Finished Derry Girls? 10 Shows to Watch Next

Finishing Derry Girls can leave a very particular gap in the watchlist. You want another close-knit group that can turn a small problem into an event, jokes that feel rooted in a real place, and characters who tease one another because they know they will still be there tomorrow. The next series does not need to copy Lisa McGee’s comedy. It needs to offer some combination of friendship, growing pains, family chaos, school or small-town life, and enough heart to make the jokes matter.

Each recommendation is here for a specific connection: rural mockumentary awkwardness, teenage misadventure, school friendships, a transition into university, or the warmth of a family comedy set in Ireland. Some are broader or more dramatic than Derry Girls, so the guide explains where the mood changes as well as what fans may recognize. For more stories about young characters finding their people, browse 10 Near-Perfect Coming-of-Age Shows and 10 Best Sitcoms Like Community.

The shows come from different eras and have different tones, so this is not a claim that they are interchangeable. The best follow-up depends on which part of Derry Girls you miss most: the local community, the school setting, the sharp banter, or the friendships that feel like family. UK availability can also change. The streaming notes below reflect current listings, with live links so you can check your region before subscribing.

If you are ready to start another comedy tonight, Amazon Prime Video has a wide entertainment catalogue to explore (affiliate link). Confirm which programmes are currently included in your region.

10. This Country

If you miss Derry Girls’ strong sense of place, This Country is an excellent first stop. The BBC mockumentary follows cousins Kerry and Kurtan Mucklowe in a small Cotswold village, where minor local events can become major personal dramas. Instead of a school corridor or a family kitchen, the show’s stage is a close-knit rural community: village meetings, local reputations, odd jobs and the cousins’ ongoing attempts to prove they are more capable than people assume. The mockumentary format gives their confidence and self-sabotage an extra layer, as if the camera has arrived to document a life-changing moment and found a scarecrow competition.

The connection to Derry Girls is not that the characters behave alike. Kerry and Kurtan have a distinctly rural British comic voice, and their world is smaller, slower and often more isolated than the girls’ school-and-family orbit. The similarity is the affectionate attention to people who are underestimated by those around them. Both shows understand how a community can feel limiting and sustaining at once. Their central characters want something more from life, yet they are also shaped by the people and routines they keep complaining about.

This Country works especially well if your favourite Derry Girls scenes are the ones where a plan spirals because the characters have not thought beyond the first step. The cousins’ schemes, excuses and feuds are often tiny in scale but huge to them. The documentary camera lets a pause, a defensive explanation or a neighbour’s reaction become the punchline. That deadpan approach contrasts with Derry Girls’ faster group banter, but both comedies build from precise character observation rather than a string of unrelated gags.

The BBC’s This Country page describes the Mucklowes as big news in their very small village, and the UK availability listing currently identifies BBC iPlayer as a free streaming option. Try it first if what you miss is the feeling that a whole town knows everyone’s business. For more British comedy picks, see 10 Best New Netflix Comedy Series of 2026 and 12 Best Fall Episodes of Your Favourite TV Shows.

9. The Inbetweeners

The Inbetweeners is the most overtly cringe-driven recommendation here. It follows Will, Simon, Jay and Neil, four school friends trying to navigate popularity, girls, parties and the many ways teenage confidence can collapse in public. Where Derry Girls gives us a friend group of girls navigating a specific place and historical moment, The Inbetweeners focuses on a group of boys whose bravado routinely outruns their social skills. Their plans are often doomed before they leave the house, but the group’s shared embarrassment keeps pulling them into the next attempt.

Fans may find familiar the basic energy of friends who keep making bad decisions together. A desire to look cool turns into a public humiliation; an awkward conversation lasts longer than anyone can bear; and every character has a theory about how to handle a situation that they have never successfully handled before. The tone is cruder than Derry Girls and some jokes feel very much of their era, so it is not the best choice if you are looking for the same warmth or political context. It is a good fit if you mainly want chaotic teenage misadventure.

