Your Friends and Neighbors has become a new hit for Apple TV+. The dark comedy series stars Jon Hamm as a wealthy investor who’s rocked when he’s suddenly fired, leaving him with big debts thanks to an ex-wife and family while living in an upscale neighborhood. Rather than downsize, Hamm decides to rob his wealthy neighbors for extra cash. Along the way, he uncovers their secrets and is soon involved in a murder.
The show has a fun take on how far folks will go for “the American dream” of wealth and the secrets that the rich keep. There are a lot of shows like it, often with the same sardonic touch and turning to crime to get ahead. Some are more comedic than others, while they all offer some amazing actors and compelling plots. These are 10 shows any fan of Your Friends and Neighbors will get a kick out of and enjoy for a good watch.
Why Women Kill
The first season of this short-lived Paramount+ anthology series had a trio of tales set in different decades. The second season streamlines it to one period, 1949 Los Angeles, as a plain Jane housewife (Allison Tolman) tries to join a prim garden club and clashes with its president (Lana Parilla). Oh, and Tolman’s husband (Nick Frost) happens to be a serial killer who thinks he’s doing a favor by killing terminal patients.
The season is a wickedly dark ride with biting humor yet more striking in the character directions. Tolman starts off as our heroine, but as her obsession with joining the club leads to murder, it shows how dangerous her desires are. Meanwhile, Parrilla is slowly softened by events to become more sympathetic. The finale has a powerful conclusion that shows how wanting to belong to the elite can be a curse, not a prize.
Claws
Consider Claws, which is available on Hulu, a female take on Breaking Bad. A pack of ladies running a Florida beauty parlor has a side gig in drug dealing that soon takes over. The show boasts a great cast, including Niecy Nash, Carrie Preston, Judy Reyes, Dean Norris, and more, with a wicked dose of sardonic humor to match the crime happenings.
The show does develop as it goes along, with the ladies getting into wilder and more dangerous situations, bouncing between dark crime drama and outrageous comedy with ease. It also boasts a good wrap-up after four seasons that gives a surprisingly happy ending to the tale and makes for an entertaining watch, thanks to the wonderful cast.
Ozark
This acclaimed Netflix drama kicks off with Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman), the accountant for a drug cartel, getting on the wrong side of the boss. In desperation, Marty proposes using a small Missouri town as a way to launder money for the cartel. He moves his family (including his wife, played by Laura Linney) to the town only to discover it has its own crime cartel.
The series does a great job building drama and suspense each season as Marty tries to stay afloat amid the various criminal activities. The highlight of the cast is easily Julia Garner, who won three Emmys as the teenager who turns out to be the most cunning and ruthless player of the whole bunch. The entire run is one of Netflix’s best dramas and makes for a more compelling watch today.
Palm Royale
While reviews have been mixed, this Apple TV+ show did score a lot of Emmy nominations to show it has support. Kristin Wiig is a woman obsessed with getting into an elite 1969 Florida country club, no matter what it takes. That includes blackmail and threats even as she slowly uncovers the dark secrets of the elite group she wants to be part of.
The series boasts one of the best casts you could ask for, with Allison Janney, Laura Dern, Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, and the legendary Carol Burnett. Even when it slumps a bit, Wiig’s performance is compelling as her ruthless side is revealed for a wicked finale that sets up a coming bigger second year delving into this dark world.
Imposters
A highly underrated series, this 2017-18 Bravo series opens with Ezra rocked when his beloved wife Ava (Inbar Lavi) robs him blind and leaves a video explaining she’s a con artist who will blackmail him with sensitive information if he comes after her. Ezra runs into Richard and Jules, who were both likewise married to and taken by Ava (or rather Maddie), and the trio unite to hunt her down for payback, which involves getting into con games themselves.
The show mixes the dual storylines of the trio with Maddie plotting a new con on a high society guy. The series shines thanks to Lavi’s performance as Maddie constantly scheming only to find herself unexpectedly played. The trio provides some good comedy, and the two-season run keeps you on your toes as to who’s really being conned to be a good watch.
Dope Thief
This new Apple TV+ series has two Philadelphia friends (Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Maoura) hitting on what they think is the perfect scam. They pose as DEA agents to rob small-time dealers to keep their lives going. It goes well at first… until they end up robbing a safe house the real DEA is tracking, so now they’re on the run from both the DEA and a dangerous mob.
The two leads do a fine job as guys getting in over their heads and handling this complex situation. It’s unique seeing both the DEA and the cartel hunting them in their own ways and the show moves at a brisk pace. The finale seemingly wraps the main story up while leaving the door open for more misadventures in another show where “simple” crimes get out of hand.
Deli Boys
This wild new Hulu comedy kicks off with hardworking Mir (Asif Ali) and party boy Raj (Saagar Shaikh) rocked when their rich businessman father dies in a freak golfing accident. Then, the FBI raids the company for some financial malfeasance they didn’t know about. The topper is the discovery their dad had secretly been running a drug empire, forcing the brothers into a dangerous world.
The movie mixes the action and crime saga with some outrageous comedy of the brothers totally in over their heads. The best reason to watch is Poorna Jagannathan stealing every scene as their “aunt,” who’s more ruthless in the crime game than they could imagine. The comedy is hilarious with the fun turns and the short episode runs make it a breezy yet fulfilling watch.
The Riches
The too-short-lived 2007-08 FX series The Riches kicks off with Suzy Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver as the heads of a family of con artists on the run after stealing some money. When they accidentally kill another family on the road, they decide to take on their identities to move into an affluent Louisiana neighborhood.
The show rests on the irony of the Riches realizing that while they may be scam artists, they actually have more morals than most of their neighbors. Izzard and Driver are both in fine form, still running con games amid the worries of being caught. The 2007 Writers Guild strike cut this show way too short, but what we got was a good watch for those liking cons amid the rich and elite.
Weeds
This excellent Showtime black comedy is up the alley of any Your Friends and Neighbors fans. Mary-Louise Parker plays Nancy Botwin, a suburban single mom who tries to make ends meet by selling marijuana to maintain her upper-middle-class lifestyle. Just like Hamm’s character, Nancy is so used to this life that she’ll do anything to keep it. That includes going from just weed to harder drugs and soon running a mini-criminal empire.
The show rests on Parker’s wonderful performance, with Nancy wringing laughs with some thrills as she’s tangling with the DEA, other cartels, and her troublesome sons. A strong supporting cast, featuring Justin Kirk and Elizabeth Perkins, enhances the tale. Like other Showtime series, it may have run a couple of seasons longer than it should have, but it’s still the perfect watch for any Your Friends and Neighbors fans with a compelling female lead.
Good Girls
This wonderful NBC series rested on the excellent casting of the leads. Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman, and Retta are three suburban moms, all enduring tough times and low finances. They decide to rob the grocery store Whitman works at, taking in a huge haul. Too late, they discover the store is the front for a drug lord and now they have to work off their new debt.
The trio are terrific, bouncing off each other with some fun twists as they keep digging themselves deeper into the criminal life. They also handle a variety of family problems, romances and the cops tracking them. It’s too bad it ended on a mini cliffhanger after four seasons, yet it is more than worth watching for anyone who wants a tale of folks driven to crime to help their lives.
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