If you loved My Brilliant Career for its independent heroine, creative dreams, and refusal to simply follow the path society chose for her, these shows deserve a spot on your watchlist. They follow ambitious women finding their voices, questioning expectations, and figuring out what they truly want from life. From writers and scientists to lawyers, detectives, and pioneers, these shows like My Brilliant Career deliver plenty of ambition, rebellion, romance, and self-discovery.
15 Shows Like My Brilliant Career You Should Watch Next
1. The Queen’s Gambit (2020)
Orphaned at nine, Beth Harmon discovers an extraordinary talent for chess and quickly rises through the competitive world of 1960s America. But success comes with loneliness, addiction, and enormous pressure. Like Sybylla, Beth is a gifted young woman determined to master her craft and build an identity that belongs entirely to her. If you enjoy watching ambitious women challenge expectations and pursue extraordinary goals, The Queen’s Gambit is one of the best shows like My Brilliant Career to watch next.
IMDb: 8.5 | Where to Watch : Netflix
2. Anne with an E (2017–2019)
Anne Shirley arrives on Prince Edward Island as an imaginative orphan hoping to finally find a home. Her vivid imagination, strong opinions, and determination help her navigate friendship, prejudice, education, and growing up. Anne and Sybylla both possess enormous creative spirits and refuse to quietly accept the roles society expects them to play. If you loved Sybylla’s independent nature, Anne’s journey makes this a charming companion watch.
IMDb: 8.6 | Where to Watch : Netflix
3. Dickinson (2019–2021)
This stylish series reimagines the life of poet Emily Dickinson as she battles the expectations of her family and 19th-century society. Rebellious, witty, and fiercely creative, Emily wants the freedom to write and live on her own terms. Her determination to protect her artistic identity makes Dickinson one of the closest matches to My Brilliant Career on this list.
IMDb: 7.7 | Where to Watch : Apple TV
4. Little Women (2017)
Set during the American Civil War, this adaptation follows Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March as they grow into adulthood while dealing with love, loss, family, and changing ambitions. Jo, in particular, shares Sybylla’s determination to become a writer and her reluctance to let marriage or conventional ideas of womanhood define her future. If creative ambition and fiercely independent heroines are what drew you to My Brilliant Career, this is an excellent next watch.
IMDb: 7.2 | Where to Watch : Netflix
5. Lessons in Chemistry (2023)
Elizabeth Zott is a brilliant scientist living in 1950s America, where women are expected to stay firmly within traditional roles. When she unexpectedly becomes the host of a cooking show, she transforms it into an opportunity to challenge sexism and encourage women to think differently. Elizabeth’s refusal to shrink her ambitions for society’s comfort strongly echoes Sybylla’s struggle for control over her own future.
IMDb: 8.2 | Where to Watch : Apple TV
6. The Gilded Age (2022–)
Set in 1880s New York, this lavish period drama explores the clash between established old-money families and ambitious newcomers determined to make their mark. Beneath the extravagant parties and social rivalries are women dealing with family pressure, marriage expectations, professional ambitions, and changing ideas about independence. While it is less focused on artistic ambition than My Brilliant Career, its women are constantly negotiating how much freedom society will allow them.
IMDb: 8.1 | Where to Watch : HBO Max
7. The Law According to Lidia Poët (2023–2026)
In late 19th-century Turin, Lidia Poët refuses to accept a society that says women cannot become lawyers. Determined to build a career, she fights discrimination, legal barriers, and people who constantly underestimate her. That battle to choose a meaningful professional life instead of accepting the future others have planned for her makes Lidia an easy character to recommend to fans of Sybylla. With its period setting, career-driven heroine, and fight against restrictive gender roles, it is easily one of the strongest shows like My Brilliant Career on this list.
