10 TV Shows Like “Margot Has Money Problems” That You Should Watch Next.
Margot Has Money Troubles , renewed for a second season , tells the story of Margot, a 20-year-old aspiring writer played by Elle Fanning. Margot becomes pregnant after a brief affair with a married English literature professor. Her mother, Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer), is supportive but rather negative about her prospects, while her estranged father, Jinx (Nick Offerman), is willing to help, having just gotten out of rehab. Still, she needs money to cope, so she turns to OnlyFans (and who hasn’t?). Watch Margot Has Money Troubles on Apple TV , then check out other shows about women making bold decisions in the face of adversity.
Sex Education (2019–2023)
There’s a fair amount of sex on television (carrying over from the now-virtually sexless big screen), but that’s not the same as sex-positive. In this British comedy-drama, Asa Butterfield and Gillian Anderson play an insecure, shy teenager named Otis and his mother, Jean, a frank and sometimes painfully honest sex therapist. When a school bully needs sex advice, Otis shares the wisdom he gleaned from his mom, eventually making a name for himself at school by selling his knowledge as an expert. It’s a funny and charmingly frank show that approaches sex with humor and positivity, and it features a great couple whose fate is unclear: the awkward Otis or the more fearless Maeve (Emma Mackey). The tone is similar to “Margot,” as is the sense that sex is simultaneously funny and normal.Watch “Sex Education” on Netflix.
Lonely Drunk Woman (2022–2023)
Samantha Fink (Sofia Black-D’Elia) is a 28-year-old alcoholic who hits rock bottom with an embarrassing public breakdown. Determined to quit drinking, she returns to Boston to live with her strict and overbearing mother (Ally Sheedy) and reconnects with her best friend, Brit (Sasha Compère). Of course, despite the appeal of this idea, she finds herself back in the very environment that led to her alcoholism in the first place. Funny and humane, this is another series about a complex and confused young woman trying to rebuild her life after a life-changing event. Watch “Single Drunk Female” on Tubi.
Weeds (2005–2012)
“Weeds” is a classic suburban crime drama series. It centers on a single mother who finds success in a business that society might frown upon. Mary-Louise Parker plays Nancy Botwin, a recently widowed mother desperately trying to maintain the upper-middle-class lifestyle her husband once provided. She can’t bear the thought of giving up the conspicuous consumption she’s become accustomed to, so she decides to get rich. And what better way, especially in suburban Los Angeles, than by selling marijuana? (Obviously, the series was filmed and takes place before the recreational legalization of the drug in 2016.) Like Jon Hamm’s Coop, Nancy simply isn’t ready for her family to give up the good things. Watch “Weeds” on Prime Video.
Fleabag (2016–2019)
In this critically acclaimed series, Phoebe Waller-Bridge plays the title character (always credited as “Fleabag”) in a comedy-drama about a free-spirited, deeply embittered young woman living in London, sharing her romantic ups and downs in confessional digressions with us, the audience. She reluctantly falls for “The Priest” (Andrew Scott)—she’s a staunch atheist and he’s clearly not, so their relationship is correspondingly complicated. Like Margot, Fleabag certainly has her money troubles: she goes from art theft to running a struggling (you won’t be surprised to learn) guinea pig-themed cafe. Waller-Bridge has won Emmy Awards as the show’s star, creator, and writer. Watch Fleabag on Prime Video.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023)
Mrs. Maisel is one of Prime Video’s first and most talked-about original series, a comedy-drama from Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls) about Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), a New York housewife in the late 1950s who discovers a talent for stand-up comedy. Inspired by the real-life careers of comedians like Totie Fields and Joan Rivers, the series is both warm and funny, with great performances and dialogue; it also manages something rare: it’s a genuinely funny show about comedy. Mrs. Maisel and her circle are obviously very different from Margot, but there are similar themes of funny, complex women who say “screw it” to life and career expectations. Watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Prime Video .
Virtuous Business (2024)
This charming South Korean comedy-drama takes us to a rural village in the incredibly distant 1990s, where four women from different walks of life decide to sell sex toys and other adult products door-to-door. None of the women are particularly desperate, which makes the plot all the more engaging: they all engage in a completely taboo (at least at the time) industry to earn a few extra bucks or simply have fun—a compelling reminder that sex work isn’t just for the downtrodden.Watch Virtuous Business on Netflix.
P-Valley (2020 – )
A Southern Gothic soap opera set in a strip club in the Mississippi outback? The tone of this drama is very different from Margot . And yet, there’s a connection between the stories of women who have pushed far beyond the bounds of social propriety and who, for all intents and purposes, don’t care whether you like it or not. P-Valley follows the lives (and dramas) of the people working at the eponymous strip club in the Mississippi Delta. The secret to its success lies in the series’ creator and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall, who skillfully blends elements of soap opera with an admiration for the talents of these dancers, as well as a subtle commentary on the struggles of poor and Black Americans in the South. The long-awaited third season will premiere later this year. Watch P-Valley on Prime Video and Starz.
Vida (2018 – 2020)
Two very different Mexican-American sisters return to their childhood home in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles after the death of their mother (the “Vida” of the title), who they soon discover was married to a woman. The mother left the daughters a controlling stake in the bar she owned, as well as a large portion to her wife, forcing Lyn and Emma (Melissa Barrera and Michelle Prada) to reconcile with a woman they never knew existed. This comedy-drama explores the intersection of queer and Latinx identities from the perspective of women, with a disproportionate emphasis on the importance of sexuality (the series is both erotic and intelligent). Watch “Vida” on Hulu and Prime Video .
I May Destroy You (2020)
Creator, writer, co-director, and star Michaela Cole plays a social media influencer-turned-writer trying to rebuild her life after being raped. It’s a thoughtful yet often hilarious comedy-drama about the darkness that threatens to consume a woman’s life and the long road to recovery. Watch I May Destroy You on HBO Max.
Casual wear (2015–2018)
Valerie Myers (Michaela Watkins) is recently divorced, so she takes her daughter and moves in with her single brother, Alex (Tommy Dewey). Family reunions are always nice, so, you know… definitely easy. He’s the founder of a dating site and helps her get back into dating, and she helps him find meaning in his relatively single life. Like Margot, Valerie is trying to rebuild her life after major upheavals and figure out what she wants out of life. Watch Casual on Disney+ , Hulu , Prime Video , and Tubi.