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Shows that feel like The Affair Was Just The Beginning (2026)

If you loved The Affair Was Just The Beginning, the closest series we have are The Deep End (2010), Lucky (2026) and How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) (2019). All three share The Affair Was Just The Beginning's playful and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 11 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video and others, checked against today's data.

A successful entrepreneur with a seemingly perfect life sees everything fall apart after discovering her husband covering up a murder allegedly committed by their daughter. As the family scrambles to hide the truth, an anonymous blackmailer claims to have recorded everything, pulling them into a dangerous web of lies, secrets, and betrayal.

9.2 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗1 season · Coupang Playcreated by Jeong Eun-kyeonggrittywittyplayfulcontemplative

If The Affair Was Just The Beginning hit the spot, these will too

The Deep End poster
The Deep End
2010 · 1 season · ABC
6.8drama · comedy · documentary

Witty where it counts, playful underneath

The difference: Lighter on grit

The tragedies and triumphs of five earnest twenty-something first-year associates fighting to stay afloat in one of Los Angeles' top law firms.

Feels alike?
Lucky poster
Lucky
2026 · 1 season · Apple TV
6.6drama · crime

The same mix in both: grit, then stillness

When a multi-million-dollar heist goes sideways, con artist Lucky is forced to go on the run. Pursued by both the FBI and a ruthless crime boss, Lucky must fight for her life—and a way out.

Feels alike?
How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) poster
How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)
2019–2025 · 4 seasons · Netflix
7.8drama · comedy · crime

Crime built on grit, twice over

To win back his ex-girlfriend, a nerdy teen starts selling ecstasy online out of his bedroom -- and becomes one of Europe's biggest dealers.

Feels alike?
Psych poster
Psych
2006–2014 · 8 seasons · USA Network
8.4drama · comedy · crime

Both lean on wit more than on comedy

The difference: 20 years apart, and the 2000s show

Thanks to his police officer father's efforts, Shawn Spencer spent his childhood developing a keen eye for detail (and a lasting dislike of his dad). Years later, Shawn's frequent tips to the police lead to him being falsely accused of a crime he solved. Now, Shawn has no choice but to use his abilities to perpetuate his cover story: psychic crime-solving powers, all the while dragging his best friend, his dad, and the police along for the ride.

Feels alike?
Vigil poster
Vigil
2021– · 3 seasons · BBC One
7.4drama · crime

Contemplative drama in both cases

The mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler and a death on-board the submarine HMS Vigil bring the police into conflict with the Navy and British security services. DCI Amy Silva and DS Kirsten Longacre lead an investigation on land and at sea into a conspiracy that goes to the very heart of Britain’s national security.

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The Larry Sanders Show poster
The Larry Sanders Show
1992–1998 · 6 seasons · HBO
8.5comedy

Playful comedy, and it commits to that

Comic Garry Shandling draws upon his own talk show experiences to create the character of Larry Sanders, a paranoid, insecure host of a late night talk show. Larry, along with his obsequious TV sidekick Hank Kingsley and his fiercely protective producer Artie, allows Garry Shandling and his talented writers to look behind the scenes and to show us a convincing slice of behind the camera life.

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The Gentlemen poster
The Gentlemen
2024– · 2 seasons · Netflix
8comedy · drama · crime

Crime with a pulse of grit, in both cases

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.

Feels alike?
Vincenzo poster
Vincenzo
2021 · 1 season · tvN
8.4action & adventure · comedy · drama

Both lean on wit more than on drama

The difference: Leans further into action & adventure

During a visit to his motherland, a Korean-Italian Mafia lawyer gives an unrivaled conglomerate a taste of its own medicine with a side of justice.

Feels alike?
Justified poster
Justified
2010–2015 · 6 seasons · FX
8.6crime · drama

Playful crime in both cases

A character drama based on the 2001 Elmore Leonard short story "Fire in the Hole." Leonard's tale centers around U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens of Kentucky, a quiet but strong-willed official of the law. The tale covers his high-stakes job, as well as his strained relationships with his ex-wife and father.

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Lethal Weapon poster
Lethal Weapon
2016–2019 · 3 seasons · FOX
7.8action & adventure · crime · drama

Contemplative comedy in both cases

A slightly unhinged former Navy SEAL lands a job as a police officer in Los Angeles where he's partnered with a veteran detective trying to keep maintain a low stress level in his life.

Feels alike?
Atlanta poster
Atlanta
2016–2022 · 4 seasons · FX
8.6comedy · drama

Drama in the same key

Two cousins work through the Atlanta music scene in order to better their lives and the lives of their families.

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MobLand poster
MobLand
2025– · 2 seasons · Paramount+
8.3crime · drama

Crime approached the same way

Two mob families clash in a war that threatens to topple empires and lives.

Feels alike?

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The best-reviewed series that share The Affair Was Just The Beginning’s defining feeling.