Best tv shows like How to Buy a Friend
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Park Chan-Hong is an ordinary high school student. He has talent for writing and he gets pressured by his parents about his studies. Park Chan-Hong doesn't have any specific dreams. He is friends with Eom Se-Yoon, who attends the same high school. She is popular at school. Meanwhile, Heo Don-Hyeok is classmates with Park Chan-Hong. Heo Don-Hyeok is not interested in studying and he works to pay for his living expenses. One day, Heo Don-Hyeok saves Park Chan-Hong from a school bully. To pay for his rent, Heo Don-Hyeok asks to borrow 300,000 won ($270 USD) from Park Chan-Hong. Park Chan-Hong lends him the money, but that money was supposed to pay for his private institute tuition fee. After school, Park Chan-Hong now doesn't have a place to go. He begins to spend time with Heo Don-Hyeok.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 73
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing, romantic
Best tv shows and movies like How to Buy a Friend (2020):
Similar in 76%
A Sort of Homecoming (2015)
Plot Summary:
A Sort of Homecoming tells the story of Amy, a New York news producer who thought she left her high school experiences long in the past. She unexpectedly returns to Louisiana at the request of her high school debate coach. Their strained reunion brings back memories of her tumultuous senior year of high school.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 289
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 75%
Age of Rebellion (2018)
Plot Summary:
Campus bullying is a serious issue that every school try to root out. When the bullying manifests to outside of the school, who is responsible to stop it?.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 62
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: Taiwan
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: captivating, thrilling
Similar in 88%
Live On (2020)
Plot Summary:
Baek Ho-rang is a high school student. Due to her pretty appearance, she is popular on social media and at her school. Yet, Baek Ho-rang only has one friend, due to her condescending personality. Baek Ho-rang encounters a problem. She learns that someone is trying to unveil her secret. To find that anonymous person, Baek Ho-rang joins her high school's broadcasting club. Go Eun-taek is the chief of the broadcasting club. He is a perfectionist and respected by the club members.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 477
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: South Korea
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: captivating
Similar in 79%
Girls' Generation 1979 (2017)
Plot Summary:
Story is set in Daegu, South Korea during the 1970's. Lee Jung-Hee is in the 2nd grade of high school. She has a bright personality and is the second daughter of a family who runs a toy factory. She and her friends go through adolescence.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 103
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: South Korea
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 80%
Nudes (2019)
Plot Summary:
Three teenagers are plunged into a nightmare when their sex lives are shared online. What do you do when private content goes public?.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 187
Genere: Drama
Country: Norway
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 83%
Naked Fireman (2017)
Plot Summary:
Kang Chul Soo (Lee Joon Hyuk) is an enthusiastic fireman. He poses as a nude model to make money for his sick friend. He is then targeted as the criminal of an arson-murder case that took place 10 years. Kang Chul Soo and mysterious heiress Han Jin Ah (Jung In Sun) try to find the real culprit.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 106
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 89%
The Greenhouse (2012)
Plot Summary:
Almost a year after the tragic death of their genius mother, Ela-Lee and Alfie are given the opportunity to join the prestigious school their mother had attended. "The Greenhouse", as it is called, is a school for the young and exeptionally talented: a school of leaders. Once they join the school, it appears there is much more to their mother's death than anyone could have expected.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 133
Genere: Drama
Country: Israel
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 77%
Detectives of Seonam Girls' High School (2014)
Plot Summary:
There are a lot of dark secrets at Seonam Girls High School, but nothing is too difficult to solve for the school's Sherlockian group of private investigators. Mentored by their teacher Ha Yeon Joon, these beautiful and intelligent sleuths use investigatory finesse to solve hot-button cases, including abortion, bullying and suicide.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 93
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration:
Plot tags: detective, dorama, psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 90%
14-year-old Mother (2006)
Plot Summary:
Miki Ichinose is a 14-year-old schoolgirl who is very outgoing and cheerful. She lives with her parents and younger brother. She is in a romantic relationship with Satoshi Kirino who is 15-years-old. They keep their relationship a secret from their parents because Miki is young and Satoshi is expected to excel in school and get into a university so he can take over the family business by his overbearing mother. One night, after a date, they sneak into a treehouse and consummate their relationship. Soon after, Miki suspects that she is pregnant and steals a pregnancy test, which her mother later finds. She is taken to a doctor who confirms her pregnancy. Initially upset, Miki's parents promise they will support her. Miki tells Satoshi of the pregnancy and he takes the news well. However, his mother is furious when she learns of it and forbids the two from seeing each other.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 189
