Shows like The Queen's Gambit

11 picks with a similar feel

What defines The Queen's Gambit, going by its Boxlist taste profile: A grounded drama series that is emotional, slow-burning and heavy. Best if you like real life over fantasy. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of coming of age and unlikely connections, plus tags such as chess, kentucky and substance abuse.

Here are 11 shows with a similar feel, ranked by how closely they match that profile. Treat them as picks to try, not a definitive list.

Based on The Queen's Gambit (2020).

  1. 1

    Euphoria (2019)

    TV8.4

    Why it's like The Queen's Gambit: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: addiction, coming of age.

  2. 2

    We Are Who We Are (2020)

    TV8.1

    Why it's like The Queen's Gambit: Also grounded and emotional, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: coming of age.

  3. 3

    The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022)

    TV8.2Warmer in tone

    Why it's like The Queen's Gambit: Also grounded and emotional, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: coming of age.

  4. 4

    El Juego de las Llaves (2019)

    TV7.4

    Why it's like The Queen's Gambit: Also grounded and slow-burning, with themes of unlikely connections.

  5. 5

    Heartstopper (2022)

    TV8.6Warmer in tone

    Why it's like The Queen's Gambit: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: coming of age.

  6. 6

    Pretty Little Liars (2010)

    TV8.0

    Why it's like The Queen's Gambit: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: female friendship.

  7. 7

    1883 (2021)

    TV8.4

    Why it's like The Queen's Gambit: Also grounded and weighty. Common ground: historical, historical drama.

  8. 8

    Mrs. Fletcher (2019)

    TV7.5Lighter option

    Why it's like The Queen's Gambit: Also grounded and emotional, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections.

  9. 9

    Normal People (2020)

    TV8.0Warmer in tone

    Why it's like The Queen's Gambit: Also grounded and emotional, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: coming of age.

  10. 10

    Lessons in Chemistry (2023)

    TV8.2More intricate

    Why it's like The Queen's Gambit: Also emotional and slow-burning.

  11. 11

    Raising Voices (2024)

    TV7.8

    Why it's like The Queen's Gambit: Also intimate, with themes of coming of age.

Boxlist compares The Queen's Gambit with every show in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 7.2 or more from at least 150 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point. Ratings are TMDB audience scores out of 10.

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Questions

What should I watch if I like The Queen's Gambit?
Picks with a similar feel include Euphoria, We Are Who We Are, The Summer I Turned Pretty and El Juego de las Llaves. Each shares part of The Queen's Gambit's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 11 shows.
How are these shows like The Queen's Gambit chosen?
Boxlist compares The Queen's Gambit with every show in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 7.2 or more from at least 150 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point.
Is there a lighter show like The Queen's Gambit?
Mrs. Fletcher has a similar feel but scores lighter on Boxlist's weightiness scale.

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