Best tv shows like Birds of a Feather
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Plot Summary:
Birds of a Feather is a British sitcom that was broadcast on BBC One from 1989 until 1998 and on ITV from 2013. Starring Pauline Quirke, Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph, it was created by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, who also wrote some of the episodes along with many other writers. The first episode sees sisters Tracey Stubbs and Sharon Theodopolopodos brought together when their husbands are sent to prison for armed robbery. Sharon, who lived in an Edmonton council flat, moves into Tracey's expensive house in Chigwell, Essex. Their next-door neighbour, and later friend, Dorien Green is a middle-aged married woman who is constantly having affairs with younger men. In the later series the location is changed to Hainault. The series ended on Christmas Eve 1998 after a 9-year-run. On 3 March 2009, the The Mirror reported that the classic sitcom was set for a return reporting that Lesley Joseph, Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson have all been asked by the team behind the sitcom to make another series. Quirke was reported as saying that they were up for the challenge if the writers came up with good ideas. After this speculation of a return in early 2009 nothing more was said. However, in July 2012 Lesley Joseph hinted that Birds of a Feather could return for another series following a successful stage tour.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: sitcom
Best tv shows and movies like Birds of a Feather (1989):
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Bread (1986)
Plot Summary:
Bread is a British television sitcom, written by Carla Lane, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC1 from 1 May 1986 to 3 November 1991. The series focused on the devoutly-Catholic and extended Boswell family of Liverpool, in the district of Dingle, led by its matriarch Nellie through a number of ups and downs as they tried to make their way through life in Thatcher's Britain with no visible means of support. The street shown at the start of each programme is Elswick Street. A family called Boswell had also featured in Lane's earlier sitcom The Liver Birds and Lane admitted in interviews that the two families were probably related. Nellie's feckless and estranged husband, Freddie, left her for another woman known as 'Lilo Lill'. Her children Joey, Jack, Adrian, Aveline and Billy continued to live in the family home in Kelsall Street and contributed money to the central family fund, largely through benefit fraud and the sale of stolen goods.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom
Similar in 85%
Fresh Fields (1984)
Plot Summary:
Fresh Fields is a British situation comedy written by John T. Chapman and produced by Thames Television for ITV between 7 March 1984 and 23 October 1986. A ratings success at the time, the show is well remembered for its opening titles featuring a silhouette of a person in a rocking chair. It stars Julia McKenzie and Anton Rodgers as Hester and William Fields, a devoted middle-class couple with an idyllic suburban lifestyle. William works while Hester keeps home. The crux of the show was that she was always looking to try new hobbies or find ways to improve her life, much of which exasperated her hard-working husband. The family home had a granny flat attached, in which Hester's mother Nancy lived. She was divorced from Hester's father Guy although remarried him as the series progressed. The couple had a daughter called Emma who frequently telephoned but never appeared. Her husband Peter did appear often. They later had a son — the Fields' first grandchild — whom they named Guy, after his great-grandfather. Perhaps, the best remembered supporting character was Sonia Barrett who would frequently pop round to borrow items to replace hers due to breakage, theft or mislaying. Hester was not perturbed by this, as the two were close friends, but it used to irritate William. Sonia had the show's only catchphrase — she would always knock on the back door of the Fields' home and then say It's only Sonia! as she walked in. This would sometimes lead to applause of recognition from the studio audience, a phenomenon more regularly seen within American sitcoms. Sonia's husband John appeared on occasion, as did William's secretary Miss Denham, played by Daphne Oxenford.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 349
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom
Similar in 88%
The Reluctant Landlord (2018)
Plot Summary:
Much to his annoyance Romesh is left running the local pub after his mischievous father left it to him in his will. He has never wanted to be a landlord, but his mum feels it is the only way to keep his dad's legacy alive, and his wife and kids are having a ball there.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 815
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, semi autobiographical
