If You Loved ‘Drop Dead Diva,’ These Shows Will Fill the Jane-Shaped Hole in Your Heart

There is a specific kind of magic that ‘Drop Dead Diva’ pulled off across its six seasons on Lifetime. A shallow model dies and wakes up in the body of a brilliant, plus-size attorney named Jane Bingum, and somehow the show turned that wild premise into one of the most quietly feminist, genuinely feel-good dramedies of the early streaming era.

The series aired from 2009 to 2014, spanning 78 episodes across 6 seasons, and delivered a life-affirming story that redefined the paradigm of beauty on television. If you have finished every episode and are now wandering around looking for that same warm, witty, empowerment-forward energy, you are in the right place.

‘Ally McBeal’ — The Original Quirky Legal Heroine

‘Ally McBeal’ is an American legal comedy-drama created by David E. Kelley that originally aired on Fox from September 8, 1997, to May 20, 2002, following a young lawyer working in the Boston law firm Cage and Fish. The connection to ‘Drop Dead Diva’ is almost genetic. Both shows center on a woman navigating a legal world that does not quite fit who she is, and both lean hard into the surreal, the emotional, and the deeply funny.

Although the series is ostensibly a legal drama, its main focus is the romantic and personal lives of the main characters. Legal cases are used as a mirror for Ally’s inner life, not as the main event, which gives the show a warmth that courtroom procedurals rarely achieve. The series received critical acclaim in its early seasons, winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series in the Comedy or Musical category in 1998 and 1999, and also winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1999.

Ally McBeal premiered on Fox in 1997 and introduced audiences to Calista Flockhart’s quirky main character, who loves the law and wants to help people, but believes the journey should be fun and enjoyable. That sounds about right for anyone who fell in love with Jane Bingum. You can currently stream all five seasons on Hulu.

‘Ugly Betty’ — Fashion, Heart, and a Heroine Worth Rooting For

‘Ugly Betty’, created by Silvio Horta and Fernando Gaitán, ran on ABC from 2006 to 2010 and was an adaptation of the already successful Colombian telenovela ‘Yo soy Betty, la fea’. Much like ‘Drop Dead Diva’, the premise sounds superficial until the show reveals its actual depth. Queens-native Betty Suarez, played by America Ferrera, lands a job as the assistant to Daniel Meade, editor-in-chief of the upscale fashion magazine Mode. Her less-than-fashionable looks and optimistic personality immediately put her at odds with her uptight, Manhattanite colleagues.

What makes ‘Ugly Betty’ such a natural follow-up is how seriously it takes the idea that a woman who does not look the part can still be the smartest and most capable person in the room. Betty’s story was a rallying cry for embracing one’s true self, and her glasses, braces, and unique sense of fashion were not sources of embarrassment, but rather testaments to her authenticity. There is also a rich family subplot, genuine comedy, and enough workplace drama to keep any episode from dragging. The show earned Ferrera a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, and that recognition was entirely deserved.

‘The Good Place’ — Afterlife, Ethics, and the Art of Becoming Better

Here is where the supernatural overlap with ‘Drop Dead Diva’ becomes almost uncanny. ‘The Good Place’ is an American fantasy-comedy television series created by Michael Schur for NBC. The series premiered on September 19, 2016, and concluded on January 30, 2020, after four seasons consisting of 53 episodes.

The premise follows Eleanor Shellstrop, a deeply flawed woman who ends up in a heavenly afterlife neighborhood by mistake and decides to use the time to genuinely improve herself. Eleanor, an amoral loner, knows she does not deserve her place and attempts to avoid being found out while trying to become a more ethical person. Sound familiar? The show is funnier and more philosophical than most network comedies dare to be. On Rotten Tomatoes the first season has a rating of 92%, with the site’s critical consensus noting that Kristen Bell and Ted Danson deliver supremely entertaining and charming performances in this absurd, clever and whimsical portrayal of the afterlife.

Despite critical acclaim, an 8.2 out of 10 rating on IMDb and a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes, ‘The Good Place’ ended after just four seasons. Fans of Jane Bingum will recognize Eleanor’s journey immediately. Both characters are forced by strange circumstances to become versions of themselves they never knew they could be, and that transformation is the whole point.

‘Fairly Legal’ and ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ — Two More Worth Your Time

Kate Reed in ‘Fairly Legal’ is a firm believer that justice can always be found, even if it is not always in the courtroom. Once a lawyer at her family’s esteemed San Francisco firm, Kate’s frustration with the legal system led her to a new career as a mediator. The show has a lot of the same breezy optimism as ‘Drop Dead Diva’, with a female lead who is brilliant but also wonderfully chaotic about her personal life.

‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’, which ran on The CW from 2015 to 2019, is mentioned frequently in fan communities alongside ‘Drop Dead Diva’. The show follows a high-powered lawyer who impulsively abandons her career for a chance at happiness, and it does so through original musical numbers, sharp feminist commentary, and genuine emotional honesty. It is weirder and more satirical than ‘Drop Dead Diva’, but the DNA is undeniable. Both shows trust their audiences to handle a story about a woman redefining herself on her own terms without needing to wrap it in a tidy, conventional bow.

The common thread through all of these shows is a kind of radical, feel-good sincerity. They believe that women who are imperfect, ambitious, funny, and occasionally a little lost deserve to be at the center of the story, not just supporting it from the sidelines. Drop any of these into your watch queue and you will be back in familiar territory fast.

What are your favorite shows like ‘Drop Dead Diva’, and which one would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments.