Best tv shows like Packed to the Rafters
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Plot Summary:
Packed to the Rafters is an Australian family-oriented television series which premiered on the Seven Network on Tuesday 26 August 2008 at 8:30 pm. The show has continued on Tuesdays in this timeslot for its entire run. The drama series features a mix of lighthearted comedy woven through the plot. It revolves around the Rafter family facing work pressures and life issues, whilst also tackling serious social issues. The Logie award winning series was the highest rating to screen on the Seven Network in 2008, and the show has consistently been among the top 5 shows of the year throughout its run in Australia. It was announced in TV Week that the sixth season of Packed to the Rafters would be the last, with Hugh Sheridan stating: "It's emotional letting go of Rafters – for all of us. It was such an amazing chapter in Aussie TV. I'm really proud we all came back together to send it off." The two-hour series finale of Rafters aired on 2 July 2013, which saw the return of Hugh Sheridan, Jessica Marais, Ryan Corr, Jessica McNamee and James Stewart. Rebecca Gibney said, "The cast, writers and producers have always said that we wanted to keep Rafters as one of the most-watched shows on TV. If we ever felt like we were losing too many cast members, we needed to end it on a high. We can say season six winds up an aspect of the Rafter family and there is a sense of finality to it.".
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: semi serious, humorous, realistic, sentimental, sincere, feel good
Best tv shows and movies like Packed to the Rafters (2008):
Similar in 76%
800 Words (2015)
Plot Summary:
A recently widowed father, quits his job as a popular 800 word columnist for a top selling Sydney newspaper. Over the internet he buys a house on an impulse in a remote New Zealand seaside town. He then has to break the news to his two teenage kids who just lost their mum, and now face an even more uncertain future. But the colourful and inquisitive locals ensure his dream of a fresh start does not go to plan.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: New Zealand, Australia
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: sentimental, light, sincere, touching
Similar in 84%
At Home with the Braithwaites (2000)
Plot Summary:
At Home with the Braithwaites is a British comedy-drama television series, created and written by Sally Wainwright. The storyline follows a suburban family from Leeds, whose life is turned upside down when the mother of the family wins 38 million pounds on the lottery. It was broadcast on ITV, for 26 episodes, from 20 January 2000 to 9 April 2003. At the beginning of the first series, each member of the Braithwaite family has an issue. Alison has to decide what to do with the winnings, and when to tell her family. David is having an affair with Elaine, his secretary at work. Virginia is on the verge of flunking out of university. Sarah has a crush on her drama teacher. Charlotte suspects that her mother may be the mystery lottery winner.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Comedy
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, cynical, semi serious, offbeat, dark comedy, surreal, black comedy
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Gold (2014)
Plot Summary:
An offbeat comedy about an estranged father who returns to his hometown after an absence of ten years in order to reconnect with his daughter and ex-wife but unwittingly finds himself responsible for almost destroying all their lives.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: Ireland
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: sentimental, humorous, tragicomedy, witty, uplifting, realistic, semi serious
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Volevo fare la rockstar (2019)
Plot Summary:
Olivia is a twenty-seven year old girl in an existential crisis. In life she did everything in a hurry: first love disappointment at sixteen, simultaneously with the first pregnancy and then a job (since Nadja, her mother, is a lost freak) to become an adult and responsible, to raise her two twins, Emma and Viola, and a brother who is nothing short of slacker and manipulative, Eros, who hides from everyone that he is gay.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 96
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Italy
Duration:
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, captivating, entertaining, satirical, semi serious
Similar in 75%
Empty Nest (1988)
Plot Summary:
Empty Nest is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from 1988 to 1995. The series was created as a spin-off of The Golden Girls by creator and producer Susan Harris. For its first three seasons, Empty Nest was one of the year's top 10 most-watched programs. It was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions in association with Touchstone Television. The show concept borrowed some elements from the British comedy series Father, Dear Father, also featuring a father living with his two daughters and large dog. However, unlike that series, the two daughters in Empty Nest are self-supporting adults, and the lead character is a widower. Empty Nest was part of NBC's Saturday night block of programming, and during its first four seasons it aired at 9:30pm ET, directly following The Golden Girls. Two of the cast were alumni from one of Susan Harris' earlier shows, Soap; Mulligan was Manoff's father-in-law in Soap.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, sentimental, realistic, touching, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 82%
All About the Andersons (2003)
Plot Summary:
As soon as single dad Anthony moves back into his parents' home to provide a stable environment for his 8-year-old son, he immediately remembers why he left in the first place. His mother Flo is always understanding and supportive, but his cantankerous father Joe wants Anthony to abandon his acting hopes and take a "real job" working in the family beauty salon/barber shop. To complicate things, Anthony's old room is being rented out to a medical student, George, leaving Anthony alone in the garage. Torn between teaching his son about determination and providing for him, Anthony is about to put his dreams on hold. It takes his son Tuga to remind him that, aside from each other, their dreams are all they have.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 110