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The Other One (2017)
Plot Summary:
After Colin Walcott drops dead at his birthday party his wife Tess and daughter Cat discover he had a long-term mistress Marilyn by whom he has a daughter Cath. An irate Tess throws out Colin's belongings whilst Cat is angry with boy-friend Marcus over a text he sent to another girl. When the two half-sisters meet there is an argument over where to scatter their father's ashes, leading to police intervention whilst they also learn he may have been having an affair with yet another woman.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 29 min
Plot tags: sitcom
Similar in 85%
Home from Home (2016)
Plot Summary:
Uptight, try-hard dad Neil Hackett's decision to buy a lodge in the Lake District proves disastrous when he discovers he is living next door to the uber successful, effortlessly superior Dillons.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 245
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: sitcom
Similar in 85%
Going Straight (1978)
Plot Summary:
Going Straight is a BBC sitcom which was a direct spin-off from Porridge, starring Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher, newly released from the fictional Slade Prison where the earlier series had been set. It sees Fletcher trying to become an honest member of society, having vowed to stay away from crime on his release. The title refers to his attempt, 'straight' being a slang term meaning being honest, in contrast to 'bent', i.e., dishonest. Also re-appearing was Richard Beckinsale as Lennie Godber, who was Fletcher's naïve young cellmate and was now in a relationship with his daughter Ingrid. Her brother Raymond was played by a teenage Nicholas Lyndhurst. Only one series, of six episodes, was made in 1978. It attracted an audience of over 15 million viewers and won a BAFTA award in March 1979, but hopes of a further series had already been dashed by Beckinsale's premature death earlier in the same month.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom
Similar in 75%
In Sickness and in Health (1985)
Plot Summary:
In Sickness and in Health is a BBC television sitcom which ran between 1985 and 1992. It was a sequel to the highly successful Til Death Us Do Part, which ran between 1966 and 1975, and Till Death..., which ran for one series of six episodes in 1981.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 700
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom
Similar in 88%
After You've Gone (2007)
Plot Summary:
After You've Gone was a British comedy that aired on BBC One from 12 January 2007 to 21 December 2008. Starring Nicholas Lyndhurst, Celia Imrie, Dani Harmer and Ryan Sampson, After You've Gone was created by Fred Barron, who also created My Family. The writers include Barron, Ian Brown, Katie Douglas, James Hendie, Danny Robins, Andrea Solomons and Dan Tetsell. Three series and two Christmas specials aired, and work on scripts for a fourth series had already begun when the BBC withdrew the commission in November 2008 and cancelled the series.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 853
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: sitcom, situational comedy
Similar in 78%
Love Thy Neighbour (1972)
Plot Summary:
Love Thy Neighbour is a British sitcom, which was transmitted from 13 April 1972 until 22 January 1976, spanning seven series. The sitcom was produced by Thames Television for the ITV network. The principal cast included Jack Smethurst, Rudolph Walker, Nina Baden-Semper and Kate Williams. In 1973, the series was adapted into a film of the same name, and a later sequel series was set in Australia.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 760
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, controversial, sexy, hot
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Mum (2016)
Plot Summary:
A comedy about a mother at a milestone in her life. We follow her and her family through a year of new beginnings as she rebuilds her life following the death of her husband. Mum is joined by her supportive life-long friend Michael. Through a year of new beginnings she rebuilds her life surrounded by her family: son Jason and his girlfriend Kelly; her brother Derek and his new partner, Pauline; and her in-laws.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, light, humorous, sincere, captivating, melancholic
Similar in 75%
Agony (1979)
Plot Summary:
Agony is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1979 to 1981. It starred Maureen Lipman as a successful agony aunt but whose own personal life and marriage is a disaster. It was written by Len Richmond, Anna Raeburn, Stan Hey and Andrew Nickolds. It was made for the ITV network by LWT. Although a comedy, Agony sometimes dealt with issues that were seen as taboo at the time such as drug use, racism, abortion, interracial relationships, and swinging, and was the first British sitcom to portray a gay couple as non-camp, witty, intelligent and happy people. It also openly mocked the government, the ruling classes, and religion, and occasionally contained dark and dramatic storylines.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 139
