12 Best TV Shows Like Leanne

Everyone loves a good comedy — we all need a laugh now and then. And in Hollywood, any situation can be made funny, including the bitterness of a breakup and the devastation of divorce. That's exactly what we get in the Netflix series "Leanne" from comedian Leanne Morgan and "The Big Bang Theory" creator Chuck Lorre (whose sitcoms all have the same problem), alongside writer Susan McMartin. 

"Leanne" tells the story of an older woman, Leanne (Morgan), whose marriage of more than three decades comes to a sudden end when her husband (Ryan Stiles) falls in love with another woman. Stunned and disoriented from the sudden betrayal, Leanne is left with little choice but to buckle down and start over as a single woman in her 60s. It's the kind of classic sitcom premise that's rife for lots of laughs, and boy does it deliver. 

Whether you've been in Leanne's shoes or not, whether your decades-long marriage has crumbled or you've never even been married, "Leanne" will strike your funny bone. And if you loved it for its uncanny ability to find laughs in unexpected places, then there are plenty of other shows you can check out next. Here are the 12 best shows like "Leanne."

"Leanne" charts the difficult stages of life a woman experiences after she loses her marriage. While the circumstances differ a bit in "Better Things," the FX series might be the best show to watch after "Leanne," not because it's the same, but because of how it handles life after marriage for a middle-aged woman.

Written and sometimes directed by Pamela Adlon (an Emmy-winner for her role as Bobby on "King of the Hill"), "Better Things" chronicles the domestic struggles of Sam Fox (Adlon), a mother of three daughters. Fox is a working actress in Hollywood who must fight for every gig, all while juggling her role as a single parent. And her kids are quite the handful: Eldest daughter Max (Mikey Madison) is intent on gaining her independence, and middle child Frankie (Hannah Alligood) is always getting into trouble while challenging her gender identity. And then there's the youngest daughter, Duke (Olivia Edward), a kind soul who seems to be the only one who can sympathize with their mother's problems.

With an emphasis on how a single mother faces personal hardship while trying to raise her kids after divorce, "Better Things" is both poignant and hysterical, with a streak of dark humor. And with Sam being based on Adlon herself, there's an undercurrent of reality in the performance that's hard to match.

Like "Leanne," the Apple TV+ series "Shrinking" explores the loss of a partner, but this time that loss comes from tragedy, rather than divorce. The focus in "Shrinking" isn't on its widower's search for a new partner, however. Instead, it's a deeply layered story about a man searching for his soul in the wake of his wife's passing, as he struggles to process the tremendous loss. Adding a unique wrinkle to the story is the fact that he's a therapist — hence the title's play on the term "shrink."

Led by an all-star cast, "Shrinking" puts everyone's favorite whip-wielding relic hunter Harrison Ford — who declared "Shrinking" the best script he'd ever read — into the unlikely role of the curmudgeonly Dr. Paul Rhoades, a therapist at the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center. But Rhoades isn't the man who's lost his wife: That would be Paul's soft-spoken colleague Jimmy (Jason Segel), who has just come back to work after time off to grieve. Getting back into the swing of things isn't so easy, however, as it becomes a challenge to give advice to patients in emotionally difficult times when he often feels just as lost as they do. And with his life in tatters, Jimmy faces problems in his relationship with his teenage daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell).

A series that's as moving as it is funny, "Shrinking" is a heartfelt look at how a widower struggles to move on.

What happens when a middle-aged woman is struck with a divorce but refuses to wallow in despair? If you've wondered what Leanne would do if she were eager to get out and find a new hot younger man, look no further than "Cougar Town," starring "Friends" alum Courteney Cox. "Freaks and Geeks" star Busy Philipps, and "Drew Carey Show" vet Christa Miller also star, in the series set in the fictional town of Gulfhaven, Florida.

Cox plays Jules Cobb, a real estate agent in her 40s who has lived her adult life in reverse: Marrying at a young age and spending her 20s raising a child instead of out partying and playing the field like many young people do. Now, she's found herself suddenly divorced and must adjust to the life of a single middle-aged woman. At first, Jules channels her youth, picking up where she left off from her single years and begins pursuing men half her age — and who aren't much older than her son Travis (Dan Byrd).

Eventually, though, Jules realizes that the age differences aren't working, and sets her sights on other divorced parents. But they didn't need to change the title of the show, because as luck would have it, Gulfhaven is known as "Cougar Town" thanks to the region's high school mascot. Like "Leanne," "Cougar Town" will have you in stitches with the story of a divorced woman readjusting to single life.

If there's a show that could be considered a sister series to "Leanne," it would have to be "Grace and Frankie." Launching in 2015 on Netflix, the series boasts an impressive seven seasons — impressive because the streaming service has a tendency to cancel many of its best shows well before they reach that point. This time, however, Netflix let comedians Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin run wild, telling the story of two older women whose husbands both leave them suddenly — to marry each other.

