15 Best TV Shows Like Ginny & Georgia

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“Ginny & Georgia” is sort of like two different shows smashed together, and amazingly, its ambitious premise actually works. On the one hand, it’s a coming-of-age story about Ginny (Antonia Gentry), a teenage girl figuring out who she is and dealing with the many difficulties of being a young woman in the world. The other half of the show functions like a soapy, small-town thriller, as Ginny’s mom, Georgia (Brianne Howey), tries to escape her dark past and stay out of trouble — a goal she fails at in a spectacular fashion.

“Ginny & Georgia” packs a lot into its cheery package. It’s got a complicated mother-daughter relationship, YA drama, romance, murder, mysteries, comedy, angst, and heartbreak. Thanks to standout performances from its two leads (and a compelling supporting cast), the show is utterly charming and endlessly watchable. But what happens when you run out of episodes? Thanks to the show’s mashup of genres and disparate TV influences, there are many other series we can point you to that share certain qualities with the Netflix hit. Keep reading to discover 15 of the best shows like “Ginny & Georgia.”

Gilmore Girls

In the first season of “Ginny & Georgia,” Georgia states the obvious. “We’re like the Gilmore Girls, but with bigger boobs,” she quips to her teenage daughter, Ginny. To be fair, there are some pretty big differences between the shows. There is no murder in “Gilmore Girls,” nor does it feature the soapy, thriller elements of “Ginny & Georgia.” But the similarities between the central premises are hard to ignore, hence Georgia’s explicit comparison.

One of the best CW shows of all time, “Gilmore Girls” follows Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham), who had her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), when she was a teenager. Lorelai and Rory have a very close relationship, characterized by quippy pop culture references and a deep love for coffee. Like “Ginny & Georgia,” “Gilmore Girls” often follows two parallel storylines: Lorelai’s life as an adult running an inn in town, and Rory’s teen drama as a high schooler and later college student. Stars Hollow is one of the greatest fictional small towns ever, and the show’s delightful quirkiness never gets old.

Little Fires Everywhere

“Ginny & Georgia” and “Little Fires Everywhere” have several plot points in common and would make great companion pieces for those in search of suburban thrills. “Little Fires Everywhere,” based on the book by Celeste Ng, follows artist and single mother Mia Warren (Kerry Washington), who moves with her daughter Pearl (Lexi Underwood) to Shaker Heights, Ohio. Their neighbors are the Richardsons, headed by the uptight Elena (Reese Witherspoon). As Pearl befriends the Richardson kids, Elena offers Mia a job as a housekeeper, though Mia frequently chafes at Elena’s condescension and casual racism.

The titular fire, which we witness at the very beginning of the series, indicates that the tensions between these characters will eventually boil over (or catch fire, as it were) by the series’ end. Adding fuel to the simmering conflict is the fate of a Chinese mother’s baby and the white couple trying to adopt the child, as well as the antics of Izzy (Megan Stott), the rebel of the Richardson family. As in “Ginny & Georgia,” Mia’s secretive past comes back to haunt her, and racial and class tensions characterize the dynamic between the two families.

Never Have I Ever

If you like the YA elements of “Ginny & Georgia,” there’s a good chance you’ll love one of the best coming-of-age shows, “Never Have I Ever.” Created by the great Mindy Kaling, “Never Have I Ever” follows Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), a high schooler living in Sherman Oaks. Recovering from the sudden death of her father, Devi strives to turn over a new leaf at school, with mixed results. She dreams of dating popular boy Paxton (Darren Barnet), but develops chemistry with fellow nerd Ben (Jaren Lewison).

“Never Have I Ever” is laugh-out-loud funny and certainly not as melodramatic as “Ginny & Georgia,” but the shows both take their teenage protagonists seriously, and understand that trauma is, unfortunately, a central part of growing up. Despite the frequent gags and hijinks of “Never Have I Ever,” the show never loses track of the emotional stakes, and like Antonia Gentry, Ramakrishnan makes a dynamic protagonist. The highs and lows of adolescence have never been so charmingly crafted.

