Four Netflix shows to binge after ‘My Life With the Walter Boys’
Silver Falls has barely had time to recover from one almighty emotional mess, and season three has already brought another. Well, that’s My Life with the Walter Boys for you. The fan favourite show returned to Netflix on August 6th, picking up after a finale that left Jackie, Cole and Alex with a lot to sort.
No spoilers, obviously, because that would be rotten. But the new episodes pick up after a family crisis leaves the Walter household shaken, while Jackie tries to work out what her life there is supposed to look like now. Cole is facing a future he never planned for, and Alex is burying himself in rodeo. Which is always a very healthy way to avoid your feelings, isn’t it?
And the romantic mess? Oh, that is still very much alive. Jackie may be trying to move forward, but old feelings have a nasty habit of turning up just when they are least welcome. Especially when everybody involved lives practically on top of one another. Imagine the gossip!
And once you have raced through the latest episodes, the post-binge slump will inevitably arrive. Dreadful business. Thankfully, Netflix has several other coming-of-age dramas to keep you busy.
Four Netflix shows to binge after My Life With the Walter Boys:
Never Have I Ever (2020–2023)
Devi Vishwakumar and Jackie Howard have actually got loads in common, even if it doesn’t seem that way at first. Both are dealing with a devastating loss, but both are quite clever at the same time. Their romantic lives are also far messier than necessary because other people keep getting involved. The main difference? Devi spots a bad decision and goes straight for it. Honestly, the girl has no brakes.
That’s what makes Never Have I Ever a cracking follow-up to My Life with the Walter Boys. It has the same teenage longing and love-triangle drama, but the comedy is sharper, and the family story is far more intense and involved. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is brilliant as Devi, and unlike My Life With the Walter Boys, we have a narrator in this show: John McEnroe, former tennis player. Sounds completely bonkers, doesn’t it? There is a reason: Devi’s late father loved tennis. Once you know that, the crazy choices feel very natural all of a sudden.
XO, Kitty (2023–)
Some people move abroad for a fresh start. Kitty Song Covey moves to Seoul because she reckons her long-distance romance will be a doddle in person. Bit of a leap, that, isn’t it? She has barely got through the school gates before family secrets come out of the woodwork, and the relationship she travelled for begins to fall apart. How heartbreaking is that?
That is where XO, Kitty lines up with My Life with the Walter Boys. Like Jackie, Kitty is trying to get her bearings while everyone else sticks their oar into her love life. The difference is that XO, Kitty rattles along and lobs in another crush whenever things look settled. Anna Cathcart is back from the To All the Boys films, where Kitty posted Lara Jean’s private letters. So, come on, she has form. Meddling is practically her side hustle.
Heartstopper (2022–2024)
Maybe you’ve had enough of brothers giving each other daggers over the same girl; then it’s better you take a break and switch to something gentle, and in that case, Heartstopper is all you need. The show follows Charlie Spring as his friendship with rugby lad Nick Nelson turns into something more. There is no plotting behind anyone’s back and no ranch drama here. It’s just two boys trying to make sense of their feelings without making a complete pig’s ear of things.
The link to My Life with the Walter Boys is that all-consuming first-love panic, where one look can mean everything and a dodgy chat can wreck your week. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? But a good thing about Heartstopper is that it’s kinder to its characters, though, and sometimes they actually say what they mean. Mad idea! Alice Oseman adapted the show from her own graphic novels, and those little animated leaves and sparks come straight from the books.
Heartbreak High (2022–2026)
Buckle up for this one because Heartbreak High comes barging in with all the subtlety of a fire alarm. Amerie’s social life goes down the pan when a map exposing her classmates’ hookups turns up at school, and everyone pins the business on her. From there, the gossip runs riot, and nobody has the sense to keep stumm. Classic high-school behaviour, really.
But doesn’t that resonate well with My Life with the Walter Boys? Amerie is shoved into a new social reality while her private life becomes everyone else’s favourite part of entertainment. The difference is that Heartbreak High is much louder. There is no dreamy ranch to leg it to when things go south. Netflix’s version reboots the 1990s Australian series for a new crowd. Basically, it is school drama with the handbrake off.