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing, dorama
Similar in 90%
Girl's Revenge (2020)
Plot Summary:
At a birthday party, a sex video is filmed without consent and Ren Li-cha is the girl in the video. The clip circulates among the students and Li-cha is mocked and bullied as a result. Wu Yun-heng, a transfer student, went to the party with Li-cha. As she cannot stand how much Li-cha is suffering' she is determined to find out about the truth behind the incident, fighting for her best friend. However, as she gets closer to the truth, she is about to shatter the peace in school.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 284
Genere: Drama
Country: Taiwan
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 83%
The Principal (2015)
Plot Summary:
When history teacher Matt Bashir is promoted to Principal of a notoriously violent Boys' school in Sydney's south-west, his radical approach brings him into conflict and leaves his personal life dangerously exposed. But just when he seems to be making progress, a 17-year-old student is found dead on school grounds.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, queer cinema
Similar in 82%
Asuka High School March! (2011)
Plot Summary:
Nao Yoshino is a girl who fails the entrance exams of her target high school. She winds up enrolling in a technical high school called Kenritsu Asuka Kōgyō Kōkō, also known by the nickname "Asukō". Out of the 148 entering freshmen, only three are girls, and Nao is the only one in her class.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 120
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: captivating
Similar in 88%
Seto and Utsumi (2016)
Plot Summary:
Utsumi and Seto's daily routine is to spend their afterschool hours just jabbering with one another along a riverbed. Getting excited over trivial word play, agonizing over the content of an email to be sent to a girl, and, at times, talking about a serious problem, the two endlessly engage in meaningless idle talk as if it were meaningful.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 809
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 88%
AlRawabi School for Girls (2021)
Plot Summary:
The bullied outcasts at prestigious Al Rawabi School for Girls plot a series of risky takedowns to get back at their tormentors.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama
Country: Jordan
Duration: 291 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 78%
Rebel Cheer Squad: A Get Even Series (2022)
Plot Summary:
The old DGM might have left Bannerman School, but their spirit remains, and there is still a need to get even, wrongs must be righted and injustice has to be fought.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 276
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: psychological, thought provoking, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 86%
Guilty Party (2017)
Plot Summary:
When someone steals Emma's diary and reveals her secrets to the whole school, she'll stop at nothing to get her revenge.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 88
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 5 min
Plot tags: captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 80%
Backstage (2016)
Plot Summary:
A group of “very talented” teenagers sing, dance, and perform their way to the top at the famous Keaton School of the Arts! From the disappointments of failure, to the new friendships and crowning achievements, being a student at Keaton means you're on the path to becoming a star!.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, entertaining, disturbing
Similar in 80%
100% Coco (2017)
Plot Summary:
13 year old Coco loves fashion and has her own unique style. She dreams of becoming a famous fashion icon. But on her first day of school she is made fun of and everyone calls her 'Coco the Clown'. Devastated, she decides to leave her vintage dresses, panther boots and striped socks at home and to dress herself more unnoticeable. Her anonymously kept fashion vlog as Style Tiger is a huge hit however. Is there still a chance that she will become a style icon? And does Bruno, that quirky boy she knows from school and secretly likes, finally notice her? Slowly Coco learns that she just has to be 100% herself!.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Netherlands
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 83%
Guidance (2015)
Plot Summary:
The truth behind a series of scandalous photos of Miriam, the most popular girl in school, unfolds through weekly sessions with the school’s guidance counselor, Anna.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 318
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 6 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 87%
Mackerel Run (2007)
Plot Summary:
Cha Gong-chan was able to enter the top private high school in the affluent Gangnam District, Myoung-mun High, because of his soccer skills. But when he quits the sport, he finds himself an outcast and starts cutting class. One day, a beautiful new girl transfers to the school, and when she walks into his class, Gong-chan falls for her instantly. He is finally enthusiastic about going to school, but the school administrator informs him that he will be expelled if he misses one more day. Gong-chan vows that he won't give up on either his school life or his love.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 112
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, romantic, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 84%
Five Points (2018)
Plot Summary:
Five high school students from Chicago experience a life-changing event, told from different points of view. Each perspective is crucial to unveiling the truth.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 158
