15 Shows Like Anatomy of a Scandal You Need to Watch

Anatomy of a Scandal has become one of the most intriguing shows you can watch on Netflix right now because of how dramatic and scandalous the series is. Despite the fact that it isn’t based on real life, it does feel like it is, and it has become quite big for those who love shows that are about anything that’s controversial. This is why plenty of different people have binged through it. So, in that regard, we have the best shows like Anatomy of a Scandal if you’ve already watched it.

15. The Dropout (2022)

The Dropout is one of the great drama shows about true-to-life events that happened just recently, and the best thing about it was that it was able to capture not only the events of the story but also the raw emotion and impact that it has. This series follows the story of Elizabeth Holmes, who attempted to revolutionize the healthcare industry by starting a tech company after she dropped out of college. However, things went bad as all of the things that she worked hard for came crashing down. 

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: When you look at The Dropout, its story isn’t really something that is very similar to Anatomy of a Scandal. However, what makes it similar to Anatomy of a Scandal is not its story but the overall themes covered by the series. The Dropout is able to shed light on how ruthless people tend to be when they are trying to pursue wealth and power, and that’s something that is faithfully tackled in this series.

14. The Crown (2016 – Present)

Of course, when it comes to British scandals, the British Royal Family will always be headlining the news because of how this family has never been short on drama over the past few decades. That’s why we have The Crown on this list, as this series follows the different high-profile scandals that the different members of the Royal Family have been in the past few decades. While not exactly historically accurate, the series was still able to cover a lot of ground in terms of the different stories surrounding real-life personalities like Princess Diana, Prince Phillip, and Prince Charles.

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: Of course, The Crown is exactly like Anatomy of a Scandal because of the fact that both of these shows follow the scandalous lives of British public personalities. While Anatomy of a Scandal is fictional, The Crown tries to be true to real life by portraying on television some of the rumored and reported scandals that the members of the Royal Family were involved in. That is why these shows are very similar to one another in a lot of different aspects.

13. House Of Cards (2013 – 2018)

One of the shows that helped in making Netflix as big as it is right now is House of Cards, which was able to prove that the streaming giant could create original shows that are top-notch. The story of House of Cards is based on the original one released way back when, as this series focuses on a family of politicians and how the main character is driven by his need to be powerful. In that regard, the family itself is driven by power and is more than willing to do anything to achieve its ambitions.

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: The first thing that would make House of Cards and Anatomy of a Scandal so similar to one another is the fact that they both dwell in a political family. Nevertheless, House of Cards focuses on the main characters’ pursuit of power, while Anatomy of a Scandal looks at a person’s willingness to hold on to his power despite the scandalous things surrounding his personal life.

12. A Very British Scandal (2021)

A Very British Scandal is literally a very British scandal as it follows one of the real-life stories that had an effect on 20th-century British politics. That’s because the story follows the ugly and public divorce surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, as we get to see the different private things going on in their lives and what led to their scandalous separation. In that regard, this is one of the most intriguing shows that people should watch if they are interested in anything that’s very controversial.

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: There are plenty of different similarities between Anatomy of a Scandal and A Very British Scandal, as they both follow stories that are focused on British public personalities. But while A Very British Scandal follows a true story that was quite scandalous during its time, Anatomy of a Scandal is a fictional story that takes its cue from A Very British Scandal in terms of following themes that are quite controversial, considering the public nature of the events of the show.

11. Madam Secretary (2014 – 2019)

One of the shows that allow you to follow a character that’s interested in the pursuit of power is Madam Secretary, which is a series that follows a woman who becomes Secretary of State in the US. The series follows the things that she had to do to keep things in line as it is able to portray the many challenges that a Secretary of State should be able to overcome while holding a very important position of power in the government. Of course, it also takes a look at the feminist aspect of what women need to do to gain political influence in a political world that’s often dominated by men.

