67 Best TV Shows Similar to Wednesday
Apples Never Fall
NetworkPeacock,
SimilarA Fortunate Life, A Little Princess,
Agatha Christie's Poirot Anna Karenina, Återkomsten, Atomic Train, Blackeyes, Brides of Christ, Cleopatra, Dancing on the Edge, Dexter, Elizabeth R, Fallen, Game of Thrones, Gossip Girl, Intruders, Jewels, M*A*S*H, More than Blue: The Series, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit,
Planet of the Apes Pope John Paul II,
Pride and Prejudice Scully,
Sherlock Holmes Soul Land 2: The Peerless Tang Clan, Tales from the Neverending Story, The 4400, The Buccaneers, The Lost World, The Shining, Unterleuten: The Torn Village, World War II: When Lions Roared, Wycliffe,
The expression, “The book was better,” has become a truism in adaptation, an assumption where the few exceptions only prove the rule. But what’s a creator to do when the source material is deeply flawed?
If you’re Apples Never Fall creator Melanie Marnich, you make several cosmetic changes to Liane Moriarty’s novel. The drama moves from Australia to West Palm Beach. The four Delaney children—Troy (Jake Lacy), Brooke (Essie Randles), Amy (Alison Brie), and Logan (Conor Merrigan Turner)—are no longer uniformly tall and olive-skinned. Quite the opposite, really, on the skin tone front. Relationships are shuffled a bit. Unfortunately, these changes fail to elevate the series.
The broad strokes of the plot itself are intriguing. The Delaney parents Joy (Annette Bening) and Stan (Sam Neill) have finally retired from a lifetime of running a tennis center, including their own stints as players and coaches. Rather than a delightful occasion, it churns up all manner of unprocessed relationship issues. Stan is cantankerous and competitive, oscillating between diminishing everyone around him with words and beating them all over the court. Joy, on the other hand, expected to spend her golden years catching up with her children, who lack the time or interest in doing the same. Continue Reading →
SimilarNed's Declassified School Survival Guide,
StarringJosh Segarra,
The sitcom remains consistently charming and funny in its third season premiere.
Keeping a sitcom afloat beyond its first season is a delicate balancing act. There needs to be enough change in the stories and situations to keep audiences interested, without losing the all-important coziness factor that comes with returning to the same characters and settings in every episode. ABC’s Abbott Elementary became an instant hit with critics and audiences alike when it premiered in 2021, winning several Emmy Awards and becoming the network’s highest-rated comedy in three years.
There was no sophomore slump for Abbott either; Quinta Brunson recently became the first Black woman to win the Best Comedic Actress Emmy in more than forty years for her work on the second season. Abbott Elementary’s highly anticipated upcoming third season kicks off with a delightful debut episode that reunites audiences with the beloved teachers of the titular school, while introducing just enough changes to the status quo to amaze and intrigue viewers.
Five months have passed since the end of season two, and things have changed for the gang at Abbott. For instance, Principal Ava Coleman (scene-stealing breakout Janelle James) has abandoned her lazy, scammy method of administrating after being inspired by a course at Harvard, and the teachers are surprised to realize they actually prefer the old Ava. Continue Reading →
Slow Horses
Similar2Moons: The Series,
Agatha Christie's Poirot Animated Classics of Japanese Literature, Anna Karenina, Återkomsten,
Black Books Blackeyes, Brimstone, Chuck, Cigarette Girl, Condor, Dancing on the Edge, Dark Winds, Des, Dexter, Fallen, Fearless, Further Tales of the City, Game of Thrones, Golden Years, Gossip Girl, Jack the Ripper, Jewels, KONOSUBA – An Explosion on This Wonderful World!, La Femme Nikita, La Mante, Lupin, Luther, M*A*S*H, Millennium, Moeder, waarom leven wij?, Monarch of the Glen, More Tales of the City, Mr. Mercedes, Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King, Nine: Nine Time Travels, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit,
Planet of the Apes Pride and Prejudice Roswell Sherlock Holmes Soul Land 2: The Peerless Tang Clan, Super Pumped, Tales from the Neverending Story, The Alienist, The Buccaneers, The Equalizer, The Family Game, The Lost World, The Moon Embracing the Sun, The Shining, The Wimbledon Poisoner, Threshold, Tientsin Mystic, Troubles, Unorthodox, Unterleuten: The Torn Village, Viso d'angelo, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Witchcraft, World's End Harem, Wycliffe,
The AppleTV+ spy series retains its humor but gives viewers its most tightly plotted effort yet.
Slow Horses Season 3 reiterates how the series differs from so many other TV shows. While critics frequently discuss film as a director’s medium, television tends to be more showrunner—and thus writer—driven. While Horses indeed derives many of its pleasures from the writers—the returning trio of Will Smith, Jonny Stockwood, and Mark Denton once again man the pens—each season’s unique tone owes to its single director.
James Hawes made the series’ debut season a workplace comedy where the occasional gun battle might break out. Season 2 darkened or ditched much of the comedy for a bleaker, higher action affair under the direction of Jeremy Lovering. In Slow Horses Season 3, Saul Metzstein doesn’t push the team back into the offices. If anything, Slough House appears even less than in Season 2. However, he does re-up some of the mismatched colleagues’ humor, particularly when it comes to the team’s most recent additions, gambling addict Marcus (Kadiff Kirwan) and drug addict Shirley (Aimee-Ffion Edwards). He also further deepens the emotional stakes with a light touch, adding depth to ever-growing complications. Continue Reading →
Der Schwarm
SimilarGolden Years, The Incredible Hulk,
The sea is always a great setting for a story. It’s both soothing and menacing; water is cleansing and purifying, and a consistently replenishing source of food. But it’s also dangerous and uncompromising. Water is one of nature’s greatest antagonists, it can get into virtually anything, softening it, weakening it, eventually breaking it apart. But nothing on earth would survive without it. It’s a brilliant metaphor for so many things, as it’s constantly changing and moving and covers wondrous and monstrous secrets. It works even better in visual mediums like TV and film because it’s beautiful to both look at and listen to. The CW’s new eco-thriller, The Swarm, makes good use of its watery locations in establishing an aura of tranquil menace: everything seems calm and orderly, but there’s trouble bubbling up just below the surface. Continue Reading →
Who Is Erin Carter?
SimilarA Little Princess, Alias Grace, Cleopatra, Elizabeth R, Fallen, More than Blue: The Series, Narco-Saints, Pope John Paul II,
Pride and Prejudice Queen Cleopatra, Scully, Son of the Morning Star, Star and Sky: Star in My Mind, The Buccaneers, The Gangster Chronicles, The Gold Robbers, The Shining, Unorthodox, World War II: When Lions Roared,
In Who is Erin Carter? ’s precipitating event, the titular character (Evin Ahmad)—a British ex-pat living in Spain and trying to make a living as a substitute teacher—must fight a masked gunman during a grocery store robbery. At stake is the life of nearly blind daughter Harper (Indica Watson), who cowers unseen under a display of oranges. Continue Reading →
Mulligan
SimilarFamily Guy,
StarringSam Richardson,
Mulligan may be an animated comedy about a ragtag group of survivors of an alien attack on Earth. However, Hardcore 30 Rock fans will quickly discover Netflix’s new animated series feels pretty familiar to the early-aughts sitcom. First, there’s the fast-paced comedic timing, a signature of producers Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, and Sam Means. Next, both series feature the infectious, bouncy music of Jeff Richmond. Finally, both got off to a bit of a rough start. Still, just like hang gliding over an apocalyptic alien attack, Mulligan’s an amusing, wild journey that rewards viewers who hang on for the ride. Continue Reading →
Platonic
SimilarArchie Bunker's Place,
Watch afterFoundation, From, Hijack, ONE PIECE,
Silo The Wheel of Time,
Wednesday
As a group, humanity has spent entirely too much time asking, “Can men and women ever be friends without sex getting in the way.” Thankfully, Platonic, by creators Nicholas Stoller and Francesca Delbanco, asks a different, perhaps more germane question. “Can women and men be friends without ruining each others’ lives?” Continue Reading →
Ghosts of Beirut
NetworkShowtime,
SimilarBrimstone, La Femme Nikita, La Mante, Princess Principal, Sám vojak v poli,
StudioShowtime Networks,
Throughout the near-240 minutes of Showtime’s Ghosts of Beirut, the four-part espionage thriller introduces dozens of characters scattered across the Middle East. CIA agents, Mossad operatives, and various members of the Islamic Jihad Organization all get time within these four hours of television. Creators Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz attempt to give all perspectives in this story, including that of terrorist Imad Mughniyeh, the central figure of this story, and so, the series consistently remains too limited. Continue Reading →
Class of '09
SimilarMy Holo Love, Santa Evita, The Gold Robbers, Three Days of Christmas, White House Plumbers,
StudioFX Productions,
Welcome to the future. America is “the safest country on Earth,” as FBI Agent Tayo Michaels (Brian Tyree Henry) assures us. And it is all thanks to a program that is one part Minority Report, one part that computer Lucius Fox gets all bent out of shape about in The Dark Knight. It started as a sort of interrogation tool, but it has blossomed into a prediction machine that lets the FBI anticipate criminal activities. Comic book fans, think Force Works. Law enforcement has gotten “proactive.” Continue Reading →
The Diplomat
Behold! Netflix has created…network television! Continue Reading →
Slip
You ever have a really great orgasm? Like so strong it sends you into an entirely different dimension? Now imagine that’s not a metaphor. Welcome to the premise of creator-writer-director-star Zoe Lister-Jones’ Slip. Continue Reading →
BEEF
It takes a little while to find Beef’s groove. This critic assures you that this is not the classic of the streaming age, “give it a few episodes” warning. By the end of the first episode, you will know if the series is for you. However, everything about the show feels overwhelming in the first eight to ten minutes. Continue Reading →
