Here are top 28 Shows Like Insecure. Are you still feeling the effects of Insecure? Well, you’re not alone. The series finale of Insecure, which debuted on December 26, 2021, put the icing on top of a pretty terrible year.
However, we got through every postponed family reunion by watching Issa (Issa Rae) and Molly’s (Yvonne Orji) deep friendship, wacky relationships, and uncomfortable yet utterly relatable personal lives. But now that the season finale has passed, fans are in need of a suitable replacement, and, let’s face it, shows like Insecure don’t come around nearly as frequently as they should.
Rae and comedian Larry Wilmore’s creative offspring, Insecure, shed real light on Black culture in Los Angeles while spotlighting the social and cultural concerns that millennial Black women faced. The comedic series introduced viewers to a variety of independent and well-known Black musicians during its five seasons on HBO, including Lizzo, Chloe x Halle, and Dom Kennedy.
28 Shows Like Insecure
Insecure is the only show that will ever compare in terms of vulnerability and humor; after all, it was nominated for 11 Emmys and won one of them. However, there has been an increase of similar shows to Insecure because of streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu.
Many of them highlight Black joy and culture while touching on similar issues (toxic relationships, vibrant friendships). When you start to miss Issa, Molly, and yes, even Lawrence, try watching one of these TV shows.
1. Harlem
The release of Harlem on Amazon Prime couldn’t have come soon enough. If you haven’t seen it before, before Season 2 begins, it’s new and exciting. The music for the show is spot on, just like Insecure! If you were lacking a black female lead, this show has four of them thanks to Camille, played by Meagan Good.
Similar to how Issa has her group of friends, Camille is embarking on her new fun and tough adult life with her college ride-or-die BFFs. If you’re seeking for more female CEOs who are embracing their jobs like Miss Issa Dee because we love seeing black women pursue their aspirations, then Harlem is the show for you.
2. Love Life (Season 2)
If Darby Carter (Anna Kendrick), the main character from the first season of “Love Life,” and Issa Dee ever chose to get together for a drink and share awkward anecdotes about their prior relationships, we believe they would become fast friends.
However, the new lead character of “Love Life” season two shows that dating for guys is not always as easy as some would have you believe. Marcus Watkins (William Jackson Harper), the case study for this season, suffers mightily to find “genuine” love after his divorce, as evidenced by the trailer alone.
It makes us blush merely to consider that he might end up having a one-night encounter in a college dorm room because to a dating app. Maybe Marcus needs that beverage more than Darby or Issa does.
HBO Max will offer the first three episodes of “Love Life” season 2 for streaming on October 28. Additionally, the streamer presently has the complete debut season available. Along with series creator Sam Boyd and executive producer Bridget Bedard, Rachelle Williams has been added as co-showrunner for the upcoming season.
3. She’s Gotta Have It
Nola Darling has a few males in her life to stick with the dating theme. You’ll just have to watch to choose which one is your favorite, as we’re all going to have our favorites. Artist Nola, like Issa, first struggled to find her voice, but it’s always worth it to watch to the end to see how they develop! This show is available on Netflix. It is also based on a Spike Lee black-and-white movie, so that could be interesting to see as well.
4. Girlfriends
The streaming rights to six classic comedies with Black performers, writers, and directors were purchased by Netflix last summer, according to an announcement made at the time. The most well-known of the bunch was “Girlfriends,” whose 20th anniversary was celebrated on the day the streamer scheduled its debut.
The show, which followed the professional and interpersonal connections of four young Black women who also happen to be best friends and aired from 2004 until 2008 with over 170 episodes, introduced the world to Tracee Ellis Ross, who is now the recipient of many Emmy Awards.
And from their perspectives, the show tackles the fascinating and intricate cultural debates surrounding racial discrimination, colorism, feminism, and identity.
However, “Girlfriends” never feel preachy or sincere. Mara Brock Akil, the author, came up with a brilliant formula that keeps all eight seasons interesting even after repeated viewings.
5. Living Single
Living Single, a legendary sitcom from the 1990s that ran for five seasons, was one of the first television shows to show black women as ambitious and career-driven. The comedy series, which premiered in the 1990s and was an instant hit, chronicled the amusing lives of friends and roommates living in Brooklyn.
The characters were well-rounded and humorous in various ways, and the show quickly became a classic and is now regarded as one of the best black sitcoms ever made. Living Single developed into a highly significant show that opened the way for several shows that focused on the experiences of young adults, including NBC’s popular Friends series.
6. All American
The Yvette Lee Bowser-penned television series “Living Single,” which starred Queen Latifah, Erika Alexander, Kim Fields, and Kim Coles, followed the complicated and frequently humorous personal and professional lives of six college friends who live together in a New York City townhouse.
