Shows Like The Joy of Painting
If you loved The Joy of Painting's Family and Documentary storytelling, these series deliver a similar experience — chosen for tone, narrative quality, and viewer satisfaction. Each includes where to stream it now.
★ Top Picks

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.

Step by Step
Step by Step is an American television sitcom with two single parents, who spontaneously get married after meeting one another during a vacation, resulting in them becoming the heads of a large blended family

King of the Hill
Set in Texas, this animated series follows the life of propane salesman Hank Hill, who lives with his overly confident substitute Spanish teacher wife Peggy, wannabe comedian son Bobby, and naive niece Luanne. Hank has conservative views about God, family, and country, but his values and ethics are often challenged by the situations he, his family, and his beer-drinking neighbors/buddies find themselves in.

Hey Arnold!
The daily life of Arnold--a fourth-grader with a wild imagination, street smarts and a head shaped like a football.

All of Us
Robert James, an entertainment reporter for a local Los Angeles television station, is handsome, smart and thoroughly modern in his thinking. Recently divorced from the somewhat self-absorbed Neesee, the mother of their endearing 6-year-old son, Robert refuses to buy into the old stereotype that being divorced means you can't get along with the ex.

Good Luck Charlie
Teens PJ and Teddy and tween brother Gabe are typical kids -- that is, until their mother has another baby. The arrival of their new sister completely upends the entire household. When their mother heads back to work after Charlie's birth, it's up to the kids and their dad to keep the home fires burning -- and to keep Charlie out of trouble as she learns to sit up, crawl, walk and run. Teddy, as the older sister, makes a personalized video diary for Charlie, in each episode adding a nugget of wisdom for her baby sibling.
More Shows Like The Joy of Painting

Quack Pack
This cartoon follows on from the 1980’s cartoon “Ducktales”, continuing the adventures of Huey, Dewey and Louie. Now 12 year olds and living with their uncle Donald Duck, the three spend their time playing practical jokes on their hapless uncle and otherwise getting into trouble.

The Goldbergs
Before there were parenting blogs, trophies for showing up, and peanut allergies, there was a simpler time called the '80s. For geeky 11-year old Adam these were his wonder years and he faced them armed with a video camera to capture all the crazy. The Goldbergs are a loving family like any other, just with a lot more yelling.

Handy Manny
Manny Garcia, a kind, generous, outgoing handyman and his eclectic mix of talking tools help the people of Sheet Rock Hills with repairs both large and small, while teaching kids how to confront and conquer everyday problems.

The Angry Beavers
Daggett and Norbert Beaver are two young beaver brothers who have left their home to become bachelors in the forest near Wayouttatown, Oregon.

Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive and often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood. The show also starred Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont as Beaver's parents, June and Ward Cleaver, and Tony Dow as Beaver's brother Wally. The show has attained an iconic status in the US, with the Cleavers exemplifying the idealized suburban family of the mid-20th century.

Turbo FAST
After Turbo the Snail's improbable win at the Indianapolis 500, the superfast racer finds his life forever changed after he returns from his victory tour. Namely, Tito, his human companion, has built Starlite City, a massive miniature city with an elaborate adjoining race track for Turbo and his fellow snails to live and race in. However, Turbo finds his new life no less hectic as he and his friends face new rivals of all varieties eager to take the champion on. Regardless of the danger, Turbo and his colleagues of the Fast Action Stunt Team are ready for the challenge.

7th Heaven
Reverend Eric Camden and his wife Annie have always had their hands full caring for seven children, not to mention the friends, sweethearts and spouses that continually come and go in the Camden household.

We Bare Bears
Three brother bears awkwardly attempt to find their place in civilized society, whether they're looking for food, trying to make human friends, or scheming to become famous on the internet. Grizzly, Panda and Ice Bear stack atop one another when they leave their cave and explore the hipster environs of the San Francisco Bay Area, and it's clear the siblings have a lot to learn about a technologically driven world. By their side on many adventures are best friend Chloe (the only human character in the cast), fame-obsessed panda Nom Nom, and Charlie, aka Bigfoot.

Blaze and the Monster Machines
AJ is an 8-year-old techie who drives monster-truck Blaze, the top racer in Axle City. The two go on adventures that have them taking on problems involving science and math. Many predicaments they face are caused by Blaze's rival, Crusher, a tractor-trailer that will do anything to beat other vehicles to the finish line. The animated series is billed as the first TV show for preschoolers to comprehensively cover areas of science, technology, engineering and math. Each episode introduces different STEM concepts, including buoyancy and trajectory.

The Muppets
The Muppets return to primetime with a contemporary, documentary-style show. For the first time ever, a series will explore the Muppets’ personal lives and relationships, both at home and at work, as well as romances, breakups, achievements, disappointments, wants and desires. This is a more adult Muppet show, for “kids” of all ages.


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.
Why These Shows Are Similar
These recommendations share core qualities with The Joy of Painting (1983): Family and Documentary themes, similar pacing, and comparable production quality. NoBadPicks uses TMDB collaborative filtering, genre matching, and AI analysis to surface series most likely to resonate with fans of The Joy of Painting.
See full details for The Joy of Painting (1983)
