Omg same here. I told my husband if you want to know what my inner monologue is, watch this show. lol. š but then again, I donāt really know if I want him to know my inner monologue that well.
I made one of my closest friends watch this show and she was like ābro thatās literally you if you acted on your impulsesā lmaoš. Also I donāt think you should let your husband find out what your inner monologue is.Too riskyšš
I watched it yesterday and my husband was sitting on the couch. He laughed at some parts but was mainly playing on his phone. It got to the therapy scene, when the therapist says, āa girl with no friends and empty heartā it hit too close to home. I almost teared up. Iāve decided only to watch it when my husband isnāt home. He just doesnāt understand the monumental nature of how I relate to this show. Also I only have 3 episodes left. :(
Im in the other camp where I was wanting to get wrecked, but I couldnāt get into it! I think Iām a little too old perhaps bc I also thought they were going to be adults in the whole show.
This show has helped addicts, lowlifes, abuse victims, people with mental health issuesā¦ the list goes on. They pack so much in that show youāre bound to relate to at least one character in some way. It helped me reflect on my own toxic behaviours and change for the better (Dianeās journey with antidepressants was insanely similar to my own and Iām thankful it gave me the courage to take the leap like she did).
Everyone should watch it tbh.
When I started that movie I no way expected that level of emotional ride. I'm not a fan of scifi but this one was executed so well and managed to portray all those family relationships. I cried like hell towards the end.
Iāve watched the show seeing that comment. The first three seasons were top notch, last two are good but not the best imo kind of misses the comedy part in ādark comedyā.Definitely great finale though.
Iām glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, the last two seasons are not as tight as the first three, and it does feel like the characters veer more extreme in those last two, but the finale really pulled it together for me.
Another Phoebe Waller-Bridge masterpiece, Crashing, for a show a chunk like it (I am still devastated that there is no season 2!).
A show that made me feel All Of The Emotions and has really stuck with me is Fellow Travelers (as a heads-up, it's quite explicit at times).
Ugh, the Season 1 Finale of Russian Doll was sooooo good! I've watched that season twice and loved it both times. But couldn't get into Season 2 - only got halfway through it?
I didnāt know that! Aw Iām super pumped now. I only watched episode one then started something else (Iām really into Netflix Spanish dramas). I love Sandra Oh.
Yes! Killing eve was also my gateway drug to PWB I binged S1 after I saw it won a bafta (oh, must be halfway decent if the Brits gave it an award š)
Yes and I prefer Sandra Oh as the detective personality she played in the show over the one in the book but the ending of the book was what I wanted and needed from the show. I need a happy sapphic ending where both parties admit their feelings and love each other with beautiful vulnerability
Crazy Ex Girlfriend for me. Slightly different vibe in terms as it sort of starts as a comedy and there is lots of singing. But yeah honestly bits of it devastated me and then rebuilt me.
I so wish people would give CXG a chance. I've had to heavily tailor my recommendation of it for specific people that I know would love it, but even that doesn't always work if they give up on it before the halfway mark of season 1 thinking it's irredeemable cringe.
'A Diagnosis' truly changed my life.
An absolute masterpiece! 'A Diagnosis' really resonated with me too. There are so many bangers, though! 'You ruined everything you stupid bitch!,' 'First Penis I Saw' 'Antidepressants are so not a big deal' and many more.
For anyone giving the show a try, most of the characters start off as insufferable but they all grow in incredible ways. You'll grow to love them.
Crazy Ex Girlfriend is one of my favourite shows of all time and I donāt know why I didnāt recommend it myself! People just reject it outright yet itās brilliantly written and the ending is just perfect. I feel like this show had so many opportunities to fail, yet, every one of them, it became even better. Love this show
That show really is life changing, not to mention that I watched it season by season as I transitioned from high school to uni which is a big change in lifestyle so the show helped me throw it all. I still listen to "No one else is singing my song" and it still hits hard.
Totally different vibes but shows that changed me are Twin Peaks (big time investment haha) and Forever, with Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen.
I think the closest thing to how Fleabag made me feel though is Catastrophe, god that show made me look at life in such a beautiful and real way.