The show’s comic engine comes from the mismatch between what the boys think they are projecting and what everyone else can see. Will wants to appear mature and intelligent, Jay exaggerates his experience, Simon takes romantic setbacks personally, and Neil often misses the subtext entirely. That mix gives the group a recognisable rhythm: they insult one another constantly, but the friendship is what allows each new disaster to happen. The series is less emotionally layered than Derry Girls, yet the group dynamic can still scratch the “friends making a mess together” itch.

The UK streaming guide currently lists The Inbetweeners on Channel 4 free with ads. If you want a softer ensemble after the cringe, try 10 Best Sitcoms Like Modern Family or 10 Best Friends Thanksgiving Episodes. If the awkward romance is the part you enjoy, our 10 Near-Perfect Romantic Comedy Shows has more stories where good intentions create complicated situations.

8. Big Boys

Big Boys is a natural pick if what you miss most is the way Derry Girls lets friendship become a chosen family. Created by Jack Rooke, the Channel 4 comedy follows Jack, a shy nineteen-year-old starting university after his father’s death, and Danny, a loud, older fresher trying to reclaim a younger adolescence. The two are very different, but university puts them in the same orbit and gives them a chance to become the friend each one needs. The show is funny, but its emotional centre is grief, identity and the uncertain business of becoming an adult.

There is a particularly direct connection for Derry Girls fans: Dylan Llewellyn, who played James, stars as Jack. His performance here uses a different register. Jack is more vulnerable and self-conscious than James, and his story is shaped by loss as well as the ordinary awkwardness of a new social environment. That shift makes the casting feel like an invitation rather than a repeat. You get a familiar face in a new ensemble, and a show that has room to explore how people build support beyond the family they were born into.

Big Boys has a bigger emphasis on university life and mental health than Derry Girls, and it is more openly tender. The humour can be silly, blunt and sometimes deliberately rude, but it rarely loses sight of how much Jack and Danny are trying to figure out. Their friendship is not based on having the same background or goals. It grows through loyalty, shared jokes and the small decisions to stay in one another’s lives. That may make it the strongest choice on this list for someone who wants warmth as much as rapid-fire comedy.

Channel 4 describes the series as two boys from different ends of the masculinity spectrum becoming best friends during Freshers Week; the official press page gives more context. The UK listing currently shows Channel 4 with ads and Sky Go. For another affectionate ensemble story, read Ted Lasso Season 1 Review or 10 Best Sitcoms Like The Good Place.

Amazon Prime Video is another place to browse for your next series (affiliate link); streaming catalogues differ by country.

7. Sex Education

Sex Education shares Derry Girls’ interest in teenagers who are trying to understand themselves while navigating friends, parents, romance and school rules. Otis Milburn is an awkward student whose mother is a sex therapist; with classmate Maeve, he starts an informal advice service at school. That premise gives the series a steady flow of comic misunderstandings, but its lasting appeal comes from the large group of students whose private worries do not fit neatly into one stereotype.

The show is more polished and heightened than Derry Girls, with a broader visual style and a wider focus on sexual identity, consent, relationships and emotional health. It is not simply another school sitcom. It gives supporting characters their own arcs and lets embarrassment coexist with genuine care. Fans of Erin and the gang may appreciate that the students are funny without being reduced to jokes, and that the adults are flawed people with their own stories rather than mere obstacles.

The friendship at the centre also has a familiar push-and-pull. Otis and Maeve are drawn together by an unusual project, but they do not always know how to communicate what they mean. Their disagreements, misread signals and awkward honesty create comedy, while the wider school community keeps adding new perspectives. Derry Girls is more rooted in one town and one historical period; Sex Education is more of an ensemble coming-of-age tapestry. It works as a next watch if you want a modern school story with more room for emotional growth.

The Netflix UK title page carries the series, and the UK availability listing currently shows Netflix. Because its tone is more mature than Derry Girls, check the age rating and content information before watching with younger teens. For additional school and youth-centred stories, browse 10 Near-Perfect Teen Mystery Shows and 10 Best Netflix Supernatural Teen Shows.

6. Some Girls

Some Girls is a useful recommendation if you want a comedy centred on a group of school-age girls rather than a mixed university or workplace ensemble. The BBC Three series follows friends Viva, Amber, Holli and Saz through school, family life, relationships and the shifting social rules of adolescence. It has a lighter, more conventional sitcom setup than Derry Girls, but the shared appeal is easy to see: friendships become a source of both support and friction, and a small social concern can occupy the characters’ entire afternoon.

