TV Shows Like Once

2018 • Rating 8.5 • crime, drama, comedy

Starting over isn't easy, especially for small-town guy John Nolan who, after a life-altering incident, is pursuing his dream of being an LAPD officer. As the force's oldest rookie, he's met with skepticism from some higher-ups who see him as just a walking midlife crisis.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Comedy

Style: Cerebral, Gritty, Mind Bending, Surreal, Suspenseful

Audience: Adult, Date Night, Teens

Plot: Police Chase, Los Angeles, California, Police Officer, Police Detective, Street Crime, Lapd, Police Training, Crime Investigation, Dramedy, Police Department

Time: Year 2018, 2010S, 2018-10-16

Place: United States Of America, Canada, English, Los Angeles

Cast: Nathan Fillion, Melissa O'Neil, Eric Winter, Alyssa Diaz, Mekia Cox, Richard T. Jones

2016 • Rating 8.6 • sci-fi & fantasy, mystery, action & adventure

When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one strange little girl.

Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery, Action & Adventure

Style: Cerebral, Mind Bending

Audience: Adult, Family, Teens

Plot: Monster, Small Town, Indiana, Usa, Experiment, Halloween, Friendship, Supernatural, Coming Of Age, Parallel World, Super Power

Time: Year 2016, 2010S, 2016-07-15

Place: United States Of America, English

Cast: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin

2011 • Rating 8.2 • drama

While running from a drug deal gone bad, Mike Ross, a brilliant young college-dropout, slips into a job interview with one of New York City's best legal closers, Harvey Specter. Tired of cookie-cutter law school grads, Harvey takes a gamble by hiring Mike on the spot after he recognizes his raw talent and photographic memory.

Genre: Drama

Style: Mind Bending

Audience: Date Night, Teens

Plot: Lawyer, Impostor, Law Firm, Photographic Memory, Paralegal, Corporate Law, Courtroom Drama, While Running From A Drug Deal Gone Bad, Mike Ross, A Brilliant Young College-Dropout

Time: Year 2011, 2010S, 2011-06-23

Place: United States Of America, English, New York

Cast: Gabriel Macht, Rick Hoffman, Sarah Rafferty, Amanda Schull, Dulé Hill, Katherine Heigl

2014 • Rating 8.2 • drama, sci-fi & fantasy

The story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire's heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style: Mind Bending

Audience: Adult, Date Night

Plot: Scotland, Based On Novel Or Book, Magic, Time Travel, Romance, 18Th Century, Love Story, The Story Of Claire Randall, A Married Combat Nurse From, Who Is Mysteriously Swept Back In Time To

Time: Year 2014, 2010S, Time Travel Era, 2014-08-09

Place: United Kingdom, United States Of America, French, Gaelic, English

Cast: Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin, John Bell, David Berry

2019 • Rating 7.7 • drama, sci-fi & fantasy, war & politics

Explore an aspirational world where NASA and the space program remained a priority and a focal point of our hopes and dreams as told through the lives of NASA astronauts, engineers, and their families.

Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, War & Politics

Style: Mind Bending, Surreal

Audience: Adult, Date Night

Plot: Moon, Planet Mars, 1970S, Nasa, Cold War, Space War, Dystopia, Politics, Moon Landing, Alternate History

Time: Year 2019, 2010S, 2019-11-01

Place: United States Of America, English, Russian, Spanish, Space

Cast: Toby Kebbell, Mireille Enos, Edi Gathegi, Cynthy Wu, Coral Peña, Costa Ronin

2017 • Rating 8.7 • drama, family

A coming-of-age story about an outsider who, against all odds and numerous challenges, fights for love and acceptance and for her place in the world. The series centers on a young orphaned girl in the late 1890s, who, after an abusive childhood spent in orphanages and the homes of strangers, is mistakenly sent to live with an elderly woman and her aging brother. Over time, 13-year-old Anne will transform their lives and eventually the small town in which they live with her unique spirit, fierce intellect and brilliant imagination.

