Gen Z-Approved TV Series
The full version of this List (with images, videos, articles and/or datatables) is available at https://listjar.com/list/gen-z-approved-tv-series
What are Gen Zs watching nowadays? What captures their aspirations, trends on their interests and vibe with their sensibilities? Here are the ten most influential TV shows popular among the Gen Z crowds.
#1 Euphoria
In just two seasons, the HBO drama has established itself as the definitive Gen Z TV series. The show revolves around a group of high school students who deal with the gritty intricacies of coming of age. Drugs, parental issues, sexual identities, and romantic entanglements are only some of the things that Rue (Zendaya), Jules (Hunter Schafer), Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) and co must contend with. Watch it for the immaculate fashion, authentic depiction of Gen Z culture, moody cinematography, and the performances of this generation’s best young actors.
ON AMAZON (#ad): Euphoria - Season 1 on Prime Video
#2 The Boys
Adapted from a comic book of the same, the series captured the zeitgeist with its ballsy approach to the tired superhero genre. In a world where superpowered beings are being marketed like celebrities and have unlimited acccess to excess, a band of misfits called The Boys, led by Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) set out to reveal to the world the dirty rotten core underneath their superheroic facade. Watch it for unhinged gruesome violence, amusing spoof of the superheroes trope, and off-the-wall insanity.
ON AMAZON (#ad): The Boys - Season 1 on Prime Video
#3 Gen V
After the successful run of The Boys, Amazon Prime greenlit a teen-focused spinoff with the same irreverent tone and penchant for graphic storylines. Set in Godolkin University — God U for short — the show revolves around a group of young Supes who aspire to become the next Homelander and Queen Maeve. Imagine The Boys, but with more raging hormones and immaturity. When one of the star students dies in mysterious fashion, it sets off a chain of event that reveals the darkness lurking beneath the school’s polished facade. Watch it for acid-fueled college hijinks, The Boys-style superheroes mayhem, and uninhibited gore.
ON AMAZON (#ad): Gen V - Season 1 on Prime Video
#4 The Summer I Turned Pretty
Adapted from Jenny Han’s trilogy of books, the show revolves around the love triangle between 16-year-old Belly (Lola Tung) and her two childhood best friends. Every year, Belly and her family spend the summer at the Fishers’ vacation home by the beach. In the summer she turns 16, a wave of change washes into their lives and it would become a summer to remember. Watch it for dreamy summer holiday vibe, giddy teen love stories, and Taylor Swift-heavy soundtrack.
ON AMAZON (#ad): The Summer I Turned Pretty - Season 1
#5 The Last of Us
Adapted from the phenomenal video game of the same name, The Last of Us is a stellar exception to the seemingly dying zombie apocalypse genre. Instead of focusing on the carnage, the story zooms in on the unlikely bond forming between Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal). These two aggrieved souls must venture across Cordyceps-infected America to possibly find a cure to the fungal infection that has plagued the entire world. Watch it for touching father-daughter bond, high octane zombie apocalypse actions, intricate dystopian drama, and stellar quality acting.
ON AMAZON (#ad): The Last of Us: The Complete First Season [4K UHD]
#6 Rick and Morty
Way before Marvel kickstarted their multiverse of madness, an adult animated show has done that successfully for years. The show revolves around Rick, a mad scientist who drags his fretful grandson Morty on journeys across time, spaces and dimensions. On Rick’s trusty saucer, the two embark on madcap adventures that mix big, existentialist ideas with wacky sensibilities. Watch it for eerily prescient sci-fi plotlines, wacky time traveling hijinks, and zany animations.
ON AMAZON (#ad): Rick and Morty - Season 1
#7 Wednesday
Fans of The Addams Family would already recognize her. But Wednesday launched the snarky pigtailed heroine into something of a Gen Z icon. The Netflix hit features now-teenaged Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) as a rebellious black sheep who gets shipped to a boarding school after launching a horde of piranhas on her brother’s bullies. There, she unravels a decades-old mystery that threatens to endanger fellow students and the townies around the school. Watch it for Tim Burton-esque macabre aesthetics, Ortega’s dead on portrayal of Wednesday, and its horror meets dark academia vibe.
ON AMAZON (#ad): Wednesday (Original Series Soundtrack)
#8 Stranger Things
With its 80’s nostalgia galore, this show single handedly launched 1980’s style renaissance when it premiered in 2017. Heavily influenced by childhood classics like E.T., The Goonies and Stand By Me, the series revolves around a group of small town kids whose friend Will (Noah Schnapp) got kidnapped by a mysterious entity. In their search attempt, the kids stumble upon a young telekinetic girl who calls herself Eleven/El (Millie Bobby Brown). Realizing that El is being hunted down by a secret research organization hidden in the outskirts of town, the boys hide her while continuing to search for Will. Watch it for colorful throwback to the 80’s, heartwarming friendships, snappy horror meets sci fi-influenced adventures, and nostalgic synth-heavy soundtrack.
ON AMAZON (#ad): Stranger Things Upside Down Board Game
#9 F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
“So no one told you life was gonna be this way” With that iconic theme song, this sitcom defined a whole generation… and the generation after that. The enduring influence of Friends can be attributed to several things, but mainly, it’s the very universal premise at its center. Friends is about six twenty-somethings friends living in New York City. Over the course of ten seasons, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, Monica, Ross, and Rachel would navigate through every quarter-life problems in existence. But no matter, because they’ll be there for each other with humors and wits, always. Watch it for its timeless depiction of young adults experiences, good-natured humor, and the six friends’ indelible chemistry.
ON AMAZON (#ad): Friends Season 1 on Amazon Prime
#10 Outer Banks
Set in the coastal town of Outer Banks, North Carolina, the teen series combines epic treasure hunting romps with class-divide drama between the young inhabitants of the town. The wealthy Kooks and the blue collar Pogues have long been at each other’s throats. When the Pogues, led by John B (Chase Stokes), set out to find his missing father, the group inadvertently stumbles on a hidden treasure. The discovery launches an all-out war with law enforcements and the Kooks. Watch it for hot people in beachwear, Outer Banks’ stunning natural vista, and thrilling treasure hunting action.
ON AMAZON (#ad): Outer Banks: Lights Out Paperback