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Maniac poster

Shows that feel likeManiac (2018)

Two strangers are drawn to a mysterious pharmaceutical trial that will, they're assured, with no complications or side-effects whatsoever, solve all of their problems, permanently. Things do not go as planned.

If you loved Maniac, the closest series we have are Vice Principals (2016), Russian Doll (2019) and It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020). All three share Maniac's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Gentlemen (2024).

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If Maniac hit the spot, these will too

Vice Principals poster
Vice Principals
2016–2017 · 2 seasons · HBO
★ 8comedyMax

Both are built on the same subject: dark comedy

The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than Maniac does

After North Jackson High's long-time principal steps down to tend to his ailing wife, Neal Gamby and Lee Russell, the school's vice principals, are forced to put their mutual disdain aside and form an unholy alliance in order to sabotage the newly appointed principal, Dr. Belinda Brown.

Russian Doll poster
Russian Doll
2019–2022 · 2 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.7comedy · dramaNetflix

The same preoccupation in both: dark comedy

Nadia keeps dying and reliving her 36th birthday party. She's trapped in a surreal time loop -- and staring down the barrel of her own mortality.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay poster
It's Okay to Not Be Okay
2020 · 1 season · tvN
★ 8.5drama · comedyNetflix

One thread runs through both: psychiatric hospital

Desperate to escape from his emotional baggage and the heavy responsibility he’s had all his life, a psychiatric ward worker begins to heal with help from the unexpected – a woman who writes fairy tales but doesn’t believe in them.

Arrested Development poster
Arrested Development
2003–2019 · 5 seasons · FOX
★ 8.6comedyNetflix

Witty where it counts, playful underneath

The story of a wealthy family that lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together.

The Gentlemen poster
The Gentlemen
2024– · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 8.1comedy · drama · crimeNetflix

Contemplative and darkly funny in the same breath

The difference: Sits closer to crime than Maniac does

When aristocratic Eddie inherits the family estate, he discovers that it's home to an enormous weed empire — and its proprietors aren't going anywhere.

Agatha All Along poster
Agatha All Along
2024 · 1 season · Disney+
★ 7.2sci-fi & fantasy · mysteryDisney+

The same mix in both: ideas, then dream logic

The difference: Leans harder into mystery than Maniac does

Agatha Harkness gathers a coven of witches and sets off down, down, down The Witches' Road.

Space Force poster
Space Force
2020–2022 · 2 seasons · Netflix
★ 6.7comedy · dramaNetflix

Witty comedy, and it commits to that

A four-star general begrudgingly teams up with an eccentric scientist to get the U.S. military's newest agency — Space Force — ready for lift-off.

The Office poster
The Office
2001–2002 · 2 seasons · BBC Two
★ 8.5comedyMaxHulu

Drama with a pulse of play, in both cases

Nightmare boss. Tedious colleagues. Pointless tasks. Welcome to Wernham Hogg.

Weeds poster
Weeds
2005–2012 · 8 seasons · Showtime
★ 7.9comedy · crime · dramaParamount+

Sci-fi & fantasy built on stillness, twice over

After the unexpected death of her husband, a suburban mom resorts to selling weed to support her family.

BEEF poster
BEEF
2023– · 2 seasons · Netflix
★ 8comedy · dramaNetflix

Both lean on dark humor more than on comedy

A road rage incident between two strangers — a failing contractor and an unfulfilled entrepreneur — sparks a feud that brings out their darkest impulses.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia poster
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
2005– · 18 seasons · FX
★ 8.8comedyHulu

Witty drama in both cases

Four egocentric friends run a neighborhood Irish pub in Philadelphia and try to find their way through the adult world of work and relationships. Unfortunately, their warped views and precarious judgments often lead them to trouble, creating a myriad of uncomfortable situations that usually only get worse before they get better.

After Life poster
After Life
2019–2022 · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 8.4comedy · dramaNetflix

Playful sci-fi & fantasy in both cases

Tony had a perfect life. But after his wife Lisa suddenly dies, Tony changes. After contemplating taking his own life, he decides instead to live long enough to punish the world by saying and doing whatever he likes from now on.

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The best-reviewed series that share Maniac’s defining feeling.