Looking for TV shows like Sirens now that you’ve blown through the whole season? We’ve got five show recommendations that’ll see you through!
Whether you’re looking for a new TV recommendation, what to read next, or what to line-up next in your podcast queue, we’ve got you covered, with our entertainment series, ‘So You’re a Fan Of’. We’ll be working our way through new or popular TV shows, movies, books/authors and podcasts and will then match-make you with other suggestions for you to try!
I have a kid fairly newly in day-care, so I am now much more aware of what TV shows are in the Top 10 now that I’m scrolling for something to watch, while a hot, sniffly little person sleeps on me.
Last week I was in just this position when I saw Sirens had come out and was firmly number one and starred two women I think are fantastic: Julianne Moore and Meghann Fahy (her name might not be that familiar to you, but her incredible/hilarious performance on The White Lotus season 2 or The Bold Type sure should be)
The show – which is based off a play – first introduces us to Meghann’s character Devon, as she is dealing with the aftermath of a hellish night that saw her in jail, and the reality of returning to her house where she is the sole caretaker of her father who suffers from dementia.
We then see her take off – rageful – in search of her younger sister, Simone, who we soon find on a beautiful little island where she appears to have become some sort of Stepford Wife, playing second fiddle to a very unusual, rich and powerful seeming woman, Michaela (played by Julianne Moore). Just what the heck is going on at this mansion?
From there, as it always does, things soon dissolve into chaos as the layers of the onion are slowly peeled back and we learn more about the pasts of these three women. To add to the fun, Kevin Bacon is in the mix as Michaela’s husband – plus Felix Solis (he was terrifying Navarro in Ozark?) who is the surprisingly hilarious head of security at Michaela’s home.
I’m not going to say anything more about this show, because I don’t want to spoil it for you, but it’s definitely a fun weekend watch.
And once you’re through it, I have the next five shows I think you’d probably enjoy watching – or rewatching!
The Perfect Couple
During the first episode of this show, I had a déjà vu kind of moment and found myself googling if Sirens was filmed at the same ridiculous beachside mansion as The Perfect Couple. Turns out they’re totally different, but I get how I suddenly got confused – the show has many similarities, including the fact that Meghann Fahy is in both!
The Perfect Couple came out last year (you may have already seen it – it’s the one with the kitschy group dance thing they do for the opening titles?) and starred Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber and Dakota Fanning. It followed a (crazy) wealthy family during a chaotic wedding weekend where secrets, lies and – yikes – a washed-up body threaten to unravel their carefully crafted public image.
The whole thing had a black comedy kitschy vibe to it that is very similar to the overall feeling of Sirens. And, maybe Nicole Kidman really reminded me of Sirens‘ Julianne Moore in this? And Kevin Bacon felt a bit like Liev Schrieber’s character too?! Definitely, definitely some familiar vibes.
Watch it on: Netflix
Big Little Lies
If you somehow missed the phenomenon that was Big Little Lies, now is the time to get on the bandwagon. Like Sirens, the show examines what’s really going on beneath the surface of seemingly ‘perfect’ women and their perfect lives in a costal, affluent beachside town. And, it also explores the complexities of female friendships.
There’s less of the whimsical weirdness of Sirens, but it’s beautifully made, with well-rounded, complex characters and a powerhouse group of actors.
Yes, this is yet another show about insane rich people doing insane rich things (and harbouring a lot of secrets!), but it is seriously brilliant, with wonderfully written characters and a stellar cast to play them. Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Zoe Kravitz, Laura Dern and Shaileen Woodley round out the main cast – and are then joined by Meryl Streep for season two.
Watch it now on: Neon
Revenge
I was a big fan of this show back in the day (when I googled Revenge though, I was surprised to hear that it launched in 2011?! It feels like it had more than early 2000s kind of craziness to it!?!) and in the first episode of Sirens I started thinking about this show.
I think my primary reason is that for some reason, Simone’s boyfriend (if we can call him that?) – Ethan Corbin III – gave me real vibes of one of the characters on Revenge, Nolan Ross. They speak and dress very similarly but there’s really not much else in common there.
Where the real similarities between these two shows lie is in that classic story of a ‘picture-perfect family’ who have some skeletons in their closet. Like Simone in Sirens, the character in Revenge, Emily, is an outsider to this glamorous world. She lived in foster homes and eventually juvenile detention (some definite similarities to Simone!) after her father went to prison for an act of terrorism and later died. Emily discovers her father was innocent, but was framed by a ridiculously wealthy family, so she sets about infiltrating the family and one by one, enacting her revenge on every single person who betrayed her father.
It’s a lot less slick, and a lot more soap-opera feeling in parts, but dang, if you haven’t seen Revenge, it’s a very fun watch.
Watch it now: On TVNZ+
Nine Perfect Strangers
Again, this is another of those tales of a bunch of ridiculously wealthy folks who end up in the same place, where all kinds of weird chaos ensues.
The destination is a 10-day retreat at Tranquillium house – a health and wellness resort in the fictional town of Cabrillo, California. Things go from weird to weirder, as the guests (who all have very different reasons for wanting to be ‘healed’) discover this is no ordinary retreat.
It stars Nicole Kidman (yes, sorry, I seem to have an obsession with her on this list?), who plays the enigmatic leader of the retreat – which seems to delve into cult terroirty at times – very much like Julianne Moore in Sirens. There’s an eerie, icy coolness to these women that leaves you wondering what more they’re capable of.
For some light and humour though, it also stars Melissa McCarthy and is based off the book written by Liane Moriarty – who also wrote Big Little Lies. I’m yet to read a bad book of hers – and while this one wasn’t my favourite, it’s still a great watch.
Watch it now on: Prime Video
Palm Royale
This show is positively bonkers, but is a very fun watch. It’s miles lighter than Sirens, but has the same sort of whimsy and sharp wit to it that we came to love from Devon in Sirens.
Yet again, this one is exploring behind the scenes of a group of rich women at a very exclusive country club in Palm Beach and how easy it can be to lose it all. It’s very kitschy and fun and is set in the 1960s and boasts one heck of a cast, including Kristen Wig and Allison Janney.
Watch it on: Apple TV
