Anime Like About a Boy
If you loved About a Boy's Comedy and Drama storytelling, these anime deliver a similar experience — selected for art style, narrative depth, and emotional impact. Each includes where to stream it now.
★ Top Picks
One Day at a Time
The misadventures of a divorced mother, two teenage daughters, and new building superintendent in Indianapolis.
Alice
Alice is an American sitcom television series that ran from August 31, 1976 to March 19, 1985 on CBS. The series is based on the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The show stars Linda Lavin in the title role, a widow who moves with her young son to start her life over again, and finds a job working at a roadside diner on the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona. Most of the episodes revolve around events at Mel's Diner.
The Lucy Show
The Lucy Show is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962–68. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to I Love Lucy. A significant change in cast and premise for the 1965–66 season divides the program into two distinct eras; aside from Ball, only Gale Gordon, who joined the program for its second season, remained. For the first three seasons, Vivian Vance was the co-star. The earliest scripts were entitled The Lucille Ball Show, but when this title was declined, producers thought of calling the show This Is Lucy or The New Adventures of Lucy, before deciding on the title The Lucy Show. Ball won consecutive Emmy Awards as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the series' final two seasons, 1966–67 and 1967–68.
GCB
Amanda Vaughn, once the ultimate high school "mean girl," is forced to return home in disgrace after her marriage ends in scandal. As Amanda and her teenage kids try to adjust to their new lives, the ladies from her past alternate between sympathy and scheming.
Cybill
Cybill is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre, which aired on CBS from January 2, 1995, to July 13, 1998. Starring, Cybill Shepherd, the show revolves around the life of Cybill Sheridan, a twice-divorced single mother of two and struggling actress in her 40s, who has never gotten her big show business break.
Reba
After her dentist husband of 20 years leaves her for his dental hygienist, Reba Hart's seemingly perfect world is turned upside down.
My Three Sons
A widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas raises three sons with the help of his father-in-law, and later the boys' great-uncle. An adopted son, a stepdaughter, wives, and another generation of sons join the loving family in later seasons.
Raven's Home
Best friends Raven and Chelsea, now both divorced mothers, are raising their children in a house together. Their house is turned upside down when they realize one of Raven's children inherited the same psychic abilities as their mother.
More Anime Like About a Boy
Suburgatory
Single father George Altman is doing his best to raise his sixteen-year-old daughter Tessa in the big city. When he discovers a box of condoms in her bedroom, though, he decides the time has come to move her to a more wholesome and nurturing environment: the suburbs. But behind the beautiful homes and perfect lawns lurk the Franken-moms, spray tans, nose jobs, and Red Bull-guzzling teens who have nothing in common with Tessa. It’s a whole new world, one that makes George wonder if they haven’t jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Single Parents
A group of single parents lean on each other to help raise their 7-year-old kids and maintain some kind of personal lives outside of parenthood.
The New Adventures of Old Christine
Single working mom Christine Campbell has just learned that her ex is dating a much younger woman with the same first name. To avoid any confusion, the new girlfriend is dubbed New Christine, which leaves her with the unfortunate nickname Old Christine.
Louie
Louis C.K. stars as a fictionalized version of himself; a comedian and newly divorced father raising his two daughters in New York City.
Tyler Perry's Sistas
There's nothing that bonds a group of single black women together more than sidestepping the land mines of living, working and dating in Atlanta. In a sea of swipe-lefts, social media drama and unrealistic #relationshipgoals, these friends try to find their Mr. Right.
Who's the Boss?
A former professional baseball player, along with his preteen daughter, moves into New York advertising executive Angela Bower's house to be both a housekeeper and a father figure to her young son. Tony 's laid-back personality contrasts with Angela's type-A behavior.
Tyler Perry's House of Payne
The show revolved around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta led by patriarch Curtis Payne and his wife Ella.
Raising Hope
James "Jimmy" Chance is a clueless 24-year-old who impregnates a serial killer during a one-night-stand. Earning custody of his daughter after the mother is sentenced to death, Jimmy relies on his oddball but well-intentioned family for support in raising the child.
The Hogan Family
The Hogan Family is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from March 1, 1986 to May 7, 1990, and on CBS from September 15, 1990 until July 20, 1991. It was produced by Miller-Boyett Productions, along with Tal Productions, Inc., and in association with Lorimar Productions, Lorimar-Telepictures and Lorimar Television. The show was originally titled Valerie and starred Valerie Harper as a mother trying to juggle her career with raising her three sons by her often-absent airline-pilot husband. Harper was written out of the series after the second season because of a dispute with the show's producers. Sandy Duncan joined the cast as the boys' aunt, who moved in and became their surrogate mom. During the show's third season, the series was known as Valerie's Family: The Hogans, then simply as The Hogan Family.
Girlfriends
The series revolves around the friendship of four African-American women in different phases of their lives. They explore the many trials and tribulations that most women face today such as relationships, family, friends and other current issues that will interest most women. Whether it’s getting over a divorce, finding a career, or looking for true love, Girlfriends delivers along with comedy and wit.
8 Simple Rules
Paul and Cate are raising their three children -- Bridget, Kerry and Rory -- which is no easy task. Oldest daughter Bridget is traversing the dating scene. Kerry is cute and smart, but she has a hard time getting in touch with her true feelings because of her lack of self-confidence. The youngest of the three children, and only boy, Rory is beginning to discover one of life's greatest mysteries -- girls.
How I Met Your Father
In the near future, Sophie tells her son the story of how she met his father: a story that catapults us back to the year 2021 where Sophie and her close-knit group of friends are in the midst of figuring out who they are, what they want out of life, and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps and limitless options.
Why These Anime Are Similar
These recommendations share core qualities with About a Boy (2014): Comedy and Drama themes, comparable animation style, and similar narrative pacing. NoBadPicks uses TMDB collaborative filtering, genre matching, and AI analysis to surface anime most likely to resonate with fans of About a Boy.
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