Gilmore Girls is the ultimate comfort show: It’s set in a small town where it’s perpetually autumn and where quirky but kind neighbors abound; it contains just enough low-stakes, easily resolved drama to keep you entertained but not stressed out, and, of course, it centers around an idyllic mother-daughter relationship. Because of that cozy perfection, it can be tough to figure out where to go next when you’ve reached the end of the classic series and need to move on from Stars Hollow.
Thankfully, you don’t need to stray too far. There are plenty of shows like Gilmore Girls to watch next that capture the same pleasant vibes, pop culture-reference-heavy dialogue, and tangly relationships—of the family, friend, and romantic varieties. Here, find 30 TV series to watch if you're a Gilmore Girls fan and where to stream them until your inevitable next rewatch of the Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham hit.
'Better Things' (2016–2022)
Compared to the gentle, idyllic vibe of Lorelai’s life in Stars Hollow, Better Things takes a much grittier view of single motherhood. Its five seasons follow Pamela Adlon’s Sam, a working actress in L.A. juggling raising her three daughters, dating around, and dealing with her own difficult mother—who lives right across the street.
'Buccaneers' (2023– )
In the same way that Gilmore Girls showcased ambitious women living their lives on their own terms, so does this Apple TV+ series. Here, the pursuit of freedom is even more subversive for the five young women at its heart, since it takes place in stuffy 1870s London. Plus, in other echoes of GG, Buccaneers features a tangly love triangle and a very sweet relationship between Christina Hendricks’ Patti and her two daughters, Nan and Jinny, played by Kristine Froseth and Imogen Waterhouse.
'Bunheads' (2012–2013)
In the time between Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amy Sherman-Palladino created Bunheads. The show starred Sutton Foster as an ex-Vegas showgirl who settles down in a small town after getting married and a job teaching at her mother-in-law’s ballet school. Devastatingly, the show was canceled after just one season, but has gained a cult following in the years since—and for good reason: In addition to the delightfully quirky premise, it also featured plenty of GG alums, from Emily Gilmore herself (Kelly Bishop) as the mother-in-law, to Liza Weil, who you’ll know best as Paris Geller.
'Charmed' (1998–2006)
Just like Stars Hollow, it always feel like fall in the moody San Francisco of this turn-of-the-millennium classic. Charmed starts with a trio of sisters (played by Alyssa Milano, Shannen Doherty, and Holly Marie Combs) discovering that they’re the most powerful witches of all time and proceeding to face down a seemingly never-ending line of supernatural foes. Come for the complex sisterly relationships, stay for the glorious parade of Y2K looks.
'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' (2015–2019)
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is like if the neuroses, pop culture references, and whip-smart dialogue of Gilmore Girls were all cranked up several zany notches. It’s fun, funny, and full of original pop songs you won’t be able to get out of your head for weeks at a time.
'Derry Girls' (2018–2022)
Derry Girls may seem like a world away from Gilmore Girls—set in Northern Ireland in the ‘90s, during the Troubles—but its fast-talking, hilarious characters and powerful female relationships would surely fit in in Stars Hollow. The shows even share 50% of their titles!
'Ginny & Georgia' (2021– )
Ginny & Georgia isn’t an exact Gilmore Girls dupe, however, its basic premise is uncannily similar: The series begins when newly widowed Georgia (Brianne Howey)—who had her daughter Ginny (Antonia Gentry) when she was 15 and who’s no stranger to a perfectly timed pop culture reference—moves her family to a small New England town. In the series’ first episode, she even notes: “We’re like the Gilmore Girls but with bigger boobs!” Need we say more?
'The Good Witch' (2015–2021)
Based on a series of Hallmark movies, and set in the fictional small town of Middleton, this seven-season series stars Catherine Bell as the titular kind-hearted sorceress, Cassie Nightingale, and Bailee Madison as her daughter Grace, who has some magical powers of her own. Between her similarities to Cassie—a single mother to a teenage daughter and the manager of a local B&B—and her noted love of Bewitched, it’s safe to assume Lorelai Gilmore herself would be a huge fan of this show.
'Grace and Frankie' (2015–2022)
They may not be mother and daughter, but Grace and Frankie have a very Emily-Lorelei thing going on. After their husbands reveal their longtime love for one another, the two women end up moving in together, setting up a personality clash for the ages: between elegant, uptight Grace (Jane Fonda) and free-spirited Frankie (Lily Tomlin).
