10 Great Alternatives To Famous TV Shows You Just Can't Get Into

There are several TV shows that audiences are told they must watch, but for those who struggle to get into a particular title, there are these great alternatives.The best TV shows of all time are included on everyone’s watch lists, but even though they are undoubtedly incredible, not every story is a good fit. In fact, many people only tune into certain TV shows purely to see what the hype is about.

Many of the best bingeworthy TV shows end up becoming all-time favorites of viewers, but this isn’t an exclusive rule. While they try, many just cannot engage with these shows. However, there are plenty of other compelling TV shows that are ideal alternatives because they have similarities in storylines, characters, themes, or just overall tone. If you can’t get on board with an all-time classic TV show, try these titles instead.

10 Weeds

A Great Alternative To: Breaking Bad

Weeds is a fantastic alternative to Breaking Bad, especially because their lead characters share a similar backstory. Like Breaking Bad, Weeds begins with protagonist Nancy Botwin getting involved in the world of drug dealing in order to support her family. While Walter White has cancer, Nancy’s abrupt need for extra financial support is due to the unexpected death of her husband, Judah.

Throughout all eight seasons of Weeds, Nancy grows and changes as a person, starting as an unaware mother who is thrown into the deep end and ending as an experienced distributor of marijuana. Nancy’s character development is rather similar to Walt’s, and she becomes just as morally ambiguous as Breaking Bad’s high school chemistry teacher. However, there are factors of Weeds that make it different from Breaking Bad.

Weeds relies on dark comedy a lot more, and it focuses on the Botwins trying to keep their middle-class lifestyle, whereas Walt’s dangerous side hustle is for the sake of his health and keeping a roof over his wife and children’s heads. Breaking Bad is undoubtedly enthralling, but for those who find it too intense, Weeds is a perfect alternative.

9 Peaky Blinders

A Great Alternative To: The Sopranos

The Sopranos is a legendary piece of television, and while Tony Soprano’s story is a compelling one, not all viewers are able to engage with it. The Sopranos uses themes that focus on the importance of loyalty and has a large focus on crime families, two qualities that are also very apparent in Peaky Blinders, which is partly based on a true story. There are some differences between Peaky Blinders and The Sopranos, notably the setting and time period, with the British drama being set in 1920s Birmingham.

Peaky Blinders’ characters are truly interesting figures. Led by one of the brothers, Tommy, the Shelby family’s gang dominates the streets of their local area and beyond. However, just like with The Sopranos, Peaky Blinders’ subplots and character arcs outside their criminal activities are the show’s true strength, such as Grace’s pregnancy. The show ends with season 6, which is a disappointment for many, but thankfully, the Peaky Blinders movie is on its way.

8 The Last Kingdom

A Great Alternative To: Game Of Thrones

Game of Thrones is unquestionably one of the most discussed TV shows of all time, especially because it has such a convoluted and intricate lore. However, for those who find the backstory and details of Game of Thrones too difficult to follow or simply just can’t connect to the characters, The Last Kingdom is an ideal replacement.

The Last Kingdom’s main storyline focuses on Uhtred, a young man who struggles to choose between the family who raised him and his noble ancestry, a character arc that is comparable to Jon Snow’s. Every character in The Last Kingdom has a real counterpart from history, including Uhtred himself. Although it is fictional, the fascinating blend of real-life facts and creative ideas provides a brilliant watch, and every season of The Last Kingdom is historically accurate to some degree.

The Last Kingdom has picturesque cinematography that highlights both the beauty and grittiness of its medieval world, but it also brings Bernard Cornwell’s series of novels to life perfectly. While it is also full of complex narratives and gripping drama, The Last Kingdom is more condensed and easier to understand than Game of Thrones.

7 Abbott Elementary

A Great Alternative To: The Office

The Office is one of the best sitcoms of all time and famously keeps audiences laughing with the ridiculous antics of the staff at Dunder Mifflin Scranton. The Office comes from the likes of Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, who are also behind other hilarious TV shows like Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Good Place. However, another incredible sitcom currently on the air that isn’t by the pair is Abbott Elementary, which does an amazing job with the mockumentary format.

Abbott Elementary ticks many boxes that The Office does, too. Abbott Elementary’s main relationship storyline, between Janine and Gregory, is very will-they-won’t-they and similar to Jim and Pam, for example. There are also plenty of wild and wacky characters who are ridiculously unpredictable, like Ava, and others who try to keep everyone else in line, like Barbara. The mockumentary format in sitcoms is extremely popular, but Abbott Elementary takes the concept and refreshes it very well.

6 BoJack Horseman

A Great Alternative To: Mad Men

Mad Men is led by Jon Hamm’s Don Draper, the creative director of the fictional Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency. Draper drinks and smokes non-stop and thrives in his successful career, but he also has a dark past and a reputation for adultery. Mad Men is very drama-focused, but for those who find the show too serious, a strange but fitting alternative is the animated Netflix showBoJack Horseman.

At a glance, the two shows don’t appear to be similar, but upon closer examination, they have a lot in common. Like Draper, BoJack struggles with substance abuse and his fame. While he loves being the center of attention, he also constantly battles with the effects of his popularity.

