The Best Shows to Watch Right Now Based on the Shows You Already Love

What should I watch next? It’s a question that gets asked over and over again despite all the new television shows coming out, a phenomenon that seems counter intuitive. With so many options, shouldn’t it be easy to find something to watch? Sure, you can scroll through the home page of Netflix for hours, but what should be a few minutes of searching ends up being hours of frustration. The best way to find something to watch is to find a show that’s similar to one you already like. It’s scientifically proven! Well, it should be. 

Below you will find an alphabetized list of all of our current recommendations based on shows you already love. If you don’t see a show you like, check back soon, as we’re updating our catalog multiple times a week. And if there’s a show you’re interested in and would like us to cover and recommend similar shows for, please let us know!

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Shows to Watch If You Like The 100

It’s still hard to believe The 100 is actually over, even after that insane series finale episode. If the end of The CW’s epic sci-fi series about teens starting society over left you wondering what to do with yourself now that you’ve said goodbye to Bellamy (Bob Morley), Clarke (Eliza Taylor), and the gang, we’ve got more dystopian, apocalyptic, teen-centric series to watch.

Shows to Watch If You Like Alone

History’s reality competition Alone drops rugged survivalists into remote wilderness all over the world and challenges them to stay alive. If this sounds like fun to you, here are some similar shows that range from harsh competitions featuring amateurs to educational survival shows hosted by trained professionals.

Shows to Watch If You Like Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avatar: The Last Airbender is an animated adventure series following Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen), a 12-year-old boy who teams up with his friends to end an oppressive regime using his unique ability to “bend” all four elements: water, fire, earth, and air. After you finish the series, check out these other shows about super-powered teens, embarking on magical quests, and growing up in a weird, scary world.

Shows to Watch If You Like The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory, the CBS sitcom about a group of nerdy friends who know everything about science and geek culture but are clueless about love, was the biggest comedy on TV for many years until it ended in 2019. This list has comedies and light dramas with a will they/won’t they like the one between Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco), a charismatic oddball breakout character like Sheldon (Jim Parsons), an appreciation for the scientific, or some combination of them all. 

Shows to Watch If You Like Billions 

Billions fans can fill the Giamatti-sized hole in their hearts with some of these other great, Billions-esque shows. Whether it’s a one percent of the one percent New York City setting, twisty legal and financial dealmaking and double-crossing, or flavorful dialogue, these shows are all a little bit Billions.

Shows to Watch If You Like Black Mirror

If you’ve already downloaded all of Black Mirror into your brain, check out these shows: most are sci-fi, some are anthologies, and some are from Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker, but all of them will leave you saying, “Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?”

Shows to Watch If You Like The Blacklist

The shows on this list include action shows with a combination of serialized and purely episodic storytelling, a dynamic like the one between Red (James Spader) and FBI agent Liz Keen (Megan Boone), a task force with funny sidekicks, and The Blacklist‘s most important ingredient, James Spader himself. This list reminds us of the time we were eating breakfast octopus on the Adriatic coast with the most beautiful Romanian textile heiress… 

Shows to Watch If You Like Blindspot

Blindspot, NBC’s action thriller starring Jaimie Alexander as a tattooed amnesiac sleeper agent and Sullivan Stapleton as her FBI handler-turned-husband, recently came to an end. Our list of recommendations for what to watch next include shows that feature some combination of action, amnesia, conspiracy, an ass-kicking heroine, an unlikely partnership between a weird loner and a federal agency, and a casual sense of humor. 

Shows to Watch If You Like Bosch

Bosch, Amazon’s adaptation of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch novels, is an authentic crime drama detailing the life of LA homicide detective and private investigator Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver). Our list of recommendations features other great police dramas, some murder mysteries, and shows with complicated men at their center.

Shows to Watch If You Like The Boys

There can never be enough of The Boys. Thankfully there are other shows out there that will fulfill your desire for depraved humor, ridiculous violence, and Antony Starr‘s jaw. In our list of recommendations of shows like The Boys, you’ll find new takes on superhero shows, dark adaptations of comic books, and series featuring The Boys cast members, and they’re all pre-approved to be good. 

