Television series

Mistresses

Name: Mistresses
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: 2013
Cast: Brett Tucker, Jes Macallan, Rochelle Aytes, Kim Yoon Jin, Alyssa Milano

Social drama

Mistresses is a soapy ensemble drama about four women juggling affairs, secrets, and professional ambitions in Los Angeles. It's propulsive melodrama built on the premise that these friendships can survive almost anything—betrayal, lies, moral compromise. Fast-paced, unapologetic about its pleasures, it's for anyone who wants to watch smart women make spectacularly bad decisions and still root for them.

TVMaze rating

3.8

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Scandal2012

Pulpy political thriller with a similar kinetic energy and willingness to escalate stakes impossibly fast. Olivia Pope and her crisis-management team operate in a world where every episode brings a new catastrophe, and the dialogue crackles.

But The plot eventually requires you to accept increasingly absurd contrivances as the show chases its own tail. Exhausting rather than thrilling by the final seasons.

Revenge2011

Another ABC gem about a woman orchestrating elaborate schemes with ruthless precision. It shares Mistresses' Gothic glamour, its love of twists that make you gasp, and its understanding that feminine cunning is endlessly watchable.

But The premise wears thin once the central revenge is done. Later seasons feel like they're searching for a reason to keep going.

Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce2014

Stars Lisa Edelstein as a divorced woman navigating relationships and reinvention alongside her close friends. Slightly more grounded than Mistresses but with the same warmth, the same focus on female friendships as the emotional core, the same guilty-pleasure energy.

But Bravo production means it leans toward wine-and-gossip tone that can feel hollow. Some threads resolve unsatisfyingly.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Mistresses

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Fleabag2016

Both are built on the premise that a woman can be flawed, selfish, dishonest—and still deserving of your affection and investment. Both understand that's the real scandal.

A woman careening through affairs, family chaos, and moral compromise with a smile and a wink at the camera. The tonal precision and emotional intelligence elevate what could be mere soap opera into something unforgettable. Phoebe Waller-Bridge's writing makes you love her protagonist despite everything.

But The tone is aggressively British and meta. If you want straightforward melodrama, the fourth-wall breaking will feel arch and exhausting.

Grey's Anatomy2005

The original prestige ensemble drama that perfected balancing soap-opera plotting with genuine stakes. Multiple ongoing affairs, professional ambitions, and a core group bound by circumstance and choice. The medical framework gives it substance the melodrama can lean against.

But Longevity has diluted it. The early seasons have the energy Mistresses sustains; later ones just repeat beats.

The Bold Type2017

Three young women at a fashion magazine supporting each other through romance, career crises, and moral quandaries. Lighter in tone but structurally similar: ensemble, friendship-first, professional ambition woven through romantic chaos.

But Tonal whiplash between workplace comedy and heavy social issues. The earnestness can undercut the fun.

How to Get Away with Murder2014

Viola Davis leads a group of law students through increasingly baroque schemes and moral compromises. It has Mistresses' love of secrets, betrayal, and the question of how much you'll sacrifice for your people.

But Convoluted plotting means rewatching is necessary to catch what you missed. Adds complexity without always adding depth.

Devious Maids2013

Ensemble of housekeepers maneuvering through the wealthy households of a suburban community, each with secrets. Similar architecture—interwoven mysteries, friendship bonds, class dynamics as undercurrent, Latin American representation that matters.

But Tone wavers between camp and serious crime drama. Sometimes feels like it doesn't know what it wants to be.

Guilt2016

Two sisters entangled in a murder investigation abroad. Intimate, claustrophobic, built on the question of what you'd do for family. Smaller cast but same emotional architecture: loyalty tested against law and conscience.

But Cancelled after two seasons. Leaves threads untied, and the abbreviated run means it never quite hits the rhythm a full series finds.

Cashmere Mafia2008

Four female executives in New York navigating power, wealth, and relationships. Preceded Mistresses and has the same glossy, unapologetic appreciation for female ambition and scheming.

But Short-lived and uneven. The premise is stronger than the execution, and it lacks the character work that makes friendships feel real.

MINDHUNTER2017

Both explore how much of yourself you hide, and what happens when people close to you discover who you really are. One is intimate melodrama; this is psychological horror. Same engine.

Two FBI agents profiling serial killers in the 1970s. Glacially paced, methodical, deeply focused on psychology and the costs of obsession. Fincher's direction gives it a documentary weight. The opposite of Mistresses' speedboat energy but built on the same tension between secrecy and exposure.

But Genuinely bleak and sometimes difficult to watch. Long stretches of dialogue with minimal plot movement. Demands patience instead of promising thrills.

Moonlight2016

Both understand that the most important things about a person are often the hardest to speak. Both are about people imprisoned by what they can't say.

A portrait of a Black man across three chapters of his life, each a separate film, directed by Barry Jenkins. Gorgeously composed, tender, quietly devastating. Less concerned with plot than with texture, feeling, and the weight of secrets carried silently.

But Deliberately paced. No drama in the Mistresses sense—no reveals, no confrontations, just observation. If you need momentum, this will feel glacial.