Burn the House Down: 8 Similar Shows You Must See

Based on the Japanese manga of the same name (‘Mitarai-ke, Enjou suru) written and illustrated by Moyashi Fujisawa, ‘Burn the House Down’ is a Netflix thriller-drama series. It tells the story of Anzu Murata (Mei Nagano), who witnesses her house being burned down when she was young. Her mother takes responsibility, accepting that she might have forgotten to turn off the stove. Anzu’s family falls apart after this: her father divorces her mother and effectively walks out the lives of Anzu and her sister. Moreover, he marries one of her mother’s friends, Makiko (Kyōka Suzuki), the very woman she suspects of starting the fire.

13 years pass, and Anzu hasn’t forgotten what happened. With the help of her sister and her best friend, Anzu infiltrates her former family to find out the truth. ‘Burn the House Down’ is a series about envy, greed, obsession, and revenge. If you watched the series and loved it, here is a list of shows like ‘Burn the House Down’ that might fit your taste.

8. The Innocent Man (2012)

As in ‘Burn the House Down,’ revenge serves as an important motif in the South Korean series ‘The Innocent Man,’ though the tone is significantly darker in this project. Kang Ma-ru (Song Joong-ki) is a medical student who deeply falls in love with Han Jae-hee, a television reporter who is just a bit older than him. She initially seems to reciprocate his feelings but then leaves him for the wealthy CEO, Seo Jung-gyu.

Facing betrayal from the person he cares the most, Ma-ru begins to change, becoming colder and more ruthless. After he turns 30, he meets Eun-gi, a rich and seemingly arrogant young woman who happens to be Jung-gyu’s daughter. When Ma-ru‘s sister is admitted to a hospital because of Jae-hee, he decides to seek revenge against his former lover.

7. Followers (2020)

While the main theme of ‘Burn the House Down’ is revenge, a considerable portion of the narrative is dedicated to social media and online stardom. In the series, Makiko establishes herself as a model and doggedly pursues popularity online. In the Japanese series ‘Followers,’ life can’t be more different for well-known and successful fashion photographer Limi Nara and struggling actress Natsume Hyakuta.

Limi’s profession allows her to be part of the rich and powerful of the city, while Natsume has trouble making ends meet. However, when the former publishes a photograph of Natsume on Instagram, life takes a drastic turn for the latter, exposing her to internet stardom, for better or worse.

6. Sweet Revenge (2017-2018)

‘Sweet