'Hacks' (2021– )
For a slightly different take on a complex mother-daughter(-like) relationship, you must tune into Hacks. It stars Hannah Einbinder as Ava, an up-and-coming comedy writer who takes a job writing for Deborah (Jean Smart), a standup comedy legend whose popularity is starting to wane. Despite their constant butting of heads, the duo form a tight-knit bond based on their shared sense of very dry humor. And, just like in Gilmore Girls, the central pair are surrounded by a web of wacky characters—though Hacks’ Kayla (Megan Stalter) makes GG’s oddballs seem bland.
'The Handmaid’s Tale' (2017– )
Okay, so a dystopian tale about a society in which women are forced to serve as nothing more than birthing machines, are prohibited from reading or holding their own bank accounts, and, overall, are relegated to the fringes of society doesn’t exactly conjure the same cozy feeling as Gilmore Girls. But Rory G. herself (Alexis Bledel) does appear throughout the series, with her work on season 1 earning her her first Emmy. Plus, like Gilmore Girls, The Handmaid's Tale is powered by relationships between women, so…close enough?
'Hart of Dixie' (2011–2015)
You might feel a major sense of déjà vu when watching Hart of Dixie. Its storylines, pacing, small-town setting, and overall vibe are eerily similar to Gilmore Girls, making it one of your best options when you’ve convinced yourself to take a break from Stars Hollow…but don't want to.
'Jane the Virgin' (2014–2019)
Jane the Virgin might as well be called Villanueva Girls, since it, like Gilmore Girls, revolves around a responsible, book-obsessed daughter, the fun-loving mother who had her as a teenager, and the strict grandmother who doesn’t always approve of her progeny’s antics. Though, unlike Gilmore Girls, it takes a hilariously over-the-top, telenovela-style approach to telling the three women’s stories.
'Kim’s Convenience' (2016–2021)
Another family-centric show, Kim’s Convenience is a sitcom about the Korean-Canadian Kim family, who run—you guessed it—a convenience store in Toronto. In addition to being both funny and very heartwarming, it’s also where Simu Liu got his start before becoming a Marvel superstar. The first season holds a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes—all of which adds to a must-watch series.
'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' (2017–2023)
“Life’s short, talk fast” has long been hailed as an unofficial tagline for Gilmore Girls and its screwball comedy-inspired, relentlessly fast-paced dialogue, as established by creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. She may have outdone even herself in that category when she created The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel over a decade later: It stars Rachel Brosnahan as the titular character, a 1950s housewife who decides to chart a new course as a standup comedian after her husband leaves her—and who could easily go toe-to-toe with Lorelai Gilmore in a speed-talking and wit competition.
'The Mindy Project' (2012–2017)
Mindy Lahiri is like a Sliding Doors version of Lorelai Gilmore. They’re both intelligent, independent women who have great style, talk a mile a minute, and date a rotating cast of charming men who weave into and out of their lives—with both of their rosters led by grumpy but secretly sweet guys with whom they interact on a near-daily basis. Sold yet?
'Mike & Molly' (2010–2016)
She may have been largely absent from the Gilmore Girls reboot A Year in the Life, but Melissa McCarthy has stayed booked and busy since the show went off the air, giving us plenty more opportunities to revisit that Sookie St. James charm. She plays a similarly cheery character in Mike & Molly, a CBS sitcom that ran for six seasons and stars McCarthy and Billy Gardell as the titular characters, who meet in an Overeaters Anonymous meeting and promptly fall in love.
'Mom' (2013–2021)
If you’re after a complex mother-daughter relationship with plenty of comic relief, Mom is your show. It stars Anna Faris as Christy Plunkett. She moves to Napa to get her life together and reconnect with her estranged mother Bonnie, played by Allison Janney. Both mother and daughter are recovering addicts, and the core to repairing their relationship is their ritual of attending AA meetings together. The show strikes a near-perfect balance of exploring addiction and other serious issues with sensitivity and honesty, while also being hilarious.
'Never Have I Ever' (2020–2023)
This Mindy Kaling-created show is another take on the “multiple generations of women navigating their differences and finding common ground” plot. It centers around Maitreyi Ramakrishnan’s Devi, a high-achieving high school student, as she grapples with her grief over her father's death, her social standing and romantic pursuits, and her complicated relationship with her mother (Poorna Jagannathan).
