It’s bittersweet but true — The Summer I Turned Pretty has come to an end for now.
If you’re mourning the loss of Cousins Beach and the love triangle adventures of Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah, you may need to find a new show that checks some of those boxes.
Fear not — Watch With Us has selected three shows that will fill the TSITP-shaped hole in your heart.
Like The Summer I Turned Pretty, these shows tackle themes of grief, love and growing up. Check out our selections on Peacock, Netflix, HBO Max and Hulu.
‘My Life with the Walter Boys’ (2023–Present)
Perhaps the most obvious analogue to The Summer I Turned Pretty is My Life with the Walter Boys, another show based on a novel (by Ali Novak) that follows a teenage girl who harbors romantic feelings for two brothers. It also depicts the indescribable grief of losing a parent. Jackie Howard (Nikki Rodriguez), a Manhattan teenager whose parents are killed in a car accident, goes to live with her mother’s best friend, Katherine (Sarah Rafferty), a veterinarian who lives in Colorado with her husband and 10 children (9 boys and one girl).
While Jackie struggles to adjust to her new life, she also finds herself juggling romantic feelings toward both Cole (Noah LaLonde) and Alex (Ashby Gentry) Walter. Can love find its way through grief?
Watch My Life with the Walter Boys on Netflix.
‘The O.C.’ (2003–2007)
If the beachside location and family drama are what you loved about The Summer I Turned Pretty, check out The O.C. This drama follows Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), a teenage boy from Chino, California, who is kicked out of his home and taken in by the wealthy Cohen family. As Ryan adjusts to the affluent community of Newport Beach, he finds romance with troubled girl next door Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) and friendship with nerdy Seth Cohen (Adam Brody).
The Summer I Turned Pretty fans will love how the show handles the complex relationships between parents and teenagers, as well as the many love triangles and romantic entanglements throughout the series.
Stream The O.C. on HBO Max or Hulu.
‘The Vampire Diaries’ (2009–2017)
Okay, if you’re looking for an option that’s a little less obvious, we recommend The Vampire Diaries. This show is a coming-of-age love triangle with a supernatural twist, focusing on Elena (Nina Dobrev), an orphan who recently lost her parents in a car crash. She connects with Stefan (Paul Wesley), who appears to be a high school student but is actually a vampire. Stefan’s brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder), also a vampire, is interested in Elena — especially since she is the doppelgänger of someone he loved before he was turned.
The series balances teenage drama like that of TSITP with bloodsucking intrigue all of its own.
Watch The Vampire Diaries on Peacock.