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: sitcom, dark comedy, melancholic
Similar in 86%
Broke (2020)
Plot Summary:
Single suburban mother Jackie is shocked when her estranged sister, Elizabeth, her sister's outrageously wealthy, big-hearted husband, Javier, and Javier's fiercely loyal assistant/driver/friend land on her doorstep in need of a place to live after the couple's money dries up.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 21 min
Plot tags: sitcom
Similar in 78%
Executive Stress (1986)
Plot Summary:
Executive Stress is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1986 to 1988. Produced by Thames Television, it first aired on 20 October 1986. After three series, the last episode aired on 27 December 1988. Written by George Layton, Executive Stress stars Penelope Keith as Caroline Fairchild, a middle-aged woman who decides to go back to work. Her husband, Donald, is played by Geoffrey Palmer in the first series. However, Palmer was unable to return for the second series, so Peter Bowles played Donald in the last two series. Keith and Bowles had previously appeared in together in To the Manor Born.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 157
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom
Similar in 87%
The Brady Brides (1981)
Plot Summary:
The Brady Brides is a spin-off sitcom of The Brady Bunch that aired on NBC from February 6, 1981 to April 17, 1981.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 325
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom
Similar in 80%
Till Death Us Do Part (1965)
Plot Summary:
Till Death Us Do Part is a ground-breaking British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1965 to 1975. First airing as a Comedy Playhouse pilot, the show aired in seven series until 1975. Six years later, ITV continued the sitcom, calling it Till Death.... From 1985 to 1992, the BBC produced a sequel In Sickness and in Health. Created by Johnny Speight, Till Death Us Do Part centred on the East End Garnett family, led by patriarch Alf Garnett, a reactionary white working-class man who holds racist and anti-socialist views. His gentle and long-suffering wife Else was played by Dandy Nichols, and his daughter Rita by Una Stubbs. Rita's bright but layabout husband Mike Rawlins is a socialist. The character Alf Garnett became a well known character in British culture, and Mitchell played him on stage and television up until 1998, when Speight died. In addition to the spin-off In Sickness and in Health, Till Death Us Do Part was re-made in many countries including Brazil, Germany and the United States. Many episodes from the first three series are thought to no longer exist, having been wiped in the late 1960s and early '70s as was the policy at the time.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 985
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, political, controversial, humorous, realistic, witty, talky, not serious, biting, suspense
Similar in 75%
2point4 Children (1991)
Plot Summary:
2point4 children is a 1990s British sitcom that was created and written by Andrew Marshall. It follows the lives of the Porter family; an average family that is persistently faced with surreal situations and sheer bad luck. The show was originally broadcast on BBC One from 1991 to 1999, and ran for eight series, ending in a special Millennium edition that would be the last due to the death of Gary Olsen, who died from cancer in 2000. The show is now repeated regularly in the UK on Gold, and in Australia on UKTV. The title of the show refers to the once average size of a UK family. There are two children in the Porter family, however Andrew Marshall has indicated that the father, Ben, could be considered almost another child, making up the "point four". The show regularly picked up large audiences of up to 14 million in the early 1990s, with an average of between 6 - 9 million, the final episode was viewed by 9.03 million people. In 1997 a remake of the show debuted in the Netherlands: 'Kees & Co' starring Simone Kleinsma.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 40 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, realistic, not serious
Similar in 83%
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976)
Plot Summary:
Disillusioned after a long career at Sunshine Desserts, Perrin goes through a mid-life crisis and fakes his own death. Returning in disguise after various attempts at finding a 'new life', he gets his old job back and finds nothing has changed. He is eventually found out, and in the second series has success with a chain of shops selling useless junk. That becomes so successful that he feels he has created a monster and decides to destroy it. In the third and final series he has a dream of forming a commune which his long suffering colleagues help bring to reality. Unfortunately that also fails and he finds himself back in a job not unlike the one he originally had at Sunshine Desserts.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, surreal, dark comedy, humorous, realistic, cynical, semi serious