IMDb: 7.5 | Where to Watch : Netflix
8. Miss Scarlet (2020–)
After her father’s death, Eliza Scarlet refuses to become helpless and takes over his detective business. Victorian society is hardly enthusiastic about a woman working independently, but Eliza is determined to build a career and make her own way. Her stubborn independence and refusal to conform capture much of the rebellious spirit that makes My Brilliant Career so appealing.
IMDb: 7.7 | Where to Watch : PBS Masterpiece Amazon Channel
9. Sanditon (2019–2023)
Charlotte Heywood leaves her quiet rural home for Sanditon, a seaside town rapidly transforming into a fashionable resort. She suddenly finds herself surrounded by unfamiliar social rules, ambitious personalities, romance, and unexpected opportunities. Like Sybylla, Charlotte is curious, spirited, and unwilling to simply accept everything society tells her. Fans of period dramas about young women discovering a wider world should enjoy this one.
IMDb: 7.6 | Where to Watch : PBS
10. Gentleman Jack (2019–2022)
Based on the life of Anne Lister, this series follows a fiercely independent landowner, intellectual, and diarist in 19th-century Yorkshire. Anne manages her estate, pursues knowledge, challenges gender expectations, and insists on living according to her own rules. Few characters on this list embody the determination to reject convention as powerfully, making Gentleman Jack a brilliant choice for viewers looking for shows like My Brilliant Career.
IMDb: 8.2 | Where to Watch : HBO Max
11. North & South (2004)
Margaret Hale moves with her family from the peaceful English countryside to the industrial northern town of Milton. There, she encounters class tensions, harsh working conditions, unfamiliar customs, and mill owner John Thornton. As Margaret adapts to her new surroundings, she becomes increasingly confident in her beliefs and willingness to challenge those around her. Her intelligence and strong will make her another compelling heroine for fans of Sybylla.
IMDb: 8.5 | Where to Watch : Prime Video
12. The Pursuit of Love (2021)
Linda Radlett and her cousin Fanny Logan grow up surrounded by expectations about love, marriage, and respectable womanhood, but they each want something more. Their journeys through romance, heartbreak, and adulthood reveal how complicated the search for freedom can become. Linda’s rebellious approach to life and unwillingness to settle comfortably into convention should appeal to anyone drawn to Sybylla’s determination to choose her own path.
Also Read: 15 Shows like Bridgerton
IMDb: 6.7 | Where to Watch : Prime Video
13. Cable Girls (2017–2020)
Set in 1920s Madrid, this drama follows four women from very different backgrounds who begin working as telephone operators. Their jobs bring greater independence, friendship, romance, and plenty of challenges as they push against the limitations placed on women. Their desire for lives beyond traditional domestic expectations reflects one of the strongest themes running through My Brilliant Career.
IMDb: 7.5 | Where to Watch : Netflix
14. The Paradise (2012–2013)
Denise begins working at a glamorous department store and suddenly finds herself surrounded by new fashions, opportunities, ambitions, and changing social values. Her exciting new environment encourages her to question the future she once imagined for herself. That journey from a familiar world toward independence and professional ambition gives The Paradise plenty in common with Sybylla’s story.
IMDb: 7.7 | Where to Watch : Prime Video
15. Lark Rise to Candleford (2008–2011)
Laura leaves her rural home for the nearby market town of Candleford, where she begins working at the post office. Her new life introduces her to friendship, romance, work, and a changing society beyond her village. Much like Sybylla, Laura discovers that stepping outside the world she has always known can reveal entirely different possibilities for her future. If you prefer gentler period dramas about growing up and finding your place in the world, this is a lovely final pick.
IMDb: 8.2 | Where to Watch : Peacock
Also Read: 15 Shows like My Life With the Walter Boys
Some challenge expectations through writing, science, law, or work, while others simply refuse to let marriage, family, or society make their most important choices for them. So, if Sybylla’s ambition and independent spirit won you over, these shows like My Brilliant Career offer plenty of compelling heroines, powerful journeys, and inspiring stories to watch next