This story contains spoilers for Never Have I Ever and Euphoria.

By the end of Netflix’s acclaimed teen drama Never Have I Ever, Devi Vishwakumar is a changed girl – nay, woman. Her journey evokes laughter, tears, and nostalgia for those beautifully awkward high school years. It’s wholesome TV at its finest – a genre of teen shows that is becoming a rarity.

Series set during turbulent high school years aren’t in short supply, rather they seem to have experienced something of a resurgence since the days of The Wonder Years (1988), Dawson’s Creek (1998) and Freaks and Geeks (1999). Shows like Euphoria, Riverdale, 13 Reasons Why and Pretty Little Liars all follow adolescents traversing their final years of teenhood. But they feel worlds apart from Never Have I Ever.

Created by Mindy Kaling (The Office) and Lang Fisher, Never Have I Ever follows an Indian-American girl navigating schoolwork, boys, a strict mother and the untimely passing of her father. Its simplicity and familiarity feel like a walk down memory lane or a really fulfilling therapy session.

Many of Devi’s obstacles are universal; first heartbreaks, fights with friends, and the high school social hierarchy. Its creators balance moments of revelation with levity - Devi thinks she’s found her late father in the form of a coyote which then bites her, earning her “street cred” at school.

Meanwhile, other contemporary teen shows can feel like a kick in the guts. Euphoria, Sam Levinson’s Emmy-award-winning series, is sheer grit – its main character battles drug addiction, one girl loses her virginity only to have a video of it leaked, and another is catfished and then blackmailed by one of her violent classmates. Their eye make-up may be picture-perfect, but there’s nothing glamorous about these kids’ lives and few moral compasses are realigned.

Riverdale shares Euphoria’s gloomy tone, though it’s presented with a glossy 1950s sheen. It begins with the mysterious disappearance of a Riverdale High student, turning the cast into a group of teen detectives who poke their nose in places no normal 17-year-old should. These characters bear little resemblance to actual teenagers – few would share Archie’s impossibly defined eight-pack or Veronica’s endless stream of niche literary references.

Many of these teen shows highlight trauma – both physical and emotional – depicting teenagers as damaged beings who must age fast if they wish to survive. The same can be said of select local content too, such as Year Of, which sees Australian kids witness the bleak side of adulthood after a tragedy at a party gone wrong.