7 Shows Like The Playlist You Must See

Based on the book ‘Spotify Untold’ by Sven Carlsson and Jonas Leijonhufvud, Netflix’s ‘The Playlist’ is a Swedish docudrama series that details the fictionalized story of the origin of one of the biggest music streaming companies in the world, Spotify. It follows an ambitious tech entrepreneur named Daniel Ek and his business partner named Martin Lorentzon, who work together against several challenges to revolutionize the music industry by introducing a free yet legal music streaming service called Spotify.

Developed by Luke Franklin, the series explores many prevalent topics related to the entrepreneurship world, including the challenges it comes with and all the work that goes behind the scenes. So, if you are into shows that involve the startup of businesses or depict a realistic workplace representation, you might want to check out the recommendations we have listed below. You can watch most of these shows like ‘The Playlist’ on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.

7. Succession (2018- )

Created by Jesse Armstrong, HBO’s ‘Succession‘ is a dark comedy-drama series that revolves around the Roy family — the owners of the biggest media and entertainment corporation in the world known as Waystar RoyCo. Things take an unexpected turn when Logan Roy steps down from the company due to uncertainty surrounding his health. As a result, the dysfunctional owners of the company fight for control of the company. Although ‘Succession’ is about an already established company, what makes it similar to ‘The Playlist’ is the depiction of a workplace and the work politics typical in business.

6. Girlboss (2017)

Based on the 2014 autobiographical book ‘#Girlboss’ by Sophia Amoruso, Netflix’s ‘Girlboss‘ is a comedy series created by Kay Cannon that tells the origin story of a company, just like ‘The Playlist.’ The narrative revolves around Sophia Amoruso, a misfit who discovers her passion for fashion. Pursuing her dream, she climbs up the ladder and becomes a successful businesswoman through sheer perseverance. Both ‘Girlboss’ and ‘The Playlist’ depicts the tale of two unexpected businesses gaining success, despite all the challenges faced by the founders.

5. StartUp (2016-2018)

Created by Ben Ketai, Crackle’s ‘StartUp‘ is a crime drama series that revolves around the introduction of GenCoin, a tech idea centered on digital currency. Despite its brilliance, GenCoin is on the receiving end of many controversies as it ends up in the wrong hands of three strangers who are far from tech entrepreneurs. The controversies and challenges portrayed in ‘GenCoin’ are pretty similar to what Daniel Ek and his team go through in ‘The Playlist.’

4. Silicon Valley (2014-2019)

Created by the trio of Mike Judge, John Altschuler, and Dave Krinsky, HBO’s ‘Silicon Valley‘ is a comedy series that is a parody of the technology industry culture of the famous Silicon Valley. The narrative follows a young and up-and-coming programmer named Richard Hendricks, who attempts to build his own company called Pied Piper. Except for the comedic elements, just like ‘The Playlist,’ ‘Silicon Valley’ portrays entrepreneurs’ struggles with higher authorities and their competition.

3. Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber (2022- )

Based on the 2019 eponymous book by Mike Isaac, Showtime’s ‘Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber‘ is a biographical drama series created by Brian Koppelman and David Levien. The narrative dramatizes the origin story of the global ride-hailing company Uber from the point of view of the company’s CEO, Travis Kalanick. Apart from the foundation of Uber, the series also portrays Travis’ fall as he gets kicked out of his own company. Just like ‘The Playlist,’ ‘Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber’ gives the viewers a glimpse of the startup and tech culture.

2. WeCrashed (2022)

Based on the podcast ‘WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork’ by Wondery, Apple TV+’s ‘WeCrashed‘ is a biographical drama series that follows Adam and Rebekah Neumann, a narcissistic married couple who become the parents of a coworking space company named WeWork. Despite being one of the world’s most valuable startups, WeWork collapses after facing some financial revelations. What links ‘WeCrashed’ and ‘The Playlist’ with each other is that both are based on real-life startups, and the founders of both companies deal with their fair share of difficulties.

1. The Dropout (2022)

Based on the eponymous ABC News Podcast hosted by Rebecca Jarvis, Hulu’s ‘The Dropout‘ is another biographical drama series created by Elizabeth Meriwether. The narrative revolves around Elizabeth Holmes and her attempt to take the healthcare industry by storm right after dropping out of college. She comes up with a startup company called Theranos but later gets exposed for her fraudulent business methods. Just like ‘The Playlist,’ ‘The Dropout’ focuses on the strategies of an individual and her team to start a successful company.