Tiny Beautiful Things
SimilarAgatha Christie's Poirot Around the World in 80 Days, Helltown, No Escape, Santa Evita, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Wycliffe,
StudioABC Signature,
If you belonged to a certain group of very online Millennials around 2011, then the chances that a Dear Sugar letter changed your life or permanently lodged itself in your brain are high. I know it’s certainly true for me. That means I’m carrying a certain degree of baggage to Hulu’s newest series, Tiny Beautiful Things, based on the book of the same name--a collection of Dear Sugar’s best advice columns)--and Sugar herself, Cheryl Strayed, who stepped forward as the columnist in 2012. Continue Reading →
Unstable
Unstable appears to be a deeply personal show for lead actor and co-creator Rob Lowe. After all, it revolves around a father/son duo played by Lowe and his real-life son, John Owen Lowe. Rob Lowe’s headlined worse stuff than this, for sure. Nonetheless, you’d think a series that seems rooted in something this personal would be more engaging to watch. At least, it might take some bold swings. Tragically, Unstable is a mostly just average comedy that leaves little in the way of an impression for good or ill. Continue Reading →
Yellowjackets
NetworkShowtime,
SimilarConstellation, Cruel Summer, From, Luther, Sonny Boy,
StudioShowtime Networks,
Season one of Showtime's surprise hit Yellowjackets left us with as many questions as it answered. With the show's sophomore season—launching this week—creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson take us deeper into their strange, terrifying wonderland, doling out mystery, horror, humor, and some exquisite needle drops. Prepare for a Tori Amos renaissance in the vein of Kate Bush's success on Stranger Things 4. Continue Reading →
Gotham Knights
SimilarGARO, HAPPY!, Loonatics Unleashed, Madan Senki Ryukendo, Mirai Sentai Timeranger, The Batman,
It’s a year ending with a number, so, once again, someone’s launching a live-action TV show rooted in Batman’s mythology but doesn’t star Batman. That show, following in the footsteps of Gotham and Pennyworth: The Origins of Batman’s Butler, is none other than Gotham Knights. A brand-new CW production, it aims to be a “next generation” tale of sorts. The audience follows a motley group of teens possessed of assorted connections to Batman characters, old and new. By the time the first episodes wrap, viewers will undoubtedly want to shine a signal into the sky to summon a better TV show. Continue Reading →
School Spirits
Some pray high school will never end. Some feel like it goes on for a painful forever. For Maddie Nears (Peyton List), those desires and hyperbolic thoughts may have become quite literal. If you die on her high school’s campus of unnatural causes, you apparently hang around with the other ghosts until you figure out how to move on. Imagine finding out the afterlife is real and you’ll never leave your high school again in the same moment. Continue Reading →
Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
SimilarHAPPY!, Krypton, Madan Senki Ryukendo, The Lost World,
Lunella Lafayette, aka Moon Girl (Diamond White), is a middle schooler with an intellect off the charts. Devil Dinosaur (Fred Tatasciore) is an interdimensional red T. Rex with a deep, abiding love for dirty water dogs. As odd couples go, they seem shoo-ins for the Hall of Fame. Continue Reading →
Dear Edward
SimilarAgatha Christie's Poirot Around the World in 80 Days, Helltown, No Escape, Santa Evita, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Wycliffe,
“Emotionally manipulative” is a criticism of television and film I’ve always struggled with evaluating. If it is doing its job, any show or movie should emotionally manipulate you, at least a bit. It’s why you can go into a dark cineplex feeling a bit in the grip of the blahs and emerge high on the story of Nic Cage and his best swine friend. So know, when I declare Dear Edward “emotionally manipulative as hell,” that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Continue Reading →
Velma
NetworkHBO Max,
SimilarFamily Guy, Hina Logic: From Luck & Logic, Raven's Home,
StarringSam Richardson,
Studio3 Arts Entertainment,
The character of Velma Dinkley inhabits a strange place in the Scooby-Doo franchise. In the context of the shows, she is arguably the most integral member of Mystery Inc, as her intelligence and skepticism make her most likely to solve the mystery first. However, as a supporting character in a franchise that focuses on Scooby and Shaggy’s antics, she is pushed to the sidelines and most viewers remember her catchphrase of “Jinkies” more than they remember her. Continue Reading →
Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches
NetworkAMC+,
SimilarCigarette Girl,
Roswell Soul Land 2: The Peerless Tang Clan,
AMC’s newest installment in Anne Rice’s ‘Immortal Universe’ may not blow you away, but it’s intriguing enough to warrant a longer look. With the Disneyfication of mainstream television, it’s a relief to know that some networks are still willing to take a risk on a less well-known franchise. While not as much as a household name as its predecessor Interview With the Vampire, Mayfair Witches presents a slowly unraveling southern gothic, whose promise far outshines its performance. Continue Reading →