12 Best Shows Like We Were Liars

More and more, TV is becoming the medium of choice for adapting young adult novels as networks and streamers discover how perfect the stories are for the small screen. They’re full of drama, angst, romance, and mystery, and in 2024, Amazon Prime found its latest smash hit in a series that boasts all of these qualities: “We Were Liars,” starring Emily Alyn Lind as Cadence Eastman, the daughter of a wealthy, highly respected family.

The Eastmans spend their summers on picturesque Beechwood Island, the most recent getaway celebrating Cady’s 16th birthday. But as the summer winds down, Cady is found washed up on the shore suffering from a form of amnesia that leaves her with no recollection of what happened to her. A year later, back on Beechwood Island, Cady sets out to discover just what happened to her and quickly realizes that those closest to her may be hiding secrets from her lost summer.

A twisted tale with plenty of surprises, “We Were Liars” is the latest in a long line of similar, intriguing mysteries. If you’ve just gotten to the end of the show’s first phenomenal season, fret not, because we’re ready with a list of the 12 best shows like “We Were Liars” for you to queue up next.

Mixing crime drama with family drama is a big reason why fans love “We Were Liars,” and if you’re looking for more, another recent Netflix series should scratch the itch. 2025’s “The Waterfront” comes from the mind of Kevin Williamson, the writer behind ’90s horror thriller classics like “Scream,” “The Faculty,” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” This time, he’s exploring a more serious saga with fewer scares, the story of a once powerful family whose business empire is crumbling around them.

That family is the Buckleys, and their North Carolina fishing business is in trouble. After taking an extended absence to take care of his health, family patriarch Harlan Buckley (Holt McCallany) returns home to find an even bigger problem than falling profits; it seems the family has resorted to drug smuggling and other illegal activities to keep the business from going completely underwater. But while venturing into extra-legal activities may have helped stem the losses, it also risks all of their lives, and we soon learn that daughter Bree (Melissa Benoist) is not only dating a DEA agent but is also feeding him information on her family’s dirty deeds.

Often likened to “Breaking Bad” for its story of a desperate family resorting to crime to stay afloat, “The Waterfront” puts the Buckleys at odds with each other in ways that will keep fans of “We Were Liars” entertained as the betrayals and secrets begin to pile up.

Those enjoying “We Were Liars” can probably empathize with the show’s exploration of friends-turned-enemies. A similar story plays out on “Sirens,” which revolves around a pair of sisters who grew up in an abusive home, only to drift apart as they got older. Another Netflix original, “Sirens” stars the latest live-action Supergirl, Milly Alcock, as Simone DeWitt, a young woman who left home to escape her alcoholic father only to become the protégée of wealthy socialite Kiki Kell (Julianne Moore).

When “Sirens” begins, Simone’s older sister, Devon (Meghann Fahy), has been struggling to care for their aging father. She seeks her sister out for help, only to find Devon living a life of leisure and luxury with the enigmatic Kell, whose motives seem questionable at best. Desperate to reunite her family, Devon becomes obsessed with exposing Kell’s cult-like high society circle — and Kell, specifically, who she believes has insidious plans for her sister.

Fighting against the wealthy elite and the corruption they bring, Devon seems unable to break Simone of Kiki’s spell. At the same time, she’s reckoning with her own past and the part she played in pushing Devon away and into the waiting arms of Kell, whose husband, Peter (Kevin Bacon), seems to have his own agenda. An easily bingeable five-episode miniseries, “Sirens” is a sensational mix of young adult angst, family drama, and wild conspiracy thriller with the perfect touch of dark humor.

Heading out of the United States to the land down under, “The Survivors” is an Australian Netflix drama that premiered in 2025. The series stars Charlie Vickers and Yerin Ha as Kieran and Mia, a young couple who return to Kieran’s home in the picturesque little coastal town of Evelyn Bay. He’d left years ago following a devastating hurricane that brought ruin to the region, killing several of his friends and his brother when their boat got caught in the storm.

The couple arrives on the eve of a memorial to the victims of the storm, but not everyone is happy to see them. The townspeople, especially the loved ones of those lost, feel betrayed by Kieran, not just because he’d left, but because some blame him for the deaths of his friends, as he was the accident’s sole survivor. Upon his return, of course, the past comes back to haunt them all, threatening to unravel Evelyn Bay’s peace while exposing the dark secrets hidden within the idyllic village.

A series with themes of love and loss, “The Survivors” is ultimately the story of one man’s bitter struggle to accept his own past and an entire community’s fight to overcome their resentment and grief. Critically acclaimed, the show has been likened to the BBC crime drama “Broadchurch,” which is recognized as one of the best British crime dramas of all time.