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 77%
The Girl's Speech (2015)
Plot Summary:
Haruna Tsubame, an inconspicuous high school girl, is always sensitive to people’s moods and keeps the peace in school. One day, she gets pushed to become the president of the student council by the people around her. Tsubame's encounter with a man who is a genius speechwriter, leads to a revolution in school. She struggles to change a school full of irrationality and dissatisfaction with the power of words.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 57
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 54 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, entertaining, disturbing
Similar in 80%
Early Swallows (2019)
Plot Summary:
The series revolves around the lives of Ukrainian teenagers in a secondary school class. The teenagers struggle with bullying, including the Blue Whale Challenge, lack of parental support, suicidal behavior, LGBT identity crises-a subject that is rarely portrayed on Ukrainian television-alcoholic parents, and speech disabilities. In one of the show's main plot lines, the main characters are stalked on the Internet by an anonymous person who pretends to be their friend.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 487
Genere: Drama
Country: Ukraine
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, tense, captivating, suspense, psychological
Similar in 86%
The Class (2016)
Plot Summary:
What is happening in the class? Who are friends, who are enemies - and who has had a mishap? The pupils have yet another day ahead of them.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 128
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Denmark
Duration: 10 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, entertaining, disturbing
Similar in 78%
Moment at Eighteen (2019)
Plot Summary:
Coming-of-age drama about 18-year-olds, taking a realistic look into the moments of their lives, moments that all of us might have experienced at one time or another. Ong Seong Woo plays Choi Jun Woo, for whom loneliness has become a habit. Though Choi Jun Woo appears to lack empathy at first glance, it’s just that he has always been alone and isn’t practiced in expressing his emotions. Underneath his withdrawn exterior is a goofy and cute young man. “At Eigteen” is about the events that unfold when Jun Woo transfers schools and is thrown into a new environment.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 709
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: South Korea
Duration: 65 min
Plot tags: dorama, psychological, captivating, disturbing, romantic, romantic drama, heartfelt
Similar in 79%
Out of the Blue (2008)
Plot Summary:
Out of the Blue is an Australian serial drama commissioned by the BBC, produced by Australia's Southern Star Entertainment. It began screening on BBC One on weekday afternoons on 28 April 2008. The programme attracted lower than desired ratings figures, prompting the broadcaster to shift it to its second channel BBC Two from 19 May 2008. The BBC eventually decided not to commission a second series, and the final episode aired on 29 January 2009. The rights to show the first series in Australia were purchased by Network Ten, while in the UK, Channel 5 has picked up the repeat rights to Out of the Blue, and began airing all 130 episodes on digital sister channel Fiver in February 2009.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 170
Genere: Drama
Country: Australia, UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 88%
CSI: Crime Scene Talks (2011)
Plot Summary:
Satoshi Itomura is an assistant police investigator who belongs to the Metropolitan Police Department’s Scientific Investigation Team. Reenactments, fingerprint and voice data collections, profiling... His team collects scientific evidence and pieces together fragments of information in order to help build evidences. However, Itomura often does not care about the scientific approach and instead pays a great deal of attention to the things that the victims always carried with them or treasured. And he focuses on these things because they usually carry the victim’s dying wishes, understanding that last message not only helps solve the cases but also brings closure to the depressed family of victims.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 29
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 85%
Untouchable (2017)
Plot Summary:
The city of Bukcheon has been dominated by the Jang family for 3 generations. Jang Joon-Seo is the second son of family leader Jang Beom-Ho. A woman who Jang Joon-Seo loves dies. After that, he tries to reveal the truth about her death and a secret from his family.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 83
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration:
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 84%
The Noble Detective (2017)
Plot Summary:
A man identifies himself as “Kizoku” ("Aristocrat") and works as a private detective for a hobby. Nobody knows his age, address or anything about his family. The actual deductions and investigations are carried out by his employees including his butler, maid and chauffeur. He only has a good time talking to the women involved in the cases. Meanwhile, Aika Takatoku works as a private detective. She competes with the Aristocrat Detective to solve cases.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 62
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 54 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 82%
Confession (2019)
Plot Summary:
A sickly man with a strong mind has spent most of his childhood in a hospital. He is involved in a case of "double jeopardy," the principle that one cannot be tried for the same crime twice following either a conviction or an acquittal.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 286
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing