Best tv shows like Scruples
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The melodramatic story follows the fortunes of three ambitious people: Billy, secretary/wife to an older billionaire, who upon his death starts the Beverly Hills boutique ("Scruples") and pursues film director Vito Orsini. Valentine, a French would-be fashion designer, and Spider, a parking lot attendant/photographer/stud, struggling up the ladder. After Valentine and Spider become Billy's employees, they team up to navigate a number of hazards on the road to happiness.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 421
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 279 min
Plot tags: sexy, serious, realistic, sexual
Best tv shows and movies like Scruples (1980):
Similar in 78%
Mistral's Daughter (1984)
Plot Summary:
Beautiful and naïve Maggy Lunel arrives in Paris completely broke. She becomes an artist's model and the toast of Paris, attracting the attention of Picasso-like painter Julien Mistral, an arrogant and selfish man who places his work above everything. Their paths diverge as Mistral's art catches the eye of a rich American woman who becomes his patroness and eventually his wife. During the war years in France, Mistral collaborates with the Nazis in order to continue with his work, a decision that will come back to haunt him years later. In the meantime, Maggy has a daughter named Teddy who grows up and falls in love with Mistral with whom she has a child named Fauve. As Mistral ages, he comes to terms with his selfish past and wartime betrayal through his art, leaving a beautiful legacy for his daughter, Fauve.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 803
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 390 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 89%
Armistead Maupin's More Tales of the City (1998)
Plot Summary:
In this sequel to the controversial PBS mini-series, Mona Ramsey is on a cross-country trip that takes her to a brothel which may hold a secret about her past. Michael "Mouse" Tolliver and Mary Ann Singleton go on a cruise where they meet up with lovers old and new. Back in San Francisco, Brian Hawkins becomes involved with a mysterious woman he spots from his window, while DeDe Halcyon Day becomes acquainted with a new friend who helps her discover her true inner feelings.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Canada, USA
Duration: 330 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, emotional, realistic, sexual, sexy, queer cinema
Similar in 83%
Princess Daisy (1983)
Plot Summary:
The lovely Daisy is the daughter of a Russian prince and an American movie star. After her parents are killed, she flees from her half-brother Ram. She fights her way to the top of the modeling profession and falls in love with a company president. But then, her half-brother arrives on the scene, ready to blackmail and destroy her.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 398
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 190 min
Plot tags: sentimental, serious, emotional, realistic, romantic drama
Similar in 80%
Titans (2000)
Plot Summary:
Titans is an American prime time soap opera that debuted on October 4, 2000 on NBC. Thirteen episodes were filmed, of which eleven were actually aired. Produced by Aaron Spelling, the series was initially marketed as a "Dynasty for the new millennium," attempting to emulate the style of Spelling's earlier hit series. However, low ratings led NBC to cancel the series before its first season was completed.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 309
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, captivating, suspense, soap opera, sexual, sexy
Similar in 76%
The Champion (2006)
Plot Summary:
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IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 114
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Israel
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, telenovela
Similar in 82%
Melrose Place (2009)
Plot Summary:
In an elegant Spanish-style apartment building in the trendy Melrose neighborhood of Los Angeles, a diverse group of 20-somethings have formed a close-knit surrogate family. However, when a bloody body is found floating in the courtyard pool, the police soon discover that almost everyone had a reason to want the deceased out of the way.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, stylized, captivating, sexy, soap opera, teen, realistic, telenovela
Similar in 79%
The 7.39 (2014)
Plot Summary:
After fighting for a seat on their morning commute, Sally and Carl begin talking and suddenly their daily train journey becomes a lot more interesting. Carl is happily married, Sally's engaged - where's the harm? Yet they find themselves increasingly drawn to each other, and as their friendship grows to flirtation they refuse to admit - to each other or themselves - that a line might be crossed. The consequences of discovery will be life-changing, catastrophic perhaps, and yet they can't help falling in love.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic
Similar in 89%
Doomed (2014)
Plot Summary:
Leandro is a sommelier with a penchant for women and fine wine. After seducing his boss’s wife, he is taken by surprise by the true love he feels for the married couple’s daughter, Antônia, which makes him doubt his convictions and plunge madly into a torrent of passion. When Jaime becomes aware of his wife’s infidelity, his fury coincides with the disappearance of the sommelier. Was it a planned escape or a crime of passion? The uncertainty only increases the suspense in this explosive mixture of action, romance and mystery.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 268