Shows to Watch If You Like Cobra Kai

Picking up 34 years after the events of The Karate Kid films, Cobra Kai reunites its stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka in their roles as Daniel and Johnny to examine what happens when their rivalry reignites vis-à-vis their teenage children who are also — you guessed it — into karate. Here are more shows that tap into nostalgia, feel-goodness, and punching.

Shows to Watch If You Like Criminal Minds

Criminal Minds, a CBS drama that ran for 15 seasons, followed the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), which hunted down disturbing killers using crime scene evidence and victimology to create personality profiles. If you’ve already watched the entire show and are looking for shows like it, check out our list of recommendations, which features other CBS procedurals, shows about serial killers, and more.

Shows to Watch If You Like The Crown

The Crown Season 4 delivered one of the series’ best seasons yet. But if you’re all finished with The Crown and looking for something to fill that Crown-shaped hole in your heart until whenever Season 5 arrives, here are some shows — from more historical dramas to docuseries to yes, baking competitions — that might do the trick.

Shows to Watch If You Like Cursed

Netflix’s Cursed tweaks the legend of King Arthur by telling his familiar story through the eyes of Nimue, aka the Lady of the Lake, a fey whose growing powers are feared by locals. Whether you are looking for a medieval setting, a strong female character with magical powers, or women hacking things up with swords, we’ve conjured up seven shows that fans of Cursed will love. 

Shows to Watch If You Like Da 5 Bloods

If you enjoyed Spike Lee‘s Vietnam War film Da 5 Bloods and are looking for something similar to watch, you have a lot of options, because there are so many different parts of the movie to choose from. This eclectic list features seven movies that thematically connect with all the different parts of Da 5 Bloods.   

Shows to Watch If You Like Dark

Netflix’s popular German sci-fi series Dark features multiple generations of four interconnected families caught up in a wibbly-wobbly time-travel mystery involving the apocalypse. After you finish the final season, check out these other great sci-fi shows featuring time travel, intricate world-building, and maybe even the multiverse.

Shows to Watch If You Like Emily in Paris

The Netflix series, starring Lily Collins as an ambitious millennial with a master’s degree in marketing who is skilled at social media strategy and is meant to bring an American perspective to the French firm her company recently acquired, gained a lot of attention, and not always the good kind of attention. But it’s hard to resist a coming-of-age story set in a beautiful foreign city. Our list features more young women making their way up in their field of choice, with some romance thrown in as well. 

Shows to Watch If You Like The Expanse

Looking for epic sci-fi shows like The Expanse? Or other genre shows with complex mythologies? We’ve curated a list of other TV shows that feature great sci-fi storytelling, complex political maneuvering, and bleak morals quandaries. So if you like The Expanse, these are the shows you should watch next.   

Movies to Watch If You Like Extraction

Extraction, Netflix’s latest action extravaganza, stars Chris Hemsworth as a mercenary who goes to a foreign country on a mission and shoots his way out after being double-crossed. Our list of recommendations features movies starring other big-name actors with big guns, rock-solid tales of revenge, and Asian action films that let the punching do the talking.

Shows to Watch If You Like Fargo

FX’s American crime story inspired by the Coen Brothers‘ classic 1996 movie is an anthology series from Noah Hawley in which every season is set in a different time and features a different cast, but are all linked by a thematic interest in greed and the movement of money as well as a visual inventiveness that elevates them over most other TV shows stylistically. Our list of shows like Fargo is a collection of crime anthologies, visually striking shows, and shows with quirky ensemble casts.

Shows to Watch If You Like Friends

Friends is an iconic comedy series, but if you’ve already watched it more times than you can count, check out our recommendation list that features the best hangout comedies, shows inspired by Friends, and shows featuring Friends cast members that Friends fans will definitely love.

