5 best shows like 'My Brilliant Friend' to watch now the series has ended (2025)

It's hard to see an incredible series like HBO's "My Brilliant Friend" come to an end. The series finale bid farewell to the lives of Lenù and Lila, whose complex friendship evolved over every season.

From its brilliant production to its alignment with Elena Ferrante's books to the beautifully depicted bonds of female friendship, HBO's adaptation was an engrossing experience. Unsurprisingly, it won numerous awards and will likely resonate with its fans for years.

If you already miss seeing Lenù and Lila, we wanted to ease the loss by sharing a few shows like "My Brilliant Friend" that might resonate with you.

'Olive Kitteridge'

If you like seeing the events that play out throughout a lifetime, you'll want to watch "Olive Kitteridge." Based on a short story collection by Elizabeth Strout, Frances McDormand stars as the title character, with Richard Jenkins as her husband. They live in a quaint New England town, but "quaint" is only at the surface. It's a town filled with secrets and deception, and the series of events that play out is told from the perspective of Olive, who is both witty and troubled.

Fans of Frances McDormand will love her in this series, and Richard Jenkins is a perfect complement to her personality. It won numerous Emmy Awards, and while it's not a lengthy series at just four episodes, it's the perfect binge-watch follow-up to "My Brilliant Friend."

Watch on Max

'Normal People'

Another miniseries to add to your list of follow-up shows like "My Brilliant Friend" is "Normal People." It follows Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal) as they grow up in Ireland, each from a different background. They go in and out of each other's lives, platonically and romantically. For a time, Connell is the popular one and Marianne is the outcast, but their roles reverse once they hit college.

These characters will feel as real as the people in your own life. Plus, the chemistry between the actors playing Marianne and Connell just crackles on screen, enhancing the romance between the two and making you just want them to end up together. Like other picks on our list, this adaptation plays true to the book by Sally Rooney.

Watch on Hulu

'Big Little Lies'

For more complicated female friendship dynamics, you'll find them in "Big Little Lies." Based on a book by Liane Moriarty, the show explores relationships between women but with a focus on a complex power struggle amid deadly deceptions. Reese Witherspoon was an executive producer and starred in it along with other big names, like Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep (season 2) and Zoë Kravitz. One of the most attractive features of this show, much like what you see in "My Brilliant Friend," is the incredible cinematography. Since it's also an HBO show, the production value is obviously high.

Most of all, though, beyond the setting and the quality of the filmmaking, you can expect an intense plotline rife with the complications you find in female friendships. Season 1 took everyone by surprise, leading to an unexpected season 2. Watch the first two seasons now so that you can prepare for season 3 (yup, it's happening!).

Watch on Max

'White Lotus'

If watching the differences between the haves and the have-nots appeals to you, check out "White Lotus." Unlike "My Brilliant Friend," which portrays the grim reality of class differences, "White Lotus" views it from a more satirical lens. Even though both seasons of "White Lotus" begin with a murder, the show is less of a murder mystery and more of a character study.

The standout in this show is Tanya McQuoid-Hunt, played by Jennifer Coolidge, whose typical sassiness is a true delight. On top of the beautiful settings, with the first season set in Hawaii and season 2 in Sicily, this series will feel like a vacation — one you're glad you didn't take.

Watch on Max

'Conversations With Friends'

This is another Ireland-set series adapted from a Sally Rooney novel. "Conversations With Friends" digs into the complexities that follow when two college friends get involved in a married couple's relationship. Frances (Alison Oliver) and Bobbi (Sasha Lane) meet actor Nick (Joe Alwyn) and his writer wife, Melissa (Jemima Kirke), at a bar. The two couples become friends, but it's not long before Frances begins to have an affair with Nick.

Viewers have had mixed reactions to Frances, as her character is both compelling and irritating when it comes to the decisions she makes. Overall, what this series does so well is show the entanglements that love and friendship can bring. It's all about messy lives and how people so easily make things worse for themselves.

Rent on Apple TV Plus

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