10 Best TV Shows Set in College, From Superheroes & Comedy to Drama & Gore

10. Gen V ( 2023–Now)

Starting off immediately with a rather unusual college, welcome to The Boys spin-off Gen V. This series follows teenage superheroes of the first generation to know the origin of their powers. They study in a special college under Vought’s management, and their problems are largely similar to ordinary humans’... Except more dangerous. Watch Gen V on Apple TV and Prime Video.

9. The Magicians (2015–2020)

Every child and most teenagers would’ve loved to learn that all the magic they read about was real. This happens to a group of students who are just gifted enough to be enrolled in a secretive academy for magicians — but their college days aren’t nearly as cheerful as they would’ve liked as the world is ending sometime next Tuesday.

Watch The Magicians on Netflix, Apple TV, and Prime Video.

8. Normal People (2020)

High-school love hits differently, and it makes two polar opposite people fall for each other. A popular guy and a shy girl are happy together, but his mistake ruins their relationship and they drift to their colleges. Fate has other plans for them, though — as they lead their separate lives, they keep getting new chances with each other.

Watch Normal People on BBC, Hulu, Apple TV, and Prime Video.

7. Grown-ish (2018–2024)

Going to college is always exciting: leaving the nest, meeting new people, learning to lead an adult-ish life and take care of yourself… But when a young girl leaves for college, she quickly realizes that the “outside world” is scarier and more complicated than she thought, with drugs, sex, and relationships for her to deal with daily.

Watch Grown-ish on Hulu, Apple TV, and Disney Plus.

6. Greek (2007–2011)

Another thing college is, is a chance to change for the better. If you were an unpopular nerd in high school, college lets you adopt a different persona in a place where no one knows you. That’s exactly what a young boy intends to do, but his plans aren’t easily put in motion as his older sister is the queen of the same college.

Watch Greek on Hulu, Disney Plus, and Prime Video.

5. How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020)

Studying law implies dealing with real crimes later down the line, but some people just crave practice. A group of brilliant college law students and their favorite professor find themselves in the middle of a twisted murder plot that will dramatically change the course of all their lives — but they can’t back down at that point already.

Watch How to Get Away with Murder on Netflix and Prime Video.

4. Gilmore Girls ( 2000–2007)

Gilmore Girls is that much more than just a college-centered TV show. It’s a tale of a mother and a daughter who happen to be best friends: together, they deal with the tyrannical head of the family, relationships, disappointments, and much more — and, of course, the daughter’s achievements and mishaps at her college play a large part.

Watch Gilmore Girls on Netflix.

3. Blue Mountain State (2010–2011)

Athletes have always been a privileged group in colleges and high schools, but that doesn’t mean they don’t struggle with balancing everything they have going on in their lives. Football, studies, parties, girls… Try to schedule all of that! Three freshmen in a prominent football college are trying to adapt to their new lives.

Watch Blue Mountain State on Netflix, Apple TV, and Prime Video.

2. Community ( 2009–2015)

Colleges don’t solely exist to house confused teenagers, of course: there are also community colleges, and they accept confused adults, as well. Community follows a suspended (and deeply frustrated) lawyer who’s forced to enroll in such a college and learn to deal with its weird staff and student body to get back into the profession.

Watch Community on Netflix and Prime Video.

1. The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021–Now)

This one doesn’t require much explanation; it’s all in the title. A friend group of four freshman students enroll into a college and get thrown into the wild mix of their own and others’ hormones, contradictions, and mistakes. As they navigate their, once again, adult-ish lives, they learn about themselves and the world around them.

Watch The Sex Lives of College Girls on Max, Apple TV, and Prime Video.