Shows to Watch If You Like Gilmore Girls

Just because you won’t get to enjoy another vicarious cup of coffee at Luke’s Diner or witness Lorelai (Lauren Graham) randomly turn into a weather woman whenever she smells snow doesn’t mean there isn’t still something worth watching next. Here are a few ideas for what to watch next if you loved Amy Sherman-Palladino‘s fast-talking Gilmore Girls. 

Shows to Watch If You Like Good Witch

All the little elements that make Good Witch such a fun series – visiting the town of Middleton is like a pure shot of sweetness that’s strangely addictive, and when you add in the little secret that there are witches, it gets even better — are also found in these shows, so if you’re looking for something similar to Good Witch to watch next, check out our recommendations.

Shows to Watch If You Like Gossip Girl

If you don’t want to revisit Gossip Girl while waiting for the new series but still want to experience the highs and lows of the teen soap, which was a satire as much as it was a glorification of wealth and extravagance, you should check out our recommendations. Several of which feature a division of the haves and have-nots and continue to explore wealth and all that comes with it. Others are just really good teen dramas. If you like Gossip Girl, these are the shows you should watch next.

Shows to Watch If You Like Great British Baking Show

The Great British Baking Show is therapy for those of us looking for a reality series with warmth. If you’re in need of some chill reality competition shows featuring positive energy and supportive contestants, or just need a series that will help you relax, check out these programs.

Shows to Watch If You Like Hannibal

Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal, which tells the story of the complex relationship between cannibalistic psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), is a striking piece of art. These shows also feature charismatic serial killers and the people who are likewise obsessed with understanding them. Seriously, there are more than you’d expect.

Shows to Watch If You Like Hart of Dixie

The wacky but heartfelt CW dramedy Hart of Dixie is a fish-out-of-water story starring Rachel Bilson as a New York City doctor who moves to a small town in Alabama. Our list of recommendations features heartwarming shows set in eccentric small towns, plenty of romance, and medical professionals who’ve relocated and started over. 

Shows to Watch If You Like The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor

The Haunting of franchise is one of the most popular horror franchises on TV now, with chilling scares coming just as often as thoughtful commentary on our own fears. We’ve got some ideas for a few other series Haunting of fans might enjoy, from dramas that also leave you with an eerie feeling to shows that explore the infinite and grief in thoughtful ways just like both shows did. Here’s what to watch if you liked The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor. 

Shows to Watch If You Like Homeland

Homeland, a political thriller starring Claire Danes as a CIA officer and Mandy Patinkin as her mentor at the agency, traveled the globe throughout its eight seasons on Showtime. Our list of recommendations takes you further undercover and features tense stories of espionage, globe-trotting action dramas, and pulse-pounding games of cat-and-mouse.

Shows to Watch If You Like Insecure

HBO’s Insecure is so much more than a show: It’s a movement, a mood, and a whole culture. It is a hyper-real, hyper-specific look at Black women in 21st century Los Angeles. Our list of recommendations includes other good shows that depict Black women juggling friendship, love, and a career. 

Shows to Watch If You Like Justified

Justified, based on a short story by crime author Elmore Leonard, is a modern Western starring Timothy Olyphant as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens and Walton Goggins as his quick-witted foe Boyd Crowder. Our list of recommendations features other recent TV Westerns with complicated relationships, stylish crime dramas, and some of the best dialogue on television.

Sports Documentaries to Watch If You Like The Last Dance

The Last Dance, ESPN’s sensational docuseries following Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ final championship season, gave us our sports fix when we needed it most. Our list of recommendations features other documentaries that directly expand on stories that were part of The Last Dance, profiles of Michael Jordan-esque sports figures, and great basketball documentaries.

Shows to Watch If You Like Lucifer

While we wait for Lucifer Season 5 Part 2, we’re just going to have to watch some other shows like Lucifer, including at least one other based on a Neil Gaiman property, that will tide us over. We’ve put together a list of shows like Lucifer that feature supernatural cops, hunky Welshmen, and timeless romances that will give you your fix while you wait for the rest of Lucifer Season 5.