The Fox television show, which aired from 1993 to 1998, was a rating success and had an impact on several sitcoms that now would be considered “millennial,” including “Friends.”
In a 2017 interview on “Watch What Happens Live,” Queen Latifah discussed the similarity between the two shows and informed Andy Cohen, “We knew we had already been doing that.”
Warren Littlefield, who once oversaw NBC, was involved in the incident, she alleged. “When all the new shows debuted, they questioned him, “If you could have any show, what would it be?”
7. I May Destroy You
What was unquestionably one of the best exhibitions of 2020 is led by Michaela Coel. I May Destroy You explores what happens after Arabella (Coel) discovers she’s been drugged and sexually raped while out drinking one night in a raw and at times, heartbreaking manner.
Her life and viewpoint are completely altered as a result, and her pals Terry (Weruche Opia) and Kwame (Paapa Essiedu) transform into collaborators, co-conspirators, and enemies as well. Coel’s self-described dark comedy, which is experimental in format and challenging in every frame, not only demonstrates a Black woman creative in command of her art but also advances the very genre. It’s captivating Black girl magic at its finest.
8. Atlanta
Atlanta should be your next viewing choice if you’re searching for another character-driven drama about a group of pals navigating their 30s and don’t mind something a little weirder/more experimental. Donald Glover, who also created the show, plays Earn, a cynical, useless college dropout turned music manager who works tirelessly to launch his cousin’s (Brian Tyree Henry) rap career despite lacking the proper training to do it.
Earn hustles continuously, frequently ineffectively, ascending temporarily before being knocked back down to where he started. Atlanta, like Insecure, makes excellent use of its talented supporting cast, each of whom has a rich inner life and suffers from comparable concerns, such as relationship difficulties, co-parenting, and employment difficulties as a young professional. by Allison Picurro.
9. High Fidelity
High Fidelity on Hulu is the perfect choice if you’re seeking a show with a comparable charismatic and romantic plot that you can binge-watch all at once. High Fidelity, one of many series getting the relaunch treatment in 2020, features Robyn “Rob” Brooks (Zo Kravitz), the proprietor of a record shop in Crown Heights, as she uses music to help her get through a difficult breakup.
10. PEN15
Adulthood is largely spent reflecting on the past. You spend some time daydreaming about how your life may have been different if you had known what you know now while also reflecting on your guilt and regret.
Don’t you wish you could have experienced adolescence with the knowledge that adulthood has given you? If so, “PEN15” offers you a rendition of this fantasy, but it might not be what you anticipate. It centers on Maya and Anna, two almost-13-year-old girls who struggle to go through adolescence’s challenging circumstances.
11. The Last O.G.
The Last O.G., a sadly underappreciated sitcom about a guy who gets out of prison and finds that everything about the Brooklyn he knew has completely changed, stars Tiffany Haddish as a riot. Haddish plays Shay, Tray’s (Tracy Morgan) ex-wife and the mother of his children, who either constantly keeps him out of trouble or learns from him.
The modest undertones about gentrification and keeping loyal to your roots will appeal to the Insecure fan despite the many hijinks and plenty of laughter.
12. The Chi
The Chi emphasizes social and racial themes prominent on the South Side of Chicago, much like how Insecure explores a number of “social and racial issues that pertain to the modern Black experience.” The drama series on Showtime has been a tremendous success after four seasons. This year, Season 5 is anticipated to premiere.
The drama series “The Chi” on Showtime centers on a South Side Chicago neighborhood that is home to a number of individuals whose lives are in various ways intertwined. The series moves forward as the effects of a police brutality incident change the dynamics of the neighborhood and encourage residents to look out for one another while disobeying the law.
Lena Waithe created the show, which debuted on Showtime on January 7, 2018. On December 5, 2017, the series began streaming on a number of internet sites before airing on the television network.
13. Crashing
Phoebe Waller-Bridge had a lead role in another British sitcom before Fleabag. Crashing follows a gang of misfits who reside in an abandoned hospital and battle with their sexual relationships. It is both amusing and heartwarming.
Waller- Bridge’s When it comes to her happy disposition and her tumultuous love life, Lulu is remarkably similar to Issa in the film Insecure. Starting with the first season, adultery plays a significant role in the plot of Insecure. The central plot point of Crashing revolves around similar themes of adultery as Lulu’s close buddy falls in love with her while dating someone else.
14. Girls
Ladies tells the narrative of four mid-twenties girls as they struggle to make meaning of their lives in the big city while juggling competitive professional relationships and volatile romantic relationships, as the title of the book suggests.
