Top 250 Tv Shows Like Variation
A list of the best tv shows similar to Variation. If you liked Variation then you may also like: Abbott Elementary, The Adventures of Napkin Man, The Affair, Alex, Inc., Allen Gregory and many more great tv shows featured on this list.
The emotional story of an adulterous relationship between a journalist and a teacher.
The Adventures of Napkin Man
Mr. Anthony is a sympathetic preschool teacher. His students often come to him with their problems, most dealing with difficult emotional issues they are facing and at their age do not quite understand. Mr. Anthony helps them overcome their emotions using his alter-ego, Napkin Man, a cartoon character he draws on a napkin and who comes to life as Mr. Anthony tells how Napkin Man has dealt with the issue before in helping another young person in destress
The Affair
The Affair explores the emotional effects of an extramarital relationship between Noah Solloway and Alison Lockhart after the two meet in the resort town of Montauk in Long Island. Noah is a New York City schoolteacher with one novel published (book entitled A Person who Visits a Place) and he is struggling to write a second book. He is happily married with four children, but resents his dependence on his wealthy father-in-law. Alison is a young waitress trying to piece her life and marriage back together in the wake of the tragic death of her child. The story of the affair is told separately, complete with distinct memory biases, from the male and female perspectives.
Alex, Inc.
A brilliant radio journalist, husband, and father of two is about to do something crazy — quit his job and start his own company. He quickly discovers it’s going to be a lot harder than he thought.
Allen Gregory
Allen Gregory is a short-lived American animated television series that aired on Fox from October 30 to December 18, 2011. The series was created by Jonah Hill, Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul. The series was officially cancelled by Fox on January 8, 2012.
Boston Public
Principal Steven Harper runs Winslow High School as best as he can while dealing with the demands of the faculty, the students and their parents.
Chasing Life
April, an aspiring journalist, is balancing her ambitious career with her family and a new office romance. In an unexpected twist of fate, April learns that she has leukemia.
F is for Family
Follow the Murphy family back to the 1970s, when kids roamed wild, beer flowed freely and nothing came between a man and his TV.
Guilty Party
Beth Burgess, a discredited journalist, is desperate to salvage her career by latching on to the story of a young mother sentenced to life in prison for maiming and murdering her husband, crimes she claims she didn't commit. In trying to uncover the truth, Beth finds herself in over her head as she contends with Colorado gun-smugglers, clickbait culture, the doldrums of marriage and her own tarnished past.
House of Cards
Set in present day Washington, D.C., House of Cards is the story of Frank Underwood, a ruthless and cunning politician, and his wife Claire who will stop at nothing to conquer everything. This wicked political drama penetrates the shadowy world of greed, sex and corruption in modern D.C.
In Treatment
Set within the highly charged confines of individual psychotherapy sessions and centering around Dr. Paul Weston, a psychotherapist who exhibits an insightful, reserved demeanor while treating his patients—but displays a crippling insecurity while counseled by his own therapist.
The Paper Chase
Critically lauded drama about the life and pressures of a group of students at a prestigious Eastern law school, with a strict and domineering contract-law professor named Charles Kingsfield, who alternately inspires and terrifies the students.
Pretty Little Liars
Based on the Pretty Little Liars series of young adult novels by Sara Shepard, the series follows the lives of four girls — Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily — whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their queen bee, Alison. One year later, they begin receiving messages from someone using the name "A" who threatens to expose their secrets — including long-hidden ones they thought only Alison knew.
Ringer
Six months after deciding to pull herself together and get sober, Bridget witnesses a murder. Realizing her life is in danger and not trusting the FBI to protect her, she runs to her wealthy twin sister, Siobhan, in New York. Things start out well—with the two patching up a fractured relationship—when Siobhan suddenly goes missing. Bridget assumes her sister's identity, but soon learns that Siobhan's life is not as perfect as it looks and she is no safer than she was before
Scream: The TV Series
What starts as a YouTube video going viral, soon leads to problems for the teenagers of Lakewood and serves as the catalyst for a murder that opens up a window to the town's troubled past. Everyone has secrets. Everyone tells lies. Everyone is fair game.