If “We Were Liars” took place when its cast were a bit older and centered on the liars themselves, it might look a lot like “Grosse Pointe Garden Society.” The series doesn’t take place at a picturesque vacation spot but is instead based in the dreary drudgery of a suburban hellscape with a cast of those sorry, sad, lonely losers who dot such neighborhoods. But instead of complaining to the local HOA about the neighbor’s grass being too long or calling the police because you let your dog pee on your own lawn, these troublemaking suburbanites take out their frustration with their boring lives by committing a murder.

Set in the titular Grosse Pointe, Michigan, “Grosse Pointe Garden Society” casts “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star Melissa Fumero in the role of Birdie, the newest member of the gardening club. Like many suburbanites, the club’s members are deeply unsatisfied with their lives, whether because of an unsatisfying job, a loveless marriage, or a bad relationship with their kids. They all cope in different ways but ultimately wind up with a dead body and blood on their hands — and a desperation to cover up their crime.

A wickedly dark comedy that embraces the absurdity of American life and the lengths many will go to just to keep up with the proverbial Joneses, “Grosse Pointe Garden Society” will remind ’80s brats of cult classics like “Heathers” and “The Burbs.”

If it’s the teen drama and the suspense of deeply held secrets coming to light that keeps you invested in “We Were Liars,” you’ll probably enjoy “13 Reasons Why.” Like “We Were Liars,” it’s based on a young adult novel, but one with a pretty heavy subject matter at its core: the suicide of a high school student named Hannah Baker, played by Katherine Langford (whose cameo was cut from “Avengers: Endgame”).

The series begins two weeks after Hannah ended her life, when fellow student Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) receives a mysterious package on his doorstep. It seems to be from Hannah, and it contains a series of cassette tapes she recorded before her death, detailing 13 reasons why she did it. In addition to unearthing private details of her troubled life, the tapes reveal that each reason she gives corresponds to different people in her life, including friends, loved ones, and even Clay himself. To make things even more mysterious, the tapes were sent to each person on the list, exposing the dark truths about their lives.

Praised for its frank discussion of taboo subjects like bullying, sexual assault, and suicide, “13 Reasons Why” isn’t afraid to go to dark places. Perhaps surprisingly, the show got four seasons out of the story, with subsequent seasons exploring the broader aftermath of Hannah’s suicide while introducing new characters struggling with similar problems.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Part “Beverly Hills 90210,” part “O.C.,” and part “Lost,” Netflix’s “Outer Banks” is the quintessential teen drama for today’s teen audience and a must-watch for “We Were Liars” fans. With a little more action, “Outer Banks” might be an adventure series, but it’s more of a mystery-cum-thriller set at the titular barrier islands just off the coast of North Carolina.

The Outer Banks is a popular vacation destination, and in the series we meet two rival groups of teens who live in the seaside community: the Kooks — the wealthy, upper-class, and typically stuck-up members of high society — and the Pogues, the blue-collar residents who live among them. When the series begins, the Pogues discover a mysterious key aboard a ship found adrift in the water after a storm, as well as a bag that once belonged to one of the Pogues’ fathers. After the Kooks learn that the wreck is the beginning of a search for a long-lost treasure, it sets off a dangerous race between the two rival groups.

“Outer Banks” is wildly popular thanks to its ongoing story full of action, romance, and plenty of surprise deaths. In fact, it’s such a fan favorite that you might have even seen it already, and if you have, there’s good news: a fifth (and final) season is on its way in late 2025.

If you’re looking for dark secrets and a cast of characters who will do anything to prevent anyone from discovering the truth, “The Secret She Keeps” is what you’ll want to watch after “We Were Liars.” Not to be confused with the similarly titled “The Secrets We Keep,” the series is set in Sydney, Australia, and follows the lives of two pregnant women who come from very different worlds. Meghan (Jessica de Gouw) is an expectant mother and online influencer who is married to a local TV host and is eager to show off her grandiose lifestyle and idyllic home life. Agatha (Laura Carmichael), by contrast, is a poor, struggling young woman who is also pregnant and feels increasingly isolated as she follows Meghan’s online stories.

They have more in common than just being pregnant, however. They’re both hiding something about their lives and will go to great lengths to ensure their secrets remain in the proverbial closet. Meghan’s life isn’t nearly as perfect as she’d like others to believe, with money troubles quickly surfacing and the revelation that her husband isn’t happy about having another child. Meanwhile, Agatha is quickly revealed to be a liar, telling wildly varying stories about her pregnancy and the identity of the father.

It’s not quite as riveting as “We Were Liars,” but the central story in “The Secrets She Keeps” explores similar themes of trust and betrayal.

“We Were Liars” is often mistaken for being a mere teen drama simply because it focuses on a group of high school students. But at its heart, the series is a mystery, and “Shelter” captures the same spirit. With a youthful cast looking to uncover dark secrets, the series is based on a novel by Harlan Coben, who has had nearly a dozen stories adapted into Netflix originals, with his Myron Bolitar series next on the list. “Shelter” is an Amazon series, though, and its central character is Myron’s nephew, Mickey.