Hannah Horvath, played by Lena Dunham, occupies the center and desires to be a writer but finds it difficult to make ends meet.
Hannah and Issa are similar in that both have impetuous and confused exteriors. However, they are mostly concerned with their careers and want to realize their ambitions.
The protagonist of Insecure fights to maintain her financial independence while planning events for her neighborhood and her city. Despite all of her problems, she eventually succeeds in completing her objectives.
15. A Black Lady Sketch Show
“A Black Lady Sketch Show,” the sole sketch comedy show on this list, debuted in the fall of 2019 and was the first major sketch show to be developed and written by a Black woman and to include an all-Black female ensemble.
Its creator, Robin Thede, told Deadline that when her short-lived BET talk show “The Rundown with Robin Thede” was canceled and Rae phoned her to work on a fresh project, she came up with the idea for the show and was able to sell it to HBO.
Issa Rae, a close friend of mine, called me when it was postponed and said, “OK, now is the time we get to work together,” said Thede. Along with Laverne Cox and Angela Bassett, Rae is now an executive producer.
The sketch comedy show “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” as the name implies, is modeled after “SNL” or, more precisely, “Mad TV.” A brilliant and diverse group of Black women perform all of the sketches, which poke fun at anything from Black nationalists to Jada Pinkett Smith’s “Red Table Talk.”
The first all-women of color editing team to be nominated for or win an Emmy in the category was “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” which won the award earlier this year. HBO Max now offers both seasons for streaming.
16. Ramy
Along with the typical drama-comedy elements, Ramy also provides a realistic look at Egyptian-American culture as the title character searches for his identity. Ramy is the first-generation American in his family, but he also has Egyptian ancestry and is interested in learning more about it. Family, religion, and sex frequently take center stage in the hopeless hero’s daily activities.
The fact that people make mistakes is what unites the main characters in Insecure and Ramy. Ramy makes a lot of blunders with his family and partners, just like Issa and others around her. However, it is the act of accepting responsibility that develops Ramy’s character development and makes him more endearing.
17. Dear White People
Netflix’s Dear White People, which is based on the same-named film, continues the tale of black students at an Ivy League college as they work to define their own unique identities. The opinions of the young kids are used in a satirical way to confront casual and systemic racism. The characters in Dear White People also have their fair share of tumultuous friendships and romances because it is a collegiate drama.
Fans of Insecure would enjoy Dear White People’s comedy on racism and stereotyping because it received widespread praise. The show frequently discusses topics like workplace racism and accepted white hegemony in the lives of both Issa and her friend Molly, even though the latter is primarily Issa’s journey.
18. Modern LoveX
This anthology series is the ideal choice for people looking for a healthy watch because it celebrates the many different stories from The New York Times’ Modern Love column. Every episode focuses on a different facet of romantic relationships, covering everything from commitment problems to fatherhood.
Every individual in Insecure represents a different type of relationship, making the movie a celebration of “modern love” in and of itself. Issa’s erratic romantic relationships highlight how subjective love can be to various people. Molly’s tumultuous love life is comparable, and Tiffany and Derek’s marriage is another example.
19. Fleabag
The protagonist of Fleabag makes her way through life while dealing with a personal loss and a lot of angst. Despite her desire to heal, everyone around her finds her deadpan humor to be offensive. This straightforward idea is used by Fleabag to craft a very affecting story about finding love under such trying circumstances.
Like Issa from Insecure, Fleabag enjoys talking to herself and thinking aloud when she’s agitated. Another characteristic that they both have in common is awkward encounters with friends, family, and love partners. In this approach, both shows frequently feature a new breed of TV heroes who aren’t ashamed to display their frailties.
20. Love
The average “nice guy” and the typical “wild child” who falls in love begin to doubt their understanding of love. This is the starting point for Love, which explores a number of ideas involving relationships in which opposites seem to attract one another.
Fans of Insecure would be excited by love because, in Issa’s instance, the majority of her lovers have been very different from her in terms of personality and hobbies. Who stays in Issa’s life and who leaves depends on how she and others deal with these disparities. Similar situations are shown by the constantly shifting chemistry between the two leads in Love.
21. Bigger
If this entertaining adventure isn’t already on your radar, it really needs to be. Yes, you’ve already watched a sitcom about a group of 30-somethings navigating relationships, careers, and other issues, but not in this way: Bigger is as shamelessly goofy as it is proudly Black, with mega-producer Will Packer on its roster.
Tanisha Long plays the very endearing Layne Roberts, an Atlanta vintage shop owner trapped between the stability of her lovely but uninteresting boyfriend and the, how shall I describe this?, addicting dick of her side piece.
