Dark high school dramas rise from the ashes of one deceased plot of its kind like a phoenix soaring high in the digital space. Hardly ever, there is a scarcity of twists, turns, tension, and hormonal teens fighting to snatch what suits them the best, in real life and on Netflix. When the hallways of the flashy Las Encinas shut down, a new high‑tech sports academy with similar exuberance emerges. Both Elite and Olympo maintain the true essence of gripping thrillers.

They warp the genre of dark teen dramas, grab it by the neck, and glam it up in ways seemingly addictive to mankind. But one has to win. 

Gripping teen dramas, with a touch of murder mystery, soap opera, and shrouded in affluent tension, Spanish-language shows, Elite and Olympo, are two of Netflix's teen thrillers. On one hand, Elite packs in a whodunit case of murder and horror with snobby teens at the forefront, battling forbidden trysts, class divides, and secrets. On the other hand, Olympo launches its own brand of conspiracy and body politics with teen athletes at the center, where cardio gets a little too steamy. Avid bingers would often find the premise repetitive and the characters loosely bound. However, with just enough spice, both of these shows cemented their place in the dark teen dramas' hall of fame.

Netflix launched its sports thriller Olympo in June 2025. Gathering Spain's top athletes, such as swimmers and wrestlers, at the fictional Centro de Alto Rendimiento Pirineos, this series met with high praise for its openly gay lead, swiftly building tension that progresses with each episode. One of its highlights was each of the athletes' internal struggles and insane se---- tensions, well-displayed on camera, that came to a certain conclusion. However, eight episodes are just enough of the show, unlike Elite, which went on for seven seasons. Elite's most intriguing element that makes it stand out is the coherent plot centered on a dead body, but no one dies in Olympo.

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But when pitting Elite against Olympo in the high school thrillers race, which one is darker?

Coming from the same production team, both the queer-inclusive shows flaunt equally gorgeous and charismatic actors. Both are replete with queer pairings, a rare sight in today's industry, though Olympo takes the d--g-induced dramatic route, and Elite walks the campy road to murder. Olympo's primary focus is on the secrets of the macrocosmic Olympics world, and the physical and emotional toll on athletes that comes with intense training. Meanwhile, Elite dissects complex interpersonal relationships under the microscope of social and academic pressures set in a private high school. 

Elite's Las Encinas is a golden maze of privilege, crime, and class conflict where students kill, manipulate, and make out under ivy-shrouded arches, picture a debauched soap opera meets slow-burning noir. In contrast, Olympo puts that high-school environment inside a glass‑enclosed sports lab with better-developed characters. Visually, the comparisons are evident as both shows glimmer, but Elite is sophisticated and chic, whereas Olympo wallows in erotic suspense and bodily spectacle in nearly every shot. Both shows provide layered social thrillers with complex character trajectories, one with athletic fixation, another with moral uncertainty. Either way, do not watch them with family. 

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Between Elite and Olympo, which dark high school drama has your attention? Tell us in the comments below.