8 Must-Watch Shows To Binge if You Love Prime Video’s ‘Sterling Point’

Agosto 18, 2026 lojamais44@gmail.com

2026 has been a great year for young-adult-centric romantic dramas. Rounding out the trifecta is Sterling Point. Created by Megan Park, the series follows adopted twins, 17-year-old overachiever Annie Jacobson (Ella Rubin) and her brother Connor (Keen Ruffalo), who discover they have inherited a Canadian lake island from their estranged grandfather. When Annie heads up north to investigate the property, she uncovers a plethora of deep family secrets, including a secret sister named Ramona (Amélia Hoeferle) from their adoptive mother. Sterling Point continues the trend of cozy young romance series, but pushes it further. The Canadian backdrop serves as a fantastic locale for summer love, but romance becomes a secondary story to the engaging family story.

If you’ve finished Sterling Point, you’re likely looking for another series in the same vein. Luckily for you, we have eight shows that are perfect pairings if you love Sterling Point! Blending nostalgia with modern stories, these shows feature many similar themes that are found in Sterling Point. From another young romance set in a Canadian lake town to Prime Video’s peak love triangle drama, these shows are destined to fill the void left by Sterling Point.

‘Cruel Summer’ (2021–2023)

Sadie Stanley as Megan and Lexi Underwood as Isabella smile at each other in Cruel Summer Season 2.

Though the mystery may be very different from the type of mystery Annie is hoping to uncover, Cruel Summer swaps out the sun-drenched Canadian island aesthetic for a darker, twist-filled psychological drama. Created by Bert V. Royal, the Freeform anthology series follows a different traumatic event and a new set of characters across multiple timelines. Set in a Texas town in the early ’90s, Season 1 tells the story of how Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt), a popular, rich teen, is abducted. Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia), an awkward outsider who transforms and takes over Kate’s life and social circle while she’s missing. After Kate is rescued, she claims Jeanette saw her locked in her captor’s basement and didn’t help, turning Jeanette into the most hated person in America. For Season 2, the action moves to the Pacific Northwest around Y2K. It centers around the rise and fall of an intense friendship between Megan Landry (Sadie Stanley) and Isabella LaRue (Lexi Underwood) and the complicated love triangle involving Megan’s best friend, Luke Chambers (Griffin Gluck). The deeper the drama gets, the larger the mystery grows, changing all their lives.

Cruel Summer masters the compelling psychological thriller. By jumping across time, the clever structure builds immense mystery, subverts expectations, and completely flips the narrative. Part of the fun of Cruel Summer is the throwback aesthetic. The show captures the specific 1990s aesthetic, serving as a wonderful pop-culture backdrop. Like Sterling Point, the young ensemble successfully brings shifts in personality, trauma, and social status given the circumstances. Cruel Summer‘s non-linear storytelling is an engaging format that keeps you glued to your screen as legal battles, public backlash, and a gripping “he-said, she-said” mystery unfold. Though it’s certainly not a light series, Cruel Summer is a brilliantly gripping drama.

‘Ginny & Georgia’ (2021–Present)

Ginny and Georgia lay on their stomachs and look at each other in Ginny and Georgia.

Being a long-running Netflix series is not always easy, but when it happens, it’s a sign of something great. Such is the case for Ginny & Georgia. Created by Sarah Lampert, the comedy-drama tells the story of a charismatic, free-spirited, 30-year-old single mother named Georgia Miller (Brianne Howey) and her 15-year-old daughter, Ginny (Antonia Gentry). The family moves to a picturesque New England town in Massachusetts to finally put down roots and build a normal life, but Georgia’s dark, secretive past and criminal history continually threaten their fresh start. Part coming-of-age story and part mother-daughter dynamic, Ginny & Georgia navigates how the past and the present can collide to alter the future.

Ginny & Georgia blends a high-stakes crime drama with a fast-paced, messy mother-daughter relationship. It pairs a nostalgic small-town aesthetic with deep explorations of trauma, race, and mental health. Georgia is a charismatic anti-hero who is a fiercely protective, charming, and deeply flawed mother with a dark past. She fights against her past as the central relationship captures genuine generational conflict, raw emotion, and miscommunication. The blend of lighthearted high school drama with dark, adult thriller elements makes it a unique series. Ginny & Georgia and Sterling Point dive deep into messy family secrets and sharp teen drama. However, said drama is turned up for full-blown high school angst. Keen-eyed viewers may even catch a glimpse of Katie Douglas, who plays Abby Llittman on Ginny & Georgia, as Clem on Sterling Point!

‘Every Year After’ (2026–Present)

Michael Bradway as Charlie and Sadie Soverall as Percy in 'Every Year After.' — Michael Bradway as Charlie and Sadie Soverall as Percy in ‘Every Year After.’

