Now returning for its second season on Max, Julia has become one of the unexpected delights of the TV calendar. Telling the story of Julia Child with a winsome combination of humor and genuine pathos, the series has earned its fair share of admirers, who come to it either because of a fascination with Julia Child or because of their love of cooking TV more generally.
If you’re someone who finds yourself looking for similar shows and movies to watch when you’ve mainlined all of the available Julia episodes, then we’re here to help. These are three shows you should check out that have a lot in common with Julia.
The Bear (2022 -)
Julia is a much calmer, gentler show, but The Bear is very much set in the same world. Telling the story of a highly qualified chef who returns to his hometown to reinvent his brother’s sandwich shop, The Bear is a show about family, generational trauma, and fine cuisine.
While Julia doesn’t have all the sharp edges that The Bear does, both shows do have their moments of levity, although The Bear is definitely much more likely to give you an anxiety attack. What both shows understand, though, is that cooking at its best is an art form, and it should be treated as such.
Both seasons of The Bear are streaming on Hulu. For more related content, check out The Bear‘s season 1 episodes, ranked.
Julie & Julia (2009)
Perhaps the most direct analog to Julia, Julie & Julia tells the story of Julia Child, and pairs it with the story of a contemporary blogger who is working her way through Child’s French cookbook.
While that may sound too complicated for its own good, Julia & Julia manages to draw striking parallels between its two central stories, and also explains why Child has remained an enduring figure. Meryl Streep shines as Child, perfectly toeing the line between hammy and sincere, and Amy Adams is just as good playing a character were far less familiar with.
Julie & Julia is streaming for free on YouTube.
Ratatouille (2007)
Brad Bird’s magnum opus, Ratatouille, follows a rat who is inspired by a Julia Child-esque figure to believe that he too can become a great chef. Like Julia, Ratatouille uses comedy to tell the story of an unlikely chef who rises to the top of their field because of their tremendous skill.
Ratatouille is a story about creation, and one where great art can come from anywhere, and it remains one of Pixar’s very best movies. Like all great movies about cooking, Ratatouille knows that it’s an art as much as a science, and reminds us time after time that truly anyone can cook.
Ratatouille is streaming on Disney+.
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