Television series
Nothing But Thirty
Nothing But Thirty follows three accomplished women confronting the messy reality of their thirties: marriage betrayals, career upheaval, unexpected opportunity. It's sharp-eyed about ambition, compromise, and what happens when life refuses to stay tidy. Funny and unflinching, it speaks directly to anyone who thought their thirties would feel more figured-out than they do.
If you liked this
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend2015
Same emotional DNA: a woman lying to herself about what she actually wants, the gap between her internal narrative and external truth. Musical, wildly funny, but underneath it is real reckoning with self-deception and ambition.
But The musical numbers aren't for everyone. Also significantly weirder and less grounded than Nothing But Thirty — it's a comedy first.
Fleabag2016
A woman at war with her own choices and desires, funny about it, occasionally devastating. Same understanding that chaos and self-awareness can coexist. Six episodes per season, deeply efficient storytelling.
But Only two seasons. Much darker register — more cynicism, less hope. The fourth-wall-breaking might feel gimmicky to some.
Mistresses2013
Four women, secrets, infidelity, career disasters, the full catastrophe of modern adult life. It commits fully to the melodrama while still grounding it in real consequences. Addictive.
But The American version — slicker but less thoughtful than Nothing But Thirty. Leans into soap opera mechanics more than genuine character work.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Nothing But Thirty
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Chungking Express1994
Both are built on the emotional architecture of transition: the painful space between who you were and who you're becoming. Also, both understand that ambition and love are not separate problems — they're the same crisis playing out in different registers.
Two Hong Kong cops grieve in motion, their loneliness animated by neon and chance encounters. It moves at the speed of feeling rather than plot. Wong Kar-wai understands that the gap between who you are and who you thought you'd be can break your heart just as much as betrayal.
But Barely a plot to speak of. The pacing is closer to a music video than conventional narrative. If you want a story to follow, this will feel like watching water.
More like this (7)
Divorce2016
Sarah Jessica Parker in a comedy-drama about a marriage imploding in real time. Smart, funny, genuinely interested in how people become strangers to each other. Each season is a distinct emotional beat.
But Some find it too bleak. The supporting characters are thinner than the leads. Can feel repetitive across three seasons.
Halt and Catch Fire2014
Four people trying to build something while their personal lives combust around them. It understands ambition — what it costs, what it promises, the lies you tell yourself. Beautifully shot and deeply earned.
But Slow-burn pacing. The tech industry setting might feel removed from your own life. Very male-coded for the first season.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel2017
A woman discovering she has talents and desires her marriage never allowed. Effervescent, witty, about the private revolution of admitting what you actually want. Gorgeous to look at.
But The relentless brightness can feel exhausting. Less interested in consequences than in the dopamine hit of ambition. The period setting distances the emotion somewhat.
Killing Eve2018
Two women obsessed with each other — one hunting a killer, one being hunted. It's about desire and self-knowledge, what happens when you finally stop hiding. Darkly funny and genuinely gripping.
But Becomes increasingly plot-heavy and less character-focused as it goes on. Some resent the ending. The violence can be gratuitous.
Russian Doll2019
A woman in her late thirties caught in a time loop, forced to finally look at the choices that brought her here. Clever formally, but the heart is real — about self-sabotage and the possibility of change.
But Deliberately weird and fractured. The second season is far less accessible than the first. Not everyone connects with the formal games.
The Apology2022
Nothing But Thirty and The Apology both grapple with the same question: what do we owe the people we've failed, and what happens when we finally try to pay that debt? Both understand that adulting is less about finding answers than about managing the wreckage of compromises you've already made.
A documentary in which a man finally apologizes to his estranged daughter for decades of absence. It's about the possibility of reckoning with your own failures, the cost of avoidance, and whether people can actually change. Devastating and real.
But It's not a comfort watch. There's no redemption arc — it's slower and messier than that. If you need narrative closure or a character to root for clearly, this will feel unresolved.
Tale of the Nine Tailed2020
Both live in the gap between what you thought your life would be and what it actually is. Both find their emotional truth in small, intimate moments between partners trying to understand each other. Both understand that betrayal doesn't end love — it just changes the shape of it.
A Korean fantasy-romance in which a thousand-year-old fox and a woman with a dangerous past meet in modern Seoul. Lush and melancholic, it's about two people broken by time and circumstance learning to trust again. Beautifully made.
But You have to accept the fantasy premise — the romance can feel distant if you're not invested in the mythology. Pacing is deliberate. Tonal shifts between comedy and melodrama are occasionally jarring.
