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10 Shows Like Gilmore Girls to Watch If You Like Gilmore Girls

Pour yourself a big ol' cup of coffee and settle in

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Amanda Bell
Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham, Gilmore Girls

Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham, Gilmore Girls

WB/Getty Images

Any Gilmore Girls fan has watched and rewatched Amy Sherman-Palladino's mother-daughter dramedy enough times to be able to quote episodes from memory. The series lives on thanks to the witty, fast-talking family at its center and the zany charm of its fictional small-town Connecticut setting. But if you want to try branching out in between meals at Al's Pancake World, there are so many shows out there that will satisfy you.

We've put together a list of shows like Gilmore Girls, many of which feature some of the same themes as the WB-turned-CW-turned-Netflix series. Check out the list below for some ideas of what to watch next if you loved Gilmore Girls.

Gilmore Girls Watch on Netflix

More recommendations:

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Prime Video

Gilmore Girls creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino put their fast-talking style back into action in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The Amazon comedy stars Emmy-winner Rachel Brosnahan as Midge, a New York woman who defies societal expectations in the late 1950s and early 1960s by pursuing a career in stand-up comedy. Although Maisel is a period show — imagine Rory in her Donna Reed gear, except it's everybody and all the time — Gilmore Girls fans will undoubtedly appreciate the witty banter and complicated relationship dramas of this series, along with the fact that its title heroine is willing to walk away from an upscale life to follow her dreams. 


Ginny & Georgia

Antonia Gentry and Brianne Howey, Ginny & Georgia

Antonia Gentry and Brianne Howey, Ginny & Georgia

Netflix

"We're like the Gilmore girls but with bigger boobs," Georgia (Brianne Howey) says in the first episode of this dramedy, and that's about all any Gilmore Girls fan should have to hear to be interested. It follows Georgia and her two kids, 15-year-old Ginny (Antonia Gentry) and nine-year-old son Austin, as they make the move from from Texas to a small Massachusetts town. The family is starting over after the sudden death of Georgia's husband, and running away from a lot of dangerous secrets too. Imagine Gilmore Girls but a little cooler, a little weirder, and a lot more mysterious. -Allison Picurro


New Girl

Hannah Simone, Max Greenfield, Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, and Lamorne Morris, New Girl

Hannah Simone, Max Greenfield, Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, and Lamorne Morris, New Girl

Ray Mickshaw/FOX

Like Gilmore Girls, New Girl has a strong ensemble of recurring characters, some solid will-they-or-won't-they romances, and fully-realized friendships at its center, but if it's a show with smart, sharp, fast-paced humor that you're missing most of all, this should be your next watch. The pop culture references flow just as freely and you'd be hard-pressed to find an episode lacking in truly absurd, hilarious gags. It's a top-tier crowd-pleaser for a reason. And, in another world, Schmidt (Max Greenfield) definitely could've been one of Rory's rich, douchey college friends. -Allison Picurro


Bunheads

Bunheads

Bunheads

Adam Taylor, ABC Family

If it's more of that Palladino-specific blend of humor and heart you're looking for, Bunheads, Amy Sherman-Palladino's second show after Gilmore Girls, is tailor made for you (her first, sitcom The Return of Jezebel James, was canceled after three episodes in 2008). The canceled-too-soon comedy starred Sutton Foster as a former ballerina who's stuck at a dead end in her life and career when she finds herself teaching dance to a group of eccentric teens alongside her mother-in-law (Emily Gilmore herself, the great Kelly Bishop). It was a weird little comedy full of Gilmore-isms (Foster's Michelle speaks at the same blink-and-you'll-miss-the-joke pace Gilmore Girls became famous for), a whole lot of charm, and some beautifully executed character arcs. -Allison Picurro 


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

Lauren Graham once again takes up the teenagers' mom mantle in this beloved NBC show, which centers on the Braverman family as they grapple with the many curveballs life throws at them. Like Gilmore Girls, Parenthood — which ran for six critically acclaimed seasons from 2010 to 2015 — has a lot of heart and quite a few laughs, and explores some of the most touching and tumultuous elements of the family's lives. 


