by Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain, Skins is a British drama series released in 2007. This teen drama offers an introspective look at a group of teens in England as they navigate sex, drugs, mental health, death, and more over seven seasons, with the final seasons seeing a shift in the cast. An American remake was released in 2011 on MTV but only lasted one season.

Cast
Nicholas Hoult , Hannah Murray , Larissa Wilson , Joe Dempsie , Mike Bailey , Mitch Hewer , Dev Patel , April Pearson , Kaya Scodelario , Aimee-Ffion Edwards
Release Date
January 25, 2007
Writers
Jamie Brittain , Bryan Elsley
Showrunner
Jamie Brittain , Bryan Elsley
Seasons
1

Skins is a hard series to narrow down into one specific genre, but it's easily one of the most iconic shows like Sex Education. At times it can be one of the most heart-breaking dramas audiences are likely to find anywhere. At other times it can be one of the most hysterical viewing experiences an audience can find.

Also set in England, Skins follows several groups of students as they make their way through adolescence — partying, drinking, drugs, and sex play some key roles in the lives of each group of young students. Skins will take audiences through the highs and lows of what it’s like growing up, partying, and experiencing a time when consequences seem so incredibly far away. MTV attempted a US remake of the series in 2011, but it didn't land an audience the way the original did.

Watch on Hulu

7 Christiane Amanpour: Sex & Love Around The World

(2018)

The title card for Sex and Love Around The World features orange and red color tones with the white letters of the title over a pair of feet with glittering nail polish

Anyone looking to educate themselves a little further or just looking to see how sexual relationships are changing throughout the world.

Unlike the other series like Sex Education, this particular single-season show is a docuseries. In this brilliant and educational series, distinguished journalist Christiane Amanpour sets out on a trip around the world to discover and illuminate how sexual relations, intimacy, and partnerships are changing in the ever-changing world. This is for anyone who appreciates all the knowledge Otis’ mother Jean doles out over the course of the series while helping her son, his friends, and her clients alike.

Christiane Amanpour: Sex & Love Around The World is sure to leave fans both educated and entertained as they delve into some complex sexual discussions with Christiane Amanpour as a guide through the thick of it. Anyone looking to educate themselves a little further or just looking to see how sexual relationships are changing throughout the world will be interested in an informative series like this one.

Watch on Max

6 Big Mouth

(2017-)

While a twisted animated tale by John Mulaney and Nick Kroll may not be the first show that comes to mind when brainstorming what shows to watch after Sex Education, it will certainly fill the void for anyone looking for similar hilarious stories about puberty, disgusting and horrifying sexual mishaps, or just something to laugh at while detaching from the shame of the viewers' own pubescent misadventures, mixing Big Mouth's gross and touching moments effectively.

Also a Netflix show, Big Mouth may lack some of the more serious tones and drama that Sex Education balances with its comedy so well, but underneath the crass humor is an honest story about the awkwardness of growing up. Viewers should be aware that Big Mouth is significantly more raunchy than many of the other series like Sex Education though.

Watch on Netflix