Unbelievable
A teenager is charged with lying about her rape allegation, but two determined investigative female detectives discover a far more sinister truth.
Tales from the Neverending Story
Twelve-year-old Bastian Balthazar Bux had lost the wonderful imagination he had as a child somewhere between growing older, watching TV, going to school and playing with his Gameboy. But when his mother dies suddenly, Bastian's limitless imagination is reborn. Bastian comes across a magical book, 'The Neverending Story,' in a curious little bookstore. Inspired by the book, Bastian creates an enchanted world called Fantasia, inhabited by dragons, dark knights and assorted heroes and villains.
Big John, Little John
Big John, Little John was an American Saturday-morning situation comedy, produced by Sherwood Schwartz, which starred Herbert Edelman as "Big John" and Robert "Robbie" Rist as "Little John." The show first aired on September 11, 1976 on NBC, and ran for one season of 13 episodes. The series was produced by Redwood Productions in association with D'Angelo-Bullock-Allen Productions.
The Naked Archaeologist
The Naked Archaeologist is a television show produced for VisionTV in Canada and History International in the US that is hosted and prepared by the Emmy Award–winning journalist Simcha Jacobovici together with Avri Gilad. The show ultimately reviews Biblical stories, then tries to find proof for them by exploring the Holy Land looking for archaeological evidence, personal inferences, deductions, and interviews with scholars and experts. Subsequent to its original run on VisionTV, it was picked up in the U.S. by The History Channel and its sister network, History International. The third season began airing on Vision TV on March 22, 2010 and on History International on November 8, 2010.
Mr. Rhodes
Mr. Rhodes is an American television situation comedy which was aired by NBC as part of its 1996-97 lineup. Mr. Rhodes starred comedian Tom Rhodes as an eponymous character who taught at a small-town preparatory school after having failed as a novelist. He found that his high school fantasy girl, Nikki was on the staff as a guidance counselor, and began a relationship with her. Like the title character's writing career, Mr. Rhodes' appearance on network television was a brief one; the program was not picked up for another season and last broadcast in March 1997.
Mussolini: The Untold Story
The rise and fall of Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Recounting his life with his wife, children and mistress, this biography (based on the recollections of Mussolini's eldest son, Vittorio) chronicles Il Duce's tyranny as he plunges Italy into the dark days of World War II.
Political Animals
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.
Trapp Family Story
Trapp Family Story is a Japanese anime series by Nippon Animation. It was based on the memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp, which has also inspired the world famous musical The Sound of Music. While many things were changed from the original story, unlike other adaptations such as The Sound of Music, the children's names are all correct in this version.
Small Island
Follow three intricately connected stories of Jamaicans and Londoners involved in World War Two. Hortense yearns for a new life away from rural Jamaica, Gilbert dreams of becoming a lawyer, and Queenie longs to escape her Lincolnshire roots. Hope and humanity meet stubborn reality as we trace the tangled history of Jamaica and the UK.
Frankie's House
In 1964 in Laos, young Tim Page discovers his vocation as a photo journalist and is given a job, a camera, and a trip to Vietnam. There, he learns the ropes, learns about the war first in Saigon, and then in country on patrol with troops. He and his colleagues, including the sons of Errol Flynn and John Steinbeck, capture the war in pictures, recover from their wounds, swap stories, battle censorship, and support each other between the explosions at the brothel run by Tranh Ki: Frankie's House.
Some Girls
Some Girls is a British comedy series written by Bernadette Davis that airs on BBC Three. The show stars Adelayo Adedayo, Mandeep Dhillon, Alice Felgate, Natasha Jonas, Dolly Wells, Colin Salmon, Jassa Ahluwalia and Franz Drameh. It debuted on 6 November 2012 and the first series ran for six episodes. BBC Three announced at the end of the first series that the show would return for a second series. On 18 September 2013, they confirmed that each episode of the second series will premiere on BBC iPlayer a week ahead of being broadcast on BBC Three. The first episode became available on iPlayer on 23 September and will be broadcast on BBC Three on 30 September with the rest of the series following that trend.
Cheetah Kingdom
In 1995 cameraman Dave Houghton went to the Okonjima game reserve in Namibia to film footage of the majestic cheetahs, and he never left. Now he leads a team whose work rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing cheetahs, could prove crucial to the survival of one of the fastest mammals on earth. From the daring rescues, through to the emotional release, these stories come straight from the frontline of animal conservation.
The Nightmare Years
Based on the historical work "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", "The Nightmare Years" tells the story of William Shirer, American journalist who, during his days of correspondence as a foreign press in report in 1930s Germany, had to deal with the growing oppression of the Nazi regime, the increasing censorship of the press, and finally the prospect of World War. In the last days of peace, Shirer also struggles to have his German wife and child escape to the United States.
Reporting America at War
Explores the role of American journalists in the pivotal conflicts of the 20th century and beyond. From San Juan Hill to the beaches of Normandy, from the jungles of Vietnam to the Persian Gulf, reporters who witnessed and wrote the news from the battlefield share dramatic and surprising stories. Examines the challenges of frontline reporting and illuminates the role of the correspondent in shaping the way wars have been remembered and understood.
The Ice Cream Girls
In the summer of 1995, two vulnerable teenage girls are accused of murdering their schoolteacher. For seventeen years, the two girls go their separate ways, Poppy having been charged with the murder. Fast-forward to modern day. Happily married mother Serena is now back in the same seaside town for the first time as she cares for her dying mother Rachel. Poppy is living in quite different circumstances. Having served seventeen years for a crime she still insists she didn’t commit, she has only one thing on her mind… the truth. And if she didn’t kill Marcus, then who did?
City Confidential
Tells the story of one crime, the ensuing investigation, and the ripple effect it had on a community. Speaking with family, friends, detectives, journalists, and others close to the case, the series mixes firsthand accounts and archival footage to explore the crime and its outcome.
Olive Kitteridge
A look at a seemingly placid New England town that is actually wrought with illicit affairs, crime and tragedy, all told through the lens of Olive, whose wicked wit and harsh demeanor mask a warm but troubled heart and staunch moral center. The story spans 25 years and focuses on Olive's relationships with her husband, Henry, the good-hearted and kindly town pharmacist; their son, Christopher, who resents his mother's approach to parenting; and other members of their community.
D-Day to Victory
D-Day to Victory tells the epic story of the campaign that took the Allies from the biggest amphibious assault in history to the ultimate victory over Nazi Germany. It tells first-hand personal and emotional testimonies of those who fought their way across Hitler's Fortress Europe.
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
Chronicles the lives of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, three members of the most prominent and influential family in American politics. It is the first time in a major documentary television series that their individual stories have been interwoven into a single narrative. This seven-part, fourteen hour film follows the Roosevelts for more than a century, from Theodore’s birth in 1858 to Eleanor’s death in 1962.
The Missing
A gripping anthological relationship thriller series exploring the emotional fallout of a child's abduction not only on the family but on the wider community, told over two time frames.
Reliable Sources
Reliable Sources is a weekly show on CNN, focusing on analysis of the American news media. It was initially created to cover the media's coverage of the Persian Gulf War, but has since also covered the media's coverage of the Valerie Plame affair, the War in Iraq, the outing of Mark Felt as Deep Throat, and many other events and internal media stories. From 1992 to 2009, it was broadcast as a stand-alone program, but on January 18, 2009, Reliable Sources became a segment during CNN's new Sunday morning political program State of the Union with John King, although it remained hosted by Kurtz and retained its timeslot. In January 2010, after John King left the show, Reliable Sources was re-spun off as its own show, moving back one hour in the process. Reliable Sources reviews the coverage of the news stories of the past week by the media, in addition to news about the news media behind the scenes, all with a constantly changing group of online, print, and broadcast journalists. The segments also feature some one-on-one interviews with journalists taking part in a news event or covering a story, such as Bob Woodruff after his return to ABC News in February 2007 after his severe injuries in Iraq on January 29, 2006.
