The best comedy shows like Fleabag to watch right now

It’s kind of screwed up that in our TV-saturated landscape, there are still so few shows that leave non-cis male main characters as open and unfulfilled as many of us are in our own lives. An exception is fleasackthe now-classic dramedy about grief and sex that didn’t shy away from showing the more humiliating side of the title character’s wants and needs.

But as much as fans beg and plead, chances are the very busy Phoebe Waller-Bridge won’t back down and do a third season fleasack Finally happening – she writes and stars in blockbusters, from James Bond to Indiana Jones. It’s a miracle season two happened at all; she was famous plans to maintain the first season as a standalone adaptation of their hit one-woman play, until she was struck by sudden inspiration for a story about Fleabag falling in love with a priest. This led to and ensured a television season that was in some ways even more iconic and legendary than the first round fleasack went high.

fleasack was rightly praised for showing all of its protagonist’s flaws and foibles, from her erotic fixation on Obama to her complicated relationship with her sister. She may have been unique, but we could all find something to relate to in Fleabag’s constant search for love and understanding and the many mistakes she makes along the way. Plus, iconic and hilarious supporting characters like the overzealous bus rodent, neurotic ex-boyfriend Harry, and sneaky, candy-sweet stepmother made the show unforgettable.

In the absence of a continuation of the show, when you’re looking for something to watch, it hits some of the same buttons as fleasack, check out one of these five great shows featuring female or non-binary dirtbag protags. Each has a main character that will surely appeal to all of us out there who don’t have it together like we would like.

---

Extraordinary

Photo: Natalie Seery/Disney Plus

fleasack meets: outsider

outsider ruled our world in the early 2010s. The series, which aired on UK channel E4, starred a group of young adult ne’er-do-wells who are all given superpowers during a freak storm sweeping through their town. With Robert Sheehan as the immortal Nathan and Iwan Rheon as the time-travelling Simon. outsider‘ Storylines were often highly ridiculous and very moving at the same time.

If you’re looking for a larger than life genre TV show that combines insane superpowers with a fleasack-esque MC, look no further than Extraordinary on Hulu. Starring newcomer Máiréad Tyers as the chronically unhappy Jen, who emerges as the rare powerless person in a world where everyone gets power at 18, the show is laughable, funny and unafraid to examine its characters’ flaws . Jen’s relationships with her best friend Carrie (who can channel the dead) and her roommate Jizzlord (who used to be a cat) take center stage. Jen makes many mistakes in pursuing what she wants and is often unsympathetic, but in a world full of flying one-night stands and super-strong, snobbish sisters, it’s a joy to watch her and her friends take on all of them Face the problems of young adulthood.

Extraordinary can be viewed on Hulu.

Up this way

Image: Channel 4

fleasack meets: catastrophe

At catastrophe, Sharon Horgan plays a single teacher who accidentally gets pregnant and plunges straight into a relationship with an American businessman (Rob Delaney). With an unabashed attitude towards parenthood and all the chaos that comes with it, catastropheSprinkled with plenty of lightness and hilarity, ‘s unsentimental but compelling approach to life’s big issues like death and addiction is enhanced by its excellent cast.

Fans of Horgan’s endearing Irish comedy will find much to love in her role in the Channel 4 series Up this waybut the real attraction is star Aisling Bea, whose fleasack-like protagonist Áine deals with mental health, family and romance as a teacher in London.

The series, created by Bea, is perhaps a little cozier and more reserved than fleasack, but it’s wonderful how seriously it takes Áine’s problems while still allowing her to screw up and experience the ups and downs of big city life. Making appearances from Tobias Menzies as her shy, mysterious love interest and Horgan as her patient sister – whose unexpected encounter with a female love interest is one of the show’s big moments Up this way‘S two seasons a relatable and entertaining watch.

Up this way can be viewed on Hulu.

poker face

Photo: Evans Vestal Ward/Peacock

fleasack meets: Russian doll/columbo

Russian doll made Natasha Lyonne a star to a whole new audience when she brought the time warp Nadia to life. If you enjoyed the Netflix mystery’s irreverent attitude and how Nadia had to face her past if she was to escape the loop and finally move into the future, Lyonne’s new noir collaboration with Rian Johnson, poker face, is the show for you.

Both of fleasack‘s seasons stand more or less alone, and poker face takes that independence to the next level with an anthology-style season where each episode centers around a different crime for Lyonne’s protagonist, Charlie, to solve. As in columbo, the crime itself is portrayed at the beginning of each episode, and the remainder of the running time is occupied by twists and turns uncovered by Charlie as she drinks, smokes and weaves her way through a selection of weird and quirky guest stars. Charlie’s own weaknesses tend to bring her down, and she’s certainly no saint, but her triumphs in the face of criminal odds are always exciting and feel like a triumph to the viewer, too.

poker face can be viewed on Peacock.

Feel well

Photo: Luke Varley/Netflix

fleasack meets: crash

At crash (the American show, not the British show of the same name starring Waller-Bridge himself), comedian Pete Holmes plays a fictionalized version of himself who struggles in the comedy industry after the collapse of his marriage left him homeless. Featuring many real-life comedians like Sarah Silverman and Bill Burr, the show never compromises when it comes to themes of religion, narcissism, and codependency.

The two seasons of Feel well Canadian comedian Mae Martin stars in a similarly semi-autobiographical role as a non-binary Canadian comedian named Mae trying to make it big. Mae falls head over heels for love interest George, played by Charlotte Ritchie, who is equally brilliantly drawn and explores her sexuality, while Mae struggles to overcome her drug addiction and manage her complicated relationship with her mother. The second season, like the second season of fleasack, complicates the premise with a change in situation when Mae goes to rehab, spends time away from George, and tries to revamp her comedy act. The show can be sad, heartwarming, and ridiculous as the characters find themselves in situations that expose all of their best and worst tendencies.

Feel well can be viewed on Netflix.

i hate suzie

Image: HBO Max

fleasack meets: black mirror

Charlie Brookers black mirror Anthology Series is an imaginative and exciting look at how modern technology is affecting people, relationships and the media we consume. As the legendary line says: “What if phones but too much?” Iconic episodes like “USS Callister” and “dive” are unabashed glimpses into worlds like our own, where the pitfalls of the digital characters’ enthusiastic embrace fall into terrifying situations.

Co-Created by Star Billie Piper and successor staff writer and playwright Lucy Prebble, i hate suzie‘s first season begins with a inflammatory incident that Brooker would approve of: Suzie’s nude photos leaked out, wreaking instant havoc on her marriage and career, sending her into a downward spiral that works majestically as a critique of pop culture and the system of celebrity incompetence To accept complexity in the women she throws up.

Suzie is a captivating character, incredibly played by Piper, whose own backstory as a teenage pop star and eventual breakout icon on a sci-fi show informs her portrayal of the nervous, impulsive, struggling and frequently failing Suzie Changing course of their runaway life. Supporting characters include her husband, son, and intense agent; Your phone, social media, and the terrifying nature of the entertainment industry are ever-present antagonists.

Though many networks dismiss the show since Prebble claimsHave you already [their] wife-has-a-breakdown-show” (perhaps related to fleasack), i hate suzie triumphed and was published to universal acclaim. Its sequel, the recently released second season I hate Suzie too ups the ante, arguing for Piper as a one-time star.

i hate suzie can be viewed on HBO Max.