20 best shows like The Defiant Ones (1986)

A 13-year-old Sicilian girl must contend with a viral contagion that has killed off all adults on the island as she sets out in search of her kidnapped brother.

France, 1815. Jean Valjean, a common thief, is released from prison after having lived a hell in life for 19 years, but a small mistake puts the law again on his trail. Ruthless Inspector Javert pursues him thorough years, driven by a twisted sense of justice, while Valjean reforms himself, thrives and dedicates his life to good deeds. In 1832, while the revolution ravages the streets of Paris, Valjean and Javert cross their paths for the last time.

The military's brightest minds tackle the country's toughest legal challenges at the Marine Corps Base Quantico, where every attorney is trained as a prosecutor, a defense lawyer, an investigator, and a Marine. Working side-by-side, they serve their country with integrity while often putting aside ideals for the sake of the truth.

A fresh look at the life and legacy of the iconic artist Leonardo da Vinci, positing that he was a gay outsider who used his work as a way of hiding his true self. Each episode will examine one of da Vinci’s artworks for hidden clues about a tortured artist struggling for perfection.

The adventures of relatable and adventurous Riley Matthews, the tween daughter of Cory and Topanga Matthews, and her bold best friend Maya as they traverse the twists and turns of teenage years at Manhattan's John Quincy Adams Middle School where Riley's dad is their History teacher.

What happens after the world ends? This show explores the aftermath of infidelity on a gay couple in Silver Lake, CA.

Consumed by the mystery surrounding the donor heart that saved her life, a young patient starts taking on sinister characteristics of the deceased.

Reporter Camille Preaker confronts the psychological demons from her past when she returns to her hometown to investigate the murders of two young girls.

The intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. Explore the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster.

A group of East High students countdown to the opening night of their school’s first-ever production of “High School Musical.” Showmances blossom; friendships are tested while new ones are made; rivalries flare and lives are changed forever as these young people discover the transformative power that only a high school drama club can provide.

An inside look of the lives of seven WWE Divas from their work within WWE to their personal lives.

Starting over is never an easy thing to do. So after his breakup with long time partner Kevin, Jonathan finds himself struggling to adjust to life as a single guy. His friends want him to date, his mother wants him to get married (she's in denial) and have kids but Jonathan just wants to enjoy his new life. But sometimes the past has a way of shining light on a chapter that should've been closed.

Two Mexican-American sisters from the Eastside of Los Angeles who couldn't be more different or distanced from each other are forced to return to their old neighborhood, where they are confronted by the past and surprising truth about their mother’s identity.

Honest cop Tony Jr. gets advice from his unscrupulous father, retired NYPD officer Tony Sr., about everything from his job to his love life.

A post apocalyptic saga spanning multiple timelines telling the stories of survivors of a devastating flu as they attempt to rebuild and reimagine the world anew while holding on to the best of what's been lost.

The anthology horror series follows 25-year-old Atticus Freeman, who joins up with his friend Letitia and his Uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America to find his missing father. They must survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the malevolent spirits that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback.

Falling Skies opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the six months since the initial invasion, the few survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers work to protect the people in their care while also engaging in an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force.

Claire, a talented but emotionally troubled dancer, joins a company in New York City, and soon finds herself immersed in the tough and often cutthroat world of professional ballet. The dark and gritty series will unflinchingly explore the dysfunction and glamour of the ballet world.

The Doom Patrol’s members each suffered horrible accidents that gave them superhuman abilities — but also left them scarred and disfigured. Traumatized and downtrodden, the team found purpose through The Chief, who brought them together to investigate the weirdest phenomena in existence — and to protect Earth from what they find.

Ian Mitchell is a lawyer and father who one day receives a box containing a gun and a picture of a stranger, along with instructions to kill the pictured person. He is subsequently attacked by another stranger, and discovers that he has been chosen by a mysterious organization known as The Watchers to participate in a lethal game.

Follow a disillusioned teen recruited into a storied high school for assassins. Maintaining his moral code while surviving a ruthless curriculum, vicious social cliques, and his own adolescent uncertainties may prove fatal.

Jonathan is a young physicist, who alone holds the knowledge of an imminent cataclysmic meteor strike. As he tirelessly warns the world of impending doom, he is ostracized by those who fear the truth, forcing him to choose between what may be a futile attempt to save humanity, or making the ultimate sacrifice for his family.

Two strangers are drawn to a mysterious pharmaceutical trial that will, they're assured, with no complications or side-effects whatsoever, solve all of their problems, permanently. Things do not go as planned.

Follow the life and crimes of five diverse and treacherous manicurists working at the Nail Artisan of Manatee County salon, where there is a lot more going on than silk wraps and pedicures.

A psychiatrist moves with her family from California to her husband’s hometown in Mississippi only to uncover shameful secrets that irrevocably change the lives of everyone involved.

In this contemporary take on the beloved book series, five best friends launch a baby-sitting business that's big on fun and adventure.

Auburn Reed is determined to put her challenging past behind her and get her future on track. Now in her mid-twenties and struggling to fund her custody battle for her only son, she stumbles upon the art studio of the talented and charming artist, Owen Gentry. The two wrestle with their developing romance and the secrets they're both keeping until they realize they may risk their future if they don't reveal their pasts to each other.

An anthology series of stand alone episodes delving into horror myths, legends and lore.

Covert operative Tom Keen joins forces with Susan "Scottie" Hargrave, the brilliant and cunning chief of a covert mercenary organization that solves problems that are too dangerous for the government.

Howard Silk is a lowly cog in a bureaucratic UN agency who is turning the last corner of a life filled with regret when he discovers the agency he works for is guarding a secret: a crossing to a parallel dimension.

The personal and political struggles, setbacks and triumphs of a diverse family of LGBT men and women who helped pioneer one of the last legs of the U.S. Civil Rights movement from its turbulent infancy in the 20th century to the once unfathomable successes of today. The period piece tells the history of the gay rights movement, starting with the Stonewall Riots in 1969.

Tommy Egan leaves New York behind and plans to take on Chicago, using his outsider status to break all the local rules and rewrite them on his quest to become the biggest drug dealer in the city.

Robyn McCall, an enigmatic former CIA operative with a mysterious background, uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn.

An astronaut returns home from a year long solo mission in space. She tries to reconnect with her husband and son in their everyday life. Her experiences in space and home lead to events that ultimately will change the course of human history.

The story of the town and people who live above “The Loop,” a machine built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe – making things possible that were previously relegated only to science fiction.