CNN Special Report
In hour-long, in-depth explorations, CNN hosts examine extraordinary individuals, unexpected events and controversial subjects through interviews, stories, images and videos.
On Assignment
A series in which ITV News journalists contribute in-depth reports from around the world on the stories behind the headlines.
The Secret
The true story of a Sunday school teacher and respectable dentist and pillar of the community, who formed a murderous partnership.
People of Earth
Skeptical journalist Ozzie Graham investigates a support group for alien abductees to write about the members' supposed encounters. The more he digs into their oddball claims, the more he realizes there is truth in their stories and possibly even signs that point to his own alien abduction.
Tutankhamun
The remarkable story of the chance meeting that transformed penniless, ostracised archaeologist Howard Carter into a household name following his discovery of the tomb of the boy-king, Tutankhamun.
Ackley Bridge
A new academy school in a Yorkshire mill town merges the lives and cultures of the largely divided white and Asian community
Vox Borders
Reporting from six borders around the world, Emmy-nominated journalist Johnny Harris investigates the human stories behind the lines on a map in a new series for Vox.com.
Conspiracy of Silence
Robert Kastell returns to Sweden after having been presumed dead for thirty years. A personal tragedy has made him leave his exile, and sent him on a last journey of revenge
People Magazine Investigates: Crimes of Fashion
Investigation Discovery joins forces with reporters from People magazine to tell stories of high-end fashion icons and their couture crimes that captured headlines. The adage"if looks could kill" takes on entirely unique meaning in the series, which grants People's journalists exclusive access beyond the catwalk to reveal that fashion can sometimes be fatal. The hourlong tales of depravity, obsession, and family betrayal in the fashion world all have a common thread -- cold-blooded murder.
I Am the Night
Fauna Hodel, who was given away by her teenage birth mother, begins to investigate the secrets to her past, following a sinister trail that swirls ever closer to an infamous Hollywood gynecologist connected to the legendary Black Dahlia murder.
Tell Me a Story
The world's most beloved fairy tales reimagined as a dark and twisted psychological thriller.
Pamela Smart: An American Murder Mystery
Sex, lies and a tale too twisted to be real surround the murder of Gregg Smart. Who Killed Him? And why? On May 1, 1990, 22-year-old teacher Pamela Smart finds her husband Gregg dead on the floor of their southern New Hampshire condo, leaving the town of Derry stunned. Scouring the region for clues, police shift their attention to Gregg's grieving widow, Pamela Smart, who has been making curious television appearances publicizing her plight. When investigators discover Pamela has been having a sordid affair with high school student, Billy Flynn, a complicated web of lies and deceit unravel, revealing one of the most scandalous crimes of the century. Now, leading true crime network Investigation Discovery (ID) delves into the case in Pamela Smart: An American Murder Mystery. From the tawdry affair, to teenage assassins, to the explosive nationally televised trial, this case transfixed the entire nation as Pamela Smart emerged as the original Black Widow.
The Shivering Truth
A miniature propulsive omnibus clusterbomb of painfully riotous daymares all dripping with the orange goo of dream logic. A series of loosely linked emotional parables about stories within tales that crawled out of the deepest caverns of your unconscious mind and became lovingly animated in breath-slapping stop motion - in other words, it is the truth.
The Beat with Ari Melber
Ari Melber delivers the biggest political and news stories of the day, with interviews and original reporting from around the nation. An Emmy-winning journalist, attorney and former Senate staffer, Melber cuts through the spin and the noise to tell you what's really happening. Real news, every night.
Wisting
Empathetic, meticulous and relentless - the only thing to escape Larvik detective William Wisting in his hunt for Norway's most notorious criminals is a happy family life. And when two mysterious deaths interrupt Wisting's Christmas, it is the beginning of a showdown with the deadliest killer of them all.
The Bush Years: Family, Duty, Power
Explore the Bush family’s internal dynamics: the influential matriarchs, sibling ambitions and unceasing competitive spirit which drove them to power. Through archival footage and interviews with historians, journalists, political figures and Bush family members, the series reveals a story of triumph, tragedy, heroism, faith, and an evolving conservatism.
