Check Mate
Have you finished streaming The Queen’s Gambit? Wondering what to watch next? Well, fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle of having to try and find something similar with our top 10 picks for alternate viewing. To keep things simple for skim-readers we’ve added what similarities these have. Of course for all the shows we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that series and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with. So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming The Queen’s Gambit.
The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
Similarities – Characters and Tone
The story follows Miriam “Midge” Maisel, a picturesque housewife to husband Joel. After Midge’s life is turned upside down, our heartbroken, drunk protagonist may just be the next hot comedy talent and sets out to see that dream come to fruition. It’s a wonderful blend of period drama and character-driven struggle, split across 3 seasons and with more to come on the horizon too. You can read our thoughts on The Marvelous Mrs Maisel in our full season reviews here!
Alias Grace
Similarities – Mental Health & Period Drama
Alias Grace features a layered plot involving a litany of flashbacks, a well-written, poetic script and an award-winning performance from Sarah Gadon. The story begins in 19th Century Canada, where psychiatrist Dr. Simon Jordan weighs in on whether murderess Grace should be pardoned due to insanity. Based on a true story, the narrative is told through a series of face to face discussions between Jordan and Grace, recounting her troubled life and the adversity this woman endured leading up to the murders she stands accused of. Alias Grace is certainly one of the best period dramas streaming on Netflix and one of the dark horses available to watch on the platform. You can read our thoughts on Alias Grace in our full season reviews here!
The English Game
Similarities – Sport-Based Drama
The English Game presents itself as a sport biopic, boasting a dive back through time to the origins of football. Here, we witness the evolution of this Gentleman’s Elite game into the behemoth that it’s now become in modern times. This idea is often overshadowed by the tendency to slip into more of a traditional period piece though, complete with melodrama, romance and a few sexual innuendos for good measure. The result then is something that feels a lot more like a lite version of Downtown Abbey, with a glossy façade of football painted over the top. Still, it does make for an enjoyable watch and is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for something similarly sport-themed. You can read our thoughts on The English Game in our full season reviews here!
Medici
Similarities – Family Drama
Set in the heart of Florence during the early 15th Century, Medici: Masters Of Florence is a beautifully shot, engrossing historical drama. Split across three seasons, this dramatic recreation of the Medici family begins with a growing conflict between Rinaldo Albizzi and Cosimo. This conflict drives much of the narrative forward, eventually coming to a head late on during the show’s climactic finale. From here, the next couple of seasons expand the story and history of the Medici family, delivering a compelling series worth checking out. You can read our thoughts on Medici in our full season reviews here!
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Similarities – Sports & Characters
A proper coming-of-age story, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo sprinkles some serious fairy dust across this lovable Korean drama. With an uplifting narrative about a group of college athletes fighting for their dreams, the story starts slowly before evolving into a memorable feel-good story. There’s some great character work achieved here and across the season all the characters grow and evolve in a realistic way. It helps too that the chemistry between the lead characters is excellent and backed up by an equally impressive supporting cast. It’s a great entry point for anyone looking to dive into Korean dramas and the effortless comedy emanating through the series is hard not to fall in love with.
Fight for My Way
Similarities – Sport-Based Drama
Fight For My Way is a drama about fighting for your dreams and aspiring to great heights. In that respect, this Korean drama already draws parallels to The Queen’s Gambit. It also captures this struggle beautifully thanks to its two lead characters, Ko Dong-Man and Choi Ae-Ra. Dong-Man has big dreams to become a prolific UFC champion while Ae-Ra wants to become a commentator. She gave up on her dreams though, and now works at a department store. There’s a wonderful life lesson here about following your dreams and some funny moments here too, making this a solid entry on the list.
The Crown
Similarities – Period Drama
When it comes to a list of the best period dramas released from Netflix, The Crown is certainly near the top of the list. Following the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, this ever-popular period drama blends romance and character relations beautifully into a very stylish and impressive production. Much like Stranger Things, this is one of the few Netflix Originals that have gone the distance and made it over that 3 season hurdle. This is a must-watch series whether you’re a fan of period dramas or not.
Agent Carter
Similarities – Strong Female & Period Drama
One of the earlier Marvel small-screen ventures, Agent Carter is set in 1946 with Peggy Carter, who’s relegated to secretarial duties in the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR). When a man named Howard Stark is accused of treason, he secretly recruits Peggy to clear his name. It’s a simple story but one that’s well written and split across two seasons. The show does a great job branching out the Marvel license into a blend of espionage action and period drama. It also helps that there’s an equally empowering female in the driver’s seat too which draws more than a few parallels to The Queen’s Gambit.
Big Little Lies
Similarities – Complicated Characters
Boasting a stacked cast, a well written self-contained story and incredibly well shot episodes, Big Little Lies is an outstanding mini-series. The realistically depicted dialogue flows perfectly and every character is given enough screen-time to stand out in their own way. There’s a lot of big names in this one and that brings with it a feel that each of these ladies are trying to one-up each other on-screen. Everyone puts in an incredible performance, with Nicole Kidman in particular a real stand-out here. While the second season brings a litany of continuity problems, if you’re after a snippet of mental health issues and strong females banding together, then Big Little Lies should certainly be on your watch-list. You can read our thoughts on Big Little Lies in our full season reviews here!
The Master Game
Similarities – Chess
No list about a chess series would be complete without The Master Game – which in itself is basically a series of chess games. This masterful BBC series brought the game of chess to the small screen back in the 70’s, complete with cash prizes and a litany of chess masters competing to be the best. If you’re looking for an authentic slice of chess playing then you can’t go wrong with this one. It may be a little dated now but the strategy, drama and tension that goes with chess is there to see in its rawest form. You’ll certainly be hard-pressed to find another series depicting chess quite like this. So there we have it, our 10 TV show picks to check out when you’re done watching The Queen’s Gambit. What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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