The group’s mix of personalities gives the show its energy. The girls do not always agree about what is important or how to solve a problem, but their loyalty is what keeps them together. That is one of Derry Girls’ strongest qualities too. The characters may argue, tease or make things worse while trying to help, but their bond is still the reason the story matters. Some Girls looks at the everyday negotiations of being young—who likes whom, what friends expect, and how much of yourself to show at school.

The tone is less historically specific than Derry Girls and does not have the same adult ensemble or political backdrop. Instead, it focuses more directly on the social world of the girls and their school. That makes it a breezier choice for viewers who mainly want female friendship, teenage mischief and quick episode-length stories. It is also a good reminder that growing up does not need a grand plot to feel consequential; small friendships and small humiliations can define a week just as much as a major event.

The BBC iPlayer page and UK availability guide are useful places to check current access; recent listings include free streaming on BBC iPlayer. For more comedy-led ensemble picks, see 10 Binge-Worthy Disney+ Sitcoms and 10 Best Sitcoms Like Community.

5. Ackley Bridge

Ackley Bridge gives you a school setting with more drama and social realism than Derry Girls, while still making room for irreverent humour and a large, messy ensemble. Set in a Yorkshire mill town, it centres on a school created to bring together two divided communities. The pupils and staff deal with friendship, family, identity, relationships and the pressures of school, and the series makes those issues part of the characters’ everyday lives rather than a separate lesson.

The connection is the combination of comedy with a strong sense of place. Derry Girls’ Derry is specific: its history and community shape the jokes and the characters’ choices. Ackley Bridge is also rooted in a town and a school system, but its concerns and structure are different. It includes heavier material and more continuing drama, and its cast changes over the run. If you like the feeling that a school has its own social ecosystem—with students, teachers and parents all bringing their own priorities—Ackley Bridge can be a rewarding next step.

Its friendships are often tested by class, culture, family expectations and the future each student imagines. Those conflicts make the series more serious than a straightforward sitcom, but its characters can be funny, impulsive and surprising. There is a useful overlap with Derry Girls in the idea that young people are shaped by adults and institutions around them, while still finding ways to make their own choices. The result is a coming-of-age drama with comic energy rather than a pure joke machine.

Channel 4’s press material describes the series as an irreverent, big-hearted school drama inspired by real schools in Lancashire and Yorkshire; see its programme information. The UK availability page currently lists Channel 4 with ads, alongside other streaming services. For stories that balance friendship with a more serious edge, try 10 Best Female Detectives in British Crime Dramas or 10 Near-Perfect Coming-of-Age Shows.

4. Bad Education

Bad Education swaps the teenage point of view for the staffroom. Jack Whitehall plays Alfie Wickers, a young teacher whose chaotic decisions make him a questionable role model for the pupils of Abbey Grove. If Derry Girls gets much of its humour from the gap between what the students think they are doing and what adults can see, Bad Education reverses the arrangement: the teacher is often the person behaving as if he has not considered the consequences.

The show is broader and sillier, with a deliberately absurd school-comedy tone. Its pleasure lies in watching an underqualified teacher attempt to be popular, solve problems and appear in control, often making each situation worse. The students and staff create a supporting cast of personalities who can expose Alfie’s vanity, immaturity or sudden flashes of genuine care. That mix means it is not as tender or historically grounded as Derry Girls, but it is an easy recommendation if you want more British school-based chaos.

The school itself is part of the comic engine: students’ social lives collide with adults who are not automatically wiser, and one ordinary lesson can become an avoidable disaster. It is the pick for someone who misses the school comedy more than the family story.

The UK listing currently shows availability across BBC iPlayer, Netflix and other services, with the exact catalogue varying by season and platform. Check the title page before starting. For more sitcoms where a flawed central character gets in their own way, see 10 Best Parks and Recreation Episodes and 10 Best Sitcoms Like Modern Family.