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Brazil
Duration: 40 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, sexy, serious, captivating, exciting
Similar in 83%
Until the End of Time (2014)
Plot Summary:
After their father's death, Sofía Ripoll, the oldest of three sisters, takes over the family's fictional successful chocolate factory. Though she is engaged to a man who uses her for money, she quickly falls in love with Salvador Cruz, a former racecar driver who takes a job as her chauffeur.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 80
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Mexico
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: serious, emotional, realistic, sentimental, soap opera, telenovela
Similar in 81%
Knots Landing (1979)
Plot Summary:
The domestic adventures, misdeeds and everyday interactions of five families living on a cul-de-sac in a small California community.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: soap opera, serious, realistic, telenovela
Similar in 89%
Dynasty (1981)
Plot Summary:
The saga of a wealthy Denver family in the oil business: Blake Carrington, the patriarch; Krystle, his former secretary and wife; his children: Adam, lost in childhood after a kidnapping; Fallon, pampered and spoiled; Steven, openly gay; and Amanda, hidden from him by his ex-wife, the conniving Alexis. Most of the show features the conflict between 2 large corporations, Blake's Denver Carrington and Alexis' ColbyCo.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: soap opera, captivating, realistic, serious, enigmatic, retro, sex comedy, relaxing, saga, telenovela
Similar in 86%
Famous in Love (2017)
Plot Summary:
Ordinary college student Paige gets her big break after auditioning for the starring role in a Hollywood blockbuster. She must now navigate her new star-studded life and the highs and lows that come with being the new It Girl in town as well as balancing her college workload.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: romantic, light, sexy, realistic, talky, semi serious
Similar in 86%
Decisiones - Unos ganan otros pierden (2005)
Plot Summary:
Decisiones is a Telemundo-produced Spanish-language television anthology of steamy melodramas about passion and sex in the modern world. The 30-minute-long series features impassioned people thrust into amorous adventures and pushed to their breaking points. Unlike much Spanish-language dramatic fare, each show contains a complete story. According to Telemundo, these fervid tales are "inspired by real-life cases of everyday heroes". The network bills the show as a mix of drama and reality. Telemundo also broadcast English subtitles of many episodes as closed captions on CC3. Decisiones' first aired on Telemundo from May 9 to August 8, 2005 with Candela Ferro hosting. It returned to the prime-time schedule from September 26, 2005 to April 13, 2007, when it made room for the serial Sin Vergüenza. A third run began in daytime on August 22, 2007 with the title Decisiones de mujeres hosted by Rashel Diaz. On September 4, 2007, a 50-episode season of Decisiones began production in Puerto Rico by a division of Telemundo, Telemundo of Puerto Rico Studios. The season debuted on November 12, 2007, hosted by Cynthia Olavarria. As of April, 2008, over 500 episodes of this series had been produced.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 92
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Mexico, Colombia, USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: serious, emotional, realistic, sexy, sexual, soap opera, telenovela
Similar in 86%
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 89%
One Life to Live (1968)
Plot Summary:
One Life to Live is an American soap opera broadcast on television for more than 43 years on the ABC network, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes via The Online Network since April 29, 2013. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature ethnically and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social issues. One Life to Live was expanded from 30 minutes to 45 minutes on July 26, 1976, and then to an hour on January 16, 1978. One Life to Live heavily focuses on the members and relationships of the Lord family. Actress Erika Slezak began portraying original and central heroine Victoria "Viki" Lord on March 1971 and played the character continuously for the rest of the show's run on ABC Daytime, winning a record six Daytime Emmy Awards for the role. In 2002, the series won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. One Life to Live was the last American daytime soap opera taped in New York City, based outside the Los Angeles area, and is now the second American daytime soap opera taped at the Connecticut Film Center in Stamford, Connecticut.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: soap opera, sentimental, emotional, serious, sincere, saga, exciting
Similar in 90%
The Young and the Restless (1973)
Plot Summary:
The rivalries, romances, hopes and fears of the residents of the fictional Midwestern metropolis, Genoa City. The lives and loves of a wide variety of characters mingle through the generations, dominated by the Newman, Abbott, Baldwin and Winters families.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 37 min
Plot tags: soap opera, sentimental, realistic, serious, emotional, saga
Similar in 82%
The Bold and the Beautiful (1987)
Plot Summary:
Continuing drama combining romance and intrigue set against the glittering backdrop of Beverly Hills and the American fashion industry.