Her daughters Veronica (Angell Conwell), a Type-A go-getter, and Tracey (Rasheda Crockett), an ex-basketball player’s chick who cringes at the prospect of performing actual work, are helping her through this situation. Try not to cry while watching Tracey slurping on pickle and crab legs to turn into an ASMR influencer; it’s laugh-out-loud amusing right from the start.
22. P-Valley
After it debuted in 2020, Starz swiftly approved a second season for this “trap noir” marvel. This was done for good reason: P-Valley gives near-divine status to the Black ladies who perform in a club called The Pynk.
This stunning drama, one of few to receive a “100% fresh” rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, follows what transpires when the enigmatic Autumn (Elarica Johnson) washes up on the shore of fictional Chucalissa, Mississippi, and starts working for HBIC Mercedes (Brandee Evans) and the businessman, Uncle Clifford (Nicco Annan). Trap beats, intrigue, sex, treachery, and yes, a lot of ass-shaking follow. We eagerly anticipate Season 2.
23. The First Wives Club
No offense to the Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton-starring original movie, but the TV adaptation of The First Wives Club accomplishes things that the movie could never, partly because it follows Black women over 30 years after the events depicted in the movie.
National treasure Jill Scott portrays recording artist Hazel, who gets the boot from her bad guy; consistently humorous Michelle Buteau plays Bree, who is in the middle of a divorce from her cheating spouse; and Ryan Michelle Bathe portrays Ari, an attorney who is still wed to David, an aspirant politician, for the time being at least (Mark Tallman).
Tracy Oliver, who wrote Girls Trip, is in charge of this project, and her warm and funny personality is evident throughout.
24. Twenties
Twenties, a Lena Waithe creation, brilliantly places a lesbian Black woman in control of the narrative. The character of Hattie, played by Jonica “JoJo” T. Gibbs, is a masculine black lesbian who, it must be said, is a bit of a hot mess.
When we first meet her, she is on the verge of being evicted from her apartment, making on unavailable or uninterested girls, and only daydreaming about her ideal job rather than taking the necessary steps to secure it.
Fortunately, she has Marie (Christina Elmore) and Nia (Gabrielle Graham) as pals who can mostly correct her. But thankfully for us, it’s a sheer joy to watch as they stumble through their job and love lives as well.
25. Claws
In Claws, a group of manicurists who get involved in organized crime are followed, yet the show’s quirky and occasionally absurd episodes are just as exciting as its moving ones.
Jennifer (Jenn Lyon), who married into the Dixie Mafia, Polly (Carrie Preston), a parolee skilled in fraud, and Quiet Ann (Judy Reyes), the almost-mute enforcers with a tempest brewing inside of her, are among the group of misfits commanded by Niecy Nash. It will be difficult to find another series that is as quirky or as lovable as this one.
26. Grown-ish
The challenges of a lady striving to pursue her aspirations and improve her relationships are the main subject of “Insecure.” You should be ready for the chance that an “Insecure” prequel series may never be produced if you ever wonder what Issa Dee might have been like as a teenager. Even so, you can still catch a glimpse of that adolescent experience.
One of the greatest possibilities for you in this regard is “Grown-ish.” It continues Zoey Johnson’s journey, following up where “Black-ish” left off as she transitions to college life and encounters fresh challenges.
27. Awkwafina is Nora from Queens
Issa Rae is among the crop of young, promising performers that resonate more with the audience because they are willing to share their own experiences with them. A similar talent is Awkwafina. She first gained attention for her roles in “Ocean’s 8” and “The Farewell,” but in “Awkwafina is Nora from Queens,” she gives readers a close-up look at her real-life experience. She portrays a fictionalized version of herself in the drama, which follows the tale of a 20-something Queens resident with high goals.
28. Run the World
In the popular Starz series “Run The World,” four Black women from Harlem plot to rule their various fields while keeping one another accountable. Although they are an excellent bunch of pals, Whitney (Amber Stevens West), Sondi (Corbin Reid), Renee (Bresha Webb), and Ella (Andrea Bordeaux) aren’t flawless.
They juggle personal concerns, including divorce, career changes, step-parenting, and affairs. The strength of their sisterhood, though, shows why we need to see more Black female friendships on television when they get together to complain about it all.
Leigh Davenport, the creator of “Run the World,” has given women everywhere a team that matches Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker), especially in terms of realism.
As soon as everyone moved past the polite small talk and started getting real, Issa Dee (Issa Rae) and Molly Carter (Yvonne Orji) would fit in just fine with these Harlem queens. You can presently watch the first season of “Run the World” on the Starz streaming app, as well as the Starz add-on for Hulu and Amazon Prime.