Shows to Watch If You Like The Mandalorian

Waiting for new episodes of Disney+’s The Mandalorian can be excruciating. Gotta get your Baby Yoda fix! From sci-fi epics to space westerns to just plain westerns, these shows will keep you busy while you wait for new episodes of  The Mandalorian.

Shows to Watch If You Like The OA

The OA, Netflix’s one-of-a-kind fantasy/sci-fi experience, stars co-creator Brit Marling as Prairie, a young woman who resurfaces after having been missing for seven years and calls herself The OA, but more important, she is no longer blind. Our list of recommendations features twisty sci-fi shows, series that may or may not be about the multiverse, and plenty more that will make your head hurt (but in a good way).

Shows to Watch If You Like The Office

It’s OK to watch something other than Kevin spill a big bowl of chili for the 136th time, which is why we’ve compiled this list of shows that will help you ween yourself off The Office by expanding your TV watching just beyond Scranton. And we’re not including the obvious picks like Parks and Recreation and The Office U.K., because you’ve seen those already.

Shows to Watch If You Like Once Upon a Time

If you can’t get enough of Emma’s (Jennifer Morrison) magical fairy-tale journey, you might find yourself looking for more shows that sweep you away to enchanted realms or keep you hooked with swoon-worthy romances, which is where we come in. Below is a list of shows like Once Upon a Time that any good Oncer should absolutely check out.

Shows to Watch If You Like Outer Banks

Outer Banks, Netflix’s sun-soaked teen drama that pits the haves against the have-nots on the picturesque coast of North Carolina, is a soapy melodrama about John B (Chase Stokes) and his friends’ search for lost treasure during one fateful summer. Our list of recommendations features shows that are also set in picturesque locales, explore young love, and are also filled with more soap than a case of Irish Spring.

Shows to Watch If You Like Ozark

If you’re looking for more shows featuring someone forced into a life of crime, violent battles between drug cartels, or families hiding secrets, we’ve put together a list of shows that will tide you over. From the show that paved the way for Ozark to some undiscovered gems that follow the same model, these shows will provide the next best thing.

Shows to Watch If You Like Perry Mason

HBO’s take on Perry Mason stars Matthew Rhys and gives the classic character a backstory soaked in trauma from World War I. Not all of the shows featured on this list have Rhys in them, and not all of them are set in the 1930s, but they all have something in common with Perry Mason that we think you’ll like. 

Shows and Movies to Watch If You Like Project Power

Project Power is a Netflix action movie about a drug that gives people superpowers for five minutes at a time. Our list of recommendations features superhero movies that aren’t based on existing characters, superhero shows set in New Orleans, and another Jamie Foxx action movie for good measure. 

Shows to Watch If You Like Psych

Psych, USA’s comedy about a fake psychic detective and his best friend and somewhat reluctant partner in crime, ran for eight seasons and now has two feature-length films under its belt. Our list of recommendations features shows that are full of the same camaraderie between best friends, plenty of eccentric murders, and more of USA’s Blue Skies.

Shows to Watch If You Like Sons of Anarchy

FX’s biker drama Sons of Anarchy followed the violent exploits and complicated internal politics of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club. Our list of recommendations features more macho soaps about the bonds of brotherhood, dramas exploring power dynamics and criminal organizations, and/or shows with heart-pumping action.

Shows to Watch If You Like Stranger Things

Watching Netflix’s sci-fi adventure series Stranger Things feels like watching a movie from the ’80s. Our list of recommendations includes shows that have pieces of what makes Stranger Things so special, like parallel dimensions or a tight band of charismatic kids or ’80s nostalgia. There are also classic shows that influenced Stranger Things. 

Shows to Watch If You Like Suits

Suits, USA Network’s long-running legal drama, follows Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), an arrogant but charming lawyer, and his fraudulent but brilliant protégé Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams). Our list of recommendations features other memorable USA shows, even more excellent legal dramas, and programs that include central bromances. 

