# What is the best coming-of-age TV series of all time?

> Awkward firsts, identity crises, and friendships that shape a lifetime — these shows captured growing up better than anything else on TV. Which one defined a generation?

*By YPB Team · Published April 8, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-coming-of-age-tv-series-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Euphoria**
   HBO's raw, visually stunning portrait of high school students navigating addiction, identity, and trauma.
2. **Skins**
   E4's British teen drama that ran from 2007 to 2013, shocking audiences with its unflinching portrayal of youth culture.
3. **Freaks and Geeks**
   Judd Apatow and Paul Feig's cult NBC series that launched the careers of James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Linda Cardellini.
4. **My So-Called Life**
   The 1994 ABC cult classic starring Claire Danes as Angela Chase, capturing teenage angst with extraordinary honesty.
5. **Stranger Things**
   Netflix's supernatural 80s-set coming-of-age phenomenon following a group of kids in Hawkins, Indiana.
6. **Sex Education**
   Netflix's warm, frank comedy-drama set in a fictional British school following a teen who runs a sex therapy clinic.
7. **The O.C.**
   Fox's 2003 teen drama about a kid from the wrong side of the tracks entering the wealthy world of Newport Beach, California.
8. **Friday Night Lights**
   NBC's critically acclaimed drama about a Texas high school football team — one of the most human shows ever made.
9. **Never Have I Ever**
   Mindy Kaling's Netflix comedy-drama following a first-generation Indian-American teen navigating high school in California.
10. **Heartstopper**
   Netflix's warmhearted LGBTQ+ coming-of-age series based on Alice Oseman's graphic novel — a love story between two British schoolboys.

Tags: tv shows, coming-of-age, teenagers