Television series
Unpolished
- Drama
- Light-hearted
Unpolished follows sisters Lexi and Bria Martone as they run their Long Island salon, balancing beauty work with chaotic family life and romantic drama. It's warm, gossipy, and unapologetically loud—the kind of show where personalities matter more than plots. For anyone who loves working-class ensemble comedy with real stakes and genuine affection underneath the chaos.
If you liked this
Jersey Shore2009
The spiritual ancestor of this whole genre: loud, Italian-American, unapologetic fun with a found-family core. The cast's actual affection for each other shines through the madness.
But The early seasons have aged awkwardly in places, and if you're not in the mood for pure spectacle and hangovers, it feels thin.
Summer House2017
Workplace-adjacent ensemble with real stakes: romance, betrayals, genuine hurt feelings, but also the kind of loyalty that makes you believe these people actually matter to each other.
But The show is expensive-looking in a way that can feel alienating if you're watching on a tight budget and need to relate to your TV friends.
Million Dollar Listing: New York2012
Follows ambitious people doing their specific job well while personal drama swirls. The characters have real professional stakes that anchor the messiness and make it feel earned.
But It's very New York real estate, which is either catnip or completely boring depending on your tolerance for luxury-market interior design.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Unpolished
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Call the Midwife2012
Both center on women who are excellent at their specific craft and find meaning in that work, with personal drama as the texture rather than the plot.
Also built on female friendship and professional competence, but in 1950s East London delivering babies. It finds the same warmth and humor in women supporting each other through work and life, just in completely different circumstances.
But It's earnest and period-set in a way that feels nothing like a reality show. If you want contemporary glamour, this is the opposite.
More like this (6)
Married to Medicine2013
Long-running ensemble that knows how to balance real friendship with dramatic conflict. The women have actual professional lives and intellectual stakes.
But Seasons can drag, and the show sometimes feels more interested in who's feuding than in anything substantive.
Southern Hospitality2022
Workplace ensemble built around a Savannah restaurant. The younger cast has actual chemistry, and the show finds real humor in service industry chaos without being mean-spirited.
But It's newer and thinner than established franchises, so it's still finding its footing and can feel slight.
Winter House2021
Cozy ensemble gathering that lets characters actually relax and bond. Less about manufactured drama, more about real connection, which is weirdly refreshing.
But The lower stakes mean less propulsive conflict, and if you need plot momentum, this feels slow and sometimes dull.
Flipping Out2007
Jeff Lewis is a chaotic visionary with a loyal crew who actually care about him. The show works because the relationships are real despite the screaming and obsession.
But It's built entirely on one man's anxiety and perfectionism, which can be exhausting rather than funny if his brand of chaos doesn't click with you.
Ugly Betty2006
Both use beauty work and fashion as the framework for character comedy about ambition, family, and how people present themselves to the world.
Workplace comedy about fashion and family that doesn't take itself seriously. It has the same energy of people trying to be glamorous while chaos erupts around them, but it's scripted and surreal.
But It's campy and absurdist in a way reality TV isn't, so the tonal shift might feel jarring if you wanted grounded entertainment.
In Treatment2008
Both trust that watching people talk about their real lives, problems, and relationships is enough. No manufactured drama needed—the interpersonal stuff is the entire show.
HBO drama about a therapist and his clients, all in single-room conversations. It's intimate, character-driven, and finds genuine tension in how people talk about their relationships and problems without any plot machinery.
But It's slow, serious, and deeply introspective. If you want entertainment rather than something that demands you sit with discomfort, this will feel like homework.
