Gilmore Girls may be leaving Netflix, but there are a few shows like it to watch to fill the void!
It’s sad but true that every month sees some terrific shows leave Netflix. Among those departing in July is Gilmore Girls. The 2000-2007 WB/CW dramedy remains a beloved TV series, following the experiences of mother-daughter Lorelei (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) in the quirky town of Stars Hollow. Viewers still love the cast, the whip-smart dialogue, pop culture references, and strange town experiences along with a strong mother-daughter bond.
All seven seasons are leaving in July, but thankfully, Netflix has a few shows to fill the void for Gilmore fans. They also revolve around families for the most part and are set in unique towns. Some are more dramatic, while others play on generational comedy. If you love Gilmore Girls, these ten series on Netflix will easily appeal to the same mix of laughs, heart, and drama.
Ginny & Georgia
Ginny & Georgia makes no bones about being a darker take on Gilmore Girls. It even name-drops that show in comparison to the tale of thirty‑one‑year‑old Georgia Miller (portrayed by Brianne Howey) and her teenage daughter, Ginny (Antonia Gentry), moving to a small Massachusetts town. It’s not long before the differences become clear as Georgia is hiding a dark past while Ginny wrestles with constant emotional problems.
The first season is notable for flashbacks slowly revealing Georgia’s shocking secret and how it drives a wedge in the family. There is humor, but it’s more dark comedy, with other characters just as mature. Yet the mother-daughter bond still has a true heart that makes this show an unlikely hit.
Sullivan’s Crossing
This Canadian show has become a hit on the CW and the first three seasons on Netflix show why it’s caught on. Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan) is a famed doctor whose life is thrown off when her trusted partner is arrested for turning their hospital charity into a scam. She returns to her small hometown to rebuild herself and reconnect with her birth father, played by Gilmore’s Scott Patterson.
Kohan is delightful in the lead, with Maggie enjoying the quiet town and its inhabitants. That includes Chad Michael Murray as her new love interest, with some nice character dynamics as well. It’s a wonderful tale of a rebuilding family, both in blood and community, and the upcoming fourth season makes it a perfect time to binge on Netflix.
Maid
Moving a bit more into drama, Maid is based on Stephanie Land’s memoir and explores the economic realities of single motherhood. Margaret Qualley is fantastic in the lead as Alex, who leaves her abusive boyfriend and works a low-paying job to provide for her daughter. Qualley was deservedly nominated for an Emmy for her mesmerizing turn as she shows Alex’s struggles.
The series can be dark, especially with Nick Robinson as Alex’s hard-drinking and often violent ex, while Alex’s circle of friends isn't always supportive. An inspired casting choice is Qualley’s real mother, Andie McDowell, as Alex’s narcissistic and emotionally troubled mother. That adds a powerful dynamic for a series that’s really the opposite of Gilmore, even as it shows how inspiring being a single mom can be.
My Life With the Walter Boys
A take on the old “country mouse/city mouse” tale, My Life With the Walter Boys adapts a popular YA novel. After losing her family in a car accident, Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) is forced to move from a great life in Manhattan to the rural town of Silver Falls, Colorado. It’s a shift for the brainy girl obsessed with getting into Princeton as she adjusts to a family with seven sons and one daughter, making new friends and coping with her tragedy.
The show has surprising heart and humor, with Jackie slowly but surely settling into her new circumstances. She also finds herself drawn to two very different brothers for a unique love triangle. With Netflix already giving the show a renewal before season 3, this is a fabulous, heartfelt story that will appeal to Gilmore fans.
The Way Home
There are a few places to stream this Hallmark Channel series, yet Netflix makes it easier to binge. It starts as a typical story: Katherine (Chyler Leigh) loses her job, gets divorced, and her daughter, Ali (Sadie Laflamme-Snow), gets expelled. Kat brings them to live with her long-estranged mother, Del (Andie McDowell), in a small farm town.
