NoBadPicks Logo
US

Shows Like Boys from the Blackstuff

For those captivated by Boys from the Blackstuff, can dive deeper into questions the purpose and weight of our choices while maintaining targets the intellect with complex, multi-layered ideas. Carefully balances character depth with narrative flow makes this a compelling continuation of these themes.

Mood Breakdown
Runtime Cluster

Standard feature-length experiences.

Viewer Fit

Best for fans of who appreciate concise storytelling.

Top Picks

Brassic
8.4

Brassic

2019

A group of working-class friends finding unconventional ways to win at life in suburban northern England. These lads have dealt, scammed, bribed and conned their way through adolescence, but now, their dealing and stealing is catching up with them and a whole load of trouble is heading their way.

Downton Abbey
8.1

Downton Abbey

2010

A chronicle of the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era—with great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.

Years and Years
7.6

Years and Years

2019

As Britain is rocked by unstable political, economic and technological advances, members of the Lyons family converge on one crucial night in 2019. Over the next 15 years, the twists and turns of their everyday lives are explored as we find out if this ordinary family could change the world.

Political Animals
7.1

Political Animals

2012

Former first lady and current Secretary of State Elaine Barrish Hammond try to keep her family together while simultaneously dealing with crises of the State Department and fending off the hungry DC journalist who is bent on destroying her career.

Love Me
6.0

Love Me

2021

The Mathiesons, Clara (30s), Glen (60s) and Aaron (20s), find themselves at an emotional crossroads following an unexpected event that changes their lives forever.

Poldark
7.7

Poldark

2015

Britain is in the grip of a chilling recession... falling wages, rising prices, civil unrest - only the bankers are smiling. It's 1783 and Ross Poldark returns from the American War of Independence to his beloved Cornwall to find his world in ruins: his father dead, the family mine long since closed, his house wrecked and his sweetheart pledged to marry his cousin. But Ross finds that hope and love can be found when you are least expecting it in the wild but beautiful Cornish landscape.

South Riding
6.9

South Riding

2011

The lives and loves of a 1930s Yorkshire town explored in a passionate tale of politics in small places. South Riding charts the story of Sarah Burton's homecoming to Yorkshire in 1934 after twenty years teaching in London and the Empire. After a fiery interview with a conservative interview panel, outspoken Sarah takes up her first headmistress-ship at Kiplington High School for Girls, determined to demonstrate to her new pupils that the future is theirs for the taking.

Offspring
6.9

Offspring

2010

An exuberant drama set in Melbourne's Fitzroy, centering on Nina Proudman and her struggle to deal with her fabulously messy family, her hunt for a decent love life and her tendency to overthink and fly off into fantasy.

More Shows Like Boys from the Blackstuff

Upstairs, Downstairs
7.8

Upstairs, Downstairs

1971

Upstairs: the wealthy, aristocratic Bellamys. Downstairs: their loyal and lively servants. For nearly 30 years, they share a fashionable townhouse at 165 Eaton Place in London’s posh Belgravia neighborhood, surviving social change, political upheaval, scandals, and the horrors of the First World War.

Empire Falls
6.5

Empire Falls

2005

The humorous, poignant story of a declining New England town and its inhabitants, whose lives are deeply rooted in and influenced by the Knox River and its vacant mills, their class differences, and ghosts of the past.

Suspicion
6.8

Suspicion

2022

Four ordinary Brits are accused of kidnapping the son of a prominent U.S. media mogul. They embark on a desperate race against time to prove their innocence, but will anyone believe them—and are they telling the truth?

The Girlfriend
7.2

The Girlfriend

2025

Laura has it all: a glittering career, a loving husband, and her precious son, Daniel. But her perfect life unravels when Daniel brings home Cherry, a girlfriend who changes everything. After a tense introduction, Laura becomes convinced Cherry is hiding something. Is she a manipulative social climber, or is Laura just paranoid? The truth is a matter of perspective.

Toxic Town
7.0

Toxic Town

2025

When dozens of babies in Corby are born with disabilities, their mothers embark on a battle to hold those responsible to account.

North & South
8.1

North & South

2004

Margaret Hale is a southerner from a country vicarage newly settled in the industrial northern town of Milton. In the shock of her move, she misjudges charismatic cotton mill-owner John Thornton, whose strength of purpose and passion are a match for her own pride and willfulness. When the workers of Milton call a strike, Margaret takes their side, and the two are brought into deeper conflict. As events spiral out of control, Margaret - to her surprise - begins to fall in love with Thornton...

Gentleman Jack
7.8

Gentleman Jack

2019

Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, 1832. Anne Lister attempts to revitalize her inherited home, Shibden Hall. Most notably for the time period, a part of her plan is to help the fate of her own family - by taking a wife.

Tales of the Unexpected
6.7

Tales of the Unexpected

1979

A British television anthology of stories, often with sinister and wryly comedic undertones, and a twist at the end. With early episodes written and presented by Roald Dahl, the series featured a plethora of big name guest stars.

Parish
6.5

Parish

2024

Gray Parish is a good man with a troubled past who gave up his life of crime for life as a family man. But when his son is violently murdered, old habits return, sending him on a relentless quest with moral intentions and dangerous consequences.

Our Friends in the North
7.5

Our Friends in the North

1996

An epic tale of a changing Britain over four decades, seen through the eyes of four friends.

Maude
6.8

Maude

1972

Well-educated and upper middle class, Maude Findlay is the archetypal feminist of her generation. She lives in suburban Tuckahoe, New York, with her fourth husband, Walter, their divorced daughter, Carol, and grandson Phillip.

Life on Top
6.7

Life on Top

2009

Based on a novel by Clara Darling, about a college grad who heads to a big city looking for work and discovers her older sister, who's been living there for years, is a model.

Why These Shows Are Similar

These recommendations share core qualities with Boys from the Blackstuff (1982): Drama 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 Boys from the Blackstuff.

See full details for Boys from the Blackstuff (1982)

Explore Similar Stories