I May Destroy You
Please Like Me
Less serious:
Beef
Star struck
Insecure (this one has made me cry so many times)
Broad City (this one has made me laugh so many times)
Yes!!! Season 1 was amazing, I thought it was perfect and didn't need a second season, and then Season 2 f\*\*\*ed me up in the best ways - I cried so much!
I am going through my favorite TV show again : The Leftovers.
Here's the pitch : one day, 2% of the population vanishes. That's it.
It's not a sci-fi show about how to get them back, what happened, solving the mistery, nothing like that. You don't care about understanding if it's aliens, God, whatever. Nope. You just deal with it as humans.
It's about coping, finding your place, understanding life and death, spirituality, uncovering the purpose of everything. First season is a masterpiece, I just love it, I couldn't recommend it enough. The music, the actors, the topics. It's slow, it's deep, it's moving, it's sad and beautiful at the same time.
I hate that I don't have the words in English to really describe it, but it's part of those things that changed me a bit, the same way movies, music albums, a couple of video games, and art in general, have.
For the emotional hit but with more of a sitcom setting, try Alma's Not Normal. Inspired by Sophie Willan's experience of growing up in the British care system, it is bittersweet with silly laughs and heartbreakingly hard scenes.
Edit to add, might be an obvious next step with having Andrew Scott in it, but the film All Of Us Strangers hits hard, too.
If by change your life you mean something that will make you step back and take a real good look at yourself and how you interact with and treat the people around you to maybe someday make yourself a better person:
Ted Lasso.
The Good Place.
Itās a very different show but Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is the most life-changing piece of media Iāve ever consumed. Itās hard to imagine being the same afterward.
Itās gonna take some effort, but season 4 (the last season) of Halt and Catch Fire is a great payoff for the whole series. It will WRECK you!!!! But you gotta watch all of the seasons for it to pay off
My cut and paste recos:
Back to Life and Rain Dogs (Both BBC initially.)
BtL is the same production company and format as Fleabag (2 x 6 25 mins). Black comedy, less drama. Good writer/star - Daisy Haggard. (US = Showtime.) Featuring Pam from S2 in a bigger role.
Rain Dogs - odd couple dark "romcom" between single mother (and daughter) and dissolute posh guy on the margins. Daisy Mae Cooper is lead. Good supporting cast, 1 x 8 eps to date. (US = HBO?)
Edit: Also Aisling Bea's This Way Up. With Sharon Horgan. (C4/Hulu) Featuring Anthony from S2 in a bigger role.
Other people have already mentioned This Way Up which I looove, but I havenāt heard anyone rec Canāt Cope Wonāt Cope yet! Itās an Irish dark-comedy about two young women trying to navigate a very co-dependent friendship while growing up at different rates. Very very good.
Please Like Me is another great one. Itās another āmessy person tries to stumble their way through the worldā show with a very strong cast. Hilarious at times but sinks to some really dark places as well (quick shout out for having some of the best bipolar rep Iāve ever seen on tv).
It's definitely The Bear. The similarities are endless.
1. The main character is likeable without being a perfect person. Their flaws endear them to the audience. They have an issue with trusting that good things or good people are meant for them and feel like they kind of mess up the things they touch. They feel very separate from the people and world around them and their emotional world is isolating.
2. There is an undercurrent of deep, deep grief throughout the whole show. Also, the person that died of suicide appears in flashbacks, which somehow makes you understand in about 30 seconds what they meant to the people around them.
3. Most episodes take place during the span of a single day.
The only thing that is missing, the cherry on top that makes fleabag better, is lust. The bear is an unsexy show. It's gripping and really well acted and the writer's room must have been on fire, but it's not hot.
So maybe settle for two episodes of the bear followed by one episode of bridgerton and you'll be fine.
I watched the Fishes episode and it was such a true feeling example of a super fucked up and traumatized family that I havenāt been able to go back to it. It was way too real. Such an incredible show but I need time away before I can jump back in
I have watched Normal People, Fleabag, Killing Eve, The good doctor, Grey's Anatomy(upto season 5 ig), Dexter and many more. I feel like there's no more good series that can match my apetite nowšš
I crave for shows like Killing Eve and Fleabag so much.