Good Girls

In “Ginny & Georgia,” Georgia wears a facade of cheery southern charm, but underneath, there’s a whole lot of darkness and buried secrets. If you like the small-town thriller elements of the show, “Good Girls” should be your next watch. The NBC series, which was renewed and then canceled after four seasons, follows Beth (Christina Hendricks), her best friend Ruby (Retta), and her sister Annie (Mae Whitman). All three women are having difficulties at home and struggling financially, and they’re sick and tired of it. So, they come up with a solution: to rob the grocery store where Annie works.

Of course, things don’t exactly go to plan. They discover that the grocery store is actually a front for a local gang run by the dangerous and charming Rio (Manny Montana). The trio finds themselves in more trouble than they bargained for, and struggle to dig themselves out of this particular hole. Though technically a crime show, “Good Girls” maintains a more lighthearted tone than other crime dramas, and features occasionally outrageous plots that will appeal to “Ginny & Georgia” fans. Through it all, the show stays grounded in character motivations, and the three leads elevate the juicy material.

Dead to Me

“Dead to Me” and “Ginny & Georgia” share some of the same DNA, as both shows depict an outwardly cheerful woman carrying a dark secret. The two series also center on a complex relationship between two women and the violent past that undermines their dynamic. In “Dead to Me,” we follow Jen Harding (Christina Applegate), a woman mourning the loss of her husband in a hit-and-run. At a grief support group, she meets Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini), who’s attending the group under false pretenses. The two women grow close, but Judy’s secret threatens to unravel both of their lives.

“Dead to Me” is a dark comedy filled with wit and zany melodrama that should appeal to “Ginny & Georgia” lovers. Applegate and Cardellini both deliver pitch-perfect performances, and the writing is excellent all the way through, making it a rare Netflix show without a single bad season. It’s a brilliant comedy about grief featuring complex characters and prickly social dynamics.

My Life With the Walter Boys

“Ginny & Georgia” follows a mom and daughter who move to a small town because the mom is running from her dark (and tragic) past, while “My Life With the Walter Boys” follows a teenage girl reckoning with being parentless. Tackling themes of trauma, grief, and first love, “My Life With the Walter Boys” is well-suited for fans of “Ginny & Georgia.”

Based on Ali Novak’s novel of the same name, “My Life With the Walter Boys” follows Jackie Howard (Nikki Rodriguez), a 15-year-old who moves from New York City to small-town Colorado after the sudden death of her family. She goes to live with the Walters, headed by her mom’s best friend, Katherine (“Suits” alum Sarah Rafferty). Katherine has five sons: twins Cole (Noah LaLonde) and Danny (Connor Stanhope), business-savvy Will (Johnny Link), bookish Alex (Ashby Gentry), and Nathan (Corey Fogelmanis), who’s openly gay. As in “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” Jackie is torn between brothers Cole and Alex, who couldn’t be more different, and their complicated relationship has implications for the entire family.

As the title suggests, “Mom” is about mothers, and it’s one of the most unique takes on the topic we’ve ever seen. The Chuck Lorre series follows Christy (Anna Faris), a waitress recovering from drug addiction and alcoholism. She had her daughter, Violet (Sadie Calvano), at 17, and then Violet became a teen mom, too. In Season 1, Christy reconciles with her estranged mother, Bonnie (Allison Janney), also a recovering addict. Together, the two women attempt to move forward with their lives, with lots of help from their friends at AA.

Sounds like a hilarious premise for a sitcom, right? The brilliance of “Mom” is that it doesn’t try too hard to be funny. When it’s funny, it’s really funny, but it’s also not afraid to be serious and tackle the emotionally fraught issues on which it’s centered. Like “Ginny & Georgia,” it uses a mixture of comedy and drama to address meaningful topics, and it revels in the complexity of mother-daughter relationships.