Genre: Drama, Family

Style: Psychological

Audience: Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: Based On Novel Or Book, Canada, Friendship, Unrequited Love, Coming Of Age, Orphan, Period Drama, 19Th Century, Found Family, Period Piece

Time: Year 2017, 2010S, 2017-03-19

Place: Canada, English, Portuguese

Cast: Amybeth McNulty, Geraldine James, R.H. Thomson, Lucas Jade Zumann, Joanna Douglas

2019 • Rating 8.7 • action & adventure, family, drama

The life of Christ through the eyes of those who encountered him.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Family, Drama

Style: Psychological

Audience: Date Night, Family

Plot: Christianity, Identity, Pacifism, Sacrifice, Apostle, Bible, Leprosy, Forgiveness, Jerusalem, Hope

Time: Year 2019, 2010S, 2019-04-21

Place: United States Of America, English

Cast: Jonathan Roumie, Shahar Isaac, Elizabeth Tabish, Paras Patel, Noah James, George H. Xanthis

2025 • Rating 8.7 • drama, sci-fi & fantasy

After time traveling to the Joseon era, a talented chef meets a tyrant king. Her modern dishes captivate his palate, but royal challenges await her.

Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style: Mind Bending

Audience: Date Night, Teens

Plot: Based On Novel Or Book, Time Travel, Romcom, Miniseries, Chef, French Cuisine, Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), Complex, Korean Cuisine, Intense

Time: Year 2025, 2020S, Time Travel Era, 2025-08-23

Place: South Korea, Korean, Mandarin, Korea

Cast: Yoona, Lee Chae-min, Kang Hanna, Choi Gwi-hwa, Oh Eui-sik, Seo Yi-sook

2023 • Rating 7.4 • drama, crime, war & politics

In late 19th-century Turin, the young Lidia Poët, fights against everything and everyone to get what is rightfully hers: to be enrolled in the official register of lawyers. A profession, at the time, reserved exclusively for men. Nevertheless, nothing could stop her dream of becoming the first female lawyer in Italy.

Genre: Drama, Crime, War & Politics

Style: Gritty, Mind Bending, Surreal, Suspenseful

Audience: Adult, Date Night

Plot: Italy, Biography, Turin, Based On True Story, Courtroom, Turin Italy, Legal Battle, Woman Lawyer, 19Th Century, Legal Drama

Time: Year 2023, 2020S, 2023-02-15

Place: Italy, Italian

Cast: Matilda De Angelis, Sara Lazzaro, Eduardo Scarpetta, Pier Luigi Pasino, Nika Perrone, Sinead Thornhill

1994 • Rating 8.4 • comedy

Six young people from New York City, on their own and struggling to survive in the real world, find the companionship, comfort and support they get from each other to be the perfect antidote to the pressures of life.

Genre: Comedy

Style:

Audience: Family, Teens

Plot: New York City, Roommates, Friendship, Cafe, Apartment Building, Group Of Friends, Manhattan, New York City, Sitcom, Young Adult, Searching For Love

Time: Year 1994, 1990S, 1994-09-22

Place: United States Of America, English, New York

Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer

2015 • Rating 8.8 • comedy

Take a nostalgic trip back to the late 1980s through the lives of five families and their five teenage kids living in a small neighbourhood in Seoul.

Genre: Comedy

Style:

Audience: Family, Teens

Plot: Love Triangle, Nostalgia, Friendship, Romcom, Romance, Coming Of Age, School, Bromance, Nostalgic, Go

Time: Year 2015, 2010S, 2015-11-06

Place: South Korea, Korean, Korea

Cast: Lee Hye-ri, Ryu Jun-yeol, Park Bo-gum, Go Kyung-pyo, Lee Dong-hwi, Ryu Hye-young

2000 • Rating 8.5 • comedy

A gifted young teen tries to survive life with his dimwitted, dysfunctional family.

Genre: Comedy

Style:

Audience: General Audience

Plot: Dysfunctional Family, Sibling Relationship, Intellectually Gifted, Middle Class, Family Relationships, Social Satire, Breaking The Fourth Wall, Family, Boy Genius, Working Mom

Time: Year 2000, 2000S, 2000-01-09

Place: United States Of America, English

Cast: Frankie Muniz, Jane Kaczmarek, Bryan Cranston, Justin Berfield, Erik Per Sullivan, Christopher Masterson

2013 • Rating 8.5 • drama, crime

A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.

Genre: Drama, Crime

Style: Dark, Gritty, Suspenseful

Audience: Adult, Date Night

Plot: Birmingham, England, Gypsy, Corruption, Gangster, Outlaw, Murder, Drugs, Criminal, Period Drama

Time: Year 2013, 2010S, 2013-09-12

Place: United Kingdom, English

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson, Sophie Rundle, Natasha O'Keeffe

2019 • Rating 8.4 • sci-fi & fantasy, action & adventure

A group of vigilantes known informally as “The Boys” set out to take down corrupt superheroes with no more than blue-collar grit and a willingness to fight dirty.

Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure

Style:

Audience: Adult

Plot: Corruption, Superhero, Based On Comic, Gore, Evil Corporation, Super Power, Superhero Team, Malicious, Joyous, Violence

Time: Year 2019, 2010S, 2019-07-25

Place: United States Of America, English

Cast: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso

2011 • Rating 8.2 • drama, comedy

Chicagoan Frank Gallagher is the proud single dad of six smart, industrious, independent kids, who without him would be... perhaps better off. When Frank's not at the bar spending what little money they have, he's passed out on the floor. But the kids have found ways to grow up in spite of him. They may not be like any family you know, but they make no apologies for being exactly who they are.

Genre: Drama, Comedy

Style:

Audience: Adult, Date Night

Plot: Sibling Relationship, Chicago, Illinois, Single Parent, Self Destruction, Big Family, Remake, Dysfunctional Family, Drugs, Single Father, Alcoholic Father

Time: Year 2011, 2010S, 2011-01-09

Place: United States Of America, English

Cast: William H. Macy, Jeremy Allen White, Ethan Cutkosky, Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey, Emma Kenney

1971 • Rating 6.4 • action & adventure, sci-fi & fantasy, drama

Takeshi Hongo is a promising young man with a passion for motorcycle racing. However, his dreams are suddenly ruined when he gets kidnapped by Shocker, the evil secret organization planning to dominate the world. After being remodeled into a cyborg, Takeshi escapes and swears to protect the world from the inhuman monsters.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama

Style: Cerebral, Futuristic, Mind Bending, Surreal

Audience: Date Night

Plot: Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), Cyborg, Martial Arts, Monster, Hero, Secret Organization, Villain, Biker, Superhero, Tribe

Time: Year 1971, 1970S, 1971-04-03

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Ryutaro Imai, Maho Horiguchi, Kenta Mishima, Rina Onuki, Miki Yagi, Yuki Furukawa

2019 • Rating 8.3 • drama

A group of high school students navigate love and friendships in a world of drugs, sex, trauma, and social media.

Genre: Drama

Style: Suspenseful

Audience: Adult, Date Night, Teens

Plot: Drug Crime, Sex Scandal, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Relationship Problems, Childhood Trauma, Sex Addiction, Addiction, Love Hate Relationship, Drug Rehabilitation, Coming Of Age

Time: Year 2019, 2010S, 2019-06-16

Place: United States Of America, Israel, English

Cast: Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow

2026 • Rating 9.1 • comedy, drama

In a 21st-century constitutional monarchy, a woman who has everything but remains a commoner crosses paths with a prince who, despite his royal lineage, feels powerless—leading to a love that defies social status.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Style:

Audience: Date Night

Plot: Jealousy, Monarchy, Manipulation, Royal Family, Romance, Betrayal, Destiny, Rise To Power, Power Struggle, Fall From Grace

Time: Year 2026, 2020S, 2026-04-10

Place: South Korea, Korean

Cast: IU, Byeon Woo-seok, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Gong Seung-yeon, Yoo Su-bin, Lee Yeon

2021 • Rating 7.8 • comedy, drama

Yumi is a 30-year old, ordinary woman who struggles with expressing her feelings. Told from the perspective of the many brain cells in her head, she experiences growth in both her love life, her career, and finds happiness in the small joys of everyday life.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Family

Plot: Love Triangle, Career Woman, Friendship, Workplace, Romance, Slice Of Life, Personal Growth, Live Action And Animation, Ordinary Girl, Psychological

Time: Year 2021, 2020S, 2021-09-17

Place: South Korea, Korean

Cast: Kim Go-eun, Kim Jae-won, Jun Suk-ho, Choi Daniel, Cho Hye-jeong, Mi Ram

2015 • Rating 8.7 • crime, drama

Six years before Saul Goodman meets Walter White. We meet him when the man who will become Saul Goodman is known as Jimmy McGill, a small-time lawyer searching for his destiny, and, more immediately, hustling to make ends meet. Working alongside, and, often, against Jimmy, is “fixer” Mike Ehrmantraut. The series tracks Jimmy’s transformation into Saul Goodman, the man who puts “criminal” in “criminal lawyer".