Similar in 90%
Game On (1995)
Plot Summary:
A 1990s flat-share sitcom which, in its tales of the sexual adventures and misadventures of three twenty-somethings living under the same roof, featured more than a dash of crudity. Matthew, a wealthy, workshy landlord who, because of a strange phobia, never leaves the flat. Martin and Matthew have been friends since schooldays and Mandy's connection is by way of her best friend Claudia, Martin's sister. Mandy is a bright young woman who wants to better herself and is tired of being treated as a sex object, yet she still tends to find herself jumping into bed with inappropriate men. Both Matthew and Martin are obsessed with sex but neither is conspicuously successful in the field.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, dark comedy
Similar in 77%
Josh (2014)
Plot Summary:
Sitcom about flatmates Josh, Kate and Owen, and their annoying landlord Geoff.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom
Similar in 90%
Dear John (1986)
Plot Summary:
Dear John is a British sitcom, written by John Sullivan. Two series and a special were broadcast between 1986 and 1987. This sitcom's title refers to letters - known as "Dear John" letters - from girls to their boyfriends breaking off a relationship. John discovers in the opening episode that his wife is leaving him for a friend, and he is forced to find lodgings. In desperation, he attends the 1-2-1 Singles Club and finds other members mostly social misfits. The series was also re-made for the U.S. market.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 538
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, melancholic
Similar in 86%
Hi-de-Hi! (1980)
Plot Summary:
Hi-de-Hi! is a British sitcom set in Maplins, a fictional holiday camp, during 1959 and 1960, and was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who also wrote Dad's Army and It Ain't Half Hot Mum amongst others. It aired on the BBC from 1980 to 1988. The title was the phrase used to greet the campers and in early episodes was written Hi de Hi. The series revolved around the lives of the camp's management and entertainers, most of them struggling actors or has-beens. The inspiration was the experience of writers Perry and Croft: after being demobilised from the Army, Perry was a Redcoat at Butlins, Pwllheli during the holiday season. The series gained large audiences and won a BAFTA as Best Comedy Series in 1984. In 2004, it came 40th in Britain's Best Sitcom and in a 2008 poll on Channel 4, Hi-de-Hi! was voted the 35th most popular comedy catchphrase.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sitcom, atmospheric, comic
Similar in 76%
George and Mildred (1976)
Plot Summary:
George and Mildred is a British sitcom produced by Thames Television that aired from 1976 to 1979. It was a spin-off from Man About the House and starred Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce as an ill-matched married couple, George and Mildred Roper. The premise of the series had George and Mildred leaving their flat as depicted in Man About the House and moving to a modern, upmarket housing estate. Their arrival horrifies their snobbish neighbour Jeffrey Fourmile, an estate agent who despairs that the Ropers' presence will devalue his home. It was written by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer. Like many sitcoms of the day, George and Mildred was also turned into a film, which was dedicated to actress Yootha Joyce who died suddenly in 1980, just as the cast had been looking forward to recording a sixth series.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom
Similar in 79%
On the Buses (1969)
Plot Summary:
On the Buses is a British comedy programme created by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney, broadcast in the United Kingdom from 1969 to 1973. The writers' previous successes with The Rag Trade and Meet the Wife were for the BBC, but the corporation rejected On the Buses, not seeing much comedy potential in a bus depot as a setting. The comedy partnership turned to a friend, Frank Muir, Head of Entertainment at London Weekend Television, who loved the idea; the show was accepted and despite a poor critical reception became a hit with viewers.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, controversial
Similar in 84%
Friday Night Dinner (2011)
Plot Summary:
Two siblings share their Friday night dinners at their parents home and, somehow, something always goes wrong.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, not serious, realistic, captivating, light hearted, nostalgic
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How Not to Live Your Life (2007)