Shows to Watch If You Like Supernatural

Supernatural said goodbye after 15 seasons of our favorite brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester slaying demons to classic rock tunes. Yes, a Supernatural rewatch is definitely in order for everyone, but what else can you watch now that Baby is parked in the garage for good? We’ve come up with a list of shows that all Supernatural fans should watch next. Most deal with the supernatural, some feature sibling bonds, and others feature investigators trying to explain what nothing else can. 

Shows to Watch If You Like Sweet Magnolias

Sweet Magnolias, Netflix’s new romantic soap starring Joanna Garcia Swisher as a soon-to-be-divorced mother of three who finds a chance to start over with a hunky former Major Leaguer in South Carolina, is a swoon-worthy story laced with small town charm. Our list of recommendations features other series with sweeping romances, shows with quaint small town atmosphere, and dramas that explore second chances at love.

Shows to Watch If You Like This Is Us

TV Guide has compiled a list of shows that can be just as cathartic and emotional as This Is Us, whether you’re also looking to process some grief, relate to complicated family dynamics, or get gut-punched by time tricks you didn’t know were happening. Some of these choices may be shows that you’ve heard of and we’ll explain why they make a great compliment to This Is Us, but we also hope you discover some new emotional gems that you can fall in love with. 

Shows to Watch If You Like The Umbrella Academy

Based on the graphic novel series by Gerard Way, The Umbrella Academy follows seven orphans who were adopted by an eccentric billionaire to form a superhero team, only to separate for years and learn that their adoptive father has passed away and an apocalypse is imminent. Did I mention that one of the heroes is half-ape, another is a time-traveler, and another is a ghost? The Umbrella Academy is weird, y’all. Here are more superhero team-up and stop-the-apocalypse shows.

Shows to Watch If You Like Vikings

We can’t get enough of History’s epic historical drama about badass dudes with funny haircuts fighting their enemies and each other for power. If you’re here for more history or just here to see someone get their head cut off, you’ll find what you need in these shows that are similar to Vikings.

Shows to Watch If You Like Virgin River

Netflix’s Virgin River follows a nurse practitioner who moves to a remote Northern California town to start over and heal from a series of traumatic heartbreaks. Our list of recommendations features more heartwarming romances, emotional family dramas, and shows about starting over in small towns. 

Shows to Watch If You Like The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead will shuffle back onto AMC later this year to finish its tenth season. But if you’re looking for more shows to watch in the meantime, our list of recommendations includes other zombie shows, other post-apocalyptic shows, other horror shows with a strong dramatic bent, and other shows made by people who also make The Walking Dead. 

Shows to Watch If You Like Warrior Nun

Netflix’s Warrior Nun is a comic book-based series that follows Ava (Alba Baptista), a young woman who is given a second chance at life when an angel’s halo embedded in her back revives her from the dead and she becomes part of an elite and secret order of nuns tasked with tracking down and killing demons on Earth. Once you finish the first season, check out these other supernatural shows that feature chosen ones, equally wild premises, and unconventional heroines.

Shows to Watch If You Like Wynonna Earp

Wynonna Earp is the best show about a wisecracking demon-slayer who just so happens to be the great-great-granddaughter of legendary gunslinger Wyatt Earp. Our list of similar shows also include fierce heroines, have plenty of humor, and one even has an exceptionally good-looking gunslinger. 

Shows to Watch If You Like The X-Files

Whether you watch The X-Files for the horror, the romance, the government conspiracies, or the reminder that the world is fundamentally chaotic and unknowable, our list of shows like the Fox classic has something for every kind of fan. Here are the shows you should check out next.

Shows to Watch If You Like Yellowstone

Yellowstone is Paramount Network’s neo-Western soap about the Dutton family, the owners of America’s largest ranch who are constantly fighting with outside wannabe usurpers and among themselves. This list of similar shows features some dysfunctional family dramas, a contemporary Western, an engrossing crime thriller, and a macho soap.

Looking for more recommendations of what to watch next? We have a ton of them!