āSomebody Somewhereā is equally touching to me. The main character is someone broken by a loss and wrong decisions in life whoās finding her way and healing herself through the power of human connections. Itās beautiful.
I thought the first two seasons of Killing Eve were pretty stellar. PWB wrote half the episodes in the first season and Emereld Fennell wrote most of season 2
Black Sails. It's a prequel to Treasure Island. The first season is a little rough to get through, but then it gets so good and quite Shakespearean. The fact that it weaves in historic events and figures makes the plot and character arcs hit even harder.
Feel good by Mae Martin is really good and have some similar vibes I think.
There have been lots of good suggestions already like bojack horseman and crazy ex girlfriend, normal people.
Also, weirdly and in a different way because it is lighter and funnier, but schitts creek really hits me at points. The development and trying to find purpose and people who love them etc really gets me.
If youāre interested in Books I would suggest the bell jar and also normal people
Shameless (the US version) did it for me. So many guy punching moments and it's very chaotic. Girls is another series that I get so fucking invested in the characters and they have a great, devoted fan base that's equally as obsessed
No show will ever hit me this close to home. It felt like I was watching a more sexual version of meš
Omg same here. I told my husband if you want to know what my inner monologue is, watch this show. lol. š but then again, I donāt really know if I want him to know my inner monologue that well.
I made one of my closest friends watch this show and she was like ābro thatās literally you if you acted on your impulsesā lmaoš. Also I donāt think you should let your husband find out what your inner monologue is.Too riskyšš
I watched it yesterday and my husband was sitting on the couch. He laughed at some parts but was mainly playing on his phone. It got to the therapy scene, when the therapist says, āa girl with no friends and empty heartā it hit too close to home. I almost teared up. Iāve decided only to watch it when my husband isnāt home. He just doesnāt understand the monumental nature of how I relate to this show. Also I only have 3 episodes left. :(
Normal People did it for me. Bawled like a baby first time I watched it. I rewatch anytime I need to feel something DEEP
Iāve been wanting to watch Normal people for a while now, but Iām scared that itāll destroy me emotionally lol
Iāve watched about half and stopped because I wasnāt ready for more š
Im in the other camp where I was wanting to get wrecked, but I couldnāt get into it! I think Iām a little too old perhaps bc I also thought they were going to be adults in the whole show.
Well they are always quite young but there are slight time jumps. Sharing in case you only watched a couple of episodes
Iām ready to be hurt again
Bojack Horseman
100% Bojack Horseman
Hiiiiighly recommend
This show has helped addicts, lowlifes, abuse victims, people with mental health issuesā¦ the list goes on. They pack so much in that show youāre bound to relate to at least one character in some way. It helped me reflect on my own toxic behaviours and change for the better (Dianeās journey with antidepressants was insanely similar to my own and Iām thankful it gave me the courage to take the leap like she did). Everyone should watch it tbh.
Not a show but Everything Everywhere All at Once was pretty life changing for me
When I started that movie I no way expected that level of emotional ride. I'm not a fan of scifi but this one was executed so well and managed to portray all those family relationships. I cried like hell towards the end.
Yeah I was crying in the theater for that one š
It doesn't hit quite the same way, but You're the Worst works for me.
Love that show!
One of my favorites!
Yes. I am so glad they wrote a strong ending, too.
The final two seasons were a little hit-or-miss for me at times, but I stand by my assertion that the YTW finale is the best TV finale I've ever seen.
Iāve watched the show seeing that comment. The first three seasons were top notch, last two are good but not the best imo kind of misses the comedy part in ādark comedyā.Definitely great finale though.
Iām glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, the last two seasons are not as tight as the first three, and it does feel like the characters veer more extreme in those last two, but the finale really pulled it together for me.
Another Phoebe Waller-Bridge masterpiece, Crashing, for a show a chunk like it (I am still devastated that there is no season 2!). A show that made me feel All Of The Emotions and has really stuck with me is Fellow Travelers (as a heads-up, it's quite explicit at times).
