If you’re looking for a show to unwind after a busy day, series about college can be a great way to relax and feel nostalgic. Our school years are a time of life that can be cathartic, and though there are usually many challenges to overcome, there’s also a lot of joy. It’s no wonder so many shows set in high school are so popular: think of Euphoria, Gossip Girl, Riverdale or Sex Education. All of these series might be lighthearted, but they also manage to capture the challenges and triumphs of our college years – speaking of the former, some believe UKWritings has the best PhD writers to assist with academic writing – and give us likable characters to get attached to. So if you miss your school years or you’re simply looking for a new series to binge, here’s a list of 5 Prime shows about college, in alphabetical order!
The Inbetweeners
(2008-2010)
When showrunners Damon Beesley and Iain Morris (both of Flight of the Conchords fame) created and wrote The Inbetweeners, back in 2008, they probably had no idea that it would become as popular as it was, and even go on to win the Audience Award at the 2010 BAFTAs. But The Inbetweeners’s success is more than justified, as the series embodies the best British TV has to offer.
The show, which originally aired on E4 in the UK, is about four teenagers. The protagonist is William ‘Will’ McKenzie (Simon Bird), who used to attend a private school but has just joined fictional London school Rudge Park Comprehensive after their parents got divorced. Needless to say, Will immediately stands out at the new school, even more so since he made the unfortunate decision of wearing a green name tag on his first day. Yet, he’s still able to make some friends: the grounded and at times goofy Simon Cooper (Joe Thomas), the gullible but well-meaning Neil Sutherland (Blake Harrison), and the blunt, hilariously sex-obsessed Jay Cartwright (James Buckley). Together, our four protagonist aren’t exactly “cool” – in fact, they’re quite the opposite. But that’s what makes watching them so much fun.
Misfits
(2009-2013)
Prepare to meet your new favorite teen superhero show! Despite its initial acclaim, which led to three BAFTA awards and a total of five seasons of television, Misfits is largely forgotten these days. But this sci-fi comedy drama/superhero flick needs to be on your radar, as its first two seasons are pretty much perfect, and the other three are… Well, much better than a lot of shows that are released today.
Misfits begins with a normal enough situation: teenagers Alisha (Antonia Thomas), Simon (Iwan Rheon), Kelly (Lauren Socha), Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) and Nathan (Robert Sheehan) meet when they start a mandatory community service programme that they’ve all been sentenced to for different reasons. Everything is fine – or, at least, as fine as it can be, considering all our protagonists have very strong, often clashing personalities – a weird weather phenomenon occurs that gives them superpowers. Which would be exciting, except that the powers in question aren’t exactly a blessing. As we watch them come to terms with their unusual new powers, the dynamics between the group change and the series acquires a great deal of heart too. Needless to say, our heroes will have to team up to save the day.
Watch it for a highly original take on the superhero genre, with an amazingly talented cast of British actors that you now know for different roles, such as Game of Thrones’s Iwan Rheon, Femme’s Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and – in the first two seasons – The Umbrella Academy’s Robert Sheehan.
My Lady Jane
(2024)
Here’s a recent Amazon MGM Studios / Prime Video production that’s highly binge-worthy, even though it was shockingly cancelled after the first season. If you’re a fan of Bridgerton and The Princess Diaries, you’ll love My Lady Jane! The series takes place in a fictional 16th Century England, where our titular character (Emily Bader) is about to – you guessed it – get married to someone with whom she isn’t in love. It’s Lady Jane Grey’s mother who wants her to marry Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel, of Killing Eve), as Jane is the Edward VI’s cousin and is in line to the throne.
But here’s the twist: in My Lady Jane’s version of England, some humans can become animals, and these animals – known as “Ethians” – are plotting a rebellion against ordinary humans, or “Verity”, who rule everything. Prepare for political intrigue, unexpected romance and exciting magical powers, with a fantastic cast including Anna Chancellor, Rob Brydon, Kate O’Flynn, Dominic Cooper and more! The college parallels are metaphorical, but we’ll let you discover them on your own!
The Summer I Turned Pretty
(2022,-)
This show was the surprise of summer 2022, and it kept on delivering with a second season that was just as good as the first. Adapted from the highly popular young adult book series from Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty revolves around Belly (Lola Tung), a young woman whose titular summer we follow over the course of the show. In fact, Belly is used to spending all her summers with her brother Steven (Sean Kaufman), her mother Laurel (Jakie Chung), her mum’s best friend Susannah (Rachel Blanchard) and her sons Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), at Susannah’s summer house. For as long as she can remember, Belly has had a secret: she has a crush on Conrad, who is, to paraphrase another film, “just not that into her” – at least that’s what she thinks.
Everything changes when, just like the title says, Belly “turns pretty”, and everyone begins to notice. But if anything, life becomes even more complicated, as other boys are interested in Belly. And as if that weren’t enough, the grown-up are having some issues too, and Belly is stuck in the middle of it. Think The Kissing Booth in episodic form, with an incredibly likable protagonist and some twists you won’t see coming.
The Vampire Diaries
(2009-2017)
When teenager Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) meets for the brooding, older Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley), little does she know that her life is going to be changed forever. The Vampire Diaries takes place in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, where Stefan and his brother, Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder), fall in love with the same girl the moment they return after spending some time apart. There’s a love triangle at the center of this supernatural series, and, of course, there are plenty of vampires, starting with Stefan and Damon. But there are also some fantastically written characters that you’ll immediately take a liking to, from Elena’s witch friend Bonnie (Kat Graham) to functional vampire Caroline (Candice King) and many more. We won’t say anything else, as it’s best if you find out on your own, but you’re in for a treat.
The five shows listed above are all college series that are available to watch on Prime Video right now! From British comedies and lesser known superhero flicks to supernatural dramas and lighthearted romances, there’s a bit of everything on this list, and you’re bound to find something to enjoy! Happy binging!