Jane the Virgin

Andrea Navedo, Gina Rodriguez, and Ivonne Coll, Jane the Virgin

Andrea Navedo, Gina Rodriguez, and Ivonne Coll, Jane the Virgin

CBS Studios/CW

While Jane the Virgin embraced high drama and telenovela antics in a way that Gilmore Girls never did, it's the intergenerational relationship between a daughter (Gina Rodriguez), her mother (Andrea Navedo), and her grandmother (Ivonne Coll) that will instantly hook any fan wishing for a classic Friday night dinner bicker-off between Rory, Lorelai, and Emily. The fierce, undying love between the three of them is what will feel most familiar, and the way that love can still be felt even when things are at their most contentious will pull you in. Fair warning, though: Expect plot lines involving international drug rings, murder, and secret twin sisters. -Allison Picurro


Hart of Dixie

Hart of Dixie

Hart of Dixie

Warner Home Video

Rachel Bilson leads this romantic dramedy series about a New York physician who heads to the Deep South to take over a practice. Hart of Dixie might be a more obvious fit for a recommendation list for Doc Hollywood fans, but there's still something about her fish-out-of-water experience that will feel familiar to those who loved Lorelai's story of finding her true self thanks to a change of scenery from the big city to a cozier atmosphere.


Insecure

Insecure

Yvonne Orji, Issa Rae, Insecure

Merie W. Wallace/HBO

HBO's celebrated dramedy series features creator-star Issa Rae's take on modern American life through her own lens as a young Black woman. Like Gilmore Girls, the show manages to perfectly blend moments of comedy with a sincere ebbing and flowing of friendships. The show's balance of funny and poignant moments is reminiscent of what made Gilmore Girls such a treat week to week. Just be prepared for a whole lot more skin than anything you saw in Stars Hollow.


Never Have I Ever

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Never Have I Ever

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Never Have I Ever

Netflix

Maybe what you're really yearning for are those first few seasons of Gilmore Girls, where Rory and Lorelai were trying to navigate the teen years. Never Have I Ever is all about the toughest parts of high school, but it's also about a complicated mother-daughter pairing. After the abrupt and tragic death of her dad, Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and her mom Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan) are left alone to deal with their already strained relationship. Devi just wants to be a "normal" teenager and feels her mom won't give her enough freedom; Nalini is underwater as a suddenly single parent. Like Gilmore Girls, Never Have I Ever shows us how singular the bond between a mother and daughter can be, especially when you're young. -Allison Picurro 


Schitt's Creek

Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dan Levy, Noah Reid, Emily Hampshire, Annie Murphy, Schitt's Creek

Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dan Levy, Noah Reid, Emily Hampshire, Annie Murphy, Schitt's Creek

Pop TV

If you're in the market for a show with the same zany small-town atmosphere as Stars Hollow, Schitt's Creek is a must-see. The eponymous locale is brimming with unique characters who help ease a formerly wealthy family into their new digs but also keep them on their toes. Plus, the conversational styles of the central family will at once entertain you and have you reaching for the dictionary, much like Rory and Lorelai's best late-night chats. Though the series is a Pop original, its availability on Netflix has made it immensely popular in recent years, and for its final season, finally got the Emmys accolades it deserves. 


Dead to Me

Dead to Me (Netflix)

Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me

Saeed Adyani/Netflix

The relationship between Jen (Christina Applegate) and Judy (Linda Cardellini) on Dead to Me may not be the same mother-daughter situation as Gilmore Girls, and there are some bitter truths that formed the foundation of their friendship. But like Lorelai, Jen has some straight-talkin' mom vibes going on, and she and Judy spend a lot of time together, with conversations that are completely reminiscent of the Gilmore girls' loving but frank brand of bonding.