Television series
Funny Woman
A British comedy-drama following a beauty queen's unlikely ascent into 1950s showbiz. Funny Woman is warm, occasionally brittle, and utterly preoccupied with the gap between who women are supposed to be and who they actually want to become. It's for anyone who loves stories about ambition, talent, and the cost of reinvention.
If you liked this
Fleabag2016
A woman negotiates love, family, and her own mess with wit that cuts through sentiment. Sharp, funny, and genuinely moving about the distance between public and private self.
But If you need plot momentum or a traditional narrative arc, the show's willfully episodic structure may frustrate you.

Marvellous2014
Neil Tennant's compassionate portrait of a man building community against the odds, with warmth that never tips into sentimentality. Tender without being soft.
But Very small in scale. If you're looking for spectacle or high stakes, this intimate story might feel slight.

A Gentleman in Moscow2024
Period elegance, a protagonist reinventing himself within constraint, and the comedy of people navigating impossible circumstances with style and resilience. Utterly charming.
But The plot can meander; if you want tight, propulsive storytelling, the languid pacing may test your patience.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Funny Woman
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Singin' in the Rain1952
Both track a performer's meteoric rise and the personal cost of stardom, with real interest in how women and men navigate the demands of public reinvention.
A performer at the exact moment Hollywood is reinventing itself, with dazzling dancing and genuine insight into the gap between star and person. Pure cinema that understands ambition from the inside.
But If you're allergic to classical musicals or their aesthetic, the form itself may feel dated and excessive to you.

More like this (7)
Gentleman Jack2019
Period drama where a woman defies convention to claim her life and her ambition. Visually sumptuous, funny, and genuinely radical in its refusal to make her apologise for wanting more.
But Dense narrative and switching between timelines can be demanding. Not lightweight viewing, despite its charm.

Call the Midwife2012
Women finding purpose and competence in post-war Britain, with humor that arises from character rather than jokes. Warm without being sentimental about the actual difficulty of their lives.
But If you find ensemble medical drama predictable, the episodic structure and familiar beats won't surprise you.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel2017
A woman discovering she has a gift for comedy in 1950s New York, with crackling dialogue and real affection for its characters. Visually gorgeous and genuinely funny.
But The rapid-fire dialogue and relentless brightness can exhaust. Some find the pacing and tone exhaustingly chipper.

Alma's Not Normal2020
A working-class woman's sharp-edged ambition and vulnerability. Northern, funny, achingly real about class and aspiration without preaching.
But Quite dark and specific in its comedy. If you prefer gentler humor or broader appeal, this might feel too pointed.

The Miniaturist2017
A woman navigating an unfamiliar world with intelligence and quiet determination. Visually stunning, mysterious, and deeply interested in female interiority and agency.
But Deliberately paced and enigmatic. Viewers wanting clarity and resolution may find the ambiguity frustrating rather than intriguing.

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion1997
Both explore women constructing identities—ambitious, unreliable, deeply human—and the comedy that emerges from that gap between who they claim to be and who they are.
Two women inventing themselves wholesale to claim space and attention. Trashier and wilder than it appears, genuinely funny about female friendship and the performance of success.
But Deliberately silly and broad. If you need grounded realism or prestige drama, the tone may feel unbearably lightweight.

I, Daniel Blake2016
Both ask what happens when someone talented and capable is placed in a system—showbiz or welfare—that requires you to be smaller than you are. Both insist on the humanity underneath.
Ken Loach's unflinching portrait of dignity under bureaucratic indifference. A woman fighting systems designed to humiliate her, with Hayley Squires delivering devastating, ordinary truth.
But Intentionally bleak and political. If you watch for entertainment rather than provocation, this will feel like punishment, not storytelling.

People
Cast
Writing
- Morwenna BanksCreator
Production
- Ross WilliamsCo-Producer
- Andrea CalderwoodExecutive Producer
- Anil GuptaExecutive Producer
- Gail EganExecutive Producer
- Gemma ArtertonExecutive Producer
- Jessica MalikExecutive Producer
- Jessica ParkerExecutive Producer
- Jon MountagueExecutive Producer
- Morwenna BanksExecutive Producer
- Nick HornbyExecutive Producer
- Tilusha GhelaniExecutive Producer
- Paul SchlesingerProducer