First it was Off Campus, and then Prime Video followed it up with Every Year After. It’s safe to say that the streamer has a stronghold on teen-themed romances! Based on Carley Fortune‘s beloved novel, Every Year After follows Percy Fraser (Sadie Soverall), a 28-year-old obituary writer who returns to her idyllic lakeside childhood summer town of Barry’s Bay after a decade away, forced to confront the first love and profound mistakes she left behind. Flashbacks show six magical summers where Percy shares deep bonds and a first romance with Sam Florek (Matt Florek), alongside Sam’s brother Charlie (Michael Bradway) and childhood rival Delilah (Abigail Cowen). After a devastating breakup tears Percy and Sam apart, Percy is drawn back to the lake town for the memorial of Sam’s mother, Sue (Elisha Cuthbert), forcing the pair to face unresolved feelings, heartbreak, and the choices that shaped their lives. A brilliant, bingeable romance, Every Year After explores grief, nostalgia, second chances, and personal growth.

An extraordinary page-to-screen adaptation that pushed the narrative into new territory, Every Year After serves as a reminder that young love will always stay with you. Through the past and the present, Every Year After uses a precise narrative to tell the intricate story of first love over time. The time-hopping depicts how a fractured history of regret can lead to the realization of a life-altering mistake. If the stunning scenery of Sterling Point captured your attention, then Every Year After will evoke the same appeal. Yes, picturesque backdrops somehow make teen drama even more enticing. Both series capture important touchpoints of emotional realism, whether it be the messy, painful, and genuinely sympathetic transition into adulthood. Every Year After provides perfect escapism through profound maturity.

‘Life Unexpected’ (2010–2011)

Kristoffer Polaha, Shiri Appleby as Cate and Britt Robertson as Lux in Life Unexpected

Great teen dramas come in spurts. At the beginning of the 2010s, one of the best was The CW’s Life Unexpected. Created by Liz Tigelaar, the heartfelt family drama tells the story of Lux Cassidy (Britt Robertson), a bright, independent teenager who spends her life in various foster homes. She goes on a journey to track down her biological parents, Cate Cassidy (Shiri Appleby) and Nate “Baze” Bazile (Kristoffer Polaha), for emancipation signatures, only for a judge to give them joint custody. Life Unexpected is an unconventional family story that explores three strangers learning to live together as they try to build a real family.

Life Unexpected is an honest coming-of-age story that challenges the reality of foster care. Though Lux’s experience is very different from that of Annie and Connor in Sterling Point, Life Unexpected depicts how living without biological parents can shape an individual. Unlike other standard high-drama teen series, Life Unexpected focused on more grounded emotional growth. There may be one downside to the series: it was canceled quite abruptly. In turn, it betrayed many of its loyal fans with its controversial finale. That said, the journey to the end is worth the watch. Both Life Unexpected and Sterling Point offer a natural thematic transition of unexpected family revelations, identity, and unconventional households. Both shows depict how a young woman is kick-started into a complex, pre-existing family dynamic they never anticipated, only to come to the revelation they were missing what they never knew they could have had.

‘Outer Banks’ (2020–2026)

outer-banks-season-2-cast — Outer Banks cast

There may not be a better guilty pleasure drama quite like Outer Banks. Coming into its fifth and final season, Outer Banks follows a tight-knit group of working-class teens called the “Pogues” in North Carolina. Led by John B. Routledge (Chase Stokes), they go on high-stakes treasure hunts, battle wealthy rival teens known as “Kooks,” and run from dangerous mercenaries and corrupt figures. What starts as a search for John B’s missing father turns into massive international quests for legendary lost fortunes—including a sunken Royal Merchant ship cargo, the Cross of Santo Domingo, and Blackbeard’s legacy. The overarching narrative deals with intense personal betrayals, major character losses, and the hunt for the mystical Blue Crown artifact. Thanks to a warm locale and alluring ensemble, Outer Banks became one of Netflix’s hottest shows.

Outer Banks is a gift that keeps on giving. The adventures scale up from local island mysteries to global destinations such as the Caribbean, South America, and North Africa. In doing so, it blends fast-paced treasure hunts, high-stakes teen romance, and a sun-soaked, nostalgic escape. Like Sterling Point, the focus on the tight-knit friend group is its major allure. By centering on a found family, Outer Banks showcases how those closest to you may not always be blood, and that’s totally OK. Outer Banks is beloved for its vibrant coastal scenery, laid-back outdoor aesthetic, and its refusal to take itself too seriously, making it a brilliant show for escaping reality. Though both shows offer soapy teen drama, Outer Banks amplifies the action with its dangerous mysteries. No matter how you prefer your water-locked, high-stakes series, they will both keep you glued to your screens.

