Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag is one of the most celebrated comedies in recent memory. For those who have seen it, the flawed but lovable Fleabag and her foibles offer a ton of laughs and relatable scenarios, as well as some of the best dramatic and comedic performance one could find.
If you have binged through the series, you might be looking for something similar to follow-up with. Perhaps you want more of the cast or similar style of writing and dialogue. No matter your preference, these shows should satisfy your needs after finishing Fleabag.
Broadchurch
While Fleabag isn’t afraid to tackle darker themes, it is still a comedy first and foremost. Perhaps after you’ve finished a short comedy, you’re in the mood for something a little different. Well, Broadchurch might just be the series for you.
This crime drama features some of Britain’s best actors, including Fleabag alums Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Olivia Colman. The series is honestly heartwrenching but has such a satisfying story structure that keeps you hooked from season to season. Get ready for lots of twists and lots of tears.
Killing Eve
Fleabag wasn’t Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s only foray into screenwriting. Her credits are many, including the hit drama Killing Eve. Perhaps just as lauded, if not more so, than Fleabag, the series is unlike any other, providing fans of the comedian and writer a whole new type of story.
Starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, the series follows the exploits of Eve Polastri, a spy who is fed up with her desk job. Jodie Comer, who plays an equally bored killer, begins a game of cat and mouse with Eve that will send the pair to their absolute limits (as well as fulfilling their boredom).
Crashing
On top of both Fleabag and Killing Eve, Waller-Bridge also wrote and created this comedy series. Though a bit more formulaic, it is full of the same sort of quips and observations that you would expect from Waller-Bridge as a writer.
The series is about a group of friends who rent out an abandoned and disused hospital. Avoiding higher rent in the city, the gang totally refurbishes the hospital into their own private oasis. It’s fun, cheeky, and full of pitch-perfect comedic performances, much like Fleabag.
Peep Show
Moving away from the work of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, here are some other series that tackle many similar themes and embrace a related tone and feel. To kick it off, we suggest the British comedy Peep Show. This series focuses on an odd couple who are navigating their early adulthood in south London.
The real gimmick of the series is that the whole thing is filmed from the point of view of the two main characters, Mark and Jeremy. It tackles the awkward hurdles that come with surviving your twenties through thirties, from sex, love, friendship, and professional nightmares.
Broad City
Fleabag tackles a host of ideas that relate to women of today. In terms of an American equivalent, there is no better series that tackled similar ideas than Broad City. The comedy series focused on two millennial women living in New York City, who have to balance their insane friendship with responsibilities.
Starring Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, this comedy duo has fantastic chemistry. The pair navigate the nightmare of your twenties in much of the same way as Peep Show and Fleabag does. The series is funny, raunchy, and relevant as hell.
Atlanta
Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge are no strangers. Both comedians starred alongside each other in the film Solo: A Star Wars Story, and each also created a series that focuses on a somewhat autobiographical but heightened version of their lives.
Glover’s Atlantais some of the best TV in recent memory. Similarly only 2 seasons, the series focuses on Glover’s character as an amateur promoter for his friend Alfred’s (Paper Boi) rap career. The series is absurdist and modern as hell and is 100% straight from the mind of an artist like Glover.
Sex Education
Fleabag was never afraid to tackle hard questions about sex and the character’s relationship to it. In today’s media landscape, that can be a rare thing. The only other show that really takes it head-on would be Netflix’s Sex Education, starring Gillian Anderson and Asa Butterfield.
This British series is about a teen who’s has a secret: his mom is a sex therapist. Over the course of the show other kids at his school find out, and he and his friends begin charging for sex therapy from him. The series might sound ridiculously raunchy, but it actually has a lot of heart and explores difficult discussions around all aspects of sexuality and identity.
Bojak Horseman
Throughout the series, Fleabag has to handle her relationship with her addictions. From sex to smoking, she is defined largely by her vices and struggles to overcome them. It alienates her friends, family, and potential partners.
A similar series, Bojack Horseman, addresses this struggle as well. Even more absurdist, the series is about anthropomorphized animals and humans living side by side, with the main character being a talking horse and a washed-up sitcom star.
Barry
Barry is one of the best shows on TV right now. Featuring another comedic powerhouse, the series features Bill Hader as Barry, a hired gun. After getting brought on for a hit, Barry accidentally is pulled into an acting class where he believes he has found a new calling.
The series is dark and weird but beyond funny. It is equally thrilling, with a ton of tense and unexpected moments that you have to see to believe. Think of it as a similar middle ground between Fleabag and Killing Eve, straddling the line between thriller and comedy,
Flowers
Starring Step Mother herself, Olivia Colman, Flowers is a twisted dark family comedy about the Flower family. Also only two seasons, the show follows the exploits of this strange and broken family. Each of the family members struggle with their own diagnosis of mental illness, from depression to anxiety.
The series explores these things unflinchingly, shining a harsh light on the relationship between loved ones and mental health. It’s weird and offputting, but charming in a strange way. Also, you have to give it a try if only for Olivia Colman’s outstanding performance.