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, feel good, light, captivating, touching, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 76%
The War at Home (2005)
Plot Summary:
The War at Home is an American sitcom created by Rob Lotterstein that ran from September 11, 2005 to April 22, 2007 on Fox. It follows the antics of a largely dysfunctional Long Island family. The show lasted for two full seasons but was not renewed for a third season.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, witty, semi serious, light, entertaining, funny, romantic, feel good, captivating
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Worst Best Friends (2002)
Plot Summary:
Worst Best Friends is an Australian children's television series first screened on Network Ten in 2002. The series is based on the children's books by Max Dann: Adventures with My Worst Best Friend, Going Bananas and Dusting in Love.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 36
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: Australia
Duration:
Plot tags: humorous, touching, feel good, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 79%
Sons & Daughters (2006)
Plot Summary:
Family is always unpredictable, so why write a family comedy when you can live dangerously and improvise instead? Like real families, you never know what will happen when you give characters total freedom. Adult siblings Cameron, Sharon and Jenna have many years of shared history in this small town. Like every other family on the planet, their history includes many mistakes. This is proven by the multiple marriages and many children in their close extended clan.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 532
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, sitcom, light, sexy, feel good, sexual
Similar in 77%
Neighbours (1985)
Plot Summary:
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera. It was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems together. Seven decided to commission the show following the success of Watson's Sons and Daughters, which aired on the network. Although successful in Melbourne, Neighbours underperformed in the Sydney market and struggled for months before Seven cancelled it. The show was immediately bought by rival network Ten. After taking over production of the show, the new network had to build replica sets because Seven destroyed the originals to prevent its rival from obtaining them. Ten began screening Neighbours on 20 January 1986, taking off where the previous series left off and commencing with episode 171. Neighbours has since become the longest running drama series in Australian television and in 2005, it was inducted collectively into the Logie Hall of Fame. On 11 January 2011, Neighbours moved to Ten's new digital channel, Eleven. The show's storylines concern the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in Erinsborough, a fictional suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. The series primarily centres around the residents of Ramsay Street, a short cul-de-sac, and its neighbouring areas, the Lassiters complex, which includes a bar, hotel, cafe, news office and park. Neighbours began with three families created by Watson – the Ramsays, the Robinsons and the Clarkes. Watson said that he wanted to show three families who are friends living in a small street. The Robinsons and the Ramsays had a long history and were involved in an ongoing rivalry. Pin Oak Court, in Vermont South, is the real cul-de-sac that has doubled for Ramsay Street since 1985. All of the houses featured are real and the residents allow Neighbours to shoot external scenes in their gardens. The interior scenes are filmed at the Global Television studios in Forest Hill.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: soap opera, sentimental, sincere, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 89%
Days of Our Lives (1965)
Plot Summary:
The Horton and Brady broods endure the romantic trials of life in Salem, a Midwestern hamlet filled with evil geniuses, star-crossed lovers and a rich family history.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: soap opera, realistic, sentimental, serious, emotional, campy
Similar in 80%
The Waltons (1972)
Plot Summary:
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show is centered on a family in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot aired as a television movie entitled The Homecoming: A Christmas Story and was broadcast on December 19, 1971. Beginning in September 1972, the series originally aired on CBS for a total of nine seasons. After the series was canceled in 1981, three television movie sequels followed in 1982, with three more in the 1990s. The Waltons was produced by Lorimar Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution in syndication.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Family, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: absurd, sitcom, juvenile, sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, historical drama
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According to Jim (2001)
Plot Summary:
According to Jim is an American sitcom television series starring Jim Belushi in the title role as a suburban father of three children. It originally ran on ABC from October 1, 2001 to June 2, 2009.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, feel good, realistic, not serious, funny, hilarious, fun, situational comedy
Similar in 86%
McLeod's Daughters (2001)
Plot Summary:
