Summary

• There are plenty of other shows like Elite for fans to enjoy, full of teen drama, murder mystery, and soap opera elements to binge.
• Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl are great options similar to Elite, with dark storylines, complex relationships, and wealthy teen characters.
• Shows like Sex Education and Euphoria offer depth and LGBTQ+ storylines, appealing to fans of Elite's focus on teenage narratives.

The Spanish teen drama Elite is full of intrigue, affluence, and complex relationships, and there are plenty of other shows like Elite out there for audiences to enjoy. With seven seasons on Netflix to binge, Elite is a reason to celebrate for those who enjoy a steamy thriller series, as audiences can immerse themselves in its unique mix of teenage drama, murder mystery, and soap opera. The show works largely due to its deftness in keeping these elements in a delicate balance. It makes sense that those who love Elite will be on the lookout for other shows that hit the same notes.

Fortunately, there are a number of series available for streaming that have a lot in common with Elite. Thanks to streaming services, the best teen series on Netflix aren't all that audiences are limited to. There's access to all kinds of international programming, which is how the Spanish drama Elite was able to find so much success from international audiences. The best shows like Elite usually center on a teenage narrative, but contain heavier adult themes including romance, deceit, affluence, and crime. Though Elite is certainly one of a kind, there are plenty of shows like Elite available to audiences.

15 Pretty Little Liars

(2010 – 2017)

In terms of shows like Elite, Pretty Little Liars is a little campier, but a good choice nonetheless. There is more than a little soapiness to Elite, and the same can be said of Pretty Little Liars, which focuses on a group of friends tormented by a mysterious figure who threatens to expose their secrets. As with Elite, there's more than a little darkness to this series, and it even veers into the realm of slasher movies.

It’s to Pretty Little Liars' credit that it allows the viewer to care about its characters, as deeply flawed as they are. It’s no wonder the show has come to be regarded as one of the best examples of the teen drama genre. Just like Elite, the show centers around teens, murder, and complex romances. If fans find that they enjoy this one, it also has a spinoff in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.

14 Heartstopper

(2022 – )

One of the most notable aspects of Elite is that the series includes LGBTQ+ storylines, and it's easy to get emotionally invested in its LGBTQ+ characters and their love lives. Even a decade ago, these relationships would have been scarce in teen dramas. For shows like Elite that keep LGBTQ+ narratives at the forefront, look no further than another charming Netflix series, Heartstopper.

Focusing on the blossoming romance between Nick and Charlie, it seems at first to be a simple love story. There are profound layers under the surface, though. Each of the characters comes to realize how much their relationship can change their lives, helping each of them find the happiness they have always deserved. The series also expads beyond their relationship to those of their friends, focusing on the sweet first loves they experience. Heartstopper may be significantly lighter fare than Elite, but has the same depth.

13 Euphoria

(2019 – )

Elite, like many similar shows, is interested in the sometimes dark inner lives of adolescents. This theme is taken to some perplexing extremes in Euphoria, which has become one of the most popular series on HBO. Out of all the other shows like Elite, Euphoria may be the most similar outside of the murder mystery aspect because of its heavier subject matter.

The show's main character is Zendaya’s Rue Bennett, so it focuses a great deal on her struggles with mental health and addiction. However, it also explores other characters and their attempts to make sense of the chaos of youth. In the controversy and excess of the drama, there beats a heart of authentic emotion.

The series has proven to be the breakout roles for actors like Sydney Sweeney and Hunter Schafer who have gone on to appear in Anyone Like You and The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes, respectively. Euphoria, with its extremely emotional storylines, has been able to demonstrate the immense talent of its young cast.

12 Young Royals

(2021 – 2024)

With Elite, viewers get an inside look at what it is really like to attend a prestigious high school. A similar dynamic is at work in the series Young Royals which, as its title implies, focuses on a teenage royal, the fictional Prince Wilhelm, particularly his love for another young man. Other shows like Elite don't always focus on LGBTQ+ lifestyles while living with substantial wealth, but Young Royals checks all the boxes.

