After seven seasons, Younger has proven that it can hold its audience with juicy storylines, love triangles, and great acting. It's not like any other television show, because the premise of it is so unique. Liza is a forty-year-old mother of one recently separated from her husband and is realizing that she put her dreams on hold to live in the suburbs. When she takes a shot at an entry-level job at a publishing house in New York City, everything changes.
Also starring Hilary Duff and Nico Tortorella, this show has the laughs, the acting chops, and the fashion sense to remain successful. Hopefully, there's no end in sight for this show, but until season six comes out, there are several other shows to keep fans entertained.
Updated on October 8, 2021, by Rose Graceling-Moore: Now that Younger has wrapped up after seven successful seasons, fans miss seeing what adventures Liza is having - and it seems that there are no spin-off series in the works. Despite some speculation that Duff could front a new, LA-based series (given that Kelsey ends the series headed out West), the actress will instead be starring in a How I Met Your Mother spinoff, How I Met Your Father. It seems, then, that Younger has truly come to an end - but similar shows can help fill the gap it leaves.
How I Met Your Mother - Available on Prime and Hulu
How I Met Your Mother has a lot in common with Younger - focusing on a group of twenty-somethings in New York City, trying to figure out their love lives and career paths. Of course, this could apply to a huge number of sitcoms, but like Younger, HIMYM has a unique twist - it is all told in flashback, narrated as a love story told by the main character to his children!
This isn't quite the same as a middle-aged divorcee pretending to be in her 20s, but if the quirkiness of the premise is something that appeals about Younger, HIMYM should have a similar appeal. It also compares to Younger with long-term love triangles, great style, and awkward romance, although it is less-female focused, and unfortunately is also less diverse.
Emily In Paris - Available On Netflix
Emily in Paris is the most recent series from Darren Star, the creator of Younger, so there's little doubt that fans of one will enjoy the other. Both have the same central female figure, stumbles through life, amazing fashion, and aspirational lifestyles to enjoy.
Unlike Younger, Emily In Paris follows a young American woman who takes a job in Paris, and struggles with acclimatizing to her new life in the city of love. However, she quickly starts making friends - and falling in love - creating many of the same elements that are so enjoyable in Younger. Love triangles, first dates, stunning style, and an awkward struggle to fit in (based on culture, rather than age) makes this a fun first season to enjoy.
Jane The Virgin - Available On Netflix
Jane The Virgin aired over almost the same time period as Younger - and the two series have a surprising amount in common. Like Liza, Jane finds herself in a complicated situation, although hers is a surprise pregnancy due to a mistake at the gynecologist! Despite this major difference, the two shows have many similar core concepts to explore - from figuring out sudden life changes, to navigating love triangles and complicated romances, to trying to balance career and parenthood.
Jane the Virgin is also beautifully colorful and fun (with many nods to the telenovelas that Jane loves), making it a pleasure to watch.
Insecure - Available On HBO Max
One of the major issues with Younger is the lack of diversity in the cast - like Star's other New York Set series, Sex and the City, Younger presents a version of the city that is unrealistically white. Insecure, however, takes on the Black millennial experience in LA, and does an excellent job of getting a little more realistic with the issues it explores - while remaining bright, fun, and gorgeously fashionable.
The friendship between Issa and Molly will remind Younger fans of Liza's friendship with Kelsey, and the women deal with the same kinds of issues around love, dating, and pursuing their careers.
Girlfriend's Guide To Divorce - Available On Netflix
While many shows similar to Younger focus on the twenty-somethings making their way in life, Girlfriend's Guide To Divorce will appeal more to those who loved seeing Liza get her life back after a tough divorce. This series focuses on Abby, a successful author who is trying to do the same. This show is set in LA, rather than New York, but there are lots of clear similarities.
The style and subject matter is very similar, the lead is in a similar situation - and even the same industry, although as an author rather than a publisher - and the overall feel of the series is comparable. It does occasionally get the claws out a little more than Liza and co, though!
The Bold Type - Available On Hulu
The Bold Type is a great show to get into for fans of Younger who miss the high fashion and incredible connections between women in the same industry. It follows three millennial women, working in the fashion industry - so while it's not quite the same as Empirical/Inkubator, there are a lot of parallels. It's filled with powerful female friendships, workplace romance, and women climbing the career ladder. There's no faking an age in this show, but it's just as powerful and entertaining to watch.
