Television series
The Buddha of Suburbia
A four-part BBC drama about a half-Asian, half-English twentysomething navigating identity, desire, and his father's embarrassing spiritual reinvention in early-90s London. Funny and awkward in equal measure, with real tenderness beneath the chaos. For anyone who's felt caught between worlds, or just loves watching smart people make terrible decisions.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy a picaresque hero who blunders from one scrape to the next while his mouth stays sharper than his judgement, with a sharp eye for class, race and suburban boredom.
Skip it if you want a tight plot or a steady throughline; this is episodic and loose, and it often cares more about its mood and monologues than about where it is heading.
What it asks of you: Four hour-long episodes make it a short commitment, but each asks you to keep pace with a restless voice that rarely sits still and lurches between scenes and moods.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Trainspotting1996
Raw energy, antiheroes in free fall, a cultural lightning strike that defined an era. Like Buddha, it's about young men on the margins discovering who they are through transgression and style.
But Relentlessly bleak in stretches, with drug use and violence that's not softened for comfort. The Scottish accent requires attention.
My Beautiful Laundrette1985
Hanif Abdulkhaki's portrait of a young British-Pakistani man navigating desire, family duty, and London's margins. Similar DNA: comedy and heartbreak twined together, with real stakes underneath the charm.
But Low-budget 80s film stock and pacing that moves at its own tempo. Some may find the sexual content provocative.
Misfits2009
Young misfits discovering themselves through chaos and accident, sharp dialogue that bounces like tennis balls, anarchic energy. It has Buddha's gift for making terrible situations feel alive and genuinely funny.
But Starts as a superhero show, which can feel gimmicky. Early seasons have dated effects and some tonal unevenness.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Buddha of Suburbia
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Queer As Folk2000
Both are 90s British dramas about young men on the margins discovering identity through transgression and community, using humour to soften genuine pain.
A British series that arrived just after Buddha, following young gay men in Manchester with similar energy: comedic, sexually frank, unashamed about desire and reinvention. It's what happens when you let those characters grow up and claim more space.
But Explicitly sexual in ways that can feel dated; some scenes aim for edge over storytelling. It's also a commitment—five seasons of high melodrama.
More like this (6)
Absolutely Fabulous1992
Comic precision about people performing versions of themselves, obsessed with escape and reinvention, set in the same London moment. Sharply written, wildly enjoyable, and oddly moving about how we lie to ourselves.
But Broad comedy that depends on character exaggeration. The satire can feel dated if you're not attuned to 90s British cultural references.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being1988
Intellectually restless characters caught between desire and consequence, beauty and moral confusion. Like Karim, its heroes are trying to live without constraints and learning the cost of that freedom.
But Philosophical and deliberately paced. If you want plot momentum over meditation, you'll feel it dragging.
Kinky Boots2005
A British man and a drag performer forge an unlikely partnership, full of charm and genuine emotion. Both films balance comedy with real vulnerability about identity and belonging.
But The fish-out-of-water premise is familiar. Some find the emotional resolution a bit tidy.
Rushmore1998
A young idealist entangles himself in adult lives he doesn't understand, performing versions of himself for approval. Wes Anderson's warm comedy about a kid trying on identities before finding his own.
But Deadpan whimsy isn't for everyone. Some find it precious or emotionally distant.
This Is England2007
Shane Meadows' story of a lonely boy finding family in a subcultural gang, combining brutal realism with genuine affection for its characters. It shares Buddha's eye for how young people construct identity through style and belonging.
But Violence and racism are portrayed unflinchingly. The film doesn't look away, which some find punishing rather than illuminating.
The Death of Ivan Ilyich2024
Both trace a character's journey of self-discovery, but Buddha finds humour and possibility in the chaos; Ivan Ilyich finds only the crushing weight of self-deception finally acknowledged.
Tolstoy's novella, adapted into a haunting film about a man confronting who he actually is versus who he's pretended to be. It's the serious version of Buddha's theme: performance versus authenticity, and what we owe ourselves.
But Fundamentally bleak and meditative about mortality. No redemption, no escape, just reckoning. It's the inverse of comedy's escape velocity.