IMDB Rating: 3.4
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 19 min
Plot tags: realistic, sentimental, serious, emotional, soap opera, sex comedy, romantic drama, saga, telenovela, masterpiece
Similar in 81%
Falcon Crest (1981)
Plot Summary:
Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the Californian wine industry. Jane Wyman starred as Angela Channing, the tyrannical matriarch of the Falcon Crest Winery, alongside Robert Foxworth as Chase Gioberti, Angela's nephew who returns to Falcon Crest following the death of his father. The series was set in the fictitious Tuscany Valley northeast of San Francisco.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: soap opera, realistic, serious, captivating, touching, sincere, melancholic, retro, saga, telenovela
Similar in 84%
All That Matters (2006)
Plot Summary:
Alles was zählt is a German television soap opera first broadcast on RTL on September 4, 2006. The original plot revolved around Diana Sommer's dream to become a world class ice skater. She fell in love with Julian Herzog, who signed her at the prestigious Steinkamp Sport and Wellness Center, run by the unscrupulous Steinkamp dynasty. Diana and Julian eventually became a couple, but in November 2007, Julian suffered a brain hemorrhage and died during their wedding. Diana remained in Essen until January 2009, when she left to join a skating centre in Halle. The story continues to revolve around the Steinkamp Sport and Wellness Centre and its quest to become a sporting powerhouse, as well as the lives of the characters who work at and around the Centre.
IMDB Rating: 3.6
IMDB Votes: 403
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Germany
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: serious, emotional, realistic, soap opera
Similar in 81%
The Beautiful Life: TBL (2009)
Plot Summary:
The daily lives of young models living together in a models' residence in New York, while struggling to deal with the cutthroat competition and fleeting fame of the fashion world.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sexy, realistic, serious, captivating, contemplative
Similar in 81%
I'll Take Manhattan (1987)
Plot Summary:
Maxi Amberville tries to save the magazine empire her father built, but her treacherous uncle stands in her way.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 500
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 375 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, vintage
Similar in 87%
Melrose Place (1992)
Plot Summary:
Melrose Place is an American primetime soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999 for seven seasons. It follows the lives of a group of young adults living in a brownstone apartment complex on Melrose Place, in Los Angeles, California. The show was created by Darren Star for Fox and executive produced by Aaron Spelling for his company, Spelling Television. It is the second series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise. Season one and season two were broadcast on Wednesday at 9pm, after Beverly Hills, 90210. In 1994, for its third season premiere, the show moved to Monday at 8pm. The show had many cast changes during the run. Thomas Calabro was the only original cast member to remain on the series throughout its entire run. The show earned several Golden Globe nominations and placed #51 on Entertainment Weekly's "New TV Classics" list.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, sexy, soap opera, captivating, sexual, telenovela, campy
Similar in 84%
A Woman of Substance (1984)
Plot Summary:
A Woman of Substance charts the life of Emma Harte, from kitchen maid at the beginning of the 20th Century, to respected business woman and Grandmother in the 1980's. From humble beginnings Emma Harte starts her business with a small shop, but over the next twenty years she expands her stores and invests in the growing textile industry in Leeds. By the time of World War 2, Emma is the head of a major retail and manufacturing empire, but she has struggled all her life to find love. After an illegitimate daughter and two marriages, she finally meets the love of her life, Paul McGill, but their affair is cut short by a tragic accident, leaving Emma with his daughter. In the 1980's Emma faces one of her biggest tests - her children's attempt to remove her as head of her company, but Emma is far from the senile old woman they think she is - she is determined to stop them at all costs. Written by Stacey Mitchell.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 300 min