There is, to be sure, something of a Cinderella story to the series’ main story arcs. Nevertheless, beneath this, there is also quite a bit of authenticity, helped by the fact that the cast looks like the ages of their respective characters. It's rare in teen dramas for the cast to be so close to the ages of the characters they play. As a result, it’s easy to care about these individuals, their hopes, and their loves.

Young Royals

11 The Afterparty

(2022 - 2023)

Even though much of the appeal of Elite stems from its teenage drama ethos, it also entertains because of its split narrative structure and its emphasis on a murder mystery. This latter dynamic is also a key part of The Afterparty, one of the best shows on Apple TV+, and one of the best shows like Elite. After all, the people at the center of the story were once teenagers together since it takes place during a high school reunion.

The series has a much more comedic bent than Elite, but it is still focused on a murder and on the investigation of it. As the series unfolds, it quickly becomes clear that there is far more to the case than meets the eye, and the past casts a very long shadow over the present.

10 13 Reasons Why

(2017 - 2020)

As fans know, Elite doesn’t shy away from darker material, and nothing makes this clearer than its focus on murder. However, it isn’t the only teen drama to do so, and 13 Reasons Why is particularly notable for the way that it explores the very fraught issue of suicide. For those who want shows like Elite that focus on the teen aspect of darker dramas, 13 Reasons Why is a great choice.

Throughout its four seasons, 13 Reasons Why dove deep into the sometimes bleak psychologies of its characters after Hannah Baker commits suicide and leaves a series of tapes for her classmates explaining why, spilling secrets of corruption within the school. In that sense, it is a remarkable exploration of the nature of teenage angst and the depths to which this can sometimes lead those who suffer from various mental health issues.

9 Yellowjackets

(2021 - )

Among other things, Elite is very much about the way that the past can influence the present. Yellowjackets, the very popular series from Showtime, follows this dynamic to its logical extreme, with lots of psychological drama thrown into the mix. Yellowjackets is one of the best shows like Elite because it also focuses on teen relationships, and how those are exacerbated to the extreme in an environment of severe trauma following the events of a plane crash.

The series is split into two separate timelines: in the past, a soccer team and their efforts to survive a plane crash, while in the present they deal with their lives and the trauma of their actions in the past. Tightly woven and compellingly acted, it’s the type of prestige cable drama that is deeply disturbing yet impossible to turn away from, just like Elite.

8 How To Get Away With Murder

(2014 - 2020)

For much of its run, How to Get Away With Murder was regarded as one of the best Shondaland shows, and now, one of the best shows like Elite. Much of this was due to Viola Davis’ powerhouse performance as the morally questionable Annalise Keating, a defense attorney with more than a few secrets who is also a law professor.

The series’ undeniable soapiness is sure to appeal to fans of Elite. What’s more, it also delves into the complicated lives of its younger characters alongside their teacher, and it is notable for the extent to which it deals with LGBTQ+ issues. How to Get Away With Murder brings the murder mystery and drama aspects featured similarly in Elite to front and center stage, making it a perfect option for viewers who love the Spanish teen drama.

7 Gossip Girl

(2021 - 2023)

The rejuvenated version of the story of Gossip Girl has everything that made the original such a delightful series, and it updates the story to reflect the changes wrought by social media. With its focus on the scandal-plagued lives of upper-class teenagers, it has all the ingredients that draw fans to Elite, and is one of the best shows like Elite.

What’s more, it also improves upon its predecessor in a number of ways, not least by including more non-white and LGBTQ+ characters and issues. Small wonder that it has gone on to become one of the best series streaming on Max. The reboot series was unfairly canceled, but if audiences are looking for a salacious teen drama that focuses on the rich and powerful, the Gossip Girl reboot is the perfect option.

6 Sex Education

(2019 - 2023)

Of the many great series on Netflix, Sex Education ranks near the top, and it also happens to be one of the best shows like Elite. Similar to Elite, it is set in a high school and is remarkably progressive in the way it depicts the lives of its teen characters. The British teen sex dramedy has a focus on LGBTQ+ storylines and is critically acclaimed, with several accolades to its name.