McLeod's Daughters is an Australian television series that began airing on the Nine Network on 8 August 2001. This Logie award winning drama series follows the lives of half sisters Claire and Tess McLeod as they embark on a mission: to run Drovers Run, a farm that has been in the McLeod family for generations. After being passed down from father to son, Drover's has now reunited Claire and Tess after 20 years. They now have to run a farm while balancing their lives, loves and losses.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: realistic, witty, sentimental, touching, serious, captivating, exciting, idiotic, telenovela
Similar in 88%
Step by Step (1991)
Plot Summary:
Step by Step is an American television sitcom that starred Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers as two single parents, who spontaneously get married after meeting one another during a vacation, resulting in them becoming the heads of a large blended family. The series aired for seven seasons, originally running on ABC as part of their TGIF lineup on Friday nights from September 20, 1991 to August 15, 1997, and was canceled by the network after six seasons, reportedly due to declining ratings. The series was picked up on CBS and aired on that network from September 19, 1997 to June 26, 1998 for its seventh and final season.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, realistic, sincere, witty, not serious, retro, vintage, nostalgic
Similar in 85%
Sensitive Skin (2005)
Plot Summary:
Bittersweet comedy about a 61-year-old former model trying to cope with life in London.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 317
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 29 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, humorous, sincere, clever, realistic, witty, semi serious
Similar in 89%
Upper Middle Bogan (2013)
Plot Summary:
Follow the stories of two families living at opposite ends of the freeway. Bess Denyar is a doctor with a posh mother, Margaret, an architect husband, Danny Bright, and twin 13-year-olds at a private school, Oscar and Edwina. When Bess finds out that she is adopted, she is stunned, but even more so when she meets her birth parents, Wayne and Julie Wheeler. She also discovers that she has three siblings: Amber, Kayne and Brianna. The bogan Wheelers head up a drag racing team in the outer suburbs and are thrilled to discover the daughter they thought they had lost.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: Australia
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, sitcom
Similar in 83%
Parenthood (2010)
Plot Summary:
Parenthood is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Katims. Loosely based on the 1989 film of the same title, Parenthood tells of the Braverman clan which consists of an older couple, their four children and their families.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, touching, semi serious, sincere, captivating, sitcom
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Spring (2002)
Plot Summary:
Spring was a Flemish television soap made by Studio 100 for children's channel Ketnet. Six seasons were taped between 2002 and 2007 during the summer period.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 115
Genere: Drama, Family, Comedy, Romance
Country: Belgium
Duration: 10 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious, sentimental
Similar in 87%
Los Serrano (2003)
Plot Summary:
Los Serrano is a Spanish television drama comedy which premiered on 22 April 2003 and aired on Telecinco. It tells the story of the Serrano family, who lives in Round Santa Justa No 133, located in the fictional neighborhood of Santa Justa, in the Ribera del Manzanares, in Madrid. The success of the series in Spain and in several other countries in Europe and elsewhere helped launch the career of several young actors and actresses, especially actor and musician Fran Perea, who acts in the series and sings its theme song, "1 más 1 son 7".
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Country: Spain
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sentimental, humorous, semi serious, touching, soap opera, realistic, telenovela
Similar in 81%
Family Ties (1982)
Plot Summary:
Former 1960s flower children Steven and Elyse Keaton raise their conservative son Alex, daughters Mallory and Jennifer, and later, youngest child Andrew.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, atmospheric, iconic, vintage
Similar in 77%
Good Luck Charlie (2010)
Plot Summary:
Good Luck Charlie is an American television sitcom, which premiered on April 4, 2010, on Disney Channel. The series was created by Phil Baker and Drew Vaupen, who wanted to create a program that would appeal to entire families, as opposed to only children. It focuses on a Denver family, the Duncans, as they try to adjust to the births of their fourth and fifth children, Charlotte "Charlie" Duncan and Toby Duncan. In each episode, Teddy Duncan creates a video diary containing advice for Charlie about their family and life as a teenager. Teddy tries to show Charlie what she might go through when she is older in the video diaries for future reference. Each video diary ends with Teddy saying the eponymous phrase, "Good luck, Charlie". Among other decisions, executives included adult-centric scenes and changed the series title from Oops to Love, Teddy and finally to Good Luck Charlie in order to ensure the series would appeal to all family members. Good Luck Charlie premiered on Disney Channel in the United States on April 4, 2010. It premiered in Canada on April 5, 2010, the United Kingdom and Ireland on May 14, 2010, and in Australia and New Zealand on July 23, 2010. Good Luck Charlie was renewed for a second season, with production beginning in August 2010 with a season premiere on February 20, 2011. A feature-length Christmas Disney Channel Original Movie based on the series entitled Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas! began production in March 2011 for a December 2011 premiere.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: sitcom, feel good, humorous, witty, sentimental, realistic, semi serious, funny, fun, nostalgic
Similar in 79%
7th Heaven (1996)
Plot Summary:
