The best comedy shows like Fleabag to watch right now

It’s kind of messed up that in our TV-saturated landscape, there are still so few series that will let main characters who aren’t cis men be as freely fucked-up and unfulfilled as many of us are in our own lives. The exception to this rule is Fleabag, the instant-classic dramedy about grief and sex that didn’t shy away from showing the more humiliating sides of the titular character’s wants and needs.

But as much as fans beg and plead, chances are good that the very busy Phoebe Waller-Bridge won’t give in and make a third season of Fleabag finally happen — she’s off writing and starring in blockbusters, from James Bond to Indiana Jones. It’s a miracle the second season even happened at all; famously, she was planning to keep the first season as a stand-alone adaptation of her hit one-woman play, until she was struck with sudden inspiration for a storyline about Fleabag falling in love with a priest. It led to an iconic TV season that was even better than the original. FleabagIt was a great feeling to be out.

Fleabag was rightfully lauded for showing all of its protagonist’s flaws and foibles, from her erotic fixation on Obama to her complicated relationship with her sister. She might have been one of a kind, but we could all find something to relate to in Fleabag’s ongoing quest for love and understanding, and the many mistakes she makes along the way. In addition, the iconic, hilarious, and often comical minor characters Bus Rodent and Harry, a neurotic ex boyfriend Harry, and the sardonic saccharine Stepmother were a highlight of the show.

In the absence of the show’s continuation, if you’re looking for something to watch that will hit some of the same buttons as FleabagCheck out these amazing shows featuring female dirtbag prostags. Each one has a main character who will certainly appeal to all of us out there who don’t have it as together as we’d like to.

Extraordinary

Photo: Natalie Seery/Disney Plus

Fleabag meets: The Misfits

The MisfitsIn the 2010s, they ruled the world. Airing on British channel E4, the series depicted a group of young adult ne’er-do-wells who all receive superpowers during a freak storm that affects their entire town. Robert Sheehan stars as Nathan, and Iwan Raeon plays Simon the time-travelling Simon. The Misfits’ storylines were frequently highly ridiculous and very moving at the same time.

If you’re looking for a larger-than-life genre TV show that combines wacky superpowers with a FleabagLook no further for a -esque MMC Extraordinary on Hulu. Starring newcomer Máiréad Tyers as the chronically unlucky Jen, who stands out as a rare powerless person in a world where everyone gets a power at age 18, the show is laugh-out-loud funny and unafraid to explore the flaws of its characters. Jen’s relationships with her best friend Carrie (who can channel the dead) and her roommate Jizzlord (who used to be a cat) take center stage. Jen is not always right and makes many mistakes in her pursuit of what she wants. But, it’s a delight to see Jen and her friends tackle all of the challenges of adulthood.

Extraordinary Hulu has it available for you to view.

It’s all up

Image: Channel 4

Fleabag meets: Catastrophe

You can find more information here CatastropheSharon Horgan is a teacher and accidentally becomes pregnant. She then falls in love with a American businessman, Rob Delaney. A strong attitude towards parenthood, and the mess that it brings. Catastrophe’s unsentimental yet compelling approach to big life issues like death and addiction has plenty of lightness and hilarity sprinkled in, and it’s lifted up by its excellent cast.

Fans of Horgan’s brand of endearing Irish comedy will find a lot to love in her role on Channel 4 series It’s all upBut the star attraction of Aisling Beea is what really draws people to her show, Fleabag-esque protagonist Áine deals with mental health, family, and romance as a teacher in London.

Bea created the series. It is perhaps a bit more relaxed and low-key than other TV shows. Fleabag, but is wonderful for how seriously it takes Áine’s issues while still allowing her to mess up and experience the highs and lows of life in the big city. Appearances by Tobias Menzies as her shy, mysterious love interest and Horgan as her patient sister — whose unexpected encounter with a female love interest is one of the great moments of the show — make It’s all up’s Two seasons A relatable, enjoyable and entertaining watch.

It’s all up Hulu has it available for you to view.

Poker Face

Evans Vestal Ward/Peacock

Fleabag meets: Russian Doll/Columbo

Russian DollNatasha Lyonne made Natasha a celebrity for an entirely new audience by bringing the time-looping Nadia into life. If you enjoyed the Netflix mystery’s irreverent attitude and how Nadia had to face down her past if she wanted to escape the loop and finally move into the future, Lyonne’s new noirish collaboration with Rian Johnson, Poker Face You are the star of this show.

Both Fleabag’s seasons more or less stand alone, and Poker Face takes that independence to a new level with an anthology-style season, with each episode revolving around a different crime that Lyonne’s protagonist Charlie must solve. Similar to in ColumboThe crime is shown at the start of every episode. Charlie charms, drinks and smokes her way through a variety of quirky and odd guest stars. Charlie’s own foibles tend to trip her up, and she’s certainly no saint, but her triumphs in the face of criminal adversity are thrilling each time, and feel like a triumph for the viewer as well.

Poker Face Peacock is open for viewing

Feel Good

Photo by Luke Varley/Netflix

Fleabag meets: Crashing

You can find more information here CrashingThe American version, and not the British, starring Waller Bridge herself, features comedian Pete Holmes as a fictionalized representation of him, who is struggling to make a living in comedy after his marriage ends. The show features many real-life comedians, like Sarah Silverman and Bill Burr, and doesn’t compromise when it comes to themes like religion, narcissism, and codependence.

These are the two seasons Feel Good star Canadian comedian Mae Martin in a similarly semi-autobiographical role as a nonbinary Canadian comedian named Mae who is trying to make it big. Mae is drawn to George Ritchie’s love interest, and she too falls in love with her. Charlotte Ritchie plays Mae as well as George. As the second series of, it is also called “The Second Season.” FleabagThe premise is complicated by a new situation in which Mae spends some time with George and goes to rehab. As the characters discover their worst and best traits, it can be heartwarmingly, saddening, or hilarious.

Feel Good It is now available on Netflix.

I Hate Suzie

Image by Max

Fleabag meets: Black Mirror

Charlie Brooker’s Black MirrorAnthology series are a captivating and imaginative look at the effects of technology on relationships and people. As the legendary line goes, “What if phones, but too much?” Iconic episodes like “USS Callister” and “Nosedive” These are honest glimpses into worlds similar to ours, where digital’s enthusiastic embrace can lead to terrifying scenarios.

It was co-created with Billie Piper, star of the Stars. SuccessionLucy Prebble is a staff writer and playwright. I Hate Suzie’s first season kicks off with an inciting incident that Brooker would approve of: Suzie’s nude photos leak, causing immediate chaos in her marriage and career and starting her on a downward spiral that plays out majestically as a critique of pop culture and the celebrity system’s inability to accept complexity in the women it raises up.

Piper plays Suzie with great conviction. Her backstory as an aspiring teen star, and then a breakout figure on a sci fi show, informs Piper’s portrayal of Suzie. She is high-strung and impulsive, and struggles to control her life. Piper’s husband and son are side characters. The terrifying nature of entertainment and her phone make up the antagonists.

Despite many networks turning down the show because, as Prebble claimed, they “already have [their] woman-having-a-breakdown show” (perhaps referring to Fleabag), I Hate Suzie It won and was widely acclaimed. A sequel was released recently, and it received universal acclaim. I Hate Suzie Too, Piper deserves to be hailed as a star performer of a new generation.

I Hate Suzie You can watch it on HBO Max.