Best tv shows like Waterloo Road
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Waterloo Road is a UK television drama series the first broadcast was in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 9 March 2006. Originally set in a troubled comprehensive school in Rochdale, England, the location of the show was moved to the former Greenock Academy in Greenock, Scotland in 2012. The series focuses on the lives of the school's teachers and students, and confronts social issues such as extramarital affairs, abortion, divorce, child abuse, and suicide. Waterloo Road is produced by Shed Productions, the company responsible for Bad Girls and Footballers' Wives.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 53 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Best tv shows and movies like Waterloo Road (2006):
Similar in 89%
Ackley Bridge (2017)
Plot Summary:
A new academy school in a Yorkshire mill town merges the lives and cultures of the largely divided white and Asian community.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: emotional, psychological, talky, multicultural, comedy drama
Similar in 75%
Fanny Hill (2007)
Plot Summary:
Orphaned by smallpox, young Lancashire country lady Fanny Hill cheerfully accepts her friend Esther Davies's offer to join the London 'working girls' with Mrs. Brown, a madam who recruits her as charmingly fresh enough to wait, in-living, on gentlemen.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: costume drama, touching, serious, sincere, romantic, erotic, realistic, biting, suspense, period drama
Similar in 82%
The Tide of Life (1996)
Plot Summary:
Tide of Life follows the fortunes of young housekeeper, Emily Kennedy, as she learns about relationships with three very different men. Forced from home of her first employer, Sep McGilby after his plans to marry her come to tragic end, Emily finds work as housekeeper for farmer, Larry Birch. Another tragedy occurs, and when Nick Stuart inherits the farm owned by Birch's wife, Nick gives Emily a new future.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 440
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: costume drama, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, period drama
Similar in 90%
Heartbreak High (1994)
Plot Summary:
Heartbreak High is a popular Australian television series that ran for five years from 1994 to 1999. The series dealt with the students of Hartley High, a tough high school in a multi-racial area of Sydney, and proved to be a more gritty and fast-paced show than many of its contemporaries. It was a spin-off of the 1993 Australian feature film The Heartbreak Kid which had featured Alex Dimitriades and Claudia Karvan. However, in later seasons the show shifted emphasis away from the school setting and the Poulos Family to the students' homes and hangout - the Shark Pool.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic, soap opera
Similar in 80%
Britannia High (2008)
Plot Summary:
Britannia High is a British musical drama television series co-produced by Granada Television and Globe Productions for the ITV network. The series focused on the lives of a group of teenagers and their mentors at a fictional London theatre school. It aired on ITV and TV3 Ireland, premiering on 26 October 2008. The show starred Sapphire Elia, Georgina Hagen, Mitch Hewer, Rana Roy, Matthew James Thomas and Marcquelle Ward, as well as Adam Garcia as the dance mentor, Lorraine Pilkington as the music mentor and Mark Benton as the school principal and acting mentor. In addition to the main cast, the series featured cameo performances from Girls Aloud, Boyzone, Matt Willis and Gemma Bissix. Also, Aston Merrygold, lead singer of hit boyband JLS, auditioned for the role before his success in the boyband - but only made it to the final 16. George Ure who attended Mountview Academy also auditioned before his success in the Musical Wicked where he played Boq. Pixie Lott also auditioned as did Ed Sheeran and Danielle Peazer. The show featured an original soundtrack which was created by a team of pop producers and writers in the UK, led by Take That member Gary Barlow.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 535
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 630 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, captivating, semi serious, realistic
Similar in 90%
Skam Spain (2018)
Plot Summary:
The series accompanies a group of 16-year-olds on the journey of their life following their day to day in real time. Dependence on social media, how they face sex, love and ruptures, religion, the search of their identity and the need to fit in.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Spain
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: realistic, psychological, sincere, captivating, disturbing, queer cinema
Similar in 84%
East Los High (2013)
Plot Summary:
East Los High is not your typical high school. Dance, sex, romance, and mystery are at the heart of this inner city school in East LA where two teenage cousins—Jessie, a 16-year-old virgin and Maya, a troubled runaway with a violent past —fall in love with Jacob, a popular football player. From this forbidden love triangle, Maya, Jessie and Jacob, along with their close friends must face true-to-life decisions during a single dramatic and breath-taking year that will mark their lives forever.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 855