Genre: Crime, Drama

Style: Dark, Gritty, Suspenseful

Audience: Adult, Date Night

Plot: Criminal Lawyer, And, New Mexico, Moral Conflict, Crooked Lawyer, Prequel, Romance, Dark Comedy, Family Relationships, Tragedy

Time: Year 2015, 2010S, 2015-02-08

Place: United States Of America, English, German, Spanish

Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Tony Dalton, Giancarlo Esposito

2022 • Rating 8.7 • action & adventure, drama

With the aid of unexpected friends, a gifted but introverted student confronts bullies and violent foes — unaware of how dangerous his world will become.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama

Style: Suspenseful

Audience: Adult, Date Night, Family

Plot: Fight, Male Friendship, Friendship, Bullying, Gang, Bromance, High School Student, Skilled Fighter, Based On Webcomic Or Webtoon, Youth

Time: Year 2022, 2020S, 2022-11-18

Place: South Korea, Korean

Cast: Park Ji-hoon, Choi Hyun-wook, Hong Kyung, Ryeoun, Choi Min-yeong, Yoo Su-bin

2011 • Rating 8.5 • sci-fi & fantasy, drama, action & adventure

Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond.

Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Action & Adventure

Style:

Audience: Adult, Date Night

Plot: Based On Novel Or Book, Kingdom, Dragon, King, Intrigue, Fantasy World, Seven Noble Families Fight For Control Of The Mythical Land Of Westeros, Friction Between The Houses Leads To Full-Scale War, All While A Very Ancient Evil Awakens In The Farthest North, Amidst The War

Time: Year 2011, 2010S, 2011-04-17

Place: United Kingdom, United States Of America, English

Cast: Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Liam Cunningham

2026 • Rating 9.0 • drama, family

Xu Miyu’s perfect marriage shatters on her 10th anniversary, prompting her to rediscover herself and choose divorce. Starting over as a hotel cleaner at Purong Hotel, she crosses paths with Ji Feng, the hotel’s new GM and her former acquaintance. As they face workplace challenges together, love blossoms, and they transform Purong Hotel into a rising city landmark.

Genre: Drama, Family

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Family

Plot: Based On Novel Or Book, Metropolitan, Second Chance Romance, Xu Miyu, S Perfect Marriage Shatters On Her, Th Anniversary, Prompting Her To Rediscover Herself And Choose Divorce, Starting Over As A Hotel Cleaner At Purong Hotel, She Crosses Paths With Ji Feng, The Hotel

Time: Year 2026, 2020S, 2026-04-13

Place: China, Mandarin

Cast: Wallace Chung, Zhu Zhu, Li Meng, Jing Chao, Ren Bin, Guo Xiaoting

2013 • Rating 7.6 • drama, crime, mystery

Raymond "Red" Reddington, one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives, surrenders in person at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He claims that he and the FBI have the same interests: bringing down dangerous criminals and terrorists. In the last two decades, he's made a list of criminals and terrorists that matter the most but the FBI cannot find because it does not know they exist. Reddington calls this "The Blacklist". Reddington will co-operate, but insists that he will speak only to Elizabeth Keen, a rookie FBI profiler.

Genre: Drama, Crime, Mystery

Style: Cerebral, Gritty, Psychological, Suspenseful

Audience: Adult, Date Night, Teens

Plot: Fbi, Investigation, Terrorism, Criminal Mastermind, Crime Lord, Hidden Identity, Criminal Consultant, Raymond, Red, Reddington

Time: Year 2013, 2010S, 2013-09-23

Place: United States Of America, English

Cast: James Spader, Diego Klattenhoff, Hisham Tawfiq, Anya Banerjee, Harry Lennix

2023 • Rating 8.1 • action & adventure, sci-fi & fantasy

With his straw hat and ragtag crew, young pirate Monkey D. Luffy goes on an epic voyage for treasure.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style:

Audience: Family, Teens

Plot: Ocean, Sea, Ship, Friendship, Based On Comic, Pirate, Fighting, Super Power, With His Straw Hat And Ragtag Crew, Young Pirate Monkey D

Time: Year 2023, 2020S, 2023-08-31

Place: United States Of America, South Africa, English

Cast: Iñaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, Jacob Gibson, Taz Skylar, Charithra Chandran

2014 • Rating 8.4 • crime, drama

A riveting police drama about the men and women of the Chicago Police Department's District 21 who put it all on the line to serve and protect their community. District 21 is made up of two distinctly different groups: the uniformed cops who patrol the beat and go head-to-head with the city's street crimes and the Intelligence Unit that combats the city's major offenses - organized crime, drug trafficking, high profile murders and beyond.

