With its complicated love entanglements and unflinching portrayal of betrayal and ambition, the show struck a nerve.
Now with Season 2 arriving on September 11, fans are counting down the days to see what comes next.
But the wait doesn’t have to be boring. If you loved the high drama of Beauty in Black, here are five other series you can binge in the meantime.
They may not be cut from the same cloth, but they echo its themes of family tension, messy relationships, ambition, and secrets lurking in plain sight.
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1. Anatomy of a Scandal (Netflix)
If there’s one show that feels like a spiritual cousin to Beauty in Black, it’s Anatomy of a Scandal.
This British courtroom drama dives into the chaos that ensues when the wife of a powerful politician learns her husband has been unfaithful and is accused of sexual assault.
At its heart, it’s a story about the cost of lies, the ripple effects of betrayal, and the devastating consequences of ambition when paired with moral corruption. Like Beauty in Black, it asks a haunting question: how well do we really know the people closest to us?
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2. Kings of Jo’Burg (Netflix, South Africa)
If Beauty in Black captured the struggle between survival and ambition, Kings of Jo’Burg amplifies it tenfold.
This South African crime drama follows the Masire brothers, who rule Johannesburg’s underworld but are haunted by family secrets and supernatural forces.
Like Beauty in Black, the show doesn’t shy away from the complicated ways money, power, and family intertwine.
It’s gritty, intense, and rooted in African realities, making it a perfect pick for fans who want to see how far ambition can take you, and how much it can cost.
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3. The Upshaws (Netflix)
On the lighter side, The Upshaws is a sitcom about a working-class Black family in Indiana trying to juggle love, kids, and chaos. While it’s more comedy-driven than Beauty in Black, it shares a core theme: resilience.
The matriarch, Regina (Kim Fields), often mirrors the strength of characters like those in Beauty in Black, women who hold everything together when life spins out of control.
If you enjoyed watching strong female characters navigate struggles with both grace and grit, The Upshaws is your palate cleanser between the heavier dramas.
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4. Behind Her Eyes (Netflix)
For fans of Beauty in Black’s messy love triangles, Behind Her Eyes offers an addictive psychological twist.
The British thriller follows a single mother who begins an affair with her psychiatrist boss while secretly befriending his mysterious wife.
Like Beauty in Black, it peels back the layers of desire, betrayal, and the hidden darkness in relationships.
What makes Behind Her Eyes stand out is its shocking ending, the kind of twist that will leave you questioning every detail. If you like your drama spiced with suspense and mind games, this is the perfect binge.
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5. The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)
If Beauty in Black fascinated you with its themes of wealth and corruption, The Fall of the House of Usher offers a darker, gothic take.
Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s works, it follows the powerful Usher family, whose pharmaceutical empire is built on greed, lies, and ambition, until their heirs start dying mysteriously one by one.
The show mirrors Beauty in Black’s exploration of how ambition and secrets destroy families from the inside. While Perry’s drama stays rooted in everyday realities, Usher heightens the horror, showing how unchecked power can literally be fatal.
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