On The Road To Recovery
We Children From Bahnhof Zoo is a serialized remake of the book, Zoo Station. It’s a stylish, hip and questionably glamorized dive into the world of drug taking and prostitution. If you’ve finished watching this one and are looking for alternatives – fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top 10 picks for alternate viewing. To keep things simple for skim-readers we’ve added what similarities these have. Of course for all the shows we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that series and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with. So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming We Children From Bahnhof Zoo.
Euphoria
Similarities – Style & Depiction of Drugs/Sex
HBO’s stylish teen-drama Euphoria is a visually striking and boundary-pushing show. It accurately depicts how destructive drugs can be and spins that into a gorgeously shot series about a group of teens dealing with teenage issues. Zendaya ignites the show with her accurate portrayal of drug-addict Rue but each of the different teens bring something new to the show. There’s some very important topics discussed here too and against the backdrop of drug taking, nudity and rape, this teen drama is easily one of the best dramas of its kind and a must-watch, even for those who don’t usually watch these sort of shows. You can read our thoughts on Euphoria in our full season review here!
Dare Me
Similarities – Teen Issues
Dare Me is an interesting cheerleading drama that takes elements of Gossip Girl and other melodramas of its kind and blends them up into a 10 episode series driven by dark, central themes around murder, rape and jealousy. Based on the best-selling 2004 novel of the same name, Dare Me is a tale that predominantly revolves around three females. Addy and Beth are best friends; inseparable teenage girls reveling in the heady world of alcohol, drugs and parties. When new cheerleading coach Colette arrives to shake things up, what follows is a story that starts to drive a wedge in Beth and Addy’s friendship, while dark secrets blanket the trio. The “whodunit” mystery is pretty strong and it’s backed up by some good character development too. You can read our thoughts on Dare Me in our full season review here!
We Are The Wave
Similarities – Rebelling & Characters
We Are The Wave is a surprisingly thought provoking show, one that offers a voice to those misfits unable to slot into the usual high-school cliques. The story itself revolves around Lea, a popular girl at school who finds herself disinterested in her current humdrum of social media perfection and tennis, desperately craving freedom and creative expression. When new boy Tristan shows up at school, she finds what she’s looking for through his ideology and forms a rebel group called the “Wave”. While this show doesn’t have a lot of sci-fi elements, it does fit into the rebellious streak of rising up against the system and fighting back. You can read our thoughts on We Are The Wave in our full season review here!
Extracurricular
Similarities – Teen Issues
With lots of flawed characters throughout, Extracurricular offers a slightly different flavour of spice to this teen drama genre, one that increases in pacing and tension across the episodes. The story itself revolves around Ji-Soo, a model student in the eyes of teachers and other students. He keeps his head down, has no friends and spends most of his days acing exams and staying invisible. Under this façade however is a darker side to Ji-Soo’s persona which is revealed in the first episode and continues to snowball as his tight-knit operation goes horribly wrong. Well written and engrossing, this one’s definitely worth watching – and also on Netflix too. You can read our thoughts on Extracurricular in our full season review here!
Grand Army
Similarities – Dealing With Trauma
Grand Army begins with a bang – quite literally. Grand Army High School and its various colourful characters therein are thrown into lockdown thanks to a bomb blast several blocks over. Heralded as the worst terrorist attack since 9/11, the teens caught up in this deal with the aftermath of the attack while grappling with the gravitas of their own problems. Much like Euphoria and other teen dramas of its kind, Grand Army does not shy away from big issues. Some of these problems do feel a little on-the-nose but for the most part are actually handled quite well. The diverse cast at the center of all this drama have their own subplots and the story develops nicely across the space of its 9 episode season. You can read our thoughts on Grand Army in our full season review here!
Shameless
Similarities – Dysfunctional Group & Substance Abuse
Much like The Office, the America version of Shameless just about nudges out the British version in terms of quality. For those unaware, the series centers on an Irish American family called the Gallaghers, fronted by their alcoholic father Frank. Unfortunately his antics cause eldest daughter Fiona to take on the role as parent. That’s certainly no easy feat when she has her five brothers and sisters to look after; Lip, Ian, Debbie, Carl and Liam. Living in the South Side of Chicago, the family find themselves navigating a myriad of different situations, as this family stumble and climb their way through 11 seasons of drama. While the later seasons are poor by comparison to the early work done here, there’s certainly enough here to recommend.
Mom
Similarities – Recovering Addicts
If you’re looking for something a little more lighthearted, you should definitely check out Mom. This comedic drama certainly packs a punch though, doing an excellent job showing the healing process on the road through sobriety. The series itself centers on single mom Christy, who has her hands full with her two children, Violet and Roscoe. As she raises her daughters, she struggles to stay sober while dealing with her passive-aggressive recovering-alcoholic Mother Bonnie. As this Mother/daughter duo try to remain on the same page, the show blends this in with a healthy dose of drama, romance and heartwarming segments across its 8 seasons.
Skins
Similarities – Teen Issues
Skins is an intriguing and well written British series, centering on a group of teenagers navigating the highs and lows of life. As one may expect, all the usual drug taking and love making arrive, along with a host of eclectic characters too. With little parental supervision, Sid, Tony and Michelle are our main characters, although they’re joined by gay and popular friend Maxxie. Joining them are anorexic Cassie and virgin Anwar, along with a host of other supporting teens too. Along the way, these characters become entangled in a web of messy emotion, romance and substance abuse. The show has an interesting dynamic shift midway through its run, with the third and fourth season switching viewpoints up slightly.
Recovery Road
Similarities – Rehab & Trying To Get Clean
Recovery Road is a well written series that was cancelled before its time. Despite there only being a single season, this teen drama shines a light on rehab in a really compelling way. The story centers on party girl Maddie, who finds herself faced with expulsion from school after being caught with alcohol. The only way out comes from frequenting a rehab facility during the evening, where other recovering addicts happen to be. Fleshing out the series are a few other subplots too, which help to give this drama some depth as Maddie attempts to go 30 days sober and change her life for the better.
It’s A Sin
Similarities – Tone
It’s a sin that this Channel 4 show hasn’t released earlier than 2021. Mixing the crackling dialogue of Russell T. Davies with a harrowing, poignant and incredibly well written story, It’s A Sin shines a grim spotlight on the epidemic that plagued the 80’s. At the center of all this lies a solitary apartment in London that’s shared by five eclectic characters. Together, these characters are forced to navigate the murky world of the AIDs epidemic, along with all the heartbreak, loss and pain that comes with it. This 5 episode series should have been longer but it certainly packs quite the emotional punch across its run-time. You can read our thoughts on It’s A Sin in our full season review here! What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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