3 Shows to Watch Once You’ve Finished “The Queen’s Gambit”

You’ve devoured “The Queen’s Gambit”, Netflix’s acclaimed miniseries about an orphan chess prodigy named Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) dominating the game in the 1960s — based on William Tevis’ novel of the same name — and now no amount of chess-for-dummies books can fill the Anya Taylor-Joy’s eyes-sized hole in your heart, right? Well, whether you watched “The Queen’s Gambit” for the compelling, genius protagonist full of ambition or for the detailed period production design (or both!), here are three dramas that might be worth checking out. 

Were you mostly into “The Queen’s Gambit” for the gorgeous 1960s costume and production design? It’s okay, we don’t blame you. It was a visual feast. For more of that, you can dive right into “Mad Men“, if you haven’t seen it already. Sure, the critically-acclaimed, award-winning drama is about a Manhattan advertising company in the 1960s, and it was lauded for its impeccable writing and stellar performances from the like of Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, and so many others, but what also set it apart was the insanely detailed production value. It set a high bar for any period pieces that came after, including “The Queen’s Gambit”.

Available on IMDb TV and AMC+

If you appreciated the storytelling of “The Queen’s Gambit”, both structurally and visually, you might want to give Scott Frank’s — co-creator, writer, and director of “The Queen’s Gambit” — other Netflix series, “Godless“, a try. Instead of taking on the sports genre, here Frank tries his hand at the American Western. “Godless” is about a quiet town made up mostly of women, after most of the men died in a mining accident. Things start to get out of hand when an outlaw named Roy Goode (Jack O’Connell) shows up in Alice Fletcher’s (Michelle Dockery) barn, a fugitive trying to hide from his old gang, led by Frank Griffin (Jeff Daniels). The town has to rise up against this group, lest their home be destroyed. As you might expect after watching “The Queen’s Gambit”, the story is compelling and beautifully shot. Oh! And if you wanted more of everyone’s favorite chess cowboy Benny Watts (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), he’s here in “Godless” as a deputy. Yep — he’s a real cowboy.

Available on Netflix

“Pitch” is wildly different from “The Queen’s Gambit” both tonally and visually, but if you’re looking for more stories about female sports figures who are underestimated and have to continually prove their immense talent to people, it’s a great option. “Pitch” tells the story of Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury) during her historic rookie season as a pitcher for the San Diego Padres. It deals with the emotional stress ambition and trying to achieve at the highest level of your sport can put you through (plus, you know, the added weight of being the first female player in the MLB), explores Ginny’s complicated feelings toward her father, and has a great relationship between Ginny and veteran catcher Mike Lawson (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) at the center of it that is just oozing with chemistry. Sadly, the FOX series only lasted one season, but it’s well worth the watch if you’re into soapy dramas with heart.

Available on Hulu