Fans who loved “To All the Boys I Loved Before” were thrilled when the spinoff TV series “XO, Kitty” premiered on Netflix in 2023. Well, the show is back for round two, and if you’re like me, you binged it in a day. Whoops. The perils of short Netflix series that leave you waiting for more for a year or two, right?
The series centers on Lara Jean's youngest matchmaking sister Kitty (Anna Cathcart) as she navigates life in a new school in Korea to connect with her late mother. Luckily for fans of the show itching for more content, there are quite a few similar-minded teen dramas to soften the blow of the waiting game. Here are five shows like “XO, Kitty” that you can stream after watching season 2.
'Never Have I Ever'
“XO, Kitty” centers on the youngest Covey sister discovering who she is and trying to connect with her late mother by attending her private high school KISS in Korea. Similarly, “Never Have I Ever” heroine Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) embarks on her own path to self-discovery following her father’s death. Though Devi’s relationships with her remaining family members are much rockier than Kitty’s, the coming-of-age components have a similar vibe.
Like Kitty, Devi is smack in the middle of a love triangle that plays out over the course of the show’s four seasons — though Kitty soon finds herself in the midst of a love quadrangle? A love pentagon? Is that a thing?
“Never Have I Ever” also features characters exploring their sexuality and coming out. Of course, there’s also the component of Kitty embracing and learning more about her Korean culture, much like Devi does with Hinduism. Both shows are charming, occasionally awkward, but very real depictions of the teen experience.
►Watch on Netflix
'Gilmore Girls'
At first glance, “Gilmore Girls” may not seem like the perfect match for “XO, Kitty,” but there are quite a few similarities between the teen dramedies. Sure, Kitty lost her mother and Rory Gilmore’s (Alexis Bledel) relationship with her mother Lorelai (Lauren Graham) is the cornerstone of the series. However, Kitty’s late mom is just as integral to the plot of her show as Lorelai is in “Gilmore Girls.”
To boot, “Gilmore Girls” also has the "fish out of water" plot when Rory attends the prestigious private high school Chilton, where she contends with the school’s catty hierarchy and its students’ trust fund statuses. Meanwhile, Rory hails from a small town with a modest upbringing despite her grandparents' wealth.
Amidst Rory’s plight to be the smartest person in any given room, she has her own share of love triangles and dating woes. And though she doesn’t have a cultural plotline, Stars Hollow has its own set of traditions and small-town charm.
►Watch on Netflix
'Heartstopper'
The British series “Heartstopper” primarily focuses on the romance between Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke), the secondary characters are embroiled in just as many chaotic romances as the characters in “XO, Kitty.”
Like Kitty, many of the “Heartstopper” characters explore their sexuality while they figure out who they are. In this case, they contend with complicated family dynamics, mental health subjects, transphobia, and other intense plotlines that young viewers can find inspiration in how to handle these issues in their own lives. As is the case for “XO, Kitty,” a good chunk of “Heartstopper” takes place in school.
►Watch on Netflix
'The Summer I Turned Pretty'
If you’ve noticed some similarities between “To All the Boys I Loved Before” (“XO, Kitty’s older sibling series) and "The Summer I Turned Pretty," that makes sense — the OG books were written by the same author, after all. The 2022 teen series, once again, centers on a love triangle. This time, it’s between Belly (Lola Tung) and brothers Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) and Conrad (Christopher Briney). Awkward.
Instead of the school year, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” obviously takes place during the summer when Belly heads to the Massachusetts beach town called Cousins Beach. But don’t go looking it up on a map because it doesn’t actually exist. Jenny Hahn created the ongoing series, so it has that added authenticity of getting adapted by the writer.
►Watch on Prime Video
'The O.C.'
When it comes to "fish out of water" teen shows, “The O.C.” takes the cake. Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie) leads the series as the tough-on-his-luck kid from Chino who gets pseudo-adopted by the wealthy Orange County Cohens. Not only is it difficult for Ryan to acclimate to the lifestyles of the rich (and mildly famous), but entering the ritzy private school Harbor High is more than the fistfighting teen bargained for.
Ryan may not have lost either of his parents in a physical sense, but the Cohens took him out of an abusive house where he was essentially the caretaker for his alcoholic mother. Years before the start of the show, his father abandoned him. Sufficed to say, Ryan seeks family connection in the Cohens just as much as Kitty does trying to connect with her mother’s past.
It wouldn’t be a teen drama without some, well, teen drama. The characters switch partners multiple times a season as they fight, break up, and make up on what seems like a weekly basis. Ryan also gets to learn about his new family’s Jewish faith, which is topped off with Seth’s invented holiday Chrismukkah — a creation that quickly became a pop culture-inspired phenomenon embraced by many fans who celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah in real life.
►Watch on Hulu
More from Tom's Guide