3. Fresh Meat

Fresh Meat follows a group of students sharing a house at university, and it is a strong pick for anyone who wants to see young characters take the next step after school. The housemates are not a tidy team from the beginning. They are thrown together by circumstances, bring very different backgrounds and expectations, and gradually become part of one another’s lives. That mixture gives the series an ensemble feel similar to Derry Girls, while the university setting lets it explore independence and adulthood from a new angle.

The show is more adult and often more sexually frank than Derry Girls. Its characters are learning how to manage money, work, relationships, study and their own sense of identity, often without the support systems they had at home. The comedy comes from their attempts to seem more capable than they are, and from the strange compromises that come with living with people you did not choose. If you enjoyed the gang’s loyalty and banter, Fresh Meat offers another group that can argue fiercely and still end up in the same kitchen.

A big part of its appeal is the way the ensemble changes over time. A group of strangers becomes a chosen family, not because they suddenly understand one another perfectly but because shared experience makes it harder to walk away. Each character has an individual comic voice, and the house itself becomes a container for rivalries, parties, secrets and late-night conversations. That is different from the family home and school of Derry Girls, yet it carries a similar interest in the small routines through which friendships take shape.

The UK streaming listing currently shows the series on services including Netflix, Channel 4 with ads, Prime Video, Disney+ and Sky Go; check the live list for current plan details. If you want another ensemble with a strong emotional centre, explore 10 Best Schitt’s Creek Episodes or 10 Near-Perfect Romantic Comedy Shows.

Amazon Prime Video can round out your next watchlist (affiliate link); verify what is included locally.

2. My Mad Fat Diary

My Mad Fat Diary has the coming-of-age honesty that can make Derry Girls’ more vulnerable moments hit so hard. Set in the mid-1990s, it follows Rae Earl, a funny, music-loving teenager who returns to ordinary life after time in psychiatric care. Rae wants friendship, romance and a sense of belonging, while carrying complicated feelings about her body image and mental health. The story is more dramatic than Derry Girls, but it shares a willingness to let a teenager be funny, messy, self-aware and hurting all at once.

Rae’s friendship group is central. They give her a route back into life, but the series does not pretend that belonging instantly solves her problems. She can be witty and confident in one moment, insecure in the next, and sometimes unsure how to share what she is going through. The people around her have their own blind spots and struggles, which gives the friendships a realistic texture. Derry Girls is broader and faster; My Mad Fat Diary pauses more often to explore the emotional cost of growing up.

The period setting is another point of connection. Both series use the 1990s as more than a nostalgic costume. Music, social attitudes and everyday details shape the characters’ experience. Rae’s story is grounded in Lincolnshire and in the language of her own diary, while Derry Girls is deeply tied to Derry and the Troubles. Their contexts differ, but both shows understand that adolescence happens in a particular time and place—and that the characters’ future choices are affected by the world they have inherited.

Channel 4’s series page describes the show as a 1990s teenage story based on Rae Earl’s real-life diaries and subsequent book. The UK streaming guide currently lists Channel 4 with ads, Prime Video and Sky Go. The series addresses mental health and self-harm, so check the content guidance if that is relevant for your viewing. For more heartfelt character journeys, read Ted Lasso Season 1 Review and 10 Best Sitcoms Like The Good Place.

1. Moone Boy

Moone Boy is the closest match on this list if what you miss is the combination of Irish warmth, family chaos and an imaginative young protagonist. Set in a small Irish town in the 1980s, it follows Martin Moone, a boy who relies on his imaginary friend Sean to navigate school, siblings and a lively home life. Chris O’Dowd plays Sean as both a companion and a comic guide, while the show’s family stories keep Martin’s world grounded in the people around him.

The connection to Derry Girls is not only geography or accent. Both series create humour from a young character’s interpretation of adult life, and both let family members be fully formed comic characters rather than background noise. Martin’s imagination gives Moone Boy a more surreal quality, but its affection for parents, siblings and neighbours will feel familiar to anyone who loves the Quinn household. The show also has an Irish setting that shapes its jokes naturally, without asking the audience to treat it as a generic sitcom town.