At the heart of the show is Otis, a shy and awkward young man who struggles with his feelings for the iconoclastic Maeve. With each season, however, the series broadens its scope to focus on many of the show's other characters, all of whom have to contend with the many crises of young adulthood, particularly those revolving around sex, sexuality, and gender identity.

5 Baby

(2018 - 2020)

In terms of shows like Elite, Baby is another complicated teen drama with adult themes from across the pond. Hailing from Italy, Baby follows the wealthy teen Chiara, who has grown bored with her life. She meets the poverty-stricken Ludovica, and the two become fast friends. Ludovica convinces Chiara to become a sex worker with her, and it only gets more complicated from there.

Both girls have different reasons for engaging in sex work. Chiara begins buying luxury items to feed her sense of self, while Ludovica uses the money to help her mother pay the bills. Like Elite, Baby focuses on the lives of teens in complex and dangerous situations. In addition, affluence and its effect on the human psyche comes into play in Baby, making it one of the best shows like Elite.

4 Who Killed Sara?

(2021 - 2022)

Who Killed Sara? is another Spanish thriller series, and while it doesn't focus on high-schoolers it's still considered one of the best shows like Elite. The Mexican TV show follows Álex Guzmán, a man who had been wrongly convicted of killing his sister Sara, and has been serving time in prison for the past 18 years. Sara died in a mysterious parasailing accident, for which Álex was framed for tampering with the parachute straps.

The first people that Álex investigates are the rich and privileged Lazcano family, as Sara's boyfriend at the time, Rodolfo, was part of the Lazcano family, and it was their boat that the accident occurred on. Álex finds himself in deeper than he ever expected, and investigating the family soon becomes dangerous. Like Elite, there is a large focus on wealth, privilege, murder, and the secrets that the affluent hold to keep up the image of a perfect life.

3 Skins

(2007 - 2013)

Nearly everyone has heard of the British teen drama Skins, and many British stars who are now recognizable Hollywood stars got their start on Skins. Audiences may recognize Dev Patel (The Green Knight), Nicholas Hoult (Renfield), and Kaya Scodelario (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales), as Skins is where they got their start. Much like Elite, Skins follows a group of high schoolers who have an affinity for getting into mischief. Also similar to Elite, Skins is dripping with teen angst and drama, and showcases a much darker side of teenage life.

The first two seasons of Skins focus on a group of teenagers and then the series switches to another group and story for its remaining four seasons. Like Elite, season 4 of Skins also includes a murder. Audiences must remember that Skins is very much a product of its time, but it does surprisingly handle serious teen issues like sex, drug use, and family drama with a surprising amount of honesty and authenticity.

2 Dare Me

(2019)

Another Netflix series that got canceled before it got its due was Dare Me, but it's arguably one of the best shows like Elite. Just like Elite, Dare Me has a murder mystery at its center, a complex relationship between an authority figure and a student, and plenty of dramatic teen relationships. Dare Me sees Sutton Grove High get a prolific new cheer coach in Colette, who quickly befriends rising star cheerleader Addy.

This causes strain on her relationship with her best friend and fellow cheerleader Beth. When a murder investigation begins to put the town on high alert, Beth believes that Colette may somehow be involved. It doesn't focus on wealth and money the same way that Elite does, but the addition of a murder mystery and the manipulative nature of Addy and Colette's relationship gives it a very similar storyline to Elite, just a different angle.

1 Outer Banks

(2020 - )

Outer Banks is a stellar choice for viewers looking at shows like Elite, as the teen series has a murder mystery storyline at its core and explores how the severe class differences of the town of Outer Banks, North Carolina affect the ensemble cast. In Outer Banks, an ensemble cast of teens led by John B. attempts to solve what happened to John's father.

The town of Outer Banks is divided into two classes, with John's friend group attempting to break these barriers as several of his friends are from the richer families in town. The whole plot involves a secret treasure that both class groups want to get their hands on. Like Elite, Outer Banks is about murder and class divide, though most of the action takes place outside of school walls. There are also big cultural differences since Elite takes place in Spain while Outer Banks is set in South Carolina in the United States.