Readalikes for Fall TV Premieres – Part II

(Did you miss part I? Click here!)

Here are some more upcoming fall TV shows, plus YA and YA-friendly adult books that make for great companion pieces.

purityJane the Virgin (The CW) – Starring Gina Rodriguez
A strange turn of events leads to Type-A, virginal Jane being artificially inseminated without her knowledge. Based on a telenovela, this soapy dramedy has the potential to spark conversations about cultural clashes, reproductive rights, and feminism. Watch the trailer here.
Readalikes:


naomi-and-elyOne Big Happy (NBC) – Starring Elisha Cuthbert and Nick Zano
This show is clearly banking on the success of shows like Modern Family (and executive producer Ellen DeGeneres) to get viewers. Lizzy, who is a lesbian, and her best friend Luke decided to have a baby as friends, but things become complicated when Luke gets married.
Readalikes:

  • Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
  • Two Parties, One Tux, and a Very Short Film About the Grapes of Wrath by Steven Goldman
  • My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
  • The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George

feeling-sorry-celiaRed Band Society (Fox) – Starring Dave Annable and Octavia Spencer
Based on a Spanish TV series, this show will follow a group of teens living together in the pediatric ward of a hospital. Expect everyone you know to tune into the pilot. Watch the trailer here.
Readalikes:

dare-meSelfie (ABC) – Starring Karen Gillan and John Cho
Pygmalion meets Instagram in this sitcom is about a self-obsessed young woman who must lower herself down to earth with the help of the more tightly laced older man at work. Watch the trailer here.
Readalikes:

bubble-worldUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (NBC) – Starring Ellie Kemper
Created by Tina Fey and starring The Office and Bridesmaids alum Ellie Kemper, this sitcom is one you can expect will get a lot of buzz. Kimmy spent 15 years in a cult and is now trying to live in the real world, to hilarious consequence.
Readalikes:

death-dickinsonWeird Loners (Fox) – Starring Zachary Knighton, Becki Newton, Nate Torrence, and Meera Rohit Kumbhani
This decade’s Friends reduces the number of strangers to four, puts them in an apartment building together and forces them to confront their approaches to relationships – which none of them wants to do. While it may be about 30-somethings, teens should respond well to the idea of disparate personalities struggling to connect and understand each other and themselves.
Readalikes:

  • Sweet Treats and Secret Crushes by Lisa Greenwald
  • Death, Dickinson and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez
  • Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid
  • The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares (2002 Best Books for Young Adults, 2009 Popular Paperbacks)
  • Dreams of Significant Girls by Cristina Garcia

–Hannah Gómez, currently reading Dirty Wings by Sarah McCarry

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Hannah Gómez

Hannah Gómez is a former independent school librarian and now works remotely as a librarian consultant/teacher. She also teaches fitness and writes things. She is on Twitter @shgmclicious