Deep Water
Follow three women as they each make life-changing mistakes regarding their children and husbands, which lead to unpredictable criminal consequences. Based on Paula Daly's best selling novel, Windermere.
World on Fire
The story of World War II told through the intertwining fates of ordinary people from all sides of this global conflict as they grapple with the effect of the war on their everyday lives.
Retro Report on PBS
Making sense of the present by revealing the past. Journalists Celeste Headlee and Masud Olufani connect the present to the past through four distinct and varied stories, and New Yorker humorist Andy Borowitz adds his signature wit.
The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty
From the producers of "The Kennedys," this six-part miniseries tells the incredible, dramatic and emotional tale of the British Royal Family known as The Windsors. Using stunning archive and interviews with insiders and experts, the series weaves together the true story of the Windsor dynasty.
Celebrity Ghost Stories
Psychic-medium Kim Russo brings some of the biggest names in entertainment back to the sites of their previous paranormal experiences for an unfiltered, emotional, and sometimes terrifying reunion with the ghosts of their past.
Torn from the Headlines: The New York Post Reports
Some of the New York City's most dramatic true-crime stories from the perspective of the New York Post journalists who covered the cases.
Pivoting
In a small, middle-class town in Long Island, NY, three women – and close-knit childhood friends – cope with the death of the fourth member of their group. When faced with the reality that life is short, these women pivot, and alter their current paths, by way of a series of impulsive, ill-advised and self-indulgent decisions. These pivots will strengthen their bond and prove it’s never too late to screw up your life in the pursuit of happiness.
Art of Persia
Broadcaster and journalist Samira Ahmed goes on a remarkable journey to places rarely seen, as she travels through Iran, telling the story of a complex and fascinating people, culture and history.
Enslaved
A look at 400 years of human trafficking from Africa to the New World with each episode following three separate story lines: the quest for a sunken slave ship, a personal journey by Samuel L. Jackson and a historical investigation led by investigative journalists Simcha Jacobovici and Afua Hirsch.
Becoming
The origin stories of 10 athletes, entertainers, and musicians. Each episode centers around a visit to the celebrity’s hometown, touring important locations central to their upbringing. A supporting cast of family members, coaches, teachers, mentors and friends are interviewed, sharing rarely heard anecdotes and insights into the star’s “becoming” story.
Around the World in 80 Days
Following an outrageous bet, Fogg and his valet, Passepartout, take on the legendary journey of circumnavigating the globe in just 80 days, swiftly joined by aspiring journalist Abigail Fix, who seizes the chance to report on this extraordinary story.
The Drowning
Since losing her son eight years ago, Jodie has been rebuilding her life but when she catches sight of Daniel, she is convinced she has found her missing son.
Fantasy Island
This contemporary version of the classic drama series delves into the “what if” questions that keep us awake at night. Each episode tells emotional, provocative stories about people who walk in with a desire, but end up reborn to themselves through the magical realism of Fantasy Island.
The Holiday
The story follows Kate, a woman who discovers that her husband is having an affair during a luxurious holiday somewhere in the Mediterranean. The troubled couple are sharing a villa with four of Kate’s closest friends, one of which is the adulterous partner, but she doesn’t realise that the guilty party could be prepared to kill in order to keep their secret safe.
Interview with the Vampire
Louis de Pointe's epic story of love, blood, and the perils of immortality, as told to the journalist Daniel Molloy. Chafing at the limitations of life as a black man in 1900s New Orleans, Louis finds it impossible to resist the rakish Lestat De Lioncourt's offer of the ultimate escape: joining him as his vampire companion.
Inside Man
A prisoner on death row in the US, a vicar in a quiet English town, and a maths teacher trapped in a cellar cross paths in the most unexpected way.
The Perfect Mother
Convinced of her daughter's innocence in a homicide, a devoted mother soon uncovers unsettling truths as the line between victim and perpetrator blurs.
Magpie Murders
An editor gets drawn into a web of intrigue and murder when she receives an unfinished manuscript.