Moone Boy is gentler and more child-centred than Derry Girls, which makes it a good option when you want the warmth of a close-knit ensemble without the same teenage edge. Martin’s friendship with Sean supplies the series’ central comic device, but the rest of the family keeps the stories lively. It is the kind of show that can make a small problem feel huge to a child while allowing the adults to have their own parallel dramas. That balance between imagination and everyday family life gives it a comforting, distinctive tone.

The UK availability listing currently shows the series on Sky Go and NOW TV; check dates and platforms before subscribing, since licences can change. For more cosy comedy recommendations, browse 10 Best Friends Christmas Episodes, 10 Binge-Worthy Disney+ Sitcoms, and 12 Best Fall Episodes of Your Favourite TV Shows.

How to choose your next Derry Girls follow-up

The strongest match depends on which part of Derry Girls you want more of. Choose This Country for a small community and deadpan observation. Go with The Inbetweeners for adolescent embarrassment and friends making disastrous plans. Big Boys is the pick for chosen family and a more openly emotional story. Sex Education offers a sprawling school ensemble, while Some Girls keeps the focus on female friendships and everyday teenage life.

If you would rather stay in a school setting but add more drama, try Ackley Bridge. Bad Education is the broadest school comedy on the list, with a teacher whose judgement is often worse than his students’. Fresh Meat follows the next stage of life, when school friends and family routines give way to a group of students trying to live independently. My Mad Fat Diary is more emotionally intense, and Moone Boy is the gentlest option, with an Irish family and a child’s imaginative point of view.

All ten shows have a different balance of comedy and drama. Derry Girls remains unusually specific to its place, time and ensemble; no recommendation can reproduce that combination exactly. The useful question is what you want to feel next: the closeness of a group, the awkwardness of growing up, a strong local setting, or the confidence that even a chaotic family will eventually rally around one another.

For other television recommendations, explore 10 Best Sitcoms Like The Good Place, 10 Best Sitcoms Like Community, 10 Best Netflix Supernatural Teen Shows, and 8 Brilliant British TV Detectives to Watch After Ludwig. You can also browse 10 Best Prime Video Supernatural Teen Shows for a change of mood.

Amazon Prime Video is another catalogue to browse for your next watch (affiliate link); verify title availability and subscription details in your country.

Frequently asked questions

What should I watch first after Derry Girls?

Start with This Country if you miss the small-community humour, Big Boys if you miss the friendship and heart, or The Inbetweeners if you want awkward teenage chaos.

Which show is most like Derry Girls?

No series is an exact match, but Some Girls shares the focus on a close group of school-age girls, while This Country offers a similarly strong sense of place and community.

Is Big Boys connected to Derry Girls?

They are separate series, but Big Boys stars Dylan Llewellyn, who played James in Derry Girls. It follows a different character and has a more university-centred story.

Is Sex Education a comedy or a drama?

It is a coming-of-age comedy-drama. It uses humour while exploring relationships, identity and emotional health across a large school ensemble.

Which recommendation is set in Ireland?

Moone Boy is set in a small Irish town and follows Martin, a boy navigating family and school with help from his imaginary friend.

Which show is the most emotional?

My Mad Fat Diary is the most overtly emotional recommendation here, with a story about friendship, mental health and growing up in the 1990s.

Is Ackley Bridge similar to Derry Girls?

Both series use a school and local community as important settings, but Ackley Bridge is more dramatic and deals with heavier social issues.

Where can I stream these shows in the UK?

Availability varies by show and can change. Current links in the article point to UK listings for BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, Netflix, Sky, NOW TV and other services.

Is The Inbetweeners suitable for younger teens?

The Inbetweeners has an adult rating and cruder humour than Derry Girls. Check the age rating and content guidance before watching with younger teens.

Why does Moone Boy appeal to Derry Girls fans?

It combines Irish setting, family comedy and an imaginative young lead. Its tone is gentler and more child-centred, but it shares Derry Girls’ affection for the people around its protagonist.

Enjoyed the recommendations? Tell us which series you chose, browse more television guides at That Love Podcast, and support our work through the donation page. Learn about advertising with us or listen to the podcast episodes.

For another possible addition to your watchlist, explore Amazon Prime Video (affiliate link). Always check current regional availability before signing up.