feelsalike.comSign in
Against the Current poster

Shows that feel likeAgainst the Current (2026)

Shen Jialan, once a nobleman's granddaughter, falls from grace after her family is falsely accused of treason. Abandoned by her fiancé Lin Jinqi, she is forced to assume a servant's identity in his household. Despite hardships, she refuses to bow to fate. With resilience and wit, she rises above class barriers, wins Lin Jinqi's heart, earns the family's respect, and ultimately clears her family's name.

If you loved Against the Current, the closest series we have are Blue Box (2024), Looking for Alaska (2019) and Normal People (2020). All three share Against the Current's contemplative and romantic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023).

11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video

If Against the Current hit the spot, these will too

Blue Box poster
Blue Box
2024– · 1 season · MBS
★ 8animation · dramaNetflix

Both keep coming back to the same thing: romance

The difference: Takes it somewhere less cozy than Against the Current does

Taiki Inomata loves badminton, but he has a long way to go before he can reach nationals. When Taiki sees upperclassman Chinatsu Kano practicing her heart out on the girls’ basketball team, he falls for her hard. After an unexpected turn of events brings the two closer together, sports might not be the first thing on their minds anymore!

Looking for Alaska poster
Looking for Alaska
2019 · 1 season · Hulu
★ 8drama

The same preoccupation in both: romance

The difference: Trades the comfort of Against the Current for an angle of its own

Miles enrolls in a new boarding school seeking adventure. There, he befriends a group of quirky students led by the captivating and troubled Alaska. As they pull pranks and explore dark secrets, a night of celebration takes a tragic turn, forcing the group to grapple with loss and the complexities of growing up.

Normal People poster
Normal People
2020 · 1 season · BBC Three
★ 8.4dramaHulu

The same mix in both: stillness, then comfort

Marianne and Connell weave in and out of each other's lives in this exploration of sex, power and the desire to love and be loved.

Off Campus poster
Off Campus
2026– · 1 season · Prime Video
★ 7.8dramaPrime Video

Romantic drama in both cases

Hannah Wells tutors hockey captain Garrett Graham to win over her crush. Their deal becomes real connection as they face their pasts. Friends Logan, Dean, Tucker, and Allie navigate college life and love.

Planet Earth II poster
Planet Earth II
2016 · 1 season · BBC One
★ 9.4documentary · familyMax

Family built on warmth, twice over

The difference: Sits closer to documentary than Against the Current does

David Attenborough presents a documentary series exploring how animals meet the challenges of surviving in the most iconic habitats on earth.

Anne with an E poster
Anne with an E
2017–2019 · 3 seasons · CBC Television
★ 8.6drama · familyNetflix

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

A coming-of-age story about an outsider who, against all odds and numerous challenges, fights for love and acceptance and for her place in the world. The series centers on a young orphaned girl in the late 1890s, who, after an abusive childhood spent in orphanages and the homes of strangers, is mistakenly sent to live with an elderly woman and her aging brother. Over time, 13-year-old Anne will transform their lives and eventually the small town in which they live with her unique spirit, fierce intellect and brilliant imagination.

The Summer I Turned Pretty poster
The Summer I Turned Pretty
2022–2025 · 3 seasons · Prime Video
★ 7.2dramaPrime Video

Family with a pulse of warmth, in both cases

Every summer, Belly and her family head to the Fishers’ beach house in Cousins. Every summer is the same ... until Belly turns sixteen. Relationships will be tested, painful truths will be revealed, and Belly will be forever changed. It’s a summer of first love, first heartbreak and growing up — it's the summer she turns pretty.

Descendants of the Sun poster
Descendants of the Sun
2016 · 1 season · KBS2
★ 8.2drama · action & adventure

Both lean on romance more than on drama

After a chance meeting in a hospital, an ardent soldier falls for a gifted surgeon. Opposing philosophies tear them apart, but fate has other plans.

Young Royals poster
Young Royals
2021–2024 · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 8.2dramaNetflix

Both lean on stillness more than on family

Prince Wilhelm adjusts to life at his prestigious new boarding school, Hillerska, but following his heart proves more challenging than anticipated.

Baby Reindeer poster
Baby Reindeer
2024 · 1 season · Netflix
★ 7.7dramaNetflix

Both work the same warmth

When a struggling comedian shows one act of kindness to a vulnerable woman, it sparks a suffocating obsession which threatens to wreck both their lives.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story poster
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
2023 · 1 season · Netflix
★ 7.6dramaNetflix

The shared currency is romance

Young Queen Charlotte's marriage to King George of England sparks an epic love story and transforms high society in this "Bridgerton" universe prequel.

The King: Eternal Monarch poster
The King: Eternal Monarch
2020 · 1 season · SBS
★ 8.1sci-fi & fantasy · dramaNetflix

Common ground: historical fiction

Korean emperor Lee Gon tries to close the doors to a parallel world which was opened by demons; a detective tries to protect the people and the one she loves.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative shows →

The best-reviewed series that share Against the Current’s defining feeling.