Saagar Kote
FX’s ‘The Shards’ is a thriller series from creators Ryan Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis, based on Ellis’ eponymous semi-autobiographical novel. Set in Los Angeles in 1981, it follows 17-year-old Bret (Igby Rigney), a student at the elite Buckley prep school whose senior year takes a disturbing turn when mysterious newcomer Robert Mallory (Homer Gere) joins the school. At the same time, The Trawler, a serial killer targeting teenagers, begins spreading fear across the city. As Robert’s arrival and the murders seem increasingly connected, Bret becomes consumed by suspicion while trying to uncover the truth.
Surrounded by his wealthy friends, Susan Reynolds (Kaia Gerber), Debbie Schaffer (Hayes Warner), and Thom Wright (Graham Campbell), he is pulled into a world of privilege, obsession, jealousy, and secrets, where the line between paranoia and reality grows increasingly blurred. While Bret and his friends get immersed in parties, fun, and sex, the danger surrounding them deepens. This list features shows similar to ‘The Shards’ that include layered characters, unpredictable storylines, and a sense of mystery.
12. The Society (2019)
Created by Christopher Keyser, ‘The Society’ is a drama series that centers on Allie Pressman (Kathryn Newton) and a group of teenagers who face a terrifying reality in their hometown of West Ham, Connecticut, when every adult mysteriously vanishes. Isolated from the outside world by a puzzling forest and left without phones, internet, or any means of escape, the students are forced to build a functioning society from scratch.
While dwindling resources, shifting alliances, and growing power struggles threaten their survival, the group must decide what kind of future they want to create. Although their central mysteries differ, both ‘The Society’ and ‘The Shards’ place teenagers at the center of increasingly unsettling situations where fear, suspicion, and secrets shape every decision. The narratives also explore how ordinary friendships unravel when an inexplicable crisis unfolds.
11. Riverdale (2017-2023)
In ‘Riverdale,’ Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) and his friends are faced with the mysterious death of popular student Jason Blossom (Trevor Stines), which shatters the quiet town of Riverdale. While Archie pursues his dream of becoming a musician, Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) become drawn into an investigation that uncovers the town’s darkest secrets.
The group balances romance, family conflicts, and high school life, and they realize that almost everyone in Riverdale is hiding something, even as the truth about Jason’s passing hides in the dark. The crime drama series is creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s adaptation of characters from Archie Comics. ‘Riverdale’ and ‘The Shards’ are puzzling stories that share a similar visual aesthetic and examine how a shocking series of crimes disrupts the lives of affluent teenagers, leading to suspicion and crises among friends.
10. Baby (2018-2020)
‘Baby’ tells the story of Chiara Altieri (Benedetta Porcaroli), a privileged student at an elite high school in Rome who grows increasingly disillusioned with the expectations surrounding her life. Her friendship with the rebellious Ludovica Storti (Alice Pagani), who is struggling with financial and personal hardships, pulls both girls into a dangerous double life as sex workers that they keep hidden from everyone around them. As Chiara begins a relationship with newcomer Damiano Younes (Riccardo Mandolini) and Ludovica becomes involved with Fiore (Giuseppe Maggio), the weight of their choices threatens to unravel everything they are trying to protect.
The Italian drama series from the creative team of Antonio Le Fosse, Giacomo Mazzariol, Marco Raspanti, Romolo Re Salvador, and Eleonora Trucchi is partly inspired by real events. ‘Baby’ and ‘The Shards’ generate suspense through privileged teenagers leading increasingly secretive lives. As hidden desires, deception, and complicated relationships collide, each series reveals the darkness that haunts an elite social circle.
9. One of Us Is Lying (2021-2022)
‘One of Us Is Lying’ unfolds after five Bayview High students enter detention, but only four walk out alive. When Simon Kelleher (Mark McKenna), the creator of a gossip app notorious for exposing classmates’ secrets, dies from what initially appears to be an allergic reaction, investigators conclude that his death was not an accident. With suspicion falling on Addy Prentiss (Annalisa Cochrane), Bronwyn Rojas (Marianly Tejada), Nate Macauley (Cooper van Grootel), and Cooper Clay (Chibuikem Uche), the four other teenagers who were in detention launch their own search for the truth while trying to clear their names.
Guided by Erica Saleh’s creative vision, the mystery drama series is based on Karen M. McManus’ novel of the same name. Akin to ‘The Shards,’ the show centers on a group of high school students as they grapple with a deadly mystery, where suspicions, shifting loyalties, hidden secrets, growing paranoia, and trust become crucial to determining the characters’ fates.
8. Tell Me Lies (2022-2026)
Crafted by Meaghan Oppenheimer, ‘Tell Me Lies’ revolves around Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten), a college freshman whose life changes after she begins a relationship with the charismatic yet complicated Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White). What starts as an intense attraction gradually evolves into a turbulent, complicated romance that spans several years, leaving a lasting impact on both their lives and the lives of those closest to them. On their journey, the two are forced to confront certain realities of life that could alter their futures. Based on Carola Lovering’s novel of the same name, the drama series explores youth angst, obsession, manipulation, desire, and the emotional consequences of secrets, much like ‘The Shards’ does.
7. Yellowjackets (2021-2026)
With Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson at the creative helm, ‘Yellowjackets‘ begins when a plane carrying a New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team crashes deep in the Canadian wilderness in 1996. Stranded far from civilization, survivors, including Jackie Taylor (Ella Purnell), are forced to confront dwindling resources and increasingly desperate circumstances that push them to their limits. The thriller drama series also follows the surviving women more than two decades later as they struggle with lingering trauma, public attention, and the secrets they have carried since the crash. What links ‘Yellowjackets’ and ‘The Shards’ is their exploration of how fear and hidden truths transform groups of teenagers. The narratives uncover layers of psychological tension and show how ordinary friendships and social hierarchies unravel as threats close in.
6. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (2022-2024)
‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’ unfolds when Imogen Adams (Bailee Madison) and four other teenage girls start receiving threatening messages from a mysterious figure known only as “A.” The stalker appears to be seeking revenge for a tragedy that took place in Millwood, Pennsylvania, more than twenty years earlier, involving the girls’ mothers. As the threats become increasingly dangerous, Imogen, Tabby Haworthe (Chandler Kinney), Noa Olivar (Maia Reficco), Minnie Honrada (Malia Pyles), and Faran Bryant (Zaria) work together to uncover the truth behind the town’s dark past while trying to stay one step ahead of their relentless tormentor.
With Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Lindsay Calhoon at the creative helm, the mystery drama series is based on Sara Shepard’s ‘Pretty Little Liars’ novels and is a part of the franchise of the same name. Fans of ‘The Shards’ will appreciate how ‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’ intertwines mystery with teenage relationships, gradually unraveling the truth as it explores trust, betrayal, and the emotional consequences of keeping dangerous secrets in tense settings.
5. Dare Me (2019)
‘Dare Me’ depicts the experiences of best friends and cheerleaders Addy Hanlon (Herizen Guardiola) and Beth Cassidy (Marlo Kelly), whose bond is tested after the arrival of the ambitious new cheerleading coach, Colette French (Willa Fitzgerald), at Sutton Grove High School. Determined to push the squad to new heights, the strangely secretive Colette quickly gains influence over the team, altering the dynamics among the cheerleaders.
While rivalries intensify and loyalties begin to shift, a shocking crime throws the community into turmoil, exposing truths and placing everyone under suspicion. The thriller-drama series is based on the novel of the same name by Megan Abbott, who co-created the show with Gina Fattore. Set within academic environments, both ‘Dare Me’ and ‘The Shards’ explore the hidden tensions beneath seemingly perfect teenage lives. In both stories, new arrivals disrupt established social circles, and dangerous secrets begin to surface.
4. Elite (2018-2024)
Crafted by Carlos Montero and Darío Madrona, ‘Elite’ or ‘Élite’ is a Spanish drama series that takes place at Las Encinas. In this exclusive private school, scholarship students Samuel García (Itzan Escamilla), Nadia Shanaa (Mina El Hammani), and Christian Varela (Miguel Herrán) suddenly find themselves surrounded by the country’s wealthiest teenagers. As they struggle to adapt to an unfamiliar world of privilege, their lives become intertwined with influential classmates, including Marina Nunier Osuna (María Pedraza), leading to rivalries, romance, and growing tensions.
The situation takes a dark turn when Marina is found dead, forcing students to confront suspicion. Privilege, desire, and deception drive both ‘Elite’ and ‘The Shards,’ which are set within schools populated by complex teenagers. The stories unravel social circles, revealing secrets and relationships that change their characters’ lives forever.
3. Cruel Summer (2021-)
‘Cruel Summer’ is a Bert V. Royal creation that follows different groups of teenagers each season whose lives are permanently changed by a shocking mystery. The first season, set in Skylin, Texas, centers on Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia), whose life is upended after the disappearance of the popular Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt). When Jeanette is accused of knowing the truth about Kate’s fate, friendships and reputations begin to crumble.
The second season of the anthology mystery drama series moves to Chatham, Washington, where Megan Landry (Sadie Stanley), Isabella LaRue (Lexi Underwood), and Luke Chambers (Griffin Gluck) are caught in a love triangle that takes a dark turn following a brutal crime. The emotional weight of both ‘Cruel Summer’ and ‘The Shards’ comes from teenagers uncovering uncomfortable truths about the people around them and about themselves. The revelations deepen the mystery while altering the relationships between the characters.
2. I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021)
Part of the eponymous media franchise, ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ is the tale of a group of teenagers whose lives are forever changed after they cover up a fatal car accident on the night of their graduation. A year later, the friends, including twins Lennon and Alison (Madison Iseman), Margot (Brianne Tju), Dylan (Ezekiel Goodman), Riley (Ashley Moore), and Johnny (Sebastian Amoruso), become the targets of a ruthless killer who appears to know exactly what they did.
The murders escalate, and the group desperately searches for the killer’s identity while confronting the lies and secrets that have been tearing them apart from within. The slasher horror series is creator Sara Goodman’s adaptation of Lois Duncan’s novel of the same name. Both ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ and ‘The Shards’ shed light on a group of teenagers whose carefully maintained lives begin to unravel as deadly threats reveal hidden secrets, fractured friendships, and insecurities in unexpected ways.
1. Scream: The TV Series (2015-2019)
‘Scream: The TV Series’ follows different groups of teenagers who find themselves hunted by a masked serial killer while trying to uncover the truth behind the murders. The first two seasons center on Emma Duval (Willa Fitzgerald), whose connection to a dark chapter in her hometown’s history makes her the primary target of the Lakewood Slasher. As friends and family are placed in danger, Emma races to expose the killer’s identity before more lives are lost. The third season shifts to Atlanta, where Deion Elliot (RJ Cyler), a high school football star, is forced to confront the secrets of his past after the killer Ghostface begins targeting him and those closest to him.
Created by Jill Blotevogel, Dan Dworkin, and Jay Beattie, the anthology slasher horror series is based on Kevin Williamson’s ‘Scream’ film franchise. While both series revolve around serial killers targeting teenagers, ‘Scream’ and ‘The Shards’ explore the emotional strain such threats create within groups of friends. In the narratives, as suspicion grows and trust erodes, every relationship becomes a potential source of danger for the characters.
Read More: Where is The Shards Filmed?
