Younger: The 97% Rotten Tomatoes Show Fleabag Replacement on Netflix

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If you’re still missing Fleabag as much as I am, you seriously need to watch Younger on Netflix! The 2010s gave us amazing shows like Girls and Orange is the New Black that really focused on women’s stories, but Fleabag was just…different. It was so unique in how it followed Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character and all the messy stuff happening in her life in London. It really filled a void, and I’m hoping Younger can do the same!

Though it only lasted two seasons, Fleabag won numerous awards, including six Emmys. The critically acclaimed show, with a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, launched Phoebe Waller-Bridge to stardom and brought attention to the impressive talent of Andrew Scott, previously known for playing the villain Moriarty in Sherlock.

Despite lasting seven seasons—much longer than Fleabag—Younger didn’t receive nearly as much recognition or awards, even though it has a very high 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the show, from Sex and the City and Emily in Paris creator Darren Star, has become incredibly popular since it started streaming on Netflix, and it’s clear why.

What Is Younger About?

The TV series Younger, which began in 2015 on TV Land, is adapted from Pamela Redmond Satran’s 2005 novel. The show centers on Liza Miller (played by Sutton Foster), a 40-year-old woman from New Jersey whose life changes dramatically when her husband leaves her due to a gambling addiction. Facing financial hardship, Liza tries to return to her career in publishing after years of being a homemaker.

Okay, so the premise is simple, but brilliant. Our main character is facing a frustrating reality: ageism. Nobody seems willing to give a middle-aged woman a chance. Driven by her friend Maggie, she decides to do something drastic – lie about her age! She pretends to be a 26-year-old and, shockingly, it works. She lands a job as an assistant to the wonderfully quirky Diana Trout at Empirical Press. It’s a clever setup, and I was immediately hooked.

In the city, Liza quickly makes friends with Kelsey Peters, a driven young editor, and attracts the attention of Charles Brooks, the handsome company boss. She also begins a passionate relationship with Josh, a kind and artistic tattoo artist who thinks she’s his age.

Okay, so Younger is genuinely funny – a lot of the laughs come from watching Liza scramble to keep her age a secret. But it’s not just a comedy. What surprised me was how much heart this show has! It’s a really enjoyable, visually appealing series, but underneath all the glitz, it’s incredibly relatable. It really gets at that universal feeling of wanting to make the most of your life, both in your career and your personal relationships. It’s a surprisingly moving show, honestly.

Younger Gained A Huge Audience With Its Netflix International Release

Viewers in the US already enjoyed Younger, with three seasons appearing on Netflix’s top 10 list in early 2025. But the show gained even more popularity when Netflix began streaming it in other countries later that year.

As a total streaming junkie, I have to tell you about Younger. It blew up on Netflix the second it dropped – seriously, it landed at number four on their global top ten list, beating out shows everyone was talking about like City of Shadows and Dynamite Kiss! I checked FlixPatrol and while it’s not in the top ten worldwide right now, it’s still doing really well in places like Canada, where it’s currently at number seven. Definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already!

Beyond being a well-made show, the popularity of Younger on Netflix shows that viewers are craving series they can quickly enjoy, with seasons and episodes that aren’t too long. Many streaming shows these days have shorter seasons and episodes that drag on – the final season of Stranger Things, for example, only has eight episodes, and even those are nearly an hour long each.

As a TV lover, I’ve been revisiting Younger, and it’s a surprisingly meaty show! There are seven full seasons, each with a solid 12 episodes – that’s 84 in total. And each episode is around 20-something minutes long, which feels just right – it’s that classic half-hour comedy length that audiences clearly still enjoy, judging by how popular the show’s become again recently.

Why Younger Is The Perfect Fleabag Replacement

I’ve been loving Younger, and it’s been especially great as someone who’s a huge Fleabag fan. It really feels like a discovery for those of us who somehow missed it before! The main character, Liza, reminds me so much of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag – she’s wonderfully flawed and makes a lot of mistakes. Honestly, if Liza wasn’t so charming and easy to root for, she’d probably be considered an anti-heroine too!

Both Fleabag and Liza deal with difficult situations by making questionable choices. Fleabag uses sex and sarcasm to mask her deep sadness, while Liza initially lies to navigate an industry that favors youth. Though Liza’s reasons start as understandable, like Fleabag, her actions eventually cause pain and break trust with those she cares about – leading to some pretty dramatic consequences, like Josh getting a dragon tattoo based on a misunderstanding about her age.

Both Fleabag and Younger feature romantic storylines, but the most meaningful connections for the main characters are their friendships with other women. In Fleabag, the complex relationship with her sister Claire is central to the story. Similarly, Kelsey Peters is a crucial and cherished friend to Liza in Younger, although their bond is strained by Liza’s secret.

Netflix has a lot of great shows with strong female leads, but if you’re looking for something similar to Fleabag, Younger is the closest you’ll find.

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2026-01-06 20:29