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 26 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, exciting, melancholic, suspense, suspenseful
Similar in 89%
Casualty (1986)
Plot Summary:
Casualty, stylised as CASUAL+Y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The original producer was Geraint Morris. The programme is based around the fictional Holby City Hospital and focuses on the staff and patients of the hospital's Accident and Emergency Department. The show has very few ties to its sister programme Holby City which began as a spin off from Casualty in 1999 and is set in the same hospital, but upstairs. The show's plots and characters occasionally crossover between the two programmes, but this is rare, and each show can easily be followed without having to watch the other. Casualty is shown weekly on a Saturday evening, which has been its time slot since the early 1990s.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: captivating, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, medical drama, soap opera, emotional, gloomy
Similar in 90%
Holby City (1999)
Plot Summary:
Drama series about life on the wards of Holby City Hospital, following the highs and lows of the staff and patients.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, captivating, realistic, serious, medical drama, emotional, gloomy
Similar in 86%
Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990)
Plot Summary:
Beverly Hills, 90210 followed the lives of a group of teenagers living in the upscale, star-studded community of Beverly Hills, California and attending the fictitious West Beverly Hills High School and, subsequently, the fictitious California University after graduation.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: romantic, sentimental, soap opera, realistic, teen, exciting, romantic drama, serious, uplifting, vintage
Similar in 79%
Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001)
Plot Summary:
The life of a group of adolescents going through the trials and tribulations of teendom at Degrassi Community School.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: teen, sentimental, realistic, touching, serious, tense, suspenseful, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 75%
The Knife That Killed Me (2014)
Plot Summary:
A journey through the memories of teenager Paul Varderman as he reflects on the events leading to the fatal moment his life is cut short. Paul moves to a new school and becomes involved with 'The Freaks', a group on the periphery of school life, those who don't fit in: scene kids, emo kids, indie kids. Outsiders. At the same time he attracts the attention of the schools twisted and manipulative bully, Roth. When Paul delivers a message from Roth to the leader of a gang at a rival school, it sparks a dangerous feud. Faced with growing pressures from both groups, Paul must decide where his friendship lies, a decision that may cost him his life.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 87
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, captivating, suspense, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 83%
The Invisible Eye (2010)
Plot Summary:
Spying on her students, a teacher finds an exciting hobby.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 841
Genere: Drama
Country: Argentina, France, Spain
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: realistic, tense, serious, psychological, captivating, sincere, bleak, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 86%
Blue Citrus Hearts (2003)
Plot Summary:
A first love could quite possibly be the last for Sam, a Memphis teenager coming to terms with the romantic feelings he harbors for his best friend, Julian. Will the love he feels for this boy guide him through his struggles with his abusive father, ignorant girlfriend, and suicidal thoughts -- or will the conflict that his love for Julian stirs throughout his life prove to be more than one boy can handle?.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 315
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, atmospheric, touching, serious, realistic, contemplative, gloomy, crying, independent film
Similar in 80%
Fit (2010)
Plot Summary:
Takes a look at gay and straight love among the new millennials. Everything from secret crushes to homophobic attitudes are revealed by the rambunctious students taking Drama and Dance from Loris. None of the teens are what they seem at first glance, with gay hearts lurking behind tough exteriors and straight kids expressing themselves in very queer ways.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 494
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, emotional, touching, realistic, educational, crying
Similar in 86%
Welcome to Reality (2011)
Plot Summary:
This dramatic series follows a group of troubled Mexican teens in their last year of school, coping with such challenges as drug abuse and sexual identity. In other words, growing up.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 77
Genere: Drama
Country: Mexico
