10 Best Shows Like FX’s Better Things

FX’s Better Things is a great show about a mom with a complicated life who has to balance the challenges that raising kids presents and the important career prospects on her horizon. While nothing is easy for her, its premise is relatable for many working moms out there.

All this being said, with the show on it’s final season, fans will have to find new shows that embody this same tone and premise. Thankfully, there are tons of great shows similar to Better Things available.

Cougar Town (2009 – 2015) Available On Hulu

Cougar Town is not the most wholesome family show, but it is a great comedy for women who have gone through a divorce and are trying to find themselves again. It’s a half-hour comedy that is delightfully witty with its dialogue, just like Better Things.

The show follows Ellie Torres (Courteney Cox), as she tries to deal with dating while staying close with her girlfriends and son. It’s a super easy show to binge watch and, with six seasons, it has a lot to offer. Not to mention, many fans might have forgotten that Busy Philipps is in this show too.

You’re The Worst (2014 – 2019) Available On Hulu

You’re The Worst, which features many likable characters, is another FX dark comedy that follows a dysfunctional couple who can’t seem to get on the right page. It’s a romantic comedy with a dark twist that manages to show audiences the beauty in even the oddest pairings.

The writing of this show is quite poetic and it has some deep truths in it that will resonate with fans of Better Things. It’s a little bit cynical with its take on love, but it’s hard not to be after getting out of a long-term relationship, like Sam Fox.

Breeders (2020 – ) Available On Hulu

This show is all about trying to balance work and taking care of children. Breeders follows a busy, career-oriented couple as they struggle to figure out how to devote their time to their kids without losing sight of themselves, just like Better Things‘ Sam Fox.

The series features Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard in the lead roles and has been renewed for a third season. It’s a show that truly understands how difficult the job of parenting is, even with both parents trying to make it work.

Life In Pieces (2015 – 2019) Available On Amazon Prime

Life In Pieces is all about family, just like Better Things, but it approaches it in a different way. It follows an extended family as the different generations hit different important milestones that they celebrate together.

This sitcom is light and fresh, but at its core, it’s all about making family the most important part of one’s life. After all, they are there to help each person along on their journey when no one else can.

Mom (2013 – 2021) Available On Hulu

Mom follows Chrissy as she deals with her newfound sobriety, her career, her two wonderful children, and her overly critical mother, Bonnie, who comes back into her life. This series is much lighter in its material, but it still has relatable plotlines for mothers who aren’t always perfect.

Not only is this show perfectly cast, with Anna Faris in the lead role and Allison Janney as Bonnie, her mother, who has some of the best moments in the series, but it also keeps everything light. All in all, it’s a good show for fans of Better Things because it shows what it’s like to be an imperfect mother, similar to Sam Fox.

Difficult People (2015 – 2017) Available On Hulu

Difficult People may not be focused on the family, like Better Things, but it perfectly matches the show’s blunt comedic tone and the career determination that Sam has. The show follows friends Julie and Billy as they try to make it as comics who still have their day jobs.

It’s a great series that demonstrates that it takes a while to succeed and that sometimes life gets in the way and makes it even harder. Billy Eichner also delivers a hysterical performance that is not to be missed.

Hacks (2021 – ) Available On Netflix

Hacks, which is one of the best shows on HBO Max right now, follows Deborah Vance, a renowned comedian, as she attempts to mentor a young female comedian who has a bit of a chip on her shoulder. Though the show isn’t necessarily about a mother and daughter, these two have a familiar bond.

Not to mention, it is focused on Deborah Vance’s apprentice building her career, just like Sam Fox in Better Things. Hacks has all the right elements to make it perfect for fans of Better Things, it’s just mixed a little differently.

The Fosters (2013 – 2018) Available On Amazon Prime

The Fosters follows a family of two moms who make it their mission to foster kids that have been stuck in the system and give them the resources they need to succeed and trust other people again. It’s not the funniest show, but it is genuinely heartwarming.

What makes it like Better Things is that it is about the bonds that mothers can have with their children and Sam has the same kind of connection with her three kids. It’s a tough job, being a mom, and these two shows highlight that.

Little Fires Everywhere (2020) Available On Hulu

Little Fires Everywhere, based on the best-selling novel by the same name, is a dramatic thriller series about the importance of protecting family and keeping secrets. It explores some dark themes which are tied into a bigger mystery.

Though it is more serious than most of the other shows on this list, it’s similar to Better Things because of its high-quality production, and because, at its heart, it’s about being a good mom, no matter the challenges one faces.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017 – ) Available On Amazon Prime

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a must-see show for any fan of Better Things. It follows Mrs. Maisel, a woman living in the 1950s, as she tries to launch her career as a comedian while divorcing her husband and dealing with her family’s lack of acceptance.

Mrs. Maisel is a young woman with great prospects who values her career above anything else. She has children that she loves and supports, but, at the end of the day, she makes tough decisions to further herself and prove that women can do comedy better than men.