The Space Age: NASA's Story
This BBC series offers a fresh look at an amazing organization and mankind's quest to understand the universe. Blending stunningly restored footage with revealing, insightful and engaging interviews with the people who were there - the astronauts, family members and journalists - this is an epic story of the heroes, the triumphs and the tragedies of space exploration. Starting with NASA's beginnings in the Cold War, the series follows the iconic moments of space exploration from the race to get the first man in space to the first steps on the moon. And with triumph and achievement comes risk and disaster, as the series follows the white-knuckle suspense of Apollo 13 and the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. Intelligent, inspiring and accessible, The Space Age is a complete history of mankind's journey into space.
The Brian Epstein Story: The Sun Will Shine Tomorrow Part 1
Documentary on the life of Brian Epstein, the man who brought The Beatles to fame. First in a two-part documentary examining the turbulent life and career of Beatles manager Brian Epstein. Gay when homosexuality was illegal, a gambler, shopkeeper and failed actor, he was also pop king with a Midas touch who, in the 60s, was as well known as the band he managed.
Keep This Between Us
The series exposes an epidemic of widespread grooming – manipulative and coercive behavior by abusers to gain access to potential victims – in U.S. high schools. The series follows one woman’s journey as she reexamines her past relationship with a trusted teacher.
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
The big names behind the big stories. Laura Kuenssberg talks to those making the news, inside and outside politics.
The Speedshop
The Speedshop features former Royal Marine Titch Cormack who left the military in order to pursue his passion for building motorbikes but has since created a number of life-changing motorbikes and vehicles for those who need them. So prepare for an emotional six episodes as Titch creates a number of special vehicles for various people with incredible stories to tell.
Harry & Meghan
From their courtship to their exit from royal life, Harry and Meghan share their complex journey in their own words in this docuseries.
Dublin Narcos
Over the 1980s and 1990s Dublin transformed from a recession-blighted backwater to one of the wealthiest cities in Europe. As its fortunes changed so did those of its criminals, who began selling heroin, ecstasy and cocaine. Dublin Narcos tells the story of the rise in addiction, violence and organised crime which persists to this day, with first hand testimony from the kingpins and cops to the ravers and users. We also hear from the fearless journalists whose attempts at exposing the drugs barons led to the death of one of their bravest, Veronica Guerin.
Turkey: Empire of Erdogan
The inside story of Erdogan’s astonishing rise to power. With first-hand testimony from former president Abdullah Gul, former prime ministers, deputy PMs, party chiefs, opposition figures, analysts and journalists, this two-part series is a gripping and detailed account of the many battles Erdogan has had to fight along the way.
Alice & Jack
When Alice and Jack first meet, they have a connection so powerful it seems nothing can break it, but can they find happiness together, or will their own emotional complexities get in the way?
Forensics: Catching the Killer
Explores horrific murder cases through the various twists and turns and unpacks in detail how the forensic work helped catch a killer. Telling these true crime stories are those closest to the case – from the forensic officers and experts, police officers, journalists, and family and friends.
The Billion Dollar Goal
The emotional story of soccer in the USA: resilience, redemption and a bright future. Passion, success and the iconic billion-dollar goal.
Our boys in Java
In 'Our boys on Java', the four-part series that journalist and historian Coen Verbraak made for BNNVARA, fourteen of them still tell their stories. Including Joop Hueting, who in 1969 was the first to report war crimes committed by the Dutch. It was the last interview with Hueting; he passed away in November 2018.
My Brave Face
The emotional real-life stories of inspiring individuals with severe facial conditions. Explore as they undergo life-changing treatment at some of America’s top medical institutions.
Tacos of Texas
Rooted in tradición mexicana and infused with Texas food culture, tacos are some of Texans’ all-time favorite foods. In The Tacos of Texas, the taco journalists Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece take us on a muy sabroso taco tour around the state as they discover the traditions, recipes, stories, and personalities behind the diverse tacos styles all over Texas.
Abbott Elementary
In this workplace comedy, a group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal — are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible public servants may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don’t love the school district’s less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.