Television series
Faking It
- Comedy
- Romantic comedy
- Light-hearted
A sharply written MTV comedy about two best friends who accidentally get outed as a couple and discover that lying about their relationship is way easier than dealing with actual feelings. Fast, funny, and genuinely invested in its characters' messy hearts beneath the premise. Perfect if you love shows that weaponize humour to explore real vulnerability.
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Schitt's Creek2015
A fish-out-of-water comedy that starts silly but becomes genuinely moving as its characters learn who they actually are beneath the performance. The found-family warmth and character depth will feel familiar.
But It takes a full season to hit its stride, and the early episodes trade in broader comedy than you might expect from something this beloved.
Heartstopper2022
Two teenagers figuring out their feelings for each other with real tenderness and humour. It has Faking It's warmth and emotional intelligence but deeper investment in the actual relationship at its centre.
But Deliberately gentler and less chaotic than Faking It—if you want constant comedy fuel and social chaos, this might feel slower.
Kim's Convenience2016
A sitcom about family, identity, and belonging that's genuinely funny while treating its characters with complete seriousness. Comedy as a vehicle for real emotion rather than a distraction from it.
But It's quieter and less plot-driven than Faking It; the humour lives in character moments rather than dramatic reversals.
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The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
But I'm a Cheerleader2000
Both explore identity performance and forced secrecy as comedy, but this one flips the premise entirely—everyone else is lying about who the protagonist is, and she has to find her way to truth. Where Faking It builds from deception toward honesty, this starts in enforced dishonesty and dances toward self-acceptance.
A musical comedy about a straight cheerleader sent to conversion camp that's radiant and genuinely funny. It has Faking It's central question—the gap between who people think you are and who you actually are—but approaches it with anarchic visual comedy and real heart.
But The camp aesthetic and cheerful tone might read as too broad for viewers wanting something grittier; it commits fully to its bright, artificial world.
More like this (8)
Never Have I Ever2020
Teen comedy with bite, following a girl navigating social hierarchies, crushes, and the gap between who she is and who she wants to be. Sharp writing and actual stakes underneath the jokes.
But Occasionally stumbles between broad comedy and heavier material; some arcs work better than others across seasons.
One Day2024
Two people who love each other in different ways, meeting once a year to check in on their lives. Captures the bittersweet tangle of complicated feelings with real skill and surprising humour.
But It's considerably more wistful and melancholic than Faking It—if you're looking for constant laughs, this will feel subdued.
Atypical2017
A comedy about a teen and his chaotic social life that sneaks genuine heart and character development past the jokes. Messy, warm, and never afraid to let people be complicated.
But Tonal shifts can be jarring; some episodes prioritise emotion over comedy in ways that don't always land smoothly.
The Mindy Project2012
Fast-paced rom-com DNA with a protagonist who refuses to choose between being funny and being vulnerable. If you like jokes that land, you'll recognise the timing here.
But The early seasons lean harder into cringe comedy; tone and quality shift noticeably as it finds itself.
Ginny & Georgia2021
A mother-daughter comedy with genuine warmth that explores what people hide and why. Balances humour with real stakes in ways that echo Faking It's emotional architecture.
But Heavy-handed at moments; some plot threads feel dramatically convenient rather than earned.
PEN152019
A comedy about friendship, identity, and the performance of adolescence from the people behind Faking It. Same DNA, looser, messier, more deliberately absurd.
But It's significantly raunchier and more chaotic, which some will love and others will find exhausting over two seasons.
Fleabag2016
Both are about performance as a survival mechanism and the exhaustion of keeping up a lie. But where Faking It is fundamentally optimistic about people learning to be honest, Fleabag treats performance as inescapable and somehow more human than honesty. Watching them back-to-back shows two different answers to the same question.
A six-episode comedy about a woman talking directly to camera, charming and lying her way through life. Devastatingly funny while being genuinely about the ways we perform ourselves for survival and love.
But It's considerably darker and more existential than Faking It; the humour often sits atop real damage and self-sabotage.
Happiest Season2020
It takes Faking It's central lie—pretending to be a couple—but ages it up and grounds it in real consequences. It asks what happens when people you love force you to hide, and how that shapes intimacy. Same mechanism of deception, but rooted in structural pressure rather than teenage chaos.
A queer Christmas rom-com where the central relationship navigates identity, family pressure, and the gap between private and public selves. Genuinely funny, genuinely romantic, genuinely about real stakes.
But Some find the tonal balance between comedy and the weight of closeting awkward; the third act emotional pivot might feel abrupt.
People
Cast
Writing
- Carter CovingtonCreator
- Dana GoodmanCreator
- Julia Lea WolovCreator
Production
- Blaine WilliamsAssociate Producer
- Wendy GoldmanCo-Executive Producer
- Stefanie LederCo-Producer
- Carter CovingtonExecutive Producer