Shows like Pretty Little Liars
15 picks with a similar feel
What defines Pretty Little Liars, going by its Boxlist taste profile: A moving mystery series that is intimate, grounded and serious. Best if you like stories that hit hard. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of coming of age, unlikely connections and mysteries that are not what they seem, plus tags such as forbidden love, teen drama and bullying.
Here are 15 shows with a similar feel, ranked by how closely they match that profile. Treat them as picks to try, not a definitive list.
Based on Pretty Little Liars (2010).
- 1
Blood & Water (2020)
TV7.9
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Also intimate and weighty, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: teen drama, high school.
- 2
13 Reasons Why (2017)
TV7.8Faster-paced
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Also emotional and intimate, with themes of coming of age and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: bullying, high school.
- 3
The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022)
TV8.2Warmer in tone
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: teen drama.
- 4
Gossip Girl (2021)
TV7.6
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Also intimate and emotional, with themes of coming of age and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: high school.
- 5
Riverdale (2017)
TV8.6
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Also intimate and weighty, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: high school.
- 6
Heartstopper (2022)
TV8.6Warmer in tone
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: teen drama, high school.
- 7
Elite (2018)
TV8.2Darker
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Also weighty and intimate, with themes of unlikely connections and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: teen drama.
- 8
Raising Voices (2024)
TV7.8
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Also intimate, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: teen drama, high school.
- 9
First Kill (2022)
TV8.1
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Also emotional and weighty, with themes of unlikely connections and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: forbidden love.
- 10
We Were Liars (2025)
TV7.2
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Also intimate and emotional, with themes of coming of age and mysteries that are not what they seem.
- 11
Defending Jacob (2020)
TV8.5More intricate
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Also weighty and intimate, with themes of coming of age and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: bullying, high school.
- 12
The Watcher (2022)
TV7.4Darker
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Also weighty and intimate, with themes of mysteries that are not what they seem and resilience and survival. Common ground: secret.
- 13
The Queen's Gambit (2020)
TV8.6
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: female friendship.
- 14
Desperate Housewives (2004)
TV8.0Lighter option
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Shares themes of unlikely connections and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: female friendship, secret.
- 15
Olympo (2025)
TV7.7
Why it's like Pretty Little Liars: Also emotional and intimate, with themes of mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: teen drama.
Boxlist compares Pretty Little Liars with every show in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 7.2 or more from at least 150 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point. Ratings are TMDB audience scores out of 10.
Which of these suit you?
Take the taste test and every pick shows how well it matches you.
Take the taste testQuestions
- What should I watch if I like Pretty Little Liars?
- Picks with a similar feel include Blood & Water, 13 Reasons Why, The Summer I Turned Pretty and Gossip Girl. Each shares part of Pretty Little Liars's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 15 shows.
- How are these shows like Pretty Little Liars chosen?
- Boxlist compares Pretty Little Liars with every show in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 7.2 or more from at least 150 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point.
- Is there a lighter show like Pretty Little Liars?
- Desperate Housewives has a similar feel but scores lighter on Boxlist's weightiness scale.