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, captivating, psychological, sentimental, sincere, telenovela
Similar in 84%
Sugar Rush (2005)
Plot Summary:
Sugar Rush is an Emmy Award–winning British television comedy drama series developed by Shine Limited and broadcast by Channel 4, based on the Julie Burchill novel of the same name. It is centred around the life of a 15 year old lesbian Kim Daniels who at the beginning of series one moves from London to Brighton on the south coast of England.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: sexy, realistic, semi serious, romantic, teen, dark comedy, clever, feel good, humorous, queer cinema
Similar in 77%
Teachers (2001)
Plot Summary:
Teachers is a British television comedy-drama series, created by Tim Loane and originally shown on Channel 4. The series follows a group of secondary school teachers in their daily lives. While the first series centers heavily around probationary teacher Simon Casey, later series have a more balanced ensemble approach. The cast changes dramatically over time, with few original characters remaining by the fourth series. While some of these disappearances are explained, others happen between series without explanation. The first three series are set in the fictional Summerdown Comprehensive, which merges with another school in the fourth series to form Wattkins School. The first three series were filmed at the former Merrywood school, while the fourth was filmed at the former Lockleaze school in Bristol, England. Teachers was nominated for six BAFTA awards between 2002 and 2004, and was nominated for Best Comedy Drama at the British Comedy Awards in 2003. In January 2005, after a muted reception to the fourth series, Channel 4 announced that Teachers would not continue for a fifth series. A short-lived U.S. version was aired in 2006.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: realistic, humorous, semi serious, sitcom, soap opera, witty, sexual, sexy, learning
Similar in 87%
Boston Public (2000)
Plot Summary:
Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place. It featured a large ensemble cast and focused on the work and private lives of the various teachers, students, and administrators at the school. It aired from October 2000 to January 2004. Its slogan was "Every day is a fight. For respect. For dignity. For sanity.".
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, humorous, realistic, sitcom, clever, offbeat, semi serious
Similar in 80%
Ugly Duckling (2015)
Plot Summary:
After confessing her love in elementary school to her crush, Maewnam is literally crushed when he rejects her in front of all his friends. He calls her ugly and it's at that moment that she decides to wear a box on her head. Maewnam is really damaged by those events and she hides behind the box, truly believing that she's ugly. Forced to return to school, Maewnam meets Minton and Zero. Minton is sweet, friendly, and new to the school while Zero is a notorious troublemaker who uses his fists to solve his problems. The question is: who's the boy that called her ugly all of those years ago? Is it Minton? Is it Zero? Is it another person?.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 118
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Thailand
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: psychological, romantic, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 76%
Gossip Girl (2021)
Plot Summary:
Eight years after the original website went dark, a new generation of New York private school teens are introduced to the social surveillance of Gossip Girl.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: enigmatic, realistic, stylized, semi serious, intense, queer cinema
Similar in 82%
Sparkhouse (2002)
Plot Summary:
The relationship between childhood sweethearts, a farmer's daughter and boy from a rich family, turns tumultuous in this modern interpretation of Wuthering Heights.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 696
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, serious, melancholic, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 77%
The Way We Live Now (2001)
Plot Summary:
The Way We Live Now is a 2001 four-part television adaptation of the Anthony Trollope novel The Way We Live Now. The serial was first broadcast on the BBC and was directed by David Yates, written by Andrew Davies and produced by Nigel Stafford-Clark. David Suchet starred as Auguste Melmotte, with Shirley Henderson as his daughter Marie, Matthew Macfadyen as Sir Felix Carbury, Cillian Murphy as Paul Montague and Miranda Otto as Mrs Hurtle.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 300 min
Plot tags: period piece, serious, costume drama, realistic, captivating, historical drama, witty, biting, romantic drama, suspense
Similar in 85%
Boys Over Flowers (2005)
Plot Summary:
Hana Yori Dango is a Japanese television drama series, broadcast on TBS in 2005. It is based on Japanese shōjo manga series, Boys Over Flowers, written by Yoko Kamio. The series is the third television adaptation of the manga following Meteor Garden and its sequel Meteor Garden II in Taiwan. It also resulted in a sequel Hana Yori Dango Returns and a movie adaptation Hana Yori Dango Final. It was one of the most popular dramas of the year and won many major awards.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: touching, dorama, humorous, semi serious, sincere, sweet, captivating, entertaining, shoujo, anime
