12 Movies Like Mad Men You Need to Watch
Find 12 sharp, adult picks with drama, romance, crime, and comedy energy—perfect for fans of Mad Men and similar character-driven stories.
If you’re searching for movies like Mad Men, you probably want sharp dialogue, tangled relationships, and a polished edge that can turn glamorous one minute and unsettling the next. This list brings together twelve films and TV-adjacent picks that echo that mood, from Mad Men and Californication to Crash, Savage Grace, and The Last Mistress. You’ll also find uneasy, emotionally charged stories such as Tell Me You Love Me, Clapham Junction, and Joe's Palace, all of which lean into desire, regret, and the pressure hiding beneath everyday life. The mix of drama, comedy, romance, crime, and biography gives you plenty of angles, whether you want wit, scandal, or something more intimate and bleak. If you liked the period sheen, adult themes, and complicated characters, these titles should give you a strong next watch.
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01
Californication
Won 2 Emmys 6 nominations
comedy · drama
A self-loathing, alcoholic writer attempts to repair his damaged relationships with his daughter and her mother while combating sex addiction, a budding drug problem, and the seeming inability to avoid making bad decisions.
Directed by David Von Ancken, Adam Bernstein, John Dahl, Bart Freundlich, Michael LehmannCast David Duchovny, Natascha McElhone, Evan Handler, Pamela Adlon, Madeleine MartinParamount PlusMore details on IMDb → -
02
Boarding Gate
drama · thriller
A beautiful woman, Sandra, seduces a wealthy businessman, Miles Rennburg. Little does he realise that she has been sent to kill him at the behest of her boyfriend/crime partner, Lester. Controlling all this is Sue, Lester's wife.
Directed by Olivier AssayasCast Asia Argento, Michael Madsen, Kelly Lin, Carl Ng, Kim GordonAmazon Prime VideoMore details on IMDb → -
03
Tell Me You Love Me
drama · romance
This riveting and provocative drama series explores issues of intimacy within the lives of three couples and the therapist they share.
Directed by Melanie Mayron, Patricia Rozema, Ernest Dickerson, Rodrigo García, Anthony HemingwayCast Michelle Borth, Tim DeKay, Aislinn Paul, Adam Scott, Sonya WalgerMaxMore details on IMDb → -
04
The Last Mistress
drama · romance
Secrets, rumors and betrayals surround the upcoming marriage between a young dissolute man and virtuous woman of the French aristocracy.
Directed by Catherine BreillatCast Asia Argento, Fu'ad Aït Aattou, Roxane Mesquida, Claude Sarraute, Yolande MoreauAMC+More details on IMDb → -
05
Savage Grace
drama
This examination of a famous scandal from the 1970s explores the relationship between Barbara Baekeland and her only son, Antony. Barbara, a lonely social climber unhappily married to the wealthy but remote plastics heir Brooks Baekeland, dotes on Antony, who is homosexual. As Barbara tries to "cure" Antony of his sexuality -- sometimes by seducing him herself -- the groundwork is laid for a murderous tragedy.
Directed by Tom KalinCast Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Anne Reid, Martin Huber, Minnie MarxAMC+More details on IMDb → -
06
Crash
drama
Crash is an American television drama series that tells the story of how the lives of how several very diverse Southern Californians intersect.
Directed by Stefan Schwartz, Sanford Bookstaver, Bobby Moresco, Andrew Bernstein, Bill EaglesCast Dennis Hopper, Moran Atias, Ross McCall, Jocko Sims, Dana AshbrookAmazon Prime VideoMore details on IMDb → -
07
Joe's Palace
1 BAFTA TV Award nomination
drama
A drama centered on the relationship between Elliot, a strange and wealthy Londoner, and Joe, a teenager who takes care of an empty house Elliot owns.
Directed by Stephen PoliakoffCast Michael Gambon, Danny Lee Wynter, Rupert Penry-Jones, Kelly Reilly, Rebecca HallMaxMore details on IMDb → -
08
Power
crime · drama
A successful New York entrepreneur lives a double life as the head of a drug empire that serves only the rich and influential, all while wanting to escape the underworld and keep his family safe.
Directed by Sanford Bookstaver, MJ Bassett, Rob Hardy, Hernán Otaño, Anthony HemingwayCast Omari Hardwick, Lela Loren, Naturi Naughton, Joseph Sikora, Shane JohnsonAmazon Prime VideoHuluStarzMore details on IMDb → -
09
Boomerang
comedy · drama · romance
Marcus is a successful advertising executive who woos and beds women almost at will. After a company merger he finds that his new boss, the ravishing Jacqueline, is treating him in exactly the same way. Completely traumatised by this, his work goes badly downhill.
Directed by Reginald HudlinCast Eddie Murphy, Robin Givens, Halle Berry, David Alan Grier, Martin LawrenceStarzMore details on IMDb → -
10
American Gangster
2 Oscar nominations Best Supporting Actress (2008)
biography · crime · drama
Loosely based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina, who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War, before being detained by a task force led by Newark Detective Richie Roberts.
Directed by Ridley ScottCast Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Lymari NadalApple TV PlusMore details on IMDb → -
11
The Bold and the Beautiful
drama · romance
Continuing drama combining romance and intrigue set against the glittering backdrop of Beverly Hills and the American fashion industry.
Directed by Michael Stich, Cynthia J. Popp, Deveney Kelly, Jennifer Howard, Anthony PascarelliCast Katherine Kelly Lang, Ronn Moss, John McCook, Susan Flannery, Hunter TyloAmazon Prime VideoMore details on IMDb → -
12
The Agency
drama · sci-fi · thriller
A mysterious millionaire buys an ad agency and begins to replace its employees with his own people, who don't appear to be advertising types at all...
Directed by George KaczenderCast Robert Mitchum, Lee Majors, Valerie Perrine, Alexandra Stewart, Saul RubinekFreeveeMore details on IMDb →
Wrapping Up
That blend of wit, tension, and messy human behavior is what makes this group so easy to keep exploring. Whether you’re drawn to period style, sexual politics, or stories where polished surfaces crack fast, these picks offer plenty to dig into. Bookmark this page and come back when you want another set of smart, adult dramas with that same charged atmosphere. We update it regularly, so the selection can grow and shift as new matches are added.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes these movies similar to Mad Men?
These picks were matched by tone, themes, and story style using a similarity model trained on plot synopses, genres, and cast — not just shared genre tags — so the connection runs deeper than a simple category match.