So far, it sounds cliché. That all changes when Ali falls into a nearby pond, which somehow sends her back in time to the 1990s. She encounters a teenage Kat while the adult Kat later travels through the pond as well. Keeping track of the time-travel exploits can be challenging, but at its heart is a story of mothers and daughters across generations, repeating the same cycles. The three leads have wonderful chemistry, and the shifting time periods add a special touch to a show that will appeal to Gilmore fans even with its fantastical elements.
Suburgatory
This three-season ABC series should find new attention on Netflix. Jane Levy is Tessa, a teen whose father (Jeremy Sisto) moves them to an upper-middle-class town as he thinks it’s safer than Manhattan. The comedy comes from Tessa, a sarcastic gal who romanticizes New York, clashing with the town residents, including the bizarre school queen bee Dalia (a terrific Charly Chalkin).
The show loves to sell how offbeat this place is (they act like a slightly less affluent neighborhood is a third-world country) and has great absurdist humor. There are good supporting turns, such as Cheryl Hines as Dalia’s mother, and Levy and Sisto share a believable father/daughter chemistry. Three seasons still felt too short for such a promising comedy that shows a father-daughter bond can be as strong as a mother-daughter bond.
One Day at a Time
Note only the first three seasons of One Day at a Time are on Netflix, with the sadly short-lived fourth season lost. Thankfully, those three seasons are still top-notch and the rare case of a TV revival that works. This update of the 1970s sitcom focuses on a Cuban-American family sharing an apartment with Justina Machado as the former Army nurse adjusting to civilian life.
A running plotline is Machado dealing with her daughter (Isabella Gomez) coming out. The show never shied from tough subject matter in terms of race, gender, PTSD, addiction, and more, all with heart and humor. The real reason to watch is legendary EGOT winner Rita Moreno stealing every scene as Machado’s outgoing mother. The family bonds make this perfect for Gilmore fans to vibe on and love just as much.
Mom
With a title like that, this CBS sitcom can easily fit into the library of any Gilmore fan. It’s more striking in that the setup doesn’t always lend itself to comedy. Anna Faris is Christy, a single mom with addiction issues who lives with her own wild, hard-drinking mother, Bonnie (Allison Janney). While the show gets a lot of comedy mileage out of the dynamic between the pair, it never shies from the darker sides of addiction, abuse, and more, with some episodes as dramatic as any AMC show.
There’s a great supporting cast, including William Fichtner, Jaime Pressly, and Kristen Johnston, alongside a bevy of terrific guest stars. It’s all about the chemistry between Faris and Janney (who won two Emmys for the role) and exploring how both good and bad habits transfer from mother to daughter. It’s not always an easy watch, yet it’s one of the most unique network sitcoms to come along in years.
North of North
Alaska may be a far way off from Stars Hollow, but that’s the reason North of North works. Anne Lambe is an Inuit woman who, after hallucinating a vision from a goddess, breaks up with her long-time husband and challenges the gender norms of her tribe by becoming a working single mom. That obviously throws off the entire community with Maika Harper as Lambe’s wise-cracking, recovering addict mother.
The show has won wide acclaim for its authentic exploration of Alaskan and Inuit culture, smashing apart stereotypes and offering heartfelt tales. It’s beautiful to watch how the community comes together and keeps traditions alive, even in the modern age. The bonds of family across an entire town are the reason the show has taken off, earning a second season and a more exotic air than Gilmore offers.
Younger
Tony Award-winning Broadway star Sutton Foster scored a wonderful TV hit in this seven-season comedy. She plays Liza, a 40-something coming off a tough divorce and raising a teen daughter. In a desperate attempt to enter the magazine workforce, Liza claims to be in her 20s. It works as she lands the job, only to balance her dual lives and lies.
Foster has brilliant comedic timing to go with scripts that can echo the best of Gilmore with their references and fast-paced talk. She’s aided by a wondrous supporting cast that includes Debi Mazar as her best friend, Hilary Duff as her co-worker turned protegee and Miriam Shor as her sharp-tongued boss. There’s also some steamy romances and unique twists to keep you watching. No matter your age, this show can easily appeal to Gilmore fans for its sheer sense of fun.
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