Overwhelmed by the discovery that their husbands are gay, and finding themselves single in their 70s, Grace and Frankie become fast friends, despite the fact that they are very different people. Grace (Fonda) is an uptight retired businesswoman who once owned her own company, while Frankie (Tomlin) is a free-spirited artist and much more of a down-to-earth type. Initially, the pair spar, but soon become tighter than a snare drum, a duo whose shared experience as older jilted lovers makes them the best of friends.

The highlight of "Gracie and Frankie" is the pairing of two comedy legends — Fonda and Tomlin — and their chemistry alone is worth the price of a Netflix subscription. But it will also remind you of "Leanne" with its story of a sudden divorce faced by two older women who have to come to terms with being single at the last stage in life they ever expected to be.

With a title like "Divorce," it should be pretty easy to see where on the Venn diagram it overlaps with "Leanne." But this time, it's much more of a drama, with comedic highlights, rather than a simple sitcom. It's also a series that focuses more on the divorce process itself, as well as the emotional toll it takes on both sides, rather than just the struggle of moving on. It features a big name cast, led by Sarah Jessica Parker and Thomas Haden Church, and supported by Molly Shannon, Talia Balsam, and Jeffrey DeMunn.

An HBO original from 2016 (just two years after Parker concluded the first run of "Sex and the City" but before it made a comeback at the movies), "Divorced" centers on Frances and Robert Dufresne (Parker and Church), a once-happily married couple who are headed towards splitsville after an affair is discovered. But their marriage was already headed in the wrong direction before the infidelity. Their sex life was miserable, their relationship was resentful, and their future seemed bleak as their kids were getting older, leaving them more time to stew in their big suburban home.

With a focus on the ennui faced by many aging couples, "Divorce" looks at the troubles of marriage and the bitterness of breakup. A spiritual prequel to a story like "Leanne," it reminds us that none of us is perfect, and sometimes divorce might be the best thing when a relationship — even a long-lasting one — isn't working.

Heading back into the world of sillier sitcoms, "Mom" is sure to tickle the funny bone of anyone who has enjoyed "Leanne," which also comes from creator Chuck Lorre. The series centers on a recovering alcoholic and single mother who decides to change her life just as her own estranged mother reenters her life.

Though a divorce isn't the focus of "Mom," the series is, like "Leanne," all about starting over. Anna Faris plays Christy, a mother of two who has long battled addiction. But she's determined to start over and clean up her act, and that's when dear old mom (Allison Janney) comes back into her life, herself also struggling with addiction. Together, they lean on each other for support, all while fighting and bickering as any estranged mother-daughter combo does. 

Never shying away from emotional moments, "Mom" is really about the laughs, even as the core of its story is addiction and recovery. Faris and Janney are positively electric as that mother-daughter duo, too, while its lengthy eight seasons on the air will give fans of "Leanne" a lot to chew on.

If you're looking for a show like "Leanne" that you can watch with your kids, then there's really only one place to start: The 2000 comedy "Gilmore Girls." It's an iconic mother-daughter series that puts the emphasis on that relationship, and while it explores weighty issues faced by the two Gilmore girls, it's family-friendly and sure to bring kids and parents together. What makes their relationship unique is their closeness in age, as mother Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) had her daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel) when she was just 16 years old.

As a young mother, Lorelai doesn't have much of a relationship with her ex and Rory's father. She left home after Rory was born, determined to start a new life as a single mother on her own. This led to a difficult relationship with her parents, who see Lorelai as irresponsible, which makes it all the more challenging for her when she's forced to go back to her parents for financial help. Because Rory is very different than Lorelai, a college-bound, responsible academic, and her mother is forced to swallow her pride to ensure her daughter can get the best education possible.

Funny and heartfelt in equal measure, "Gilmore Girls" is a quintessential 2000s comedy, and one that influenced an entire generation of girls. Though they don't always get along, Rory and Lorelai have exactly the kind of relationship that every mother wants with their daughter, and so few get to have.

If you're looking for a series that takes the idea of divorce and gives it a truly unique spin, check out "North of North." Like "Leanne," it's about a woman who faces a sudden divorce and must pick up and start over. But this time, the divorcee in question lives in a very different place than you might be used to in this kind of story: Her name is Siaja, and she is an Inuk mother who was married and pregnant when she was in high school, only to face a bitter and very public divorce in the Arctic Circle.

In "North of North," though, the divorce isn't a surprise dumped on her by a bitter husband. Instead, it's Siaja who calls things off, feeling trapped in a marriage with Ting (Kelly William), a beloved member of the community. And it's Siaja who surprises everyone in the town when she breaks off her marriage during a public festival, when she and Ting are crowned king and queen of a communal seal hunt. Now, with her young daughter in tow, Siaja sets out to start a new life, all while the prying eyes of the community glare at her.