Plot Summary:
How Not to Live Your Life is a British sitcom, written by and starring Dan Clark that aired between 27 September 2007 and 22 December 2011, about a neurotic twenty-nine-year-old man who is trying to navigate his way through life but is not helped by his bad instincts. On 27 May 2011 it was announced by the new BBC Three controller Zai Bennett that the show has been cancelled.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 28 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, not serious, light, funny, feel good, captivating, entertaining, realistic, fun
Similar in 76%
Barbara (1995)
Plot Summary:
Barbara is a British sitcom starring Gwen Taylor in the title role. A pilot was broadcast in 1995, and three series were then televised from 1999 to 2003. It was made by Central Television, and filmed at their Lenton Lane studios in Nottingham in front of a live studio audience. The majority of location scenes for the series were filmed in various suburbs of Nottingham, including Mapperley and West Bridgford, with other scenes filmed around Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Despite winning awards and respectable viewing figures, it was axed by ITV in 2003.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 134
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 27 min
Plot tags: sitcom, offbeat, humorous, realistic, semi serious, situational comedy
Similar in 80%
Sykes (1972)
Plot Summary:
Sykes is a British sitcom that aired on BBC 1 from 1972 to 1979. Starring Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques, it was written by Sykes, who had previously starred with Jacques in Sykes and A... and Sykes and a Big, Big Show. Forty-three of the 1970s colour episodes were remakes of scripts for the 1960s black and white series, such as "Bus" based on 'Sykes and a Following' from 1964 and the episode "Stranger" with guest star Peter Sellers based on 'Sykes and a Stranger' from 1961. Sykes had the same premise as Sykes and A... with Sykes, Jacques, Richard Wattis and Deryck Guyler reprising their former identical roles. The series was brought to an end by the death of Hattie Jacques of a heart attack on 6 October 1980.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 338
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 82%
Keeping Up Appearances (1990)
Plot Summary:
Keeping Up Appearances is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke for the BBC. Centred on the life of eccentric, social-climbing snob Hyacinth Bucket, the sitcom follows her obsessive and determined attempts to impress in middle class society and portray herself as more affluent than she truly is. The show stars Patricia Routledge, who received two BAFTA nominations for her performance as Hyacinth. Broadcast between 1990 and 1995 on BBC One, the sitcom spawned five series and 44 episodes—4 of which are Christmas specials. Keeping Up Appearances was a great success in the UK and also captivated a large audience in the US, Canada, and Australia, but production ceased in 1995 when Routledge wanted to move on to other projects. Since its original release, all five series—including Christmas specials—are available on DVD. In 2004, the sitcom was ranked 12th in the countdown of Britain's Best Sitcom. It is regularly repeated worldwide.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sitcom, hilarious, funny, game show, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, vintage
Similar in 88%
The New Statesman (1987)
Plot Summary:
The New Statesman is a British sitcom of the late 1980s and early 1990s satirising the Conservative government of the time. It was written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran at the request of, and as a starring vehicle for, its principal actor, Rik Mayall. The show's theme tune is an arrangement by Alan Hawkshaw of part of the Promenade from Pictures at an Exhibition by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky. The programme was made by the ITV franchise Yorkshire Television between 1987 and 1992, although the BBC made two special episodes; one in 1988, the other in 1994.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 70 min
Plot tags: sitcom, dark comedy, political, surreal, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, parody
Similar in 84%
Last of the Summer Wine (1973)
Plot Summary:
Unencumbered by wives, jobs or any other responsibilities, three senior citizens who've never really grown up explore their world in the Yorkshire Dales. They spend their days speculating about their fellow townsfolk and thinking up adventures not usually favored by the elderly. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse in 1973. The show ran for 295 episodes until 2010. It is the longest running comedy Britain has produced and the longest running sitcom in the world.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, talky, realistic, witty, semi serious, clever, contemplative, philosophical, slapstick comedy