Sex And The City - Available On HBO Max
Before Darren Star created Younger, he created one of the most iconic NYC-set series about female friendships - Sex and the City. Unsurprisingly, the shows have a lot of similarities, and Star's influence is clear in both. The incredible fashion, the use of the city as a character in and of itself, the struggles with dating, friendships, and careers, it's all here. There are no big twists in the premise, but the core elements of Younger are definitely a big part of SATC too.
The show was groundbreaking for the time, too, being on of the first series to really show women who actively enjoyed and pursued sex, and who would talk about sex over brunch on a regular basis! While some aspects of the series have not aged particularly well, especially when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community, for its time, it was incredibly progressive.
Faking It - Available On Apple TV
Faking It involves two teenage high school girls, desperate to be in the "in crowd." To better their popularity, they decide to fake being in a romantic relationship with each other. After it works, they keep up the act. Like Liza in Younger, they are playing a character to make their situation better - although the lie itself is very different, and their lives are drastically different, due to their age. This one aims at a younger demographic, but is just as filled with drama and great storylines, and may be a great option for teen fans of Younger.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Available On Prime
Set in the 1950s, Miriam "Midge" Maisel is a stay-at-home mother, destined to be something greater than her husband's cheerleader at his comedy shows. Once they separate, she realizes that she's got the charisma and humor to try to make it in the comedy world.
Much like Younger, the series centers on female friendships, and a woman's struggles when it comes to dealing with prejudice in their chosen career. For Midge, gender is the biggest barrier to being taken seriously, whereas for Liza, it's age - and Midge certainly doesn't try and pretend to be a man in order to get the job she wants! However, phenomenal costuming, empowered women, and women moving on from bad marriages are key themes in both.
New Girl - Available On Netflix
New Girl is more of a straightforward sitcom than Younger, centering on Jess and her roommates in a loft apartment - like most sitcoms of this style, they have the usual issues of friendship, romance, and career goals - and they stick together through it all. While there's no major secret hiding in the show, the way there is with Younger, there's a similarly bright and quirky feeling to it. In addition, there's some similarity in the way that the show seems to be about one central female figure (Jess and Liza), but slowly becomes more of a true ensemble series.
Teachers - Available On Paramount Plus
Elementary education and a publishing house are on the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to careers, but Teachers and Younger have more similarities than may be immediately obvious. There's a hilarious and strong cast of female actresses, misbehaving and trying to navigate through their lives the best way they can. And while publishing and education are not too similar (and Teachers lacks the high fashion element of Younger), focusing on an industry, rather than on the living situation that many sitcoms do, gives this a similar feel.
Dead To Me - Available On Netflix
Dead to Me is a crime drama that interweaves the lives of a widow and a free spirit, with many secrets to hide. The characters are beautifully flawed and real, and their friendship is central to the series. Just like the friendship between Liza and Kelsey, too, these women struggle to stay close when their secrets come out.
Starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini, this show is significantly darker and more mature than Younger, and obviously involves a lot more murder - but it's still likely to appeal to those who love the lighter show.
Cable Girls - Available On Netflix
Cable Girls is set in the 1920s, and tells the tale of four women from different worlds, newly hired at a phone company. While there is no huge secret to compare to Liza's, there are still secrets to be revealed, and even a stolen identity that comes into play. The fashion may not be the same bright and bold looks of Younger, but for fans who love the style of the show, Cable Girls has plenty of style of its own, with a 20s flair (of course).
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Available On Netflix
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is known for being bright, cheerful, and over the top - and in many ways, that applies to Younger, too. Kimmy was once locked in a doomsday cellar for 15 years, but after she gets out, she wants to explore the world; particularly in New York City. Of course, she still has the mindset of the middle schooler she was when she was kidnapped, which means that she brings a truly unique brand of optimism and cheer to her now-adult life, and to her friendship with Titus.
Like Younger, this is a major twist, and something that will appeal to fans who want more than just a simple sitcom. There is also amazing style to enjoy, although Kimmy's is definitely not something that the fashionistas of Younger would approve of. This series can get more over-the-top than Younger, too, although that is a big part of its charm.
Fleabag - Available On Prime
This British comedy is an award-winner about a young woman trying to cope with her difficult life in London, while dealing with a personal tragedy. It definitely has more of an edge to it than Younger, and approaches storytelling in a different style. However, as a female-led series about a woman with a secret, there are still some obvious parallels. And, of course, there's some romance to enjoy too - although the Hot Priest of Fleabag is not quite comparable to the love triangle Liza is in with Charles and Josh.