‘The O.C.’ (2003–2007)

Marissa, Summer, Seth, and Ryan standing next to eachother in The OC

If you’re like me, a millennial of a certain age, you can see this title and instantly be transported to the early 2000s as the theme song plays vibrantly. The cult-classic Fox teen drama The O.C. follows Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), a troubled teenager from a broken home in Chino who is adopted by the wealthy and compassionate Cohen family. A genuine culture clash, the story contrasts Ryan’s rough-around-the-edges background with the glamorous, hyper-wealthy, and often superficial lifestyle of Southern California’s elite. Focusing on the intense, complicated relationships of the teenagers, particularly Ryan’s on-and-off romance with his troubled neighbor Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton), and Seth Cohen’s (Adam Brody) long-standing crush on the popular Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson), The O.C. served as the definitive nighttime soap of the new millennium.

A major factor in The O.C. making this list is that both shows share creator Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the producers of Sterling Point. The pair is also known for creating Gossip Girl. With a connection across both shows, you can see parallels in their narratives and storytelling. Though adoption takes different approaches in both series, how adults welcome a young child is central to the narrative. At the heart of the show is the warm dynamic between public defender Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher), his real estate developer wife, Kirsten (Kelly Rowan), and their socially awkward, witty son, Seth, who quickly becomes Ryan’s best friend and surrogate brother. It’s a similar dynamic to the one seen between Annie and Ramona. Both shows quickly outgrow the fish-out-of-water dynamic to establish how a young protagonist becomes a central cog in the action. With sensational writing, marked by a mix of heavy emotional stakes with a distinct, snarky, and quick-witted sense of humor, The O.C. may seem a product of its time, yet it has a great influence on the teen dramas we watch today.

‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ (2022–2025)

Prime Video has been at the center of the teen-drama conversation thanks to the massive appeal and pop-culture success of The Summer I Turned Pretty. Created by author Jenny Han, the romantic teen coming-of-age story follows teenager Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) as she returns to Cousins Beach and gets caught in an emotional love triangle with two brothers, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno). Belly navigates complicated romantic feelings and history with both brothers, torn between the brooding Conrad and the warm, outgoing Jeremiah during their annual summers together. For three strong seasons, The Summer I Turned Pretty explores first love, deep first heartbreak, grief, and self-discovery. The saga at Cousins Beach served as the ultimate guilty pleasure.

The Summer I Turned Pretty reinvigorated pop culture’s obsession with pitting two men against one another for the affection of its female protagonist, creating teams in the process. Though “Team Belly” rarely deserved the attention it received. Blending nostalgic, sun-drenched teen romance with deeper coming-of-age emotional stakes, the series resonated with book-readers and series-watchers alike. Like Sterling Point, The Summer I Turned Pretty captured the cozy, warm feeling of a permanent childhood summer at a beach house while forcing childhood to eventually fall off as teenage years made way for adult decisions. The Summer I Turned Pretty evoked the high-stakes, all-consuming emotions of first love that feel rare in modern dating. Both series explore how loss, terminal illness, and family restructuring around the romance deeply impact even the young ones. If you adore Sterling Point, it likely would never have come to fruition had it not been for Han’s vision.

‘We Were Liars’ (2025–Present)

Cady, Mirren, and Johnny Sinclair sitting with Gat Patil after a funeral in We Were Liars.

If you love a little drama with your thriller, We Were Liars delivers in spades. Based on the novel by E. Lockhart, We Were Liars follows Cadence Sinclair (Emily Alyn Lind) as she returns to her wealthy family’s private island, Beachwood Island, after a tragic fire that left her with amnesia. She reconnects with her tight-knit group of cousins and friends, known as “The Liars”. Throughout the first season, We Were Liars builds to a devastating revelation; the tightly plotted drama blends an atmospheric, sun-drenched private island mystery with the messy, high-stakes family drama of a wealthy, unhinged dynasty. We Were Liars is a masterfully soapy drama that combines young adult appeal with heavy, mature themes. Like Sterling Point, We Were Liars depicts the impact of generational trauma on the younger generation.

Despite a gorgeous backdrop of a Martha’s Vineyard-adjacent island, the locale operates as a deceitful facade for dark secrets that desperately seek the light of day. With Cadence leading the charge to solve the puzzle, the narrative does a remarkable job of keeping viewers guessing until the emotional conclusion that recontextualizes the entire story. We Were Liars focuses on a tight bond and chemistry, with Cadence, Mirren (Esther McGregor), Johnny (Joseph Zada), and Gat (Shubham Maheshwari) anchoring the story’s emotional core. Expanding the backstories of the manipulative Sinclair mothers and their wealthy patriarch adds rich, multi-generational toxicity and campy soap-opera drama. We Were Liars is a non-stop shock that keeps you eager to reach the end. With Season 2 likely to explore the prequel novel, Family of Liars, the series has a “wealth” of potential (pun intended).