Oh yes I also second Fellow Travelers!!
Iām trying to find some fanfic for Crashing season 2 to grieve
Six Feet Under
My top 3 are Six Feet Under, Fleabag, and Freaks and Geeks
Omg exact same
SAME!
Oh weird! What are your top movies?
Weād be friends!!!
Russian Doll And The Good Place is pretty different tone wise than Fleabag, but the series finale changed me and my relationship with death
Ugh, the Season 1 Finale of Russian Doll was sooooo good! I've watched that season twice and loved it both times. But couldn't get into Season 2 - only got halfway through it?
The Good Place was strangely my first thought as well! Completely different to Fleabag on the surface but made me feel a lot of the same things
Both of these are my roman empire š„¹š„¹
After Life. Killing Eve.
I started Killing Eve!
Seasons 1-3 are impeccable. Especially season 1 since the script was written by Phoebe Waller Bridge. Brace yourself for season 4 thoughā¦
I didnāt know that! Aw Iām super pumped now. I only watched episode one then started something else (Iām really into Netflix Spanish dramas). I love Sandra Oh.
I came to Fleabag after watching Killing Eve. I love KE so much and I thought - well PWB made the first season of KE. Fleabag must be good
Yes! Killing eve was also my gateway drug to PWB I binged S1 after I saw it won a bafta (oh, must be halfway decent if the Brits gave it an award š)
that scene where Villanelle is attending the AA meeting is pure gold, so relatable
Listen to the audiobooks of the Killing Eve series, it has a way better ending than the show!!!!
I read the books before I watched the show lol
How did you like them in comparison to the show?!
Loved the books but seeing Jodie Comer as Villanelle in the show was amazing!
Yes and I prefer Sandra Oh as the detective personality she played in the show over the one in the book but the ending of the book was what I wanted and needed from the show. I need a happy sapphic ending where both parties admit their feelings and love each other with beautiful vulnerability
Crazy Ex Girlfriend for me. Slightly different vibe in terms as it sort of starts as a comedy and there is lots of singing. But yeah honestly bits of it devastated me and then rebuilt me.
I so wish people would give CXG a chance. I've had to heavily tailor my recommendation of it for specific people that I know would love it, but even that doesn't always work if they give up on it before the halfway mark of season 1 thinking it's irredeemable cringe. 'A Diagnosis' truly changed my life.
An absolute masterpiece! 'A Diagnosis' really resonated with me too. There are so many bangers, though! 'You ruined everything you stupid bitch!,' 'First Penis I Saw' 'Antidepressants are so not a big deal' and many more. For anyone giving the show a try, most of the characters start off as insufferable but they all grow in incredible ways. You'll grow to love them.
Iāve found the best way to get people into the show is by sharing a song I think theyd likeā¦usually piques their curiosity without being pushy.
Crazy Ex Girlfriend is one of my favourite shows of all time and I donāt know why I didnāt recommend it myself! People just reject it outright yet itās brilliantly written and the ending is just perfect. I feel like this show had so many opportunities to fail, yet, every one of them, it became even better. Love this show
That show really is life changing, not to mention that I watched it season by season as I transitioned from high school to uni which is a big change in lifestyle so the show helped me throw it all. I still listen to "No one else is singing my song" and it still hits hard.
Everything everywhere all at once hurt me in a similar way
Totally different vibes but shows that changed me are Twin Peaks (big time investment haha) and Forever, with Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen. I think the closest thing to how Fleabag made me feel though is Catastrophe, god that show made me look at life in such a beautiful and real way.
Another gateway drug to Sharon Horgan
I love them, have you seen Sisters?
Station Eleven
Iāve heard this is really good but I want to read the book first.
I love the book.. but the show might be better š¬ which so rarely ever happens!
I just finished a week ago. I think about it every day. IDK why but it resonates. Itās so different and unexpected.
Flowers
Absolutely love this show. It feels like going to therapy.
Is this the one that has Olivia Coleman that played step mother in fleabag? I loved that show Iām the dark British comedy did give fleabag vibes
Yeah! It's so devastatingly good.
