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7 Shows Like Chesapeake Shores to Watch While You Wait for Season 6

If you love the O'Briens, you'll love these families too

Elizabeth Morgan
Meghan Ory, Robert Buckley, Chesapeake Shores

Meghan Ory and Robert Buckley, Chesapeake Shores

Ricardo Hubbs/Crown Media

Hallmark Channel's popular family drama Chesapeake Shoreswraps its long-awaited fifth season on Sunday, Oct. 17 after being delayed by the pandemic. Although we were forced to say goodbye to Jesse Metcalfe's Trace Riley at the beginning of the season, the beloved show still delivered plenty of heartfelt drama as Abby (Meghan Ory) moved on without him. The rest of the O'Brien family faced their own highs and lows, too, as Jess (Laci J. Mailey) and David (Carlo Marks) finally tied the knot and Kevin (Brendan Penny) and Sarah (Jessica Sipos) attempted to start a family of their own. 

Although there's no word yet on whether Chesapeake Shores will return for a sixth season, we're already champing at the bit to see what happens next in the small seaside town. If you're like us and preemptively trying to fill the Chesapeake Shores void in your life with something new to watch, we have plenty of romantic series and family dramas that will scratch the same itch. These are the shows you should watch next.

Chesapeake Shores is streaming on Hallmark Movies Now.

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Looking for more recommendations of what to watch next? We have a ton of them! And if you're looking for more hand-picked recommendations based on shows you love, we have those too.

Brothers & Sisters

Ron Rifkin, Rachel Griffiths, and Dave Annable, Brothers and Sisters

Ron Rifkin, Rachel Griffiths, and Dave Annable, Brothers and Sisters

Scott Garfield, ABC via Getty Images

Before there were the O'Briens of Chesapeake Shores, there were the Walkers of Brothers & Sisters. The ABC drama, which ran from 2006 until 2011, is similar to the Hallmark series in that it follows the lives of adult siblings and details their personal lives, relationship struggles, and business endeavors as they relate to the family company. The series picks up in the wake of the death of the family patriarch amid revelations of infidelity that rock the siblings and their mother, Nora (Sally Field), who anchors both the Walker family and the series with strength and determination. Brothers & Sisters is a bit more soapy and adult than Chesapeake Shores, which is suitable for the whole family, but the drama is exquisite, so if you're interested in exploring more complicated family dynamics, this is the show for you. [Watch on Hulu]

Sweet Magnolias

Sweet Magnolias

Sweet Magnolias

Netflix

Like Chesapeake Shores, Netflix's Southern small-town drama Sweet Magnoliasis based on a series of romance novels by author Sherryl Woods. And also like Chesapeake Shores, the series kicks off with a single mother whose life is in flux. This time it's Joanna Garcia Swisher's Maddie, who in the wake of her husband (Chris Klein) leaving her for a younger woman (Jamie Lynn Spears) is attempting to avoid the small-town rumor mill, raise her three kids, and open a new business with her best friends, Helen (Heather Headley) and Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott). She's so busy, in fact, that she almost doesn't even notice just how sexy her son's new baseball coach (Justin Bruening), a former Major Leaguer, is. Luckily for everyone involved, including viewers, she eventually figures it out. [Watch on Netflix]

Everwood

Everwood

WB

Chesapeake Shores isn't the first family drama to be led by Treat Williams. The actor also anchored the fan-favorite WB series Everwood from 2002 to 2006, playing world-class surgeon and absent father Andy Brown. Following the death of his wife (Brenda Strong), Andy packs up his family -- angsty piano prodigy Ephram (Gregory Smith) and pre-teen daughter Delia (Vivien Cardone) -- and leaves behind the hustle and bustle of New York City for small-town living in Everwood, Colorado, where the trio attempts to rebuild their family in the wake of a shared loss and years of Andy putting his job first. As heartbreaking as it is heartwarming, the series has a way of surprising you with its ability to showcase the many different sides of each of its characters. In other words, you're going to love it. [Watch on HBO Max]

Virgin River

Martin Henderson and Alexandra Breckenridge, Virgin River

Martin Henderson and Alexandra Breckenridge, Virgin River

Netflix

The inherently comforting nature of Chesapeake Shores is only matched by that of Netflix's Virgin River. The show, which is made by women for women, is based on the romance novels of Robyn Carr. It stars Alexandra Breckenridge as Melinda "Mel" Monroe, an experienced nurse practitioner and midwife who, after suffering a series of heartbreaks, leaves the sunny skies of Los Angeles for the picturesque mountain town of Virgin River in NorCal. Full of heartwarming romance, small-town charm, and the occasional medical emergency (she's a nurse, after all!), the show is a calming escape from the stress and anxiety of the real world. As Mel adjusts to her new life and attempts to start over, you'll find there's plenty to like about Virgin River[Watch on Netflix]

Parenthood

Erika Christensen, Peter Krause, Bonnie Bedelia, Craig T. Nelson, Lauren Graham, Dax Shepard, Parenthood

Erika Christensen, Peter Krause, Bonnie Bedelia, Craig T. Nelson, Lauren Graham, Dax Shepard, Parenthood

NBC

Another drama featuring multiple generations, Parenthood follows a large family from Berkeley, California. Based on the 1989 movie of the same name, the show stars Craig T. Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia as the patriarch and matriarch of the Braverman clan while Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Dax Shepard, and Erika Christensen portray their four adult children who all have kids of their own. Throughout the show's six seasons, the show's many characters struggle to raise the next generation while balancing careers, navigating new relationships, and overcoming personal obstacles. An emotional but lighthearted drama, Parenthood is a powerful exploration of the importance of family and the people who always have your back no matter what. [Watch on HuluPeacock]

Nashville

Connie Britton and Charles Esten, Nashville

Connie Britton and Charles Esten, Nashville

ABC

If Trace's country music career is your favorite part of Chesapeake Shores (hey, no judgment!), you might find the musical stylings of ABC's nighttime soap Nashville to your liking. The series, which ran from 2012 to 2018, is set against the backdrop of the world of country music. It's easy to imagine Trace slipping right into the show, which stars Connie Britton as Rayna Jaymes, a bona fide country superstar whose popularity is beginning to wane, and Hayden Panettiere as Juliette Barnes, a young country pop singer whose career is on the rise. With original music that is actually good and all the soapy family drama you could ever want, Nashville is a thoroughly entertaining show (at least for the first few seasons). [Watch on Hulu]

Bridgerton

Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor, Bridgerton

Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor, Bridgerton

Liam Daniel/Netflix

Chesapeake Shores keeps things PG-13, and we respect that. But if you're looking to kick things up a notch and enjoy some heady, heart-stopping romance alongside your regular dose of family drama, look no further than the Regency Era drama Bridgerton. Based on a series of novels by author Julia Quinn, the series was adapted for TV by Chris Van Dusen and is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes. The first season follows Phoebe Dynevor's Daphne, the eldest Bridgerton daughter, as she enters the marriage market and quickly falls in love with the newly minted Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page). A perfect mixture of romance, high society intrigue, and complex family dynamics, the show is must-see TV. And that's not even counting Lady Whistledown, a Gossip Girl-like narrator determined to expose all the seedy and steamy secrets of the Ton. [Watch on Netflix]