Far from the standard domestic sitcom you might expect after watching "Leanne," "North of North" gives us a woman who takes life by the horns after an unhappy marriage.

When it comes to women in sitcom land, there are few actors as legendary as Julia Louis-Dreyfus, so we'd be remiss not to include at least one of her shows on a list for fans of "Leanne." The good news is, her post-"Seinfeld" series "The New Adventures of Old Christine" is a perfect comparison for "Leanne" viewers to watch next, with Louis-Dreyfus playing a recent divorcee who has to start a new life as a single woman.

When the series begins, single mother Christine has been divorced for some time when she discovers that her ex-husband Richard (Clark Gregg) is now dating a much younger woman ... and she's also named Christine. Determined to find happiness herself, Christine looks to find new love, too, and the series puts the focus on the quirks and foibles of dating as a middle-aged woman. Sometimes that means hooking up with a casual encounter, sometimes it means inadvertently dating the father of your ex-husband's new girlfriend. 

Following the iconic sitcom star's biggest flop, "Watching Ellie," Louis-Dreyfus came back with a bang with "The New Adventures of Old Christine," a series that hits many of the same notes as "Leanne." It proved to be the "Seinfeld" star's biggest hit since the 1990s, running for five seasons and setting her up for her Emmy-winning turn in "Veep" a few years later.

"Leanne" follows a woman who is blindsided by divorce. But what if divorce happens to someone whose career is helping others deal with problems in their marriage? If that sounds like a spawning ground for comedy, you'd be right, because that's the story behind "Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce," the 2015 comedy that aired on Bravo for five seasons. The series centers on a married mother whose career as a self-help author and informal marriage counselor is turned on its head when she and her husband face a bitter divorce.

Based on Vicky Ionive's book series of the same name, "Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce" stars Lisa Edelstein as Abby McCarthy, an author and marriage guru who finds herself divorced and having to reevaluate both her life and her career. Alongside her for the journey are her fellow divorced friends: Phoebe (Beau Garrett), a former model, and Lyla (Janeane Garofalo), an entertainment lawyer. And when Lyla departs, they're joined by Jo (Alanna Ubach), Abby's old college buddy.

Part "Leanne," part "Sex and the City," part "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," the Bravo series puts an emphasis on the friendships and bonds that take us through all of life's ups and downs. Whether those are divorce, job struggles, or parenthood, "Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce" reminds us that we are never alone.

Divorce doesn't just affect women, nor is it limited to heterosexual couples, and one of the few comedies to explore the LGBTQ side of a split is the Netflix series "Uncoupled," starring Neil Patrick Harris. It's a far cry from his previous series, "How I Met Your Mother," this time revolving around a man whose boyfriend breaks up with him suddenly, leaving him to wonder where to go next.

A series that takes the rom-com route, "Uncoupled" introduces audiences to New York real estate agent Michael Lawson (Harris), who finds himself single for the first time in nearly 20 years after getting dumped by his long-time partner Colin (Tuc Watkins). But not only does Lawson have to readjust to single life, he discovers that the dating scene has changed since he was last seeking love, and the gay dating scene specifically is a far cry from what it was two decades before. It's a big adjustment, but one he embraces with open arms after throwing himself into the deep end of the dating pool. Thankfully, he has plenty of support from friends — and even some of his clients — and before long, he's out and about, looking for love (and lovers), helping him realize that life is fleeting, and nothing should be taken for granted.

A heartfelt and hysterical romantic comedy-drama, "Uncoupled" is what you're looking for if you want an LGBTQ story that explores the same themes as "Leanne."

Not every series like "Leanne" is all about the breakdown of a marriage, and the Australian comedy "Fisk" is one of them. It does indeed begin with a divorce, though. But when the surviving participant starts a new life, the series becomes much more about putting their old life behind them and becoming a new, better person, rather than on dwelling on the pain of the past. In this case, that protagonist is the titular Helen Tudor-Fisk (Kitty Flanagan), a snarky lawyer who is far from the shark-like attorneys we're used to seeing on television.

Outspoken, somewhat bumbling at times, and never shying away from tough talk, Fisk's career hits the skids, and her marriage dissolves abruptly, leaving her at a critical crossroads. Choosing to start over, she moves away from Sydney to return to her hometown of Melbourne, where she gets a job at a small law firm led by brother and sister Ray and Roz Gruber (Marty Sheargold and Julia Zemiro). 

A character-focused series that explores the life of an oddball, "Fisk" is so much more than the story of a disoriented divorcee. And that's a good thing, because not every breakup story has to be a downer that focuses on the troubles of divorce — sometimes it's just about the optimism of starting over.