Genre: Crime, Drama

Style: Cerebral, Dark, Gritty, Suspenseful

Audience: Adult, Date Night, Teens

Plot: Chicago, Illinois, Police, Spin Off, Crime Investigation, A Riveting Police Drama About The Men And Women Of The Chicago Police Department'S District, Who Put It All On The Line To Serve And Protect Their Community, District, Is Made Up Of Two Distinctly Different Groups, The Uniformed Cops Who Patrol The Beat And Go Head-To-Head With The City'S Street Crimes And The Intelligence Unit That Combats The City'S Major Offenses - Organized Crime, Drug Trafficking

Time: Year 2014, 2010S, 2014-01-08

Place: United States Of America, English

Cast: Jason Beghe, Marina Squerciati, Patrick John Flueger, LaRoyce Hawkins, Benjamin Levy Aguilar, Arienne Mandi

2012 • Rating 8.4 • drama

An edge-of-your-seat view into the lives of everyday heroes committed to one of America's noblest professions. For the firefighters, rescue squad and paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51, no occupation is more stressful or dangerous, yet so rewarding and exhilarating. These courageous men and women are among the elite who forge headfirst into danger when everyone else is running the other way and whose actions make the difference between life and death.

Genre: Drama

Style: Cerebral, Suspenseful

Audience: Date Night, Teens

Plot: Chicago, Illinois, Fire Brigade, Paramedic, Crime Investigation, Firefighter, An Edge-Of-Your-Seat View Into The Lives Of Everyday Heroes Committed To One Of America'S Noblest Professions, For The Firefighters, Rescue Squad And Paramedics Of Chicago Firehouse, No Occupation Is More Stressful Or Dangerous, Yet So Rewarding And Exhilarating

Time: Year 2012, 2010S, 2012-10-10

Place: United States Of America, English

Cast: Taylor Kinney, David Eigenberg, Joe Miñoso, Christian Stolte, Miranda Rae Mayo, Hanako Greensmith

2022 • Rating 7.5 • comedy

Pedro, Luis, Raúl and Santi are four friends who feel a bit lost in the new world of empowered women, each trying to adjust in their own haphazard way.

Genre: Comedy

Style:

Audience: Adult

Plot: Masculinity, Male Male Relationship, Pedro, Luis, L And Santi Are Four Friends Who Feel A Bit Lost In The New World Of Empowered Women, Each Trying To Adjust In Their Own Haphazard Way

Time: Year 2022, 2020S, 2022-12-30

Place: Spain, Spanish

Cast: Gorka Otxoa, Fele Martínez, Fernando Gil, Raúl Tejón, Paula Gallego, Raquel Guerrero

2019 • Rating 8.7 • drama

The true story of one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history: the catastrophic nuclear accident at Chernobyl. A tale of the brave men and women who sacrificed to save Europe from unimaginable disaster.

Genre: Drama

Style:

Audience: Adult, Date Night

Plot: Based On True Story, Disaster, Miniseries, Nuclear Catastrophe, 1980S, Chernobyl, The True Story Of One Of The Worst Man-Made Catastrophes In History, The Catastrophic Nuclear Accident At Chernobyl, A Tale Of The Brave Men And Women Who Sacrificed To Save Europe From Unimaginable Disaster

Time: Year 2019, 2010S, 2019-05-06

Place: United Kingdom, United States Of America, English

Cast: Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Emily Watson, Paul Ritter, Jessie Buckley, Adam Nagaitis

2009 • Rating 7.9 • comedy

The Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan is a wonderfully large and blended family. They give us an honest and often hilarious look into the sometimes warm, sometimes twisted, embrace of the modern family.

Genre: Comedy

Style:

Audience: General Audience

Plot: Family Relationships, Breaking The Fourth Wall, Family, Sitcom, Blended Family, The Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker Clan Is A Wonderfully Large And Blended Family, They Give Us An Honest And Often Hilarious Look Into The Sometimes Warm, Sometimes Twisted, Embrace Of The Modern Family

Time: Year 2009, 2000S, 2009-09-23

Place: United States Of America, English

Cast: Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet