NoBadPicks Logo
US

Shows Like The River

Loved The River, should consider this hand-picked list which questions the purpose and weight of our choices while ensuring targets the intellect with complex, multi-layered ideas. Carefully balances character depth with narrative flow makes this a deeper look into what makes these stories stick.

Mood Breakdown
Runtime Cluster

Standard feature-length experiences.

Viewer Fit

Best for fans of who appreciate concise storytelling.

Top Picks

Who's the Boss?
7.4

Who's the Boss?

1984

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.

Coach
6.7

Coach

1989

Hayden Fox, the curmudgeonly coach of Minnesota State University's Screaming Eagles football team, tries to navigate his way through the sports world, fatherhood and family life without dropping the ball.

Key & Peele
7.7

Key & Peele

2012

Key & Peele is an American sketch comedy television show. It stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, both former cast members of MADtv. Each episode of the show consists of several pre-taped sketches starring the two actors, introduced by Key and Peele in front of a live studio audience.

Rules of Engagement
7.1

Rules of Engagement

2007

Rules of Engagement is a comedy about the different phases of male/female relationships, as seen through the eyes of a newly engaged couple, Adam and Jennifer, a long-time married pair, Jeff and Audrey, and a single guy on the prowl, Russell. As they find out, the often confusing stages of a relationship can seem like being on a roller coaster. People can describe the ride to you, but to really know what it's like you have to experience it for yourself.

The Dick Van Dyke Show
7.5

The Dick Van Dyke Show

1961

The Dick Van Dyke Show centers around the work and home life of television comedy writer Rob Petrie. The plots generally revolve around problems at work, where Rob got into various comedic jams with fellow writers Buddy Sorrell, Sally Rogers and producer Mel Cooley.

Game Shakers
7.4

Game Shakers

2015

A live-action sitcom about two 12-year-old girls who start a multi-million-dollar gaming company and take on rap superstar Double G as a business partner.

Two Guys and a Girl
7.1

Two Guys and a Girl

1998

Welcome to Beacon Street Pizza, the perfect workplace and hangout for aimless wise-guy Berg, neurotic Pete and campus beauty Sharon. Pete and Berg are roommates and students at a local Boston university, while Sharon struggles with her work and relationships. Together, these three best friends try to navigate life and love in Boston!

Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out
8.1

Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out

2005

Nick Cannon and an A-list celebrity lead a team of improv comedians as they compete against each other.

More Shows Like The River

Kenan & Kel
8.1

Kenan & Kel

1996

Set in Chicago, the show follows the kid-friendly misadventures of two high-school friends who are always scheming and dreaming. Kenan, who works at a grocery store, constantly devises crazy plans to strike it rich, while orange-soda-loving buddy Kel is always dragged along for the ride despite his track record for messing things up.

$#*! My Dad Says
6.1

$#*! My Dad Says

2010

Ed Goodson, a forthright and opinionated dad, relishes expressing his unsolicited and often wildly politically incorrect observations to anyone within earshot. Nobody is immune from Ed's rants, including his sons, Henry, a struggling writer-turned-unpaid blogger; and Vince, the meek half of his husband/wife real estate duo with domineering Kathleen. When Henry finds he can no longer afford to pay rent to his pretty roommate -- and secret admirer -- Sam, Ed reveals a soft spot and invites Henry to move in with him. Henry agrees, knowing that the verbal assault will not abate and now there will be no escape.

Three's Company
7.6

Three's Company

1977

When two single girls, Janet and Chrissy, need a roommate to share their Santa Monica apartment, they decide to offer a room to Jack, a man they find passed out in the bathtub after the going-away party for their last roommate. However, hijinks ensure when Jack must pretend to be gay in order to throw off the scent of the trio's conservative landlady.

All That
7.8

All That

1994

A zany sketch comedy featuring many wacky characters hosted for kids and by kids.

Childrens Hospital
7.1

Childrens Hospital

2008

A hospital isn't a place for lazy people. It's a place for smart people who take care of people who aren't smart enough to keep themselves healthy. So begins Children's Hospital, a parody series that follows the lives, loves and laughs of a hospital staff.

New Girl
7.4

New Girl

2011

Jessica Day is an offbeat and adorable girl in her late 20s who, after a bad breakup, moves in with three single guys. Goofy, positive, vulnerable and honest to a fault, Jess has faith in people, even when she shouldn't. Although she's dorky and awkward, she's comfortable in her own skin. More prone to friendships with women, she's not used to hanging with the boys—especially at home.

Police Squad!
7.9

Police Squad!

1982

In this cult parody of cop dramas, replete with farce and sight gags, Lieutenant Frank Drebin and his fellow officers from Police Squad bungle their way though crime investigations.

Saved by the Bell: The New Class
5.9

Saved by the Bell: The New Class

1993

Six friends grow and learn at Bayside High.

The Odd Couple
5.8

The Odd Couple

2015

Oscar's life seems almost perfect...sure he's divorced and his apartment is a mess, but he's the host of a well-known sports show, and is enjoying his bachelor lifestyle in New York City. That is until his college friend, Felix, shows up at Oscar's apartment having just been dumped by his wife. Oscar does his best to console his old buddy and get him back on the dating horse, but his attempts uncover just how unresolved his own feelings are about his ex.

Sonny with a Chance
7.8

Sonny with a Chance

2009

Allison "Sonny" Munroe makes the leap from the Midwest to Los Angeles to join the cast of "So Random!," the most popular sketch comedy TV show for kids and tweens. Her fellow young actors are resident teen queen Tawni, super suave Nico, gregarious funnyman Grady and quirky Zora. Now Sonny must somehow balance these new friendships while adjusting to her family's decidedly different way of life in Hollywood. Meanwhile, Sonny must also contend with heartthrob Chad Dylan Cooper, star of the rival show "MacKenzie Falls," who makes it known that he thinks his dramatic work is better than her comedy career.

Bosom Buddies
6.4

Bosom Buddies

1980

Kip and Henry, two young studs working for a New York ad agency, must disguise themselves as women to live in the one apartment they can afford.

Happy Days
7.6

Happy Days

1974

In 1950s Milwaukee the Cunningham family must contend with Fonzie, a motorcycle riding Casanova.

Why These Shows Are Similar

These recommendations share core qualities with The River (1988): Comedy 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 River.

See full details for The River (1988)

Explore Similar Stories