Plot tags: costume drama, romantic drama, historical drama, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, stylized, period drama
Similar in 88%
Once in a Lifetime (1994)
Plot Summary:
After losing her husband and baby daughter to a fire, Daphne Fields raises her deaf son while beginning a writing career. Hollywood loves her scripts, but her heart remains with her son Andrew, under the care of Headmaster Matthew Dane at an eastern boarding school. Daphne finally seems to have rediscovered love in her leading man. But an accident leaves her hospitalized, contemplating her life, fate and her best chance for love.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 407
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 87%
Once Is Not Enough (1975)
Plot Summary:
An over-the-hill movie producer marries a wealthy, spiteful woman and closeted lesbian just to please his spoiled daughter who then, in an attempt to spite him, seduces both a wealthy playboy and a local screenwriter.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 890
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: sexy, touching, serious, realistic, gloomy, sexual
Similar in 76%
Lady Chatterley (1993)
Plot Summary:
Lady Constance Chatterley is married to the handicapped Sir Clifford Chatterley, who was wounded in the First World War. When they move to his family's estate, Constance meets their tough-yet-quiet groundskeeper, Oliver Mellors. Soon, she discovers that the source of her unhappiness is from not being fulfilled in love, and in turning to the arms of Mellors, she has a sexual awakening that will change her thoughts forever.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 205 min
Plot tags: erotic, costume drama, serious, sexual, sensual, historical drama, psychological, atmospheric, realistic, stylized
Similar in 86%
Dangerous Liaisons (2003)
Plot Summary:
Updated adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos' classic 18th Century tale of seduction, betrayal and revenge set in the modern 1960s world of Parisian high society. The beautiful Madame de Merteuil seeks vengeance against her ex-lover Gercourt when he becomes engaged to her young goddaughter, Cécile. Merteuil turns to her ex-lover/partner-in-crime, Valmont, famous for his reputation as a Don Juan, to seduce Cécile and emotionally destroy her. While on his mission, Valmont gets sidetracked when he goes to visit his aunt and falls for Madame Tourvel, a virtuous, married woman who knows of his womanizing ways, but that only makes the challenge more exciting to Valmont. Together, Madame de Merteuil and Valmont make a dangerous team and they will stop at nothing when it comes to matters of the heart.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 659
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, France, Canada
Duration: 252 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, sexy, stylized, captivating, serious, realistic, sexual, modern day adaptation
Similar in 83%
Vanity Fair (1998)
Plot Summary:
This faithful BBC adaptation once again brings William Makepeace Thackeray's classic satirical novel to the screen. Becky Sharp (Natasha Little) is a beautiful, clever and poor girl determined to earn a higher place in society at any cost. The Napoleonic Wars provide a dramatic backdrop as Becky sets out to manipulate various characters -- from London ballrooms to the battlefields of Waterloo.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: costume drama, historical drama, sincere, serious, captivating, realistic, witty, stylized, period piece, period drama
Similar in 83%
Red Shoe Diaries (1992)
Plot Summary:
Red Shoe Diaries is an erotic drama series that aired on the American cable television network Showtime from 1992 to 1997 and distributed by Playboy Entertainment overseas. Most episodes were directed by either Zalman King, Rafael Eisenman or both.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sexy, erotic, realistic, anthology, sexual, sensual, serious
Similar in 83%
Masters of Sex (2013)
Plot Summary:
William Masters and Virginia Johnson are real-life pioneers of the science of human sexuality. Their research touched off the sexual revolution and took them from a midwestern teaching hospital to the cover of Time magazine and multiple appearances on Johnny Carson's couch. He is a brilliant scientist out of touch with his own feelings, and she is a single working mother ahead of her time. The series chronicles their unusual lives, romance, and unlikely pop culture trajectory.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sexual, sexy, erotic, realistic, captivating, sad, dramatic, soap opera, costume drama, sensual