The Best YA TV Shows to Watch Now
Put some Y into your A(dulting).
If channel surfing lands us on anything John Hughes made, consider us all in. Sure, we have the dialogue and stories memorized, Danke Schoen, but we still get all the feels. Along with rewatching gems from screens past, we’ve been dipping into more current YA content territory. What’s different: norms, surroundings, slang. The same: the time-honored themes of adolescence. Watching the tribulations of those times, playing out through the rearview mirror, brings a sense of tenderness for our younger selves—which makes it as comforting as Jake Ryan’s sweater.
Eleanor & Park
If you haven’t heard of Rainbow Rowell, you’ve got a whole world of clever, touching writing to discover (we’re a little jealous). Perhaps because it’s set in 1986, we fell into this story right away. Two misfits finding their way through their first love? Sign us up.
Derry Girls
Ok, you might be (fairly) thinking, late 1990s Northern Ireland during The Troubles? Hard pass. But this group of teens has shifted the wider drama to the background in favor of friendships, loves and hilarious antics. Of course, danger is never far (place still matters), but it lends both authenticity and is the context for some of the show’s more touching scenes.
Brown Girl Dreaming
In free verse (lowercase v), Jacqueline Woodson explores the unique experience of growing up Black in 1960s/1970s America—in both South Carolina and Brooklyn, New York—and the more commonly shared search for a sense of home and purpose. Start it for the story; stay for the arresting lyricism of Woodson’s poetry: “I believe in one day and someday and this perfect moment called Now.” Word.
David Makes Man
When we saw that Michael B. Jordan was producing a show written by Moonlight scribe Tarell Alvin McCraney, we were all in. Season one follows a young David as he enters a magnet school in an attempt to rise above his circumstances. Similar to Moonlight, season two meets David as a 30 year-old. McCraney truly knows how to serve up characters, with all their inherent complexity.
The One Thing You'd Save
“Imagine that your home is on fire. You’re allowed to save one thing.” So writes Linda Sue Park in this touching book for young readers (along with the rest of us) that lets us listen in as a fictitious class tackles a “good homework” assignment for once, considering what lessons lie within the objects that matter most.
Never Have I Ever
We won’t pretend that we didn’t innocently watch a few episodes of this Mindy Kaling comedy and then find ourselves screening both seasons in the span of three days. It’s nearly impossible not to love this teen comedy (we always root for the unpopular kids), and its storytelling twist— narration by none other than John McEnroe (yes, that John McEnroe)—makes it as irresistible as Paxton H-Y. Love love.
Cinderella
When a discerning Verse reader tipped us off to this Amazon refresh, we thought it might be good, but not “I want to watch it again” good. The classic fairy tale is set to your favorite 80s and 90s songs, with amazing choreography, lots of star cameos (Minnie Driver, where have you been?) and a perfectly modern ending. Consider us happily ever after.
Honorable Mention: Only Murders in The Building
It’s not YA per se, though it does nod to The Hardy Boys, but the interplay between Martin and Short wouldn’t be nearly what it is without the addition of Selena Gomez. Sure, it has some intergenerational tensions, but the three are bound together by their innate curiosity and passion for true crime podcasts.
