Television series

2 Broke Girls

Name: 2 Broke Girls
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2011
Cast: Kat Dennings, Beth Behrs, Garrett Morris, Matthew Moy, Jonathan Kite

Buddy comedy
Light-hearted

A sitcom about two waitresses—one broke, one fallen from privilege—saving tips toward a cupcake business while navigating a chaotic diner. Sharp, cynical, anchored by strong chemistry between its leads. Funny in the moment, uncomplicated, made for people who like their comedy broad and their friendship stories genuine.

TVMaze rating

3.7

If you liked this

Schitt's Creek2015

Two privileged people losing everything and rebuilding their lives in an unfamiliar place. Same fish-out-of-water engine, but the character arcs are deeper and the humour rewards patience. A show that gets better every season.

But It's slower to find its rhythm than 2 Broke Girls. The first season feels scattered, and it takes commitment to reach where it's going.

Waitress2007

A waitress with dreams—baking, escape, a better life—working graveyard shifts in a diner. Same hopeful desperation, same magical thinking about pies. Cheerier than it should be, genuinely moving, and Keri Russell is wonderful.

But It's quieter and more sentimental than the show. If you need jokes landing every twenty seconds, this will feel slow.

One Day2011

Two people meeting by chance, forming an unlikely bond, and checking in over years. The friendship between Max and Caroline drives 2 Broke Girls; this is that idea stretched across twenty years. Romantic and bittersweet.

But It's a romantic drama, not a comedy. The tone is melancholy, and the ending isn't a happy one. Not what people expect from Anne Hathaway.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from 2 Broke Girls

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Dish: Women, Waitressing & the Art of Service2010

Both shows center on the lower end of the service industry, but where 2 Broke Girls uses waitressing as a background to friendship, Waitressing treats the work itself as the story. Same world, opposite register.

A half-hour comedy told as a pseudo-documentary about actual restaurant workers. It's rawer and much darker than 2 Broke Girls—there's real desperation here, real betrayals, but also real solidarity. You see how the system actually crushes people, and how they survive.

But It's shot like a mockumentary with no laugh track, which makes it feel grimmer. The jokes are subtle and the misery is genuine. Not comforting.

Dish: Women, Waitressing & the Art of Service poster

Kim's Convenience2016

Ensemble comedy set in a small business, full of lovable oddballs who become family. Warm and funny in equal measure, never mean-spirited. The supporting cast is as essential as the leads, just like the diner crew.

But It's quieter and more genuinely heartfelt. If you're after snappy zingers, you might find this too comfortable and gentle.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt2015

Optimistic heroine, pessimistic sidekick, fast jokes, and a scheme to pull themselves up. More absurdist than 2 Broke Girls, but the same energy of two people against the world. Wildly funny and surprisingly warm.

But It's aggressively zany and colorful. The humour is much stranger and faster. If you want grounded comedy, this bounces off the walls.

Living Single1993

A group of friends in New York living together, supporting each other's dreams, making jokes about money and romance. It's the spiritual ancestor of this show. Queen Latifah and the cast have real chemistry and the jokes have teeth.

But It's from the '90s and it shows. The production and pacing feel dated, which matters if you're sensitive to how old TV looks and sounds.

Superstore2015

A workplace ensemble about people trying to survive in a low-wage job, finding dignity and friendship in the process. More political than 2 Broke Girls and much grittier, but the heart is identical: people helping each other when the system won't.

But It gets darker than the show, especially in later seasons. The humour comes from exhaustion and injustice, not snapy banter. Different vibe entirely.

Nine to Five1980

Three women at the bottom of an office hierarchy plotting to take back their power. Broad, fun, genuinely feminist without preaching. The energy is close to 2 Broke Girls—scrappy, funny, unapologetic.

But It's a film from 1980. Some of the references and styles feel historical. If you need contemporary production values, this will feel quaint.

Murphy Brown1988

A woman in a male-dominated workplace, quick with comebacks, surrounded by strange people she loves anyway. Different setting, same spirit. Candice Bergen is a phenomenal lead and the supporting cast is gold.

But The humour is more cynical and topical. If you want warmth and optimism, this is sharper and colder. Also genuinely from another era.

Jellyfish2019

Max and Caroline's relationship is the real engine of 2 Broke Girls; everything else is plot. Jellyfish is what that relationship becomes if you strip away the jokes and the diner and just look at two people learning to need each other.

Two women—older, younger, from different worlds—keep bumping into each other by accident and gradually become essential to each other's lives. Character-driven, tender, funny in a quiet way. It trusts the audience to feel what's happening.

But Almost nothing happens. It's a film about small moments adding up. If you need plot and speed, this will feel like watching someone else's day.

High and Low1963

2 Broke Girls is about two women in the service economy trying to escape poverty through will and friendship. High and Low asks: what if you can't? What if being broke isn't quirky, it's a trap? Same premise, opposite answer.

A Japanese masterpiece about class, desperation, and the impossible choices people make when they're broke. The opening is a ransom crisis; the rest is a police procedural. Kurosawa's most precise film, gorgeously shot in black and white.

But It's a 1963 Japanese film, subtitled, nearly three hours long, with no jokes. The emotional weight is immense. Zero resemblance to TV comedy.