Amy Schumer’s latest show Life & Beth is a comedy-drama that finds the comedian and actress approaching more serious subject matter along with her usual charm. Not only does Schumer star in the Hulu series but she also serves as the creator, writer, and director.
The basic premise involves a woman visiting her hometown as she desperately seeks a break from her daily life. This allows the series to address several issues ranging from mid-life crisis to dating troubles to childhood trauma. With several new-age comedies touching upon such issues in a satirical or dark fashion, fans of Life & Beth have a whole lot of series to check out after they’re done binging the Amy Schumer-starrer.
Somebody Somewhere (2022-)
Stream On HBO Max
Manhattan, Kansas, is a sleepy town with a happy community. But Sam is far from happy as she deals with her sister’s demise and her own loneliness. Feeling like an outsider in her own native place, she finally finds a community of similar-minded people who deal with their own struggles.
The characters in Somebody Somewhere don’t trivialize anyone’s pain and rather, the show just offers a bluntly honest narrative of a person wishing to fit in with others. Apart from the central theme of fitting in, the HBO original will also impress fans of Life & Beth for its small-town setting.
Arrested Development (2003-2019)
Stream On Netflix
When the once-rich Bluth family loses their fortune, the family relies on the overworked and frustrated Michael Bluth to maintain order. Despite dealing with all sorts of eccentric behavior of his relatives, Michael struggles to keep his family afloat along with struggling to be a good father figure for his son George Michael.
While Michael Bluth ended up as one of Jason Bateman’s best shows, Michael Cera also got his moment to shine as his on-screen son. Now, Cera is all grown-up and plays Beth’s newfound love interest in Life & Beth. But for viewers who wish to see a younger and more naive side of the actor, Arrested Development seems like a good place to start.
Fleabag (2016-2019)
Stream On Amazon Prime
When it comes to self-destructive heroines, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag is a modern classic in its own right. In a span of just two seasons, Fleabag explores themes such as love, sex, family, and religion from the perspective of a woman who is going through her fair share of tragedy. Praised for its writing and lead performance, Fleabag is considered to be one of the best comedy shows created by women.
While their circumstances are different, the lead characters in both cases have a dysfunctional life going on in both the personal and professional sense. Despite them reaching a mental low point, they still try to overcome their fears.
After Life (2019-2022)
Stream On Netflix
Inspired by a real-life tragedy in Ricky Gervais’ life, After Life revolves around a widower’s struggles to enjoy his existence after he loses his wife to cancer. Relying on a cynical sense of humor, the show chronicles the everyday misadventures of an extremely morbid protagonist who starts hating pretty much everything.
The sense of frustration in the protagonist is reminiscent of the pent-up frustration that Schumer’s Beth feels in Life & Beth. At the same time, both characters befriend some genuinely caring people in their own small town. The relationships in After Life make for truly wholesome moments.
Living With Yourself (2019-)
Stream On Netflix
Paul Rudd stars in this Netflix comedy series as a man who is so distressed with his overburdening life that he wishes to start all over again. This draws him to a mysterious operation that replaces him with a better doppelgänger.
While Beth turns her life upside down in Life & Beth by visiting the countryside, Rudd’s protagonist ends up changing his life through other means. The confusion that accompanies the transition is similar in both cases. With undertones of sci-fi and mystery, Living With Yourself satirizes the “be careful what you wish for” formula with a mid-life crisis twist.
Single Drunk Female (2022-)
Stream On Hulu
Single Drunk Female lives up to its title with a premise that is pretty similar to Life & Beth. The titular protagonist is an urban professional who has hit rock bottom after an embarrassing incident. As she heads back to her sleepy town to find a new purpose in life, she must confront her overbearing mother.
From drunkenness to family trauma to a perpetually confused heroine, shows like Single Drunk Female are the perfect accompaniment to Life & Beth. Both shows are centered upon a notion that sometimes, everyone needs a good break to get away from the daily hustle and bustle.
Inside Amy Schumer (2013-2016)
Stream On HBO Max
Life & Beth was advertised as “from the mind of Amy Schumer.” However, this is not Schumer’s first tryst with television as she has had a bunch of cooking shows before. And even before that, she had her own variety show. Most of the sketch comedies on the show were humorous depictions of the sexual and romantic sides of her life along with satires on gender in society.
The show offers a glimpse into the heroine’s brand of comedy, the traces of which could later be seen in Amy Schumer's popular movies like Trainwreck and more recent shows like Life & Beth.
Insecure (2016-2022)
Stream On HBO Max
Certainly one of Issa Rae’s most popular roles, Insecure is a show that she has created, written, and starred in, much like Amy Schumer’s case in Life & Beth. Insecure deals with an enthusiastic yet confused event manager who struggles to manage between her personal and professional lives.
When it comes to themes like dating and moments like Issa’s friends celebrating at parties, the first half of Life & Beth can be compared to Insecure. Similarly, the second half is also comparable as Issa’s initial job in the latter involves dealing with annoying children and clients. Beth too has her fair share of strange work partners and she even coaches a group of schoolchildren in her hometown.
Crashing (2017-2019)
Stream On HBO Max
After a New York comedian’s wife leaves him, he must struggle to start afresh. Of course, his frustration at life also gets reflected in his comedy as he also reflects on his past when he wanted to be a youth pastor. What’s interesting is that most of Crashing is semi-autobiographical for showrunner and lead actor Pete Holmes.
Holmes’ observational humor and struggles to begin again are what will catch on for admirers of Life & Beth. Beth too breaks up with her longtime boyfriend before embarking on her own journey for self-discovery.
On The Verge (2021-)
Stream On Netflix
Set in a pre-pandemic Los Angeles, On The Verge deals with the daily tussles of four different women as they have their fair share of mid-life crises in love and work. The Netflix release turns out to be a welcome back in form for Before trilogy star Julie Delpy who stars as the lead and is also credited as writer and creator.
Much of On The Verge’s dialogue-driven scenes are comparable to the initial episodes of Life & Beth. Before Beth rediscovers her roots, she hangs out with her friends from work, all of whom share similar anxieties about aging and settling down.