Netflix's new series Maid is an unflinching and searing portrait of the experiences that many domestic workers face as they try to make a life for themselves. Though it is based on a memoir, and thus has many true elements to that, it is the type of show that aims to use one woman’s extraordinary story to tell a broader story about an important aspect of American society.
For those that enjoy the way that the series blends together drama and social commentary, there are many other shows that accomplish a similar balance.
Dopesick (2021) - Available on Hulu
Hulu's Dopesick like Maid, based on a true story, this time about the opioid epidemic currently afflicting various parts of America. The show puts an individual human face on the crisis, showing how Purdue Pharma’s marketing of its drug, OxyContin, helped create a major health crisis, particularly in Appalachia.
It seamlessly blends together its social commentary and drama, allowing for an understanding of how this societal problem damages the lives of individual people.
Dr. Death (2021) - Available on Peacock
Dr. Death is, in part, the story of a man named Christopher Duntsch, who botched numerous surgeries during his time as a surgeon but yet was still able to practice medicine.
It is based on the podcast of the same name and, like Maid, splits its focus between understanding the individual (Duntsch and his personal motivations) and the systemic (how it is that the medical system let him continue operating, even though he was clearly a danger to his patients).
Scenes from a Marriage (2021) - Available on HBO Max
Though Maid focuses on systemic problems, it also highlights the deeply traumatic relationships of its main character. Those who enjoyed the fraught personal drama of the Netflix series will also find much to appreciate in Scenes from a Marriage, the series from HBO.
Tightly woven and deeply acted, the show’s five episodes allow for a nuanced, and difficult, understanding of how it is that a marriage can collapse, leaving personal devastation behind in its wake. It is one of the best roles of Oscar Isaac’s career, just as it is for his co-star, Jessica Chastain.
The Chair (2021) - Available on Netflix
Maid is, of course, a deeply poignant drama, but it allows viewers to see its main character in the broader context of which she is a part. The Chair, also available from Netflix, is a comedy, but it has a bite to it that will appeal to those who enjoyed Maid’s incisive commentary.
In this case, the series shines a not-always-flattering light on the foibles of academia, as its main character tries to navigate the competing demands of faculty, students, and administrators, many of whom are often at odds with one another, all while trying to repair her relationship with her young daughter. It's a show that is full of fascinating characters.
Mr. Corman (2021) - Available on Apple TV +
At times, Maid can be difficult to watch, in large part because its character endures so much. However, it’s precisely because it’s so challenging that it is such a rewarding watch.
A similar dynamic is at work in Apple TV+’s Mr. Corman, which focuses on its title character, a millennial facing the malaise of impending middle age and all of the choices that he didn’t take and the relationships that he’s damaged throughout his life. It’s a haunting portrait of a generation’s unease with the world in which they currently live.
Physical (2021) - Available on Apple TV +
Among other things, Maid is a story of one woman’s survival in the face of extraordinary odds. Alex is a heroine that the audience is invited to cheer for. While Sheila, the main character of Physical, isn’t quite as sympathetic as Alex, she is still a woman competing for survival in the 1980s, when women were often disparaged and their desires pushed aside.
Through the world of aerobics, however, Sheila discovers not only her inner strength but also a path forward in which she can achieve success on her own terms.
Nine Perfect Strangers (2021) - Available on Hulu
The bond between Alex and her daughter is one of the chief emotional touchstones of Maid, and that is also true of Nine Perfect Strangers, the unsettling drama from Hulu.
In the series, the titular strangers arrive at a wellness resort run by the enigmatic and mysterious Mascha (played by Nicole Kidman, in one of her best roles). As the series unfolds, it turns out that one of her prime motivations is to reconnect with her daughter, who was killed in a fatal car accident.
Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019) - Available on Netflix
When Orange is the New Black premiered in 2013, it took the world by storm, and it brought much-needed attention to the plight of America’s incarcerated population. Like Maid, it was based on a memoir and, also like the newer series, it managed to deftly weave together the stories of its various characters with a broader strand of social criticism that was as incisive as it was emotionally devastating.
It is sure to long be recognized as one of the best shows on Netflix.
Mare of Easttown (2021) - Available on HBO Max
The dynamic between parents and their children that is such a key part of the appeal of Maid is also at the center of Mare of Easttown, the HBO series starring Kate Winslett as a world-weary cop trying to solve a series of disappearances and a brutal murder while also coping with her son’s suicide.
Though it doesn’t have as much political commentary as Maid, it is still a haunting portrait of life in Rust Belt America and the malaise that has afflicted such cities.
The Other Two (2019-) - Available On HBO Max
The Other Two is unlike Maid in that it is a straight-up comedy. Where it is similar to the Netflix series, though, is in how incisive it manages to be. Its particular focus is on the fickle and dangerous nature of fame, something that its two lead characters experience firsthand after their younger brother rockets to superstardom as the result of a viral music video.
Both Carey and Brooke find that attaining fame isn’t quite the blessing that they thought that it might be.