BoJack spends a lot of time reflecting on his misdeeds and how he treats people, especially the women in his life. There are a few comparable qualities between Princess Carolyn and Mad Men’s Betty, and she isn’t afraid to call out the titular character when needed. BoJack Horseman may be set in a world of anthropomorphic animals, but there are still a lot of parallels between it and Mad Men.

5 Boardwalk Empire

A Great Alternative To: The Wire

The Wire is an extremely prominent TV show from recent years and a captivating crime drama that follows Detective Jimmy McNulty. Jimmy’s ongoing quest to clear up the drug-addled streets of Baltimore is engaging and fantastic, even earning the show two Primetime Emmys. There are many TV shows similar to The Wire, but for those who struggle to get into it, Boardwalk Empire is worth trying.

The show is set in the Prohibition era of the 1920s and focuses on Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, a real-life historical figure who rises through the ranks and takes control of Atlantic City. Although The Wire and Boardwalk Empire don’t share a setting or time period, there are similarities between the two. Multiple members of production work on both shows, such as directors Ed Bianchi and Brad Anderson, for example.

In many ways, Boardwalk Empire is the opposite side of The Wire ’s narrative. Boardwalk Empire has astounding dialogue and nail-biting storylines, and it delves into the corruption of government, three elements that are also used to describe The Wire. The two TV shows fascinatingly explore societal structures, but Boardwalk Empire takes a more villainous side.

4 Dad’s Army

A Great Alternative To: M*A*S*H

M*A*S*H may have ended quite a while ago, but it remains one of the best military TV shows ever and a timeless classic. The brilliant comedy is set during the Korean War and is about a group of medical professionals stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. In the backdrop of wartime, the likes of Hawkeye and B.J. stick together through all manner of pain and trauma, but with a significantly comical undertone throughout.

However, M*A*S*H isn’t the only hilarious war TV show. The British sitcom Dad’s Army has a very similar narrative and characters. Dad’s Army is set in the midst of World War II and follows a group of soldiers who prepare for invasion.

Dad’s Army is definitely more lighthearted than M*A*S*H , which makes it an ideal candidate worth checking out, especially for those who find the hit American show too morbid at times. The characters in Dad’s Army have many wacky adventures and end up in several ridiculous situations, but the core theme of resilience is still prominent throughout, just like M*A*S*H.

3 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

A Great Alternative To: Seinfeld

Seinfeld is a groundbreaking sitcom and is often considered the best title of the subgenre. The show is one of the greatest to use focus on a group of people, and Seinfeld’s ensemble cast has created some of the wildest situations in TV history. For example, “The Contest” is a groundbreaking sitcom episode because it tackles the taboo topic of masturbation without actually using the word.

Seinfeld has a universal appeal, but for audiences that don’t click with it, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia offers a similar charm, and there are hundreds of episodes to enjoy. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is essentially an uncensored Seinfeld.

The gang in It’s Always Sunny are baffling people who throw themselves into all kinds of shocking schemes and situations, and they all hype each other up to cause as much chaos as possible. Seinfeld is famously referred to as a show about nothing, and It’s Always Sunny is the same. The owners of Paddy’s Pub never truly change or grow; they’re simply wrapped up in their own little world and don’t care about anyone except themselves.

2 Scrubs

A Great Alternative To: Grey’s Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy is one of the best medical drama TV shows around, which is why it has so many seasons. Grey’s Anatomy is full of intriguing and loveable characters, including Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Alex Karev, and more, all of which have their respective storylines rife with drama and profound moments.

However, it’s not uncommon for viewers to struggle to keep up with all the convoluted storylines or even find Grey’s Anatomy’s saddest deaths too hard to watch. Scrubs, however, is a fantastic, more carefree alternative. The sitcom has its emotional scenes, too, but Scrubs is typically a humorous take on TV shows set in hospitals. Each of the characters is hysterically funny, but they are also flawed, which makes it easy to invest in them.

The strong bonds between J.D., Turk, Elliot, Carla, and Cox are amazing, just like the friendships Grey’s Anatomy sees in every season. Scrubs isn’t afraid to tackle the darker side of medical care, but its story-of-the-week format and the use of conventional sitcom tropes make it more wholesome, and many are excited that a revival is in the works.

1 The Leftovers

A Great Alternative To: Lost

Despite Lost’s controversial ending, the TV show is generally considered to be legendary. Lost focuses on a group of plane crash survivors on a mysterious island and their attempts to return home, only for a bizarre supernatural force to stop them at every turn. Lost is a hotbed for TV show theories, but one common criticism is that it is overly complicated at times.

While this isn’t an issue for everyone, there are examples of other titles that are easier to follow, such as The Leftovers. Based on Tom Perrotta’s novel of the same name, The Leftovers introduces a world in which 2% of the population is gone following an enigmatic global event. Like Lost, The Leftovers switches between multiple narratives that are connected yet separate.

The Leftovers’ characters include police chief Kevin, widow Nora, and Reverend Matt, and their respective stories all look at their personal lives as well as the overarching problem at hand. The Leftovers is co-created by Damon Lindelof, who is also one of the minds behind Lost , so it’s guaranteed that Lost’s famous mind-bending qualities are prominent in The Leftovers.​​​​​​​