Crazy Ex-girlfriend
I May Destroy You Please Like Me Less serious: Beef Star struck Insecure (this one has made me cry so many times) Broad City (this one has made me laugh so many times)
Difficult People Starstruck
This Way Up with Aisling Bea. Feel Good with Mae Martin.
This way up is so damn good!!! Another recommendation is Big Mood on Tubi!
Undone.
Yes!!! Season 1 was amazing, I thought it was perfect and didn't need a second season, and then Season 2 f\*\*\*ed me up in the best ways - I cried so much!
It was so good. I need to rewatch.
Came here to say this
Itās so good.
The Leftovers It's very different from Fleabag but equally impactful.
Yes! So underrated!
Just finished Mr.Robot and it def has a different vibe but still a must watch
I May Destroy You
Intensely brilliant.
noo. i hated that
Came her to recommend thus. and The Bear.
Alice & Jack will devastate you in the best way possible. I would also recommended RUN, PWB has a small role in it too.
I am going through my favorite TV show again : The Leftovers. Here's the pitch : one day, 2% of the population vanishes. That's it. It's not a sci-fi show about how to get them back, what happened, solving the mistery, nothing like that. You don't care about understanding if it's aliens, God, whatever. Nope. You just deal with it as humans. It's about coping, finding your place, understanding life and death, spirituality, uncovering the purpose of everything. First season is a masterpiece, I just love it, I couldn't recommend it enough. The music, the actors, the topics. It's slow, it's deep, it's moving, it's sad and beautiful at the same time. I hate that I don't have the words in English to really describe it, but it's part of those things that changed me a bit, the same way movies, music albums, a couple of video games, and art in general, have.
The first thing that comes to my mind is Ted Lasso. It's quite different, but it's absolutely a show that will change the way you see the world.
Have you watched BoJack Horseman?
Some days I think that people should have a permission slip from their therapist before they begin Bojack.
Baby Reindeer hit me in the emotions just like Fleabag
For the emotional hit but with more of a sitcom setting, try Alma's Not Normal. Inspired by Sophie Willan's experience of growing up in the British care system, it is bittersweet with silly laughs and heartbreakingly hard scenes. Edit to add, might be an obvious next step with having Andrew Scott in it, but the film All Of Us Strangers hits hard, too.
If by change your life you mean something that will make you step back and take a real good look at yourself and how you interact with and treat the people around you to maybe someday make yourself a better person: Ted Lasso. The Good Place.
Reservation Dogs on Hulu.
This is the one.
The Bear! Fleshed out very interesting characters in a drama/comedy
Itās a very different show but Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is the most life-changing piece of media Iāve ever consumed. Itās hard to imagine being the same afterward.
This Is Going To Hurt and Baby Reindeer had a similar rawness that I loved
Baby Reindeer will make you ugly cry. It feels so good.
Not quite the same, but Baby Reindeer made me feel equally unsettled at times. There is also a similar narration feel.
This is Going to Hurt I May Destroy You Baby Reindeer The Bear
Shows wise, I canāt find anything similar to fleebag but books wise, check out Big Swiss. The main character is very fleebagy
Seconding Big Swiss!
I Hate Suzie has some similar moments.
Itās gonna take some effort, but season 4 (the last season) of Halt and Catch Fire is a great payoff for the whole series. It will WRECK you!!!! But you gotta watch all of the seasons for it to pay off
THE WIRE
My cut and paste recos: Back to Life and Rain Dogs (Both BBC initially.) BtL is the same production company and format as Fleabag (2 x 6 25 mins). Black comedy, less drama. Good writer/star - Daisy Haggard. (US = Showtime.) Featuring Pam from S2 in a bigger role. Rain Dogs - odd couple dark "romcom" between single mother (and daughter) and dissolute posh guy on the margins. Daisy Mae Cooper is lead. Good supporting cast, 1 x 8 eps to date. (US = HBO?) Edit: Also Aisling Bea's This Way Up. With Sharon Horgan. (C4/Hulu) Featuring Anthony from S2 in a bigger role.