It all starts with the young Bolitar (Jaden Michael) moving to a suburban New Jersey town in the wake of his father’s death in a car crash that seriously injured his mother. At his new school, and with his mom in rehab, Mickey finds himself on his own and befriends Ashley (Samantha Bugliaro), who mysteriously goes missing in short order. 

With the help of some new friends, Mickey sets out to discover what happened to Ashley, and the gang of teen investigators soon finds themselves in over their heads as they’re confronted with an ever-widening conspiracy that may include a decades-old missing persons case, a corrupt police force, and a community eager to keep the town’s dark past from bubbling up to the surface. At the same time, Mickey realizes that his own family’s past may have something to do with what’s going on.

“We Were Liars” sees Cadence Eastman struggling to figure out why she has no memory of a summer she spent on Martha’s Vineyard. Something similar plays out in “Cruel Summer,” a two-season Freeform series starring Olivia Holt, Chiara Aurelia, and Harley Quinn Smith. Taking place in the 1990s, the story of “Cruel Summer” revolves around Kate Wallis (Holt), a popular teenage girl who goes missing.

In the wake of Wallis’ disappearance, misfit and outcast Jeanette Turner (Aurelia) suddenly undergoes a stark change, becoming the same type of social butterfly as Kate. In fact, it seems as if she’s taken over Kate’s entire life, even inheriting her boyfriend, Jamie (Froy Gutierrez). While some locals may have found the situation a bit bizarre, it becomes national news when Kate returns two years later and hurls accusations at Jeanette, telling the world that the former wallflower was there when she was abducted and did nothing to stop it. But the questions that arise are about much more than whether Jeanette could have played a part in Kate’s abduction, as the two may both be hiding the truth of what happened.

When it comes to stories about a conspiracy of lies, you won’t get much better than “One of Us is Lying,” a mystery thriller that aired on Peacock. The series, which ran for two seasons, begins with a group of teens sentenced to detention at Bayview High School. It’s there that we meet cheerleader Addy Prentiss (Annalisa Cochrane), star athlete Cooper Clay (Chibuikem Uche), the ambitious and snooty Bronwyn Rojas (Marianly Tejada), delinquent Nate Macauley (Cooper van Grootel), and social media obsessed Simon Kelleher (Mark McKenna).

During this fateful stint in detention, the gossipy Simon drops dead, the result of an apparent allergic reaction. But when it’s discovered that the death may have been a targeted killing disguised as an accident, the four remaining students all become suspects — a suspicion that’s reinforced when we learn that all of them had a good reason to want Simon dead. When their secrets become public, the foursome decide to work together to find the person who did it and clear their names, even though they know that one among them could be the killer.

Take a fairly ordinary teen drama, a story about romance and scandal, move it a few hundred years into the past, and you’ll wind up with “The Buccaneers,” an Apple TV+ series based on an unpublished novel from author Edith Wharton, best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “The Age of Innocence.” In “Buccaneers,” it’s the Gilded Age, a period remembered for material excess and the overindulgent decadence displayed by its ruling upper class. In the 1870s, a group of newly wealthy aristocrats suddenly find themselves hobnobbing with the generationally wealthy social elite, who look down on them for their more boorish behaviors. It’s here, in London, where the wedding of Lord Richard Marable brings a group of young women to the fore as they prepare for the busy debutante season. During this time, the women arrive at social gatherings alongside wealthy single men with one goal in mind: find a husband. 

A story about love and lust set against the backdrop of a bitter culture clash, “The Buccaneers” is neither a mystery nor a thriller, leaning instead into the troubled lives of its young women. Though the series’ biggest appeal might be its lavish period setting, it’s the personal drama that will keep viewers coming back for more.

The closest you might come to finding a “sister series” for “We Were Liars,” right down to the similar title, is the Freeform favorite, “Pretty Little Liars.” A teen drama and mystery series, this show doesn’t involve a case of amnesia, but it does feature a group of teens whose dark secrets are threatened to be exposed. A tight clique in a small Pennsylvania town called Rosewood, when the leader of the group disappears, it brings up uncomfortable questions.

Thick as thieves, Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale), Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell), Hanna Marin (Ashley Benson), and Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario) all go their separate ways after best friend and diva Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse) goes missing. When Alison’s body turns up a year later, they come back together after they all begin to receive a series of anonymous messages from an unknown party who seems to know every secret about their sordid little lives. The messages threaten to expose every last dirty detail, sending the friends on a frantic race to discover who is behind them and why they’re being tormented.

A tense and suspenseful teen drama, “Pretty Little Liars” found a way to continue past its initial mystery. With seven strong seasons, the series is the longest running on this list, so don’t queue it up unless you’ve got some time on your hands — though be warned, its ending proved divisive among fans.