Best tv shows like Soap
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Soap is an American sitcom that originally ran on ABC from 1977 into 1981. The show was created as a night-time parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour prime time comedy. Similar to a soap opera, the show's story was presented in a serial format and included melodramatic plot elements such as alien abduction, demonic possession, murder, and kidnapping. In 2007 it was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME," and in 2010, the Tates and the Campbells ranked at number 17 in TV Guide's list of "TV's Top Families". The show was created, written, and executive produced by Susan Harris, and also executive produced by Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas. Each returning season was preceded by a 90-minute retrospective of the previous season. Two of these retrospectives were made available on VHS in 1994. The show aired 85 episodes over the course of four seasons. The final four episodes of the series aired as one-hour episodes during the original run on ABC. These hour-long episodes were later split in two, yielding 93 half-hour episodes for syndication. All episodes are currently available on region 1 DVD in four separate box sets. In the past, the series has rerun on local syndicated channels as well as on cable on Comedy Central and TV Land. It ran on over-the-air television on Antenna TV, until December 30th, 2012.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, sitcom, humorous, clever, witty, not serious, offbeat, soap opera, cliffhanger, retro
Best tv shows and movies like Soap (1977):
Similar in 86%
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976)
Plot Summary:
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman is an American soap opera parody that aired in daily syndication from January 1976 to May 1977. The series was produced by Norman Lear, directed by Joan Darling and Jim Drake, and starred Louise Lasser. The series writers were Gail Parent and Ann Marcus. The show's title was the eponymous character's name stated twice, because Lear and the writers believed that everything that was said on a soap opera was said twice. In 2004 and 2007, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was ranked #21 and #26 on "TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever".
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: soap opera, parody, offbeat, bleak, humorous, realistic, controversial, not serious, biting, sexual
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 84%
Still Standing (2002)
Plot Summary:
After 18 years of marriage, high school sweethearts Bill and Judy Miller still make each other laugh and try to keep their marriage intact, even when their family pulls them in different directions. Since Bill has a far more immature approach to marriage and raising their three children than Judy does, they work at striking a balance and remembering why they love each other, quirks and all.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, sentimental, touching, humorous, semi serious, realistic, black comedy
Similar in 83%
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
Similar in 84%
Wings (1990)
Plot Summary:
Brothers Brian and Joe Hackett attempt to run an airline on the New England island of Nantucket while surrounded by their various wacky friends and employees.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, witty, touching, realistic, talky, not serious, clever, vintage, telenovela
Similar in 76%
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 76%
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 79%
It's All Relative (2003)
Plot Summary:
It's All Relative is an ABC sitcom about a man who dates the adoptive daughter of a gay couple, which forces their very different families to learn to coexist.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 331
Genere: Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, sitcom, light, touching, offbeat, realistic
Similar in 90%
Dharma & Greg (1997)
Plot Summary:
Dharma & Greg is an American television sitcom that aired from September 24, 1997, to April 30, 2002. It stars Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as Dharma and Greg Montgomery, a couple who got married on their first date despite being complete opposites. The series is co-produced by Chuck Lorre Productions, More-Medavoy Productions and 4 to 6 Foot Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The show's theme song was written and performed by composer Dennis C. Brown. Created by executive producers Dottie Dartland and Chuck Lorre, the comedy took much of its inspiration from so-called culture-clash "fish out of water" situations. The show earned eight Golden Globe nominations, six Emmy Award nominations, and six Satellite Awards nominations. Elfman earned a Golden Globe in 1999 for Best Actress.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, feel good, realistic, not serious, mystic, hilarious, witty, romantic comedy, mystical
Similar in 89%
Archie Bunker's Place (1979)
Plot Summary:
Archie Bunker's Place is an American sitcom originally broadcast on the CBS network, conceived in 1979 as a spin-off and continuation of All in the Family. While not as popular as its predecessor, the show maintained a large enough audience to last for four seasons, until its cancellation in 1983. In its first season, the show performed so well that it knocked Mork & Mindy out of its new Sunday night time slot.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious
Similar in 87%
AfterMASH (1983)
Plot Summary:
AfterMASH is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from September 26, 1983, to December 11, 1984. A spin-off of the series M*A*S*H, the show takes place immediately following the end of the Korean War and chronicles the adventures of three characters from the original series: Colonel Potter, Klinger and Father Mulcahy. M*A*S*H supporting cast-member Kellye Nakahara joined them, albeit off-camera, as the voice of the hospital's public address system. Rosalind Chao rounded out the starring cast as Soon-Lee Klinger, a Korean refugee whom Klinger met, fell in love with and married in the M*A*S*H series finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen." AfterMASH premiered in the fall of 1983 in the same Monday night 9:00 P.M. EST. time slot as its predecessor M*A*S*H. It finished 10th out of all network shows for the 1983-1984 season according to Nielsen Media Research television ratings. For its second season CBS moved the show to Tuesday nights at 8:00 EST., opposite NBC's top ten hit The A-Team, and launched a marketing campaign featuring illustrations by Sanford Kossin of Max Klinger in a nurse's uniform, shaving off Mr. T's signature mohawk, theorizing that AfterMASH would take a large portion of The A-Team's audience. The theory, however, was proven wrong. In fact, the exact opposite occurred, as AfterMASH's ratings plummeted to near the bottom of the television rankings and the show was canceled nine episodes into its second season, while The A-Team continued until 1987, with 97 episodes.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 763
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, retro, clever, feel good, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious
Similar in 81%
Togetherness (2015)
Plot Summary:
Four adults nearing 40, living under the same roof, struggle to keep their relationships and their individual dreams alive.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: mumblecore, sitcom, humorous, offbeat, light, sincere, captivating, erotic, clever, sensual
Similar in 76%
Married (2014)
Plot Summary:
Married is a half hour comedy about being miserably in love. Russ and Lina Bowman can barely remember what life was like before kids, debt, and suburbia rained on their romance -- but every once in a while, in between the arguments about their declining sex life and who's driving carpool, they are reminded what drew them together in the first place -- they're best friends. The show also features Russ and Lina's friend AJ, who is recently divorced and pretending he's over his wife, and their other friend Jess, who is married to a much older man who can't keep up with her.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: humorous, light, feel good, captivating, offbeat, dark comedy, hilarious, realistic, not serious, sitcom
Similar in 87%
Married... with Children (1987)
Plot Summary:
Married... with Children is an American sitcom that aired for 11 seasons. It featured a dysfunctional family living in a fictional Chicago, Illinois, suburb. The show, notable for being the first prime-time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created by Michael G. Moye and Ron Leavitt. The show was known for handling nonstandard topics for the time period, which garnered the then-fledgling Fox network a standing among the Big Three television networks. The series' 11-season, 259-episode run makes it the longest-lasting live-action sitcom on the Fox network. The show's famous theme song is "Love and Marriage" by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, performed by Frank Sinatra from the 1955 television production Our Town. The first season of the series was videotaped at ABC Television Center in Hollywood. From season 2 to season 8, the show was taped at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood, and the remaining three seasons were taped at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City. The series was produced by Embassy Communications on its first season and the remaining seasons by ELP Communications under the studio Columbia Pictures Television.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 109000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, hilarious, parody, light, feel good, funny, retro, psychedelic, deep
Similar in 84%
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 88%
Titus (2000)
Plot Summary:
Titus is an American dark comedy sitcom that debuted on Fox in 2000. The series was created by its star, Christopher Titus, Jack Kenny, and Brian Hargrove. This sitcom was based on Christopher's stand-up comedy act, more specifically his one-man show Norman Rockwell is Bleeding, which was based loosely upon his real-life family; lines from Norman Rockwell is Bleeding were spoken by Titus as commentary. Titus plays an outwardly childish adult, who owns a custom car shop. The show follows him and his dimwitted halfbrother Dave, his girlfriend Erin with the "heart of gold", his goody-goody friend Tommy, and his arrogantly lewd, bigoted and multiple-divorced father Ken "Papa" Titus.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: humorous, tragicomedy, witty, cynical, not serious, sitcom, dark comedy, exciting, sentimental, clever
Similar in 79%
Roseanne (1988)
Plot Summary:
A working-class family struggles to get by on a limited income in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 46000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 21 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, funny, realistic, witty, cynical, biting, suspense, iconic
Similar in 88%
All in the Family (1971)
Plot Summary:
Archie Bunker, a working class bigot, constantly squabbles with his family over the important issues of the day.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, retro, slapstick, dark comedy, humorous, realistic, witty, talky, not serious, biting
Similar in 81%
Happy Endings (2011)
Plot Summary:
Happy Endings is an American television sitcom that ran on ABC from April 13, 2011 to May 3, 2013. The show follows the dysfunctional adventures of six best friends living in Chicago.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, realistic, not serious, touching, light, funny, hilarious, romantic comedy, exciting
Similar in 90%
8 Simple Rules (2002)
Plot Summary:
What happens to a loving, rational Dad when his darling, pliable daughters morph into hormonally-challenged, incomprehensible teenagers? If he's Paul Hennessy, he reacts in ways even he finds crazy. Thank God he has a 13-year-old son who still speaks his language.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, sitcom, touching, realistic, witty, hilarious, not serious, nostalgic
Similar in 88%
United States of Tara (2009)
Plot Summary:
United States of Tara is an American television comedy-drama created by Diablo Cody, which began airing on Showtime in 2009. The series follows the life of Tara, a suburban housewife and mother coping with dissociative identity disorder.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, semi serious, realistic, dark comedy, medical drama, sitcom, anime, offbeat, independent film
Similar in 83%
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 75%
Mad About You (1992)
Plot Summary:
Mad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show stars Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist. Near the end of the show's run, the couple had a baby daughter, whom they named Mabel. The series focuses mainly on the newlyweds while they dealt with everything from humorous daily minutiae to major struggles. The show's willingness to find comedy in realistic situations and observational dialogue garnered it comparisons to Seinfeld, another NBC comedy about thirty-somethings in New York City. Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser were paid $1 million per episode for the last season. However, ratings fell sharply that year as the series was shuffled away from its Tuesday slot to prop up a fledgling Monday night line-up of comedies on NBC. The final episode of the series was "The Final Frontier". The show's theme song, "Final Frontier", was composed by Reiser and Don Was. The theme was originally performed by Andrew Gold, but a version performed by Anita Baker made its debut midway through the 1997 season. Baker's version was used for the rest of the show's run and appears on the show's soundtrack album. Gold's version is available on the collection Thank You for Being a Friend: The Best of Andrew Gold.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: sitcom, witty, touching, humorous, realistic, slapstick, semi serious, romantic comedy, vintage
Similar in 75%
Better With You (2010)
Plot Summary:
Better with You is an American romantic sitcom TV show starring Joanna Garcia Swisher and Jennifer Finnigan. The series aired on Wednesdays at 8:30 pm Eastern/7:30 pm Central on ABC and ran from September 22, 2010 to May 11, 2011. The series was officially canceled on May 13, 2011 by ABC.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, feel good, not serious, light, hilarious, realistic, witty
Similar in 86%
The Golden Girls (1985)
Plot Summary:
The Golden Girls is an American sitcom, created by Susan Harris, that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women sharing a home in Miami, Florida.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 46000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, witty, sentimental, touching, realistic, feel good, semi serious, hilarious, clever
Similar in 78%
Reba (2001)
Plot Summary:
After her dentist husband of 20 years leaves her for his dental hygienist, Reba Hart's seemingly perfect world is turned upside down..
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, feel good, semi serious, realistic, inspirational, game show
Similar in 84%
Transparent (2014)
Plot Summary:
An LA family with serious boundary issues have their past and future unravel when a dramatic admission causes everyone's secrets to spill out.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, captivating, sitcom, erotic, exciting, clever, mumblecore, sensual, heartfelt
Similar in 83%
That '70s Show (1998)
Plot Summary:
Crank up the 8-track and flash back to a time when platform shoes and puka shells were all the rage in this hilarious retro-sitcom. For Eric, Kelso, Jackie, Hyde, Donna and Fez, a group of high school teens who spend most of their time hanging out in Eric’s basement, life in the ‘70s isn’t always so groovy. But between trying to figure out the meaning of life, avoiding their parents, and dealing with out-of-control hormones, they’ve learned one thing for sure: they’ll always get by with a little help from their friends.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 187000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, sentimental, realistic, not serious, funny, mystical, parody, light, atmospheric
Similar in 88%
Friends (1994)
Plot Summary:
The misadventures of a group of friends as they navigate the pitfalls of work, life and love in Manhattan.
IMDB Rating: 8.9
IMDB Votes: 11000000
Genere: Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 5280 min
Plot tags: sitcom, feel good, humorous, not serious, witty, funny, entertaining, talky, hilarious, epic
Similar in 82%
Modern Family (2009)
Plot Summary:
The Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan is a wonderfully large and blended family. They give us an honest and often hilarious look into the sometimes warm, sometimes twisted, embrace of the modern family.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 469000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, funny, mockumentary, entertaining, hilarious, teen, realistic, exciting, feel good