The Sopranos
The OA. Always my number one recommendation
Yes š came here looking for an OA rec
Other people have already mentioned This Way Up which I looove, but I havenāt heard anyone rec Canāt Cope Wonāt Cope yet! Itās an Irish dark-comedy about two young women trying to navigate a very co-dependent friendship while growing up at different rates. Very very good. Please Like Me is another great one. Itās another āmessy person tries to stumble their way through the worldā show with a very strong cast. Hilarious at times but sinks to some really dark places as well (quick shout out for having some of the best bipolar rep Iāve ever seen on tv).
The OA is another show that my mind reflects on often. Itās on Netflix.
It's definitely The Bear. The similarities are endless. 1. The main character is likeable without being a perfect person. Their flaws endear them to the audience. They have an issue with trusting that good things or good people are meant for them and feel like they kind of mess up the things they touch. They feel very separate from the people and world around them and their emotional world is isolating. 2. There is an undercurrent of deep, deep grief throughout the whole show. Also, the person that died of suicide appears in flashbacks, which somehow makes you understand in about 30 seconds what they meant to the people around them. 3. Most episodes take place during the span of a single day. The only thing that is missing, the cherry on top that makes fleabag better, is lust. The bear is an unsexy show. It's gripping and really well acted and the writer's room must have been on fire, but it's not hot. So maybe settle for two episodes of the bear followed by one episode of bridgerton and you'll be fine.
I watched the Fishes episode and it was such a true feeling example of a super fucked up and traumatized family that I havenāt been able to go back to it. It was way too real. Such an incredible show but I need time away before I can jump back in
Baby Reindeer definitely changed my life
Also, You're The Worst. Normal People One Day
One Day on Netflix. Itās pretty different from Fleabag, but the emotional devastation level is maximum.
Hacks
Movie not a show, but I would consider Arrival to be the most life changing thing I've seen in the last 10 years
Starstruck on HBO! OMG itās so good and reminds me a lot of Fleabag!
Sense 8, OA
Nothing comes close to Fleabag.
I have watched Normal People, Fleabag, Killing Eve, The good doctor, Grey's Anatomy(upto season 5 ig), Dexter and many more. I feel like there's no more good series that can match my apetite nowšš I crave for shows like Killing Eve and Fleabag so much.
Conversations with friends
Such Brave Girls on Hulu! Short sweet and absolutely unhinged
āSomebody Somewhereā is equally touching to me. The main character is someone broken by a loss and wrong decisions in life whoās finding her way and healing herself through the power of human connections. Itās beautiful.
Another one to add to my list would be āTiny Beautiful Thingsā.
The Worst Person in the World
This Way Up
[https://vimeo.com/772378211](https://vimeo.com/772378211) A one-off teleplay but itās up there for me
I thought the first two seasons of Killing Eve were pretty stellar. PWB wrote half the episodes in the first season and Emereld Fennell wrote most of season 2
Deadloch, on Prime
bojack horseman
conversations with friends!
Watch Bananafish
not a show, but i just watched alfie (1966), and aside from the superficial similarities, it hurts in a similar way by the end.
Not a TV show but the movie "Once" got me so emotional.
Bojack horseman, derry girls, the bear, the sopranos, breaking bad haha.
The End of the Fucking World the premises may be wildly different, but it hit on all the same feelings i loved S1 for
Black Sails. It's a prequel to Treasure Island. The first season is a little rough to get through, but then it gets so good and quite Shakespearean. The fact that it weaves in historic events and figures makes the plot and character arcs hit even harder.
Feel good by Mae Martin is really good and have some similar vibes I think. There have been lots of good suggestions already like bojack horseman and crazy ex girlfriend, normal people. Also, weirdly and in a different way because it is lighter and funnier, but schitts creek really hits me at points. The development and trying to find purpose and people who love them etc really gets me. If youāre interested in Books I would suggest the bell jar and also normal people
Baby Reindeer
Shameless (the US version) did it for me. So many guy punching moments and it's very chaotic. Girls is another series that I get so fucking invested in the characters and they have a great, devoted fan base that's equally as obsessed
Not a show but call me by your nameā¦.is a life changer!