With "The Village" not returning to NBC, you may be feeling a family-drama-sized void in your viewing options.
The NYC-set series that packed some serious emotion into a Brooklyn apartment building was canceled by NBC on Thursday. While fans scramble to secure signatures on petitions to save the series from eviction, you’ll need another series to fill the Tuesday night gap.
Luckily, family dramas are aplenty on streaming sites. Consider binging one of these shows instead.
"This Is Us"
Critics and fans have been comparing "The Village" to "This Is Us" since its debut. While there are clear differences — "The Village" follows several families, for example — fans of one will most likely find a favorite in the other. "This Is Us" is currently in between seasons on NBC, but you can catch up on the first three seasons on Hulu or NBC.com. The best part for fans still feeling the pain of losing "The Village": "This Is Us" has already been renewed for three more seasons. (Watch on Hulu, NBC.com, On Demand.)
"Hart of Dixie"
It’s a small town world for NYC’s Zoe Hart (Rachel Bilson). The big-city doctor moves to Alabama to take over her late father’s medical practice and has trouble adjusting. Just like in "The Village," the residents of the small town of Bluebell form their own family. (Watch on Netflix.)
"Parenthood"
This is one family with more drama than the "This Is Us" Pearsons. "Parenthood" follows four siblings of the Braverman family (Adam, Sarah, Crosby and Julia) raise their own families while taking care of their aging parents. (Watch on Netflix.)
"Everwood"
Like "Hart of Dixie," "Everwood" takes a New York City doctor and sends him to a small town. The death of a loved one brings brain surgeon Dr. Andrew Brown (Treat Williams) to the town of Everwood, where his children struggle to adjust. It stars a young Chris Pratt and Emily VanCamp as siblings. (Watch on Hulu, Amazon Prime.)
"The Secret Life of the American Teenager"
This drama is more about teens struggling to build their own family as they deal with unplanned pregnancies, which rings true to Katie’s (Grace Van Dien) path in "The Village." It also stars a young Daren Kagasoff as a teen dad. On "The Village," Kagasoff portrayed law student Gabe. (Watch on Netflix.)
"A Million Little Things"
ABC’s new drama is about a group of friends from Boston who, you guessed it, are as tight-knit as family. When one of them dies, it changes the lives of the others. (Watch on ABC, On Demand.)
"Gilmore Girls"
"Gilmore Girls" follows a mother and daughter who are very similar to Katie and Sarah (Michaela McManus) in "The Village." Set in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, the nosy neighbors will remind you of "The Village," where secrets don’t stay hidden for long. (Watch on Netflix.)
"7th Heaven"
A bit more preachy than "The Village" ever was, "7th Heaven" tells the story of a minister and his growing family in Glenoak, California. (Watch on Amazon Prime, Hulu.)
"Grey’s Anatomy"
Katie and Sarah liked to dance it out when things got rough in "The Village." "Grey’s Anatomy" besties Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Christina (Sandra Oh) have been dancing it out since 2005, but that’s not the only reason to watch. The series follows hospital co-workers who spend more time with each other than they do with their own families. Beware, if you start this binge, you’ll have 15 seasons ahead of you. (Watch on Netflix.)