'New Girl' (2011–2018)
The dearly beloved, extremely bingeable sitcom just might be the thing to fill that “fast-talking, tight-knit group of zany characters”-shaped hole in your heart. Plus, Jessica Day's (Zooey Deschanel) status as reigning queen of “adorkable” kitsch just might out-quirk Sookie and Kirk combined.
'Parenthood' (2010–2015)
After Gilmore Girls wrapped in 2007, Lauren Graham returned to TV just a few years later in another Lorelai-like role as Parenthood’s Sarah Braverman, a single mother of two. The show—based on the 1989 film and 1990 series of the same name—follows three generations of the extended Braverman family and is filled with plenty of quirky characters, (usually) low-stakes drama and warm and fuzzy feelings of community.
'Parks and Recreation' (2009–2015)
Pawnee could absolutely give Stars Hollow a run for its money in the wacky department. Just like in Gilmore Girls, Parks and Recreation’s core group of main characters is surrounded by a vast web of townspeople always ready to pop up when and where you least expect them, launch a truly ridiculous business venture, or take the weirdest stand possible at a local meeting.
'Riverdale' (2017–2023)
The town of Riverdale has the same cozy, always-autumnal small-town vibe as Stars Hollow, but it’s strange in its own, very unique way. In fact, the quirky characters of Gilmore Girls seem perfectly normal compared to the time travel, underground fight clubs, and haunted dolls of Riverdale—to name just a few of the unbelievably out-there plots that cropped up throughout its seven seasons.
'Schitt’s Creek' (2015–2020)
The Rosebud Motel may not be able to hold a candle to the Dragonfly Inn, but the Rose family’s motel does feature a staff of just as many eccentric characters as Lorelai Gilmore’s B&B. The same goes for the mother-daughter relationship between Moira and Alexis Rose (Catherine O'Hara and Annie Murphy)—they’re no Lorelai and Rory, but they occasionally have their moments.
'Sullivan’s Crossing' (2023– )
It’s nearly impossible to imagine Scott Patterson, a.k.a. Luke Danes, doing anything other than wearing flannels and being grumpy in a small town, and thankfully, we don’t have to. He fulfills a similar role in Sullivan’s Crossing as Sully, who finds himself repairing his estranged relationship with his neurosurgeon daughter (Morgan Kohan) when she unexpectedly returns to their rural Canadian town. Fun fact: The show is based on a series of books by Robyn Carr, who also wrote the books behind Virgin River, another very cozy Gilmore Girls follow-up.
'The Summer I Turned Pretty' (2022– )
If you think you have strong opinions on Rory’s boyfriends (Team Jess forever!), wait until you’ve plowed through this Amazon original based on Jenny Han's popular book series. You might be surprised at how powerfully you feel about whichever Fisher brother you’ve determined to be the best choice for Belly (played by Lola Tung). (The right answer is Jeremiah, obviously).
'Ted Lasso' (2020–2023)
One of the best things about Gilmore Girls is its innate kindness: Though the characters sometimes bicker and break apart, the show is never mean-spirited and typically leaves you happy. The same could be said of the hit comedy series Ted Lasso, which stars Jason Sudeikis as the relentlessly optimistic titular character. He plays an American football coach who accepts a job coaching a soccer team in the U.K., despite not knowing a thing about the sport.
'This Is Us' (2016–2022)
Keep a box of tissues close once you’ve hit play on This Is Us. The show’s six seasons jump back and forth in time, charting the complex, decades-long story of the Pearson family—led by Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Jack (Jess Mariano himself, a.k.a. Milo Ventimiglia), with their three kids, Kate, Kevin, and Randall (played by Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, and Sterling K. Brown, respectively).
'Trying' (2020– )
This highly underrated British comedy is a perfect follow-up to the feel-good vibes of Gilmore Girls. It stars Esther Smith and Rafe Spall as Nikki and Jason, a couple struggling to conceive and turn instead to adoption, prompting three seasons’ worth of gentle chaos, hilarity, and sweet moments.
'Veronica Mars' (2004–2007)
Far from a feel-good mother-daughter dramedy, Veronica Mars follows its titular teen detective (Kristen Bell) as she solves mini-mysteries in each episode and unravels larger schemes throughout the course of each season. But now, on to the similarities: Like Gilmore Girls, it stars a precociously intelligent teenage girl (played by Kristen Bell) who’s unafraid to throw out an esoteric joke or pop culture reference that nobody else will get, it’s loaded with highly entertaining aughts fashion choices, and every episode starts with a theme song so catchy you won’t be able to resist singing along.
