10 Best Shows Like P-Valley (On Netflix, Hulu & Other Platforms)
P-Valley is a Starz Original show that keeps pushing boundaries, tackling taboos and prejudices left and right. The show focuses on a strip club and the lives of the dancers, owners, and everyone involved. There are strong, deep topics opened up, especially in the second season of the show that’s coming out at the time of writing this article.
The show explores contemporary racism, stereotypes about the LGBTQIA+ community, and so much more, but in a unique way – from the eyes of strip dancers. If you liked P-Valley and are interested in similar content, look no further. Here are the ten best shows like P-Valley that you can find on Netflix, Hulu, and other platforms. Let’s dive in!
The Chi (2018-)
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Genre: Drama, Crime
Synopsis: “On Chicago’s south side, an average day finds kids prepping for school as their parents head off to work, young adults trying to make a living, and the elders keeping an eye on things from their front porches.
But in this tough neighborhood, real dangers threaten daily to squelch dreams, and the simplest decisions can have life or death consequences. From Emmy® winner Lena Waithe, The Chi is a timely coming-of-age drama series centered on a group of residents who become linked by coincidence but bonded by the need for connection and redemption.”
Why it’s like P-Valley: The Chi explores the fates and lives of people living in a small community in South Chicago, as well as their problems, secrets, and battles they face every day in modern society. Similarly, P-Valley explores the small town life in Chucalissa, Mississippi, as well as the ‘murder-oriented’ narrative we see present in both shows.
And, just like P-Valley, the newest season of The Chi is coming out as we speak, so it’s the perfect time to join the fun.
Watch the trailer here.
Pose (2018-2021)
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: “In the New York of the late ’80s and early ’90s, this is a story of ball culture and the gay and trans community, the raging AIDS crisis, and capitalism.”
Why it’s like P-Valley: Pose is a groundbreaking TV show that, like P-Valley, explores the lives of a marginalized group of people, namely the LGBTQIA+ community in the 1980-1990s New York. It represents the drag ball culture scene of the time through a musical-driven narrative, with a fantastic cast and even better storytelling.
Watch the trailer here.
Harlem (2021-)
IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: “A group of four friends follows their dreams after graduating from college together.”
Why it’s like P-Valley: Harlem is a lot more light-hearted and humor-based, but like P-Valley, it explores the lives of four members of a smaller African-American community and their struggles to follow their dreams after college.
Like the protagonists of P-Valley, the main characters are driven, ambitious, and get into all kinds of complicated relationships that ultimately drive the story. The second season ought to premiere in late 2022, so there’s time to catch up.
Watch the trailer here.
Claws (2017-2022)
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Synopsis: “Desna is an attractive woman who lives with her brother and owns a nail salon with her three best friends. She and her crew are involved with the local drug gang by trafficking through the shop; Desi is also seeing Roller, who is one of the drug kingpin’s main dealers.
Things get complicated when a new associate is introduced, and Roller doesn’t follow through on his deal with paying Desna for her help with the drug organization.”
Why it’s like P-Valley: Like P-Valley revolves around the group working at The Pynk strip club, Claws revolves around a group of five women working at a nail salon. The show is enriched with crime, drama, romance, and strong women protagonists that drive the entire show.
Watch the trailer here.
Hightown (2020-)
IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Synopsis: “Set in the world of beautiful but bleak Cape Cod, one woman’s journey to sobriety is overshadowed by a murder investigation dragging her into its fold.”
Why it’s like P-Valley: Hightown revolves around a different narrative than P-Valley, yet tackles some of the same issues, such as sexuality, racism, addiction, crime, and trauma. The show revolves around Jackie Quinones, who is a gay National Marine fisheries officer that discovers a dead body on duty.
There is also a strip club in Hightown where a lot of storyline happens, but it’s not the focal point as it is in P-Valley.
Watch the trailer here.
Lovecraft Country (2020)
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Synopsis: “Lovecraft Country follows Atticus Freeman as he joins up with his friend Letitia and his Uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father.
This begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback.”
Why it’s like P-Valley: This show is a lot more horror-ish than any other entry on the list, but through the prism of Lovecraftian characters and entities, Lovecraft Country tackles similar topics and issues such as racism, sexuality, and cultural segregation of the American society in the 1950s. It really makes you wonder – who are the real monsters in this story?
Unfortunately, despite quite a successful first season, HBO revealed that Lovecraft Country Season 2 would likely never happen.
Watch the trailer here.
Insecure (2016-2021)
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Synopsis: “Follows the awkward experiences and racy tribulations of a modern-day African-American woman.”
Why it’s like P-Valley: This is probably my favorite entry on the list. Insecure is funny, intricate, and deeper than it might seem at first. We follow the African-American community of South LA, as well as the modern-day racial tension that still prevails in American society.
Watch the trailer here.
Harlots (2017-2019)
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: “Margaret Wells struggles to reconcile her roles as brothel owner and mother to her daughters. When her business comes under attack from a rival madam with a ruthless streak, Margaret must fight back even if it means losing her family and possibly her life.”
Why it’s like P-Valley: Sure, the timeframe is three hundred years apart, and an 18th-century brothel isn’t exactly a strip club, but there’s more that connects Harlots and P-Valley. You know, like crime, murder, and trying to balance the taboo life of being a brothel/strip club owner with everyday life and family.
I really enjoyed Harlots in its entirety. The “all-for-family” narrative drives both of these shows, and they open questions about morality and societal perception like no other show on this list.
Watch the trailer here.
Queen Sugar (2016-2022)
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: “Follows the life of three siblings, one of whom moves from Los Angeles to Louisiana, to claim a shared inheritance from their recently departed father – an 800-acre sugarcane farm.”
Why it’s like P-Valley: This Oprah Winfrey-produced show is an amazing adaptation of the novel of the same name, Queen Sugar. Like P-Valley, the show revolves around an African-American community and a family that struggles with their own relationships and problems, along with the family business.
There is drama, racism, scandals, struggle with public perception, and so much more. Queen Sugar is one of the better shows in the genre I’ve seen recently.
Watch the trailer here.
Atlanta (2016-2023)
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
Synopsis: “Atlanta is one of the top cities for young rappers looking to make a name for themselves in the business. Among those up-and-comers is Alfred Miles, a hot new artist who is trying to understand the line between real life and street life.
He is managed by his cousin Earn, who gets caught up in the local rap scene and his cousin’s career after returning home to the ATL. Earn does whatever he can to try to get Alfred’s career to the next level.
Darius, the rapper’s right-hand man and visionary, is also in Alfred’s entourage. When Earn isn’t busy managing his cousin’s career, he spends much of his time with his best friend Vanessa, the mother of his daughter.”
Why it’s like P-Valley: I saved the best for last, as Atlanta is by far my favorite entry on the list. It’s a comedy starring Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) about a young rapper Paper Boi and his manager, Earn, trying to make a name for themselves in the harsh music industry.
There’s a similar narrative in P-Valley revolving around a character named Lil Murda and his manager Woddy. Both shows explore the world of the music industry, hip-hop culture, racism, etc. – and both shows have awesome soundtracks that’ll be running through your head for weeks.
Watch the trailer here.
