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Shows Like The Substitute

If you enjoyed The Substitute, should consider this hand-picked list which questions the purpose and weight of our choices while delivering targets the intellect with complex, multi-layered ideas. Carefully balances character depth with narrative flow makes this a solid addition to your watchlist.

Mood Breakdown
Runtime Cluster

Standard feature-length experiences.

Viewer Fit

Best for fans of who appreciate concise storytelling.

Top Picks

Fear Factor
7.5

Fear Factor

2017

This refresh of the breakthrough series is hosted by Ludacris and custom-created for a new generation. Filled with new stunts inspired by urban legends, popular scary movies and viral videos from today’s cultural zeitgeist, contestants will confront their fears, be pushed beyond their comfort zones and take action against some of their biggest stressors.

Sesame Street
7.1

Sesame Street

1969

On a special inner city street, the inhabitants—human and muppet—teach preschoolers basic educational and social concepts using comedy, cartoons, games, and songs.

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.

Whose Line Is It Anyway?
7.8

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

1998

The show where everything's made up and the points don't matter. Not a talk show, not a sitcom, not a game show, Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a completely unique concept to network television. Four talented actors perform completely unrehearsed skits and games in front of a studio audience. Host Drew Carey sets the scene, with contributions from the audience, but the actors rely completely on their quick wit and improvisational skills. It's genuinely improvised, so anything can happen - and often does.

Family Feud
7.7

Family Feud

1999

Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people.

The Carbonaro Effect
7.5

The Carbonaro Effect

2014

Michael Carbonaro is a magician by trade, but a prankster by heart. Michael performs baffling tricks on unsuspecting people in everyday situations, all caught on hidden camera. Everyone is left stunned and delighted, even though they have no idea what just hit them.

The Amanda Show
7.1

The Amanda Show

1999

The Amanda Show is an American live action sketch comedy and variety show that aired on Nickelodeon from October 16, 1999 to September 21, 2002. It starred Amanda Bynes, Drake Bell, and Nancy Sullivan, along with several performing artists who came and left at different points, such as John Kassir, Raquel Lee, and Josh Peck. The show was a spin-off from All That, in which Bynes had co-starred for several years. The show was unexpectedly cancelled at the end of 2002, according to creator Dan Schneider's blog. Writers for the show included John Hoberg, Steven Molaro, Andrew Hill Newman, and Dan Schneider. Two years after the end of The Amanda Show, Dan Schneider created a new series, called Drake & Josh, featuring Drake Bell, Josh Peck and Nancy Sullivan.

Jeopardy!
6.8

Jeopardy!

1984

America's favorite quiz show where contestants are presented with general knowledge clues in the form of answers, and must phrase their responses in question form.

More Shows Like The Substitute

All Grown Up!
7.7

All Grown Up!

2003

The former "Rugrats" tots now face preteen issues and dilemmas.

Henry Danger
8.3

Henry Danger

2014

When 13-year-old Henry Hart lands a job as Danger, the sidekick-in-training to superhero Captain Man, he must learn to navigate a double life balancing the challenges of 8th grade with the crazy adventures of a real-life crime fighter!

Cow and Chicken
7.1

Cow and Chicken

1997

Follows the surreal adventures of a cow, named Cow, and her chicken brother, named Chicken. They are often antagonized by "The Red Guy", who poses as various characters to scam them.

Squid Game: The Challenge
6.5

Squid Game: The Challenge

2023

In this reality competition show inspired by "Squid Game," 456 players put their skills to the ultimate test for a life-changing $4.56 million prize.

Dance Moms
7.1

Dance Moms

2011

Dance Moms is an American dance reality series that debuted on Lifetime on July 13, 2011. Created by Collins Avenue Productions, it is set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the Abby Lee Dance Company, and follows children's early careers in dance show business and their mothers.

Freakazoid!
7.8

Freakazoid!

1995

The adventures of Freakazoid, a manic, insane superhero who battles with an array of super villains.

The Weekenders
8.0

The Weekenders

2000

Four friends, Tino, Carver, Lor, and Tish, spend each weekend discovering and creating new levels of fun, while negotiating the obligatory obstacles of adolescence.

Whose Line Is It Anyway?
7.7

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

2013

Comedian Aisha Tyler hosts this improv comedy show where the actors on the show - Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles along with a special guest each episode -must put their comedic skills to the test through a series of spontaneous improv games, prompted only by random ideas supplied by the studio audience.

Shake It Up
7.6

Shake It Up

2010

Best pals CeCe and Rocky dream of dancing stardom. And they seem on the verge of realizing that goal when they win places as backup dancers on the local TV show "Shake It Up, Chicago." While they get to show off their moves, they find out they need to keep putting their best feet forward to keep up with the rest of the crew on the show.

The Muppet Show
8.0

The Muppet Show

1976

Go behind the curtains as Kermit the Frog and his muppet friends struggle to put on a weekly variety show.

Gabby's Dollhouse
8.0

Gabby's Dollhouse

2021

This colorful series leads preschoolers room to room through a fantastical dollhouse of delightful mini-worlds and irresistible kitty characters.

The Challenge
7.2

The Challenge

1998

Each Challenge pits numerous cast members from past seasons of reality shows against each other, dividing them into two separate teams according to different criteria, such as gender, which show they first appeared on, whether or not they're veterans or rookies on the show, etc. The two teams compete in numerous missions in order to win prizes and advance in the overall game.

Why These Shows Are Similar

These recommendations share core qualities with The Substitute (2019): Reality and Kids 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 Substitute.

See full details for The Substitute (2019)

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