7th Heaven is an American family drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on August 26, 1996, on The WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from August 26, 1996 to May 13, 2007. The series finale was scheduled for May 8, 2006; however, the show was renewed by The CW when the intended final episode received high ratings. The final season premiered on Monday, September 25, 2006 and ended on May 13, 2007. 7th Heaven is the longest-running series that has ever aired on The WB and is the longest-running family drama in television history. It is also the longest-running show produced by Aaron Spelling. Dan Foliart composed the theme song "7th Heaven", which is performed by Steve Plunkett in the introduction of each episode.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sentimental, semi serious, sincere, touching, feel good, realistic, biblical, family comedy, romantic drama, religious drama
Similar in 88%
Growing Pains (1985)
Plot Summary:
Growing Pains is an American television sitcom about an affluent family, residing in Huntington, Long Island, New York, with a working mother and a stay-at-home psychiatrist father raising three children together, which aired on ABC from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, sentimental, feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious, iconic, nostalgic
Similar in 75%
The Middle (2009)
Plot Summary:
The daily mishaps of a married woman and her semi-dysfunctional family and their attempts to survive life in general in the city of Orson, Indiana.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 53000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: humorous, feel good, not serious, realistic, sitcom, offbeat, funny, game show, hilarious, odd
Similar in 82%
See Dad Run (2012)
Plot Summary:
The story of David Hobbs, who has spent the last decade playing the perfect father on one of TV’s biggest sitcoms. But when the series ends and his wife resumes her own television career, he finds himself cast in his most challenging role to date: handling the day-to-day needs of three kids who've grown accustomed to not having him around. David soon learns that playing a dad on TV is child’s play compared to the real thing.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: humorous, not serious, light, sitcom, funny, feel good, captivating, entertaining, realistic
Similar in 90%
Eight Is Enough (1977)
Plot Summary:
Eight Is Enough is an American television comedy-drama series that ran on ABC from March 15, 1977, until August 29, 1981. The show was modeled after syndicated newspaper columnist Thomas Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who wrote a book with the same name.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sitcom, sentimental, touching, feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 88%
Instant Mom (2013)
Plot Summary:
Martini Mondays and tequila Tuesdays take a back seat to new step-motherhood when former party girl Stephanie marries Charlie, an older dad with three kids. Becoming an instant mom doesn't come with a rulebook, but it does come with a dose of humor as Stephanie traverses the fine line between being a friend and being a responsible parent.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 849
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 21 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, feel good, light, funny, captivating, entertaining, sentimental, realistic, not serious
Similar in 85%
Borders of Love (2004)
Plot Summary:
Yabancı Damat, is a popular Turkish TV series distributed by Erler Film with 106 episodes in total. It deals with the relationship between a young Greek man Niko and a Turkish girl Nazlı, and the problems encountered in an intercultural marriage. Its comedic tone and play on historic Greco-Turkish antagonism made it a huge hit in both Turkey and Greece, as well as making stars out of the leading actors. The episodes are shot in Turkey and Greece. The music is Turkish and Greek. The series ran from November 12, 2004 through June 15, 2007 on the Turkish channel Kanal D Friday evenings at 20:00 hrs. The Greek channel Mega TV broadcast it from July 4, 2005. The first season was shown on a daily basis at 23:00 hrs, the second season was shown every Monday at 21:00. The third season was split, half of the episodes where shown Saturdays of 2007 at 21:00 and the other half episodes are shown in 2008, every Saturday at 17:00. The series used to have great success, especially when the first season was shown. The ratings of the third season are very low, so the channel decided to move the series in the evening schedule. The Bulgarian channel bTV broadcasts it since August 29, 2009 daily at 17:00 hrs. with the title Brak s chujdenets. The series was also dubbed into Arabic with the title Al-Gharib and aired in March 2009 on MBC+ Drama.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Turkey
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, humorous, semi serious, realistic
Similar in 82%
The Wonder Years (1988)
Plot Summary:
The Wonder Years is an American television comedy-drama created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from 1988 through 1993. The pilot aired on January 31, 1988, following ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII. The show achieved a spot in the Nielsen Top Thirty for four of its six seasons. TV Guide named the show one of the 20 best of the 1980s. After only six episodes aired, The Wonder Years won an Emmy for best comedy series in 1988. In addition, at age 13, Fred Savage became the youngest actor ever nominated as Outstanding Lead Actor for a Comedy Series. The show was also awarded a Peabody Award in 1989, for pushing the boundaries of the sitcom format and using new modes of storytelling. The series won 22 awards and was nominated for 54 more. In 1997, "My Father's Office" was ranked #29 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time, and in the 2009 revised list the pilot episode was ranked #43. The TV show is named after the band, The Wonder Years.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: touching, sitcom, sentimental, feel good, humorous, semi serious, realistic, atmospheric, sweet, sensitive