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: Even though Madam Secretary is a series that’s based on American politics, there are still a lot of things that make it very similar to Anatomy of a Scandal. One such thing is the fact that they both cover stories that are focused on power and the things that the characters need to do to not only obtain power but stay in power. While Madam Secretary isn’t as scandalous in terms of its story as Anatomy of a Scandal, the similarities are still there, especially when you look at how the main characters of the story focus a lot on power.

10. The Girlfriend Experience (2016 – Present)

The Girlfriend Experience doesn’t have a lot of political themes, but it is a story that shows how a scandalous life can change the way a person lives. This series follows the story of a young sex worker that ends up having to protect her budding legal career after a former client publicized the fact that she is a high-end escort. As such, her private relationships and her dealings with other people are affected by this revelation, as she has to deal with the fallout of what had happened in her life.

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: In The Girlfriend Experience, there are no political dramas between high-profile public officials. However, the aspect that makes it very similar to Anatomy of a Scandal is the fact that the character here has a secret life that became publicized. As such, her chosen career gets affected by the publicity surrounding the exposé about her life as a sex worker, and that is similar to how the main characters’ lives are affected by the publicized scandalous affair in Anatomy of a Scandal.

9. Unbelievable (2019)

Unbelievable is one of the most controversial shows that you can watch on Netflix because of the fact that it covers a sensitive topic like sexual assault. Of course, there are also other sensitive topics covered by this series, such as the changing behaviors surrounding the entire affair as a girl gets punished by the justice system for allegedly falsifying a sexual assault account. However, when detectives began digging deeper into this case, they discovered that there was something more to it and that the girl was simply a victim of the broken justice system.

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: Unbelievable isn’t like Anatomy of a Scandal because it doesn’t follow political figures or anything scandalous surrounding public personalities. However, the one thing that allows it to be quite similar to Anatomy of a Scandal is the fact that it follows the story surrounding a sexual assault allegation. In Anatomy of a Scandal, the entire scandal began because of a sexual assault allegation, and that’s something that is followed deeply in Unbelievable.

8. A Teacher (2020 – Present)

A Teacher is another series that tackles a sensitive issue such as statutory rape as it follows a school teacher that engages in a sexual affair with an underage student. However, what began as something consensual between the two eventually became a local scandal when it became public. On top of that, it became a toxic and dark story that put both parties in jeopardy because of how scandalous it was. And it also turned into a story that looks at different themes like public perception, media manipulation, and the psychological impact that such a scandal has on a teen.

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: Even though A Teacher doesn’t follow a story that’s focused on politicians or public personalities, it does have the same kind of scandalous theme surrounding it. Like Anatomy of a Scandal, it looks at the fallout of something that stemmed from a consensual sexual affair between two people. But because of the legal ramifications of an affair between a minor and a teacher, they are forced to live with the effects of their actions.

7. Scandal (2012 – 2018)

Scandal is a story that is focused on the story of a skilled fixer in Washington, as she constantly tackles the more privileged side of America because of her rich and powerful clients. This is a series that manages to tackle the theme of authority pretty well while also acting pretty much like a spy thriller because of the hints of espionage in this story. It’s a very entertaining series to watch, and that’s why it was able to last for a very long time.

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: The root themes of Anatomy of a Scandal are sex and power, and these are some of the themes that are also covered in Scandal. In that regard, these shows are very similar to one another because of how they talk about themes that are very similar. And the thing is that Scandal looks at the more American side of the rich and powerful who are involved in a lot of different scandalous affairs.

6. Sex Education (2019 – Present)

Sex Education is one of the most popular shows on Netflix as this teen comedy series is one of the most eye-opening shows that anyone can watch. While it doesn’t cover the more mature themes of power and politics, Sex Education is quite a masterpiece when you look at the fact that a lot of the different topics it covers are true to life not only in the high school setup but also in every environment around the world. And the powerful acting and the comedy that comes with this series make it worth anyone’s time.

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: Sex Education, despite covering pretty mature and controversial themes, is a lot like Anatomy of a Scandal. It may not look at scandalous affairs involving high-profile personalities, but Sex Education does dig deep into different controversial topics that you may find in Anatomy of a Scandal. One such topic is sexual harassment, which is one of the root topics of Anatomy of a Scandal and is a topic that’s explored deeply in Sex Education.

