Celebrity has gained a lot of popularity since its release, and people don’t seem to be getting enough of its characters and their stories. When we watched it, we felt that it had a strangely addictive quality that could have been dragged into a few more episodes; therefore, if you feel that you need something more like that, we have compiled a list of other shows and series for you to watch.
The Fabulous (2022)
Another drama set in the glitz and glamor of the fashion world, but a lot more mature than Celebrity. There is a fair amount of backstabbing and catfights, but the love story is better, and though it is not as good as it could have been, you will leave with characters you genuinely like rather than those you have just made fun of. Yo Seon Ho is a crowd favorite, and she gives the few fashion moments that Celebrity completely lacks. We also see the protagonist, Pyo Ji Eun, genuinely hustling and experiencing the drawbacks of the job that don’t always have to do with someone trying to pull you down. If that is your cup of tea or if you were looking for something like that after watching the political shenanigans of Celebrity, this is a great watch.
Glamorous (2023)
This recent release, starring Kim Cattrall, is silly, fun, has some unreal but heartfelt advertising, and is completely bingeable. It is true that the world of glamour is made possible by the tremendous efforts that go on behind the scenes. But it is also true that we don’t want to see that and just want to experience the magic. That is what makes Glamorous such a good watch, because it keeps up the fantasy. It is also nice to see someone with actual charisma, like Kim Cattrall, and not just be told for the sake of the story that the protagonist has “something” in them when you just can’t see it. This should be on your list.
Agency (2023)
Contrary to the above two suggestions, Agency is far from a lighthearted watch. Despite its name, we also cannot say that it is heavy on advertising itself. But the reason we recommend this is for those who like a more graceful representation of office politics. In Celebrity, A Ri, Min Hye, Chae Hee, and the others were part of the same industry and constantly schemed against one another. Yet, it all felt too easy and frivolous at times, with it often being insinuated that the public was just an unintelligent following. On the other hand, Agency shows that there are many ways in which people can work against you without directly pulling your hair or spreading rumors about you, and how the knowledge of these schemes is often ignored in favor of personal interests. This is what real politics look like, and that makes Agency a must-watch.
Doctor Cha (2023)
If women fighting against the world and emerging victorious is the trope that you are looking for, nothing beats Doctor Cha from recent times. Just like A Ri, Cha Jeong Suk is starting a new life and a new profession, and her troubles just don’t end, but she constantly comes out on top with her resilience and intelligence. Just like A Ri, the world, aka her family, is completely against her doing what she needs, and even her colleagues give her a hard time, but she stays strong. Unlike Celebrity, Doctor Cha shows that sometimes people don’t have to actively work against you for you to lose your morale. Their apathy is more than enough, and this is a discussion that needs to happen more often.
Doom At Your Service (2021)
This recommendation is here for a very specific reason. If you were left feeling dissatisfied with the love story of A Ri and Jun Kyeong, then Myul Mang and Dong Gyung are the couple for you. Just like A Ri and Jun Kyeong, you just don’t understand the attraction between Myul Mang and Dong Gyung, but you know that something is there, always simmering at the surface. It helps that Seo In Guk and Park Bo Young have far better chemistry than Kang Min Hyuk and Park Gyu Young. Though the Doom At Your Service couple’s relationship feels like one bad decision after the other, they end up making sense, unlike A Ri and Jun Kyeong.
Vincenzo (2021)
These recommendations really depend on the trope you are looking for. If you want to see someone like A Ri, a person who has some magical quality that makes everyone a fan except their haters, Vincenzo should be your next outing. This entire show is about schemes and counter-schemes, and somehow, they make a lot more sense than those of Celebrity. We have commented on the sexism of Celebrity, and Hong Cha Young’s treatment in Vincenzo is no different, but it’s not enough to annoy anyone. There is some commentary to be made on how the male villains are often shown as strategic and sinister, whereas the female villains are shown as wine-throwing, hair-pulling, and very loud “shrews,” but either way, if the Gabin society annoyed you, Jang Jun Woo, played by Ok Taec Yeon in Vincenzo, would be a wonderful change.
True Beauty (2020)
What did we say about the recommendations being based on specific tropes? Following that, the reason we recommended True Beauty is that it comments on how society treats beauty and the arbitrary ways in which it judges when someone is “deserving” of something. This was the exact conflict between Gabin society and A Ri and even what drove Soon Young to create BBBFamous and orchestrate the downfall of all these people. On that note, Lookism is a great anime that discusses the same topic: what we consider social currency and the people who try to earn it in whatever way they choose.
Dubai Bling (2022)
Again, this show is heavy on sexism, but if you want to watch women fighting each other for no apparent reason, this is right there and is, at the very least, a lot more fun than the Gabin society’s squabbles. You really need to watch this with a pinch of salt because so many statements made by the people here are so offensive, but it helps to remember that this is a reality show, and everything is staged for maximum eyeballs.
Celebrity was not our favorite show, but we cannot deny that it was entertaining. It really toed the line between playing the stereotypes and making them extremely offensive. That is why, even though we have placed it last, Dubai Bling is our strongest recommendation. The rest are good for a leisurely day.