Firefly Lane

“Ginny & Georgia” is an example of Netflix’s version of soap opera — melodramatic, filled with twists and turns, and centered on (and aimed at) women. If you enjoy the soapy tone of the show and its focus on relationships between women, “Firefly Lane” might be right up your alley. Based on Kristin Hannah’s novel of the same name, “Firefly Lane” follows the decades-long friendship between Tully Hart (Katherine Heigl) and Kate Mularkey (Sarah Chalke). They met as teenagers in the 1970s, and are still friends as 40-somethings in the 2000s.

Tully and Kate have lived very different lives, but have stayed by each other’s sides through it all. Tully is the more glamorous of the duo, and hosts a daytime talk show. Kate is going through a divorce, and is hoping to re-enter the workforce after years of staying home. The show’s main draw is the relationship (and chemistry) between the two women, as romantic entanglements and career drama take a backseat to the importance of their friendship. Though it only lasted two seasons, there are 26 incredible episodes to dig into.

Sweet Magnolias

Though “Ginny and Georgia” is set in Massachusetts, Georgia (Brianne Howey) is a Texas girl at heart, winning over her neighbors with that lilting accent and southern charm. She’s also a woman in a small town looking for a fresh start, something that should appeal to the protagonists of “Sweet Magnolias.” Based on a series of novels by Sherryl Woods, the Netflix series follows three childhood best friends living in a quaint South Carolina town.

Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) is going through a divorce and looking to start over. Dana (Brooke Elliot) is a chef and runs a local restaurant. Helen (Heather Headley) is a high-powered lawyer. Together, the three women create a community spa in one of the town’s old mansions.

Unlike “Ginny & Georgia,” “Sweet Magnolias” doesn’t feature any murder (though there is one notable character death), and its cozy vibe isn’t undercut by any dark secrets or shocking mysteries. There is no seedy underbelly in the town of Serenity, making “Sweet Magnolias” the ultimate comfort show and a more laid-back companion to “Ginny & Georgia.”

Jane the Virgin

“Ginny & Georgia” is a soapy show featuring plenty of plot twists, including, of course, a surprise pregnancy. If you’re looking for another show that depicts one woman’s surprising journey to motherhood in melodramatic fashion, check out the delightful CW series “Jane the Virgin.” A good-spirited satire of telenovelas, “Jane the Virgin” follows Jane Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez), a 23-year-old Venezuelan-American woman who, yes, is a virgin. When Jane discovers she’s pregnant after accidentally getting artificially inseminated at the doctor’s office, her life turns into one of the soaps she watches on TV.

A love triangle ensues between Jane’s boyfriend, Michael (Brett Dier), and Rafael (Justin Baldoni), Jane’s boss at the hotel where she works and the father of her child. As Jane and her family work out how to prepare for this surprise child, zany hijinks ensue, narrated by a sultry voice whose identity we only discover in the finale. Rodriguez gives a pitch-perfect performance as Jane, making her believably naive and earnest while also imbuing her with an inner strength. The show relishes its telenovela origins and knows how to have fun with wild plotlines.

Revenge

Georgia (Brianne Howey) from “Ginny & Georgia” is a woman who arrives in town with lots of secrets, hoping that no one will look too hard into her past. In “Revenge,” Emily Thorne (played by Emily VanCamp) is also a woman with secrets, and her dark past is the fuel that keeps her going. Emily touches down in the wealthy, close-knit community of the Hamptons as an outsider. Though she appears harmless, she keeps her true intentions close to the chest.

Twenty years earlier, Emily’s family (figuratively) went up in flames, and she blames her new neighbors, the Graysons, for her hardships. As the title suggests, Emily comes to the Hamptons to seek revenge. Her most formidable nemesis is Victoria Grayson (Madeleine Stowe), the family’s powerful matriarch. Like “Ginny & Georgia,” “Revenge” ratchets up the drama as far as it can go, and its cliffhanger-filled plot makes it the perfect binge. The drama is immensely satisfying, and its campy tone strikes just the right combination of outrageous and suspenseful.

North of North

The Canadian series “North of North” depicts motherhood in a way we’ve never quite seen before. Though a comedy, “North of North” doesn’t shy away from the difficulties of single motherhood, a balance “Ginny & Georgia” fans will recognize. Anna Lambe plays Siaja, a young Inuk mother living in the fictional town of Ice Cove, in the chilly Nunavut province. Siaja has just decided to leave her marriage to the town’s golden boy, and forging her own path as an independent woman proves difficult.

