Television series
Pure
Pure follows Marnie, a 22-year-old drowning in intrusive sexual thoughts she can't control or understand. It's a drama that finds profound humanity and dark humour in her struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder, charting her stumbling path toward friendship, love, and self-acceptance. For anyone who's felt fundamentally broken or misunderstood.
If you liked this
Fleabag2016
Phoebe Waller-Bridge's fractured, hilarious portrait of a woman at odds with herself and the world. Like Pure, it uses irreverent internal monologue and sex to explore shame, family, and the gap between who we are and who we think we should be.
But The constant fourth-wall breaking and self-aware performance can feel mannered if you're not immediately on its wavelength.
Normal People2020
Intimate, tender, and unflinching about desire, vulnerability, and the messy truth of connection. Sally Rooney's drama has Pure's gift for making mental and emotional struggle feel urgent and real without ever becoming maudlin.
But The sex scenes are explicit and frequent; some find the pacing glacial; the relationship can feel claustrophobic by design.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend2015
A musical comedy-drama that treats OCD, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder with both humour and genuine care. It's unflinchingly honest about how mental illness makes you behave badly, and why that's not the whole story.
But The musical numbers won't land for everyone, and the early seasons lean harder on cringe comedy than some viewers will tolerate.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Pure
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
My Mad Fat Diary2013
Both centre on young women whose internal lives are in complete revolt, using humour to survive shame and disconnection. Both trust their characters to be unlikeable and real simultaneously.
British comedy-drama about Rae, a young woman with depression and body image issues, finding friendship and first love. It has Pure's warmth and honesty about mental illness, but is grittier, more music-driven, and set in a specific working-class Yorkshire world. The voice-over is Rae's unfiltered internal chaos—constant, profane, and weirdly hopeful.
But Grainier production values and a narrower geography; the accent and regional specificity won't resonate everywhere; it's more visibly 2013 than Pure.
More like this (8)
Catastrophe2015
Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney's comedy about two people building a life together despite their damage. It shares Pure's warmth, its belief in messy people, and its refusal to treat struggle as tragedy or punchline alone.
But It's crass and profane in ways that can feel exhausting; some of the humour hasn't aged well.
The End of the F***ing World2017
A dark comedy-drama about two broken young people on the run. It has Pure's mix of pitch-black humour and genuine tenderness, and that same sense of watching someone discover who they actually are.
But It's violent and volatile; the tone whiplashes can be destabilising if you're looking for consistency.
Everything Sucks!2018
A comedy about teenage misfits in the 1990s finding their tribe. It captures that desperate hunger for connection and the relief of being known that drives Pure, all wrapped in genuine warmth and humor.
But It's underdeveloped in places and was cancelled after one season; some feel it leans too hard on nostalgia.
Atypical2017
Centers on Sam, an autistic teenager navigating identity, sexuality, and family. Like Pure, it's comedy and drama in genuine conversation, treating neurodivergence as complicated and real rather than inspiration.
But The parents' storylines can overshadow Sam's; some neurodivergent viewers find the representation incomplete or clichéd.
Derry Girls2018
Hilarious ensemble comedy about teenage girls in 1990s Northern Ireland. Shares Pure's affection for its characters, its sharpness about female friendship, and its belief that being young and confused is genuinely funny.
But Very specifically Irish in its humour and references; the accent and slang create a barrier if you're not used to it.
Godless2017
A Netflix western about a town run by women, starring Jeff Daniels and Michelle Dockery. It's about outsiders finding community and purpose. Different genre entirely, but that same gift for making broken people feel like home.
But It's visually beautiful but narratively uneven; some plotlines feel underbaked; the tone wavers between serious and pulpy.
The Letdown2017
Both dramatise the terror of intrusive thoughts and the isolation of believing you're uniquely broken. Both find liberation in naming the thing out loud.
Australian comedy about a new mother spiralling into postpartum depression and anxiety. It's exquisitely funny and painfully honest about how your brain can betray you at moments you thought you'd already sorted yourself out. A different life stage, but the same gear-stripping clarity.
But Very Australian in sensibility; only two seasons; centres on motherhood, which may not resonate if that's not your context; the chaos is relentless.
The Souvenir2019
Both are about young women misunderstanding what's happening inside them and taking years to recognise the pattern. Both trust the audience to sit with confusion and incremental clarity rather than spelling things out.
Joanna Hogg's semi-autobiographical film about a film student drawn into an abusive relationship she doesn't recognise as such. It's oblique, formally daring, often quiet. It captures how we narrate ourselves into staying in situations that damage us, and what it takes to see clearly. A very different story, but the same core wound.
But It's deliberately withholding and elliptical; dialogue is muffled and indirect; there's no clear catharsis; some find the pacing glacial and the film pretentious.
People
Cast
Production
- Greg BrenmanExecutive Producer
- Roanna BennExecutive Producer
- Jen KenwoodProducer