Similar in 81%
Life As We Know It (2004)
Plot Summary:
See life through the eyes of Dino, Ben, and Jonathan -- three teens experiencing the joys and pains of growing up. Although different in many ways, these guys have one main thing in common -- women. Together, their attitudes about women are challenged, and they discover there's more to life than meets the eye.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious, light, melancholic, sentimental, romantic, feel good, captivating, entertaining
Similar in 76%
South of Nowhere (2005)
Plot Summary:
South of Nowhere is an American teen drama television series created by Thomas W. Lynch. Aimed primarily at teenagers, it first aired on November 4, 2005 and was one of six original series on The N. The second half of the third and final season aired October 10, 2008 and the final episode aired on December 12, 2008. Live webisodes were also created to accompany each episode in the season 2 storyline, and were seen exclusively through The N's website on the Click. The show follows the lives of the members of the Carlin family as they adjust to moving from Ohio to Los Angeles, California. One of the main focuses include the relationship between Spencer Carlin and her bisexual friend, Ashley Davies. The close friendship between Ashley and Spencer led Spencer to question her own sexuality, a subject which created controversy before the show first aired. It was the first series on The N to deal with such a subject relating to the primary characters, and the first television show ever to have non-heterosexual teenagers as the top-billed characters.South of Nowhere has received outstanding reviews from TV Guide, The Boston Tribute, New York Post, New York Daily News, Entertainment Weekly, and Variety.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: sincere, realistic, humorous, serious, teen, cult classic, captivating, queer cinema, corny
Similar in 85%
Cheaters (2000)
Plot Summary:
In the fall of 1994, a teacher at Chicago's run-down Steinmetz High conspires with the school's academic decathlon team to cheat on an academic competition.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: sincere, clever, serious, realistic, offbeat
Similar in 81%
South Riding (2011)
Plot Summary:
Andrew Davies sparkling adaption of Winifred Holtby's acclaimed novel. Insightful, warm and full of memorable characters, South Riding tells a fraught love story and paints a panaromic portrait of a Yorkshire community in the long aftermath of the First World War.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: touching, captivating, emotional, realistic, historical drama, period piece, costume drama, serious, stylized, period drama
Similar in 84%
Rebelde Way (2002)
Plot Summary:
Rebelde Way is a Martín Fierro Award—nominated Argentine soap opera created and produced by Cris Morena. It originally aired from 26 May 2002 to 18 December 2003. The series was broadcast in many countries worldwide, including Peru, Germany, Israel, Spain and Uruguay, achieving widespread success. In addition, numerous remakes of Rebelde Way have been made, most notably Rebelde by Mexican Televisa. In 2009, Jennifer Lopez bought the rights for an U.S. adaptation. Rebelde Way is set in the Elite Way School, a prestigious private boarding high school near Buenos Aires. The students of the school are the members of Argentine wealthiest families, as well as gifted students with scholarships. The series follows the lives of Elite Way students, their parents and their professors, and it also features the regular use of English language and phrases by the upper class. Its central characters are Marizza Pía Spirito, Mía Colucci, Pablo Bustamante and Manuel Aguirre, portrayed by, respectively, Camila Bordonaba, Luisana Lopilato, Benjamín Rojas and Felipe Colombo. The four form a band named Erreway, in order to pursue their dreams. The band enjoyed a great success throughout Latin America, Europe and Israel, selling over 3 million records and achieving several Platinum records. Along with spawning a series of merchandising, Cris Morena Group also released a spin–off movie Erreway: 4 Caminos in 2004.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music, Romance
Country: Argentina
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: soap opera, semi serious, humorous, novela, realistic, sentimental, romantic, feel good, entertaining, telenovela
Similar in 82%
My Mad Fat Diary (2013)
Plot Summary:
Set in 1996 in Lincolnshire, the show tells the tragic and humorous story of a very troubled young girl Rae, who has just left a psychiatric hospital, where she has spent four months after attempting suicide, begins to reconnect with her best friend Chloe and her group, who are unaware of Rae's mental health and body image problems, believing she was in France for the past four months.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 47 min
Plot tags: touching, sincere, sentimental, emotional, semi serious, dark comedy, funny, controversial, sitcom, light hearted