As Siaja adjusts to a new job, she also manages her relationship with her daughter, Bun (Keira Cooper), and her own single mother, Neevee (Maika Harper), a strong-willed woman who’s been through many ups and downs in her life. Siaja’s two best friends, the sharp-tongued Millie (Zorga Qaunaq) and Colin (Bailey Poching), run the local radio station. Siaja makes mistake after mistake, like when she accidentally burns down the dump, but her awkwardness is relatable and endearing. For those of us who don’t live near the Arctic Circle, it’s fascinating to witness how different life is there, but the show is also a reminder that we all face many of the same struggles, no matter where we live.

Bad Sisters

“Bad Sisters” is one of the best shows streaming on Apple TV, and “Ginny & Georgia” fans are bound to enjoy its depiction of women behaving badly — and in some cases violently — to protect the ones they love. The Irish series, created by Sharon Horgan, follows five tight-knit sisters. Grace (Anne-Marie Duff), the second-oldest sister, is married to JP (Claes Bang), an abusive POS, and when he winds up dead, her sisters are implicated in his death. It doesn’t help that they’ve been planning to murder him for weeks now. But everyone hated JP, so the sisters may not be the only ones who wanted him dead.

As a dark comedy, “Bad Sisters” perfectly balances the silliness and humor of the sisters’ antics with the seriousness of murder and domestic abuse — a dichotomy also found in “Ginny & Georgia.” The sisters have brilliant chemistry, and the acting is top-notch. It’s easy to believe they’ve known each other for their entire lives. The show’s non-linear narrative weaves a compelling mystery, and the sisters’ love and desire to protect one another is the beating heart of the narrative.

Imperfect Women

“Imperfect Women” is a glossy but compelling wine mom mystery that shares a certain soapy sensibility with “Ginny & Georgia,” and focuses on messy, sometimes unreliable women doing their best. The show centers on three best friends, Nancy (Kate Mara), Eleanor (Kerry Washington), and Mary (Elisabeth Moss). The series begins with Nancy’s shocking death, an event that sets both Eleanor and Mary into a tailspin, revealing the secrets they’ve kept hidden and the truths they’d rather not face.

The series begins with Eleanor’s POV, before switching to Nancy’s perspective in the months leading up to her death, and concludes with Mary’s take on the events. This clever structure makes for a compelling mystery, but the emotional fallout from Nancy’s death is ultimately more fascinating than the question of who killed her. We learn that the three friends, who come from different backgrounds, have been hiding things from one another, and that their closeness is, in some sense, a facade. At the same time, it becomes clear that the secrets they’ve been keeping share a connective tissue, but the shame and quiet humiliations they’ve all faced have kept them apart rather than bringing them closer together.

Why Women Kill

As much as we love Georgia, the fact is, she’s a killer. With three bodies under her belt so far, it’s clear that she’ll do anything to protect herself and her kids. For another show that explores what it takes to drive women to murder, check out “Why Women Kill,” a series from “Desperate Housewives” creator Marc Cherry.

In the first season, we follow three women, all living in the same house during different time periods. Ginnifer Goodwin plays Beth, a passive housewife in the 1960s. Lucy Liu plays Simone, an ’80s socialite who discovers her husband is gay. In the 2010s, Kirby Howell-Baptiste plays Taylor, a lawyer in an open marriage. The second season scraps the multiple-timeline format, instead focusing on two housewives, played by Allison Tolman and Lana Parrilla, and their complex — and violent — relationship in 1949.

These women all suffer betrayals at the hands of the men in their lives, and the episodes track their evolution from wife to murderer. Like “Desperate Housewives,” “Why Women Kill” has a campy attitude and an appetite for melodrama. The structure of the first season leads to a satisfying payoff in the finale, and all the actors do great work here. Lucy Liu is particularly thrilling to watch as an acerbic girlboss, and the period costumes are so much fun.