5. 13 Reasons Why (2017 – 2020)

Again, we are looking at a series that is going to be more in line with what teenagers prefer because 13 Reasons Why is a high school teen drama that talks about the difficulties that come with teenage life. This is one of the most controversial shows you could ever watch on Netflix because of how sensitive its themes are. In a nutshell, the series follows the story of young women who were abused by a serial sexual abuser as they have to deal with the guilt and shame that comes with being victims of abuse. As such, themes such as depression, suicide, and bullying are covered in this very sensitive series.

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: Again, because 13 Reasons Why is a series that dwells on teenage drama, it might seem like it is quite similar to Anatomy of a Scandal. However, this is merely a high school version of Anatomy of a Scandal in the sense that you are looking at characters who are allegedly victims of sexual abuse but are in no position to deal with it properly because of the shame that comes with coming out with this allegation. As such, the characters are left to deal with the fallout of what happened to them.

4. One of Us Is Lying (2021 – Present)

One of Us is Lying is yet again another teenage drama series that follows the story of four high school students who became suspects in a possible murder case involving another student. As such, a lot of the different secrets about the students are exposed, and the public is forced to think that maybe one of them could’ve been the perpetrator of the crime. In that sense, it is a story that focuses more on the scandalous nature of the secrets that teenagers tend to keep hidden as they are forced to deal with the effects of their secrets getting exposed.

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: While One of Us is Lying focuses on teenagers in a high school setup and doesn’t follow a story that is focused on sexual allegation, it does have a few similarities with Anatomy of a Scandal. One such similarity is the fact that the students are forced to live lives under public scrutiny after their secrets are exposed and when they become suspects in a possible murder case that can be tied to their own personal scandalous secrets.

3. Succession (2018 – Present)

Let’s take a break from all of the teenage drama series to look at a more mature show that looks at the nature of power in a different form. While a lot of the shows we have on this list look at power from a political standpoint, Succession deals with a more Shakespearean drama that involves family drama and the nature of succession from a business standpoint. As such, it allows you to understand what people are willing to go through for the sake of power, especially when wealth is at the center of the discussion.

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: Like Anatomy of a Scandal, succession looks at the nature of power and what people are willing to do to keep holding on to power. The difference, however, is that Succession looks at power more from a business standpoint, while Anatomy of a Scandal focuses more on the political side of being powerful. Still, they are both very similar in a lot of aspects, especially when it comes to what people are willing to sacrifice for the sake of what makes them powerful.

2. The Good Wife (2009 – 2016)

The Good Wife is a series that follows the story of a defense attorney who now has to return to work after her politician husband was sent to prison after getting involved in a scandalous affair involving sex and corruption. In that regard, she now has to take life into her own hands as he needs to rise from the effects of the scandal to get back her reputation as a great lawyer. As such, the series focuses more on the “other” people who are affected by scandalous affairs.

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: The Good Wife is a series that is very similar to Anatomy of a Scandal because of the fact that the wife in Anatomy of a Scandal is the biggest victim of the entire scandal. As such, The Good Wife looks at what a wife of a disgraced public personality can do to get her life back and rise from the humiliation that came with the entire scandalous affair involving her husband.

1. Secret City (2016-2019)

Secret City is an Australian drama series that looks at the attempt of a journalist to uncover the different scandals and conspiracies happening in the government. This is more of a political thriller that is designed to make viewers feel the suspense and thrill that comes with every revelation in the series. Of course, there are also a lot of different themes covered in this series, such as government conspiracies, corruption, and scandal.

Why It’s Like Anatomy of a Scandal: Even though Secret City doesn’t have the same kind of themes that are covered in Anatomy of a Scandal, what makes them very similar to one another is the fact that they both use fiction to deliver a very real message about the things that could be happening right under our noses in the government we put so much of our trust on. As such, the stories may be different, but the way the message is delivered is pretty much the same.