Television series

Roadies

Name: Roadies
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: 2016
Cast: Carla Gugino, Imogen Poots, Luke Wilson, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Machine Gun Kelly

Workplace drama

Roadies is a backstage ensemble comedy about the unsung crew who make touring life possible—the sound techs, managers, and logistics people who form a makeshift family around a rock band. It's warm and funny, set in the intimate chaos of life on the road. For anyone who loves ensemble casts, music culture, or stories about people who find belonging in unlikely places.

TVMaze rating

3.7

If you liked this

Almost Famous2000

The definitive film about rock-world devotion and the glamour of touring through a teenager's eyes. Captures that same feeling of music as transcendence and the people who make it happen.

But It's more romantic and elegiac than comedic; the pace is leisurely in ways modern viewers sometimes find slow.

Vinyl2016

HBO's Scorsese-produced series about 1970s record label politics, with that same energy about music obsessives and workplace family. Sharp, stylish, and genuinely funny about industry egos.

But Only lasted two seasons before cancellation. Some episodes get caught up in plot at the expense of the characters you care about.

Halt and Catch Fire2014

Ensemble drama about the PC revolution with the same DNA: a tight crew of misfits building something impossible together, fueled by vision and dysfunction. Equally strong on camaraderie and tension.

But Much slower burn and heavier mood. Not a place you go for laughs, even though it has them.

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

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Commitments1991

Both celebrate the people who do the work of music—here the performers themselves as working people, not stars. Same love of camaraderie under pressure, same infectious joy in watching a crew gel.

Alan Parker's film about working-class Dubliners forming a soul band: the same scaffolding as Roadies but grittier, funnier, and set in one sweaty rehearsal space. The music and ensemble chemistry are electric.

But Broad Irish working-class humor and language that hasn't aged neutrally. The plot is thin; this lives on mood and character texture.

That Thing You Do!1996

Tom Hanks wrote and directed this love letter to a one-hit-wonder band and the people around them. Genuinely sweet, funny, and captures the chaotic joy of a group moving as one unit.

But The tone is relentlessly upbeat and deliberately old-fashioned. Cynical viewers may find it saccharine.

Backstrom2015

A police procedural built around an ensemble of detectives who genuinely like each other. Same warm, funny vibe about a workplace found family solving problems together.

But Not music-focused at all. The procedural elements can overshadow character moments.

Bunheads2012

Amy Sherman-Palladino's comedy about a dance studio ensemble. Chatty, character-driven, obsessed with how people form community and support each other through creative work.

But The rapid-fire dialogue won't appeal to everyone. It ended after one season and left threads dangling.

Nurse Jackie2009

An ensemble set in a hospital where the crew bonds through chaos and crisis. Blends comedy and drama with real affection for its characters' messy lives and workplace relationships.

But Heavier than Roadies overall, with storylines about addiction and moral compromise that darken the mood.

Party Down2009

Hilarious ensemble about misfit caterers working events in Los Angeles. Brilliant at showing how ordinary people bond through shared labor and shared dreams of something better.

But Only two seasons. The cringe comedy won't land for everyone, and some episodes focus more on plot than on the relationships.

Schitt's Creek2015

A family forced together by circumstance becomes an actual family. Found-family comedy about misfits learning to care for each other in a small town. Genuinely heartwarming and very funny.

But Takes a few episodes to hit its stride. The tone shifts significantly across seasons, which some find jarring.

Tender Mercies1983

The inverse story: where Roadies is about the energy and youth of touring, this is about what touring costs and what comes after. Same deep love of music and place, opposite emotional register.

Robert Duvall as a washed-up country musician rebuilding his life in rural Texas. Quiet, meditative, about what music means when the touring life ends. Achingly tender and real.

But Extremely slow and understated. This is the inverse of rock excess—it's about silence, faith, and damage. No plot mechanics to speak of.

Sound City2013

Celebrates the exact same people—the unseen craftspeople who enable great music—but through real interviews and archival footage rather than fiction. Same reverence for the work.

Dave Grohl's documentary about a legendary recording studio and the musicians and engineers who made its magic. A genuine love letter to the people behind the music, the technical wizardry, the collaborative spirit.

But A documentary, not narrative drama. If you're not interested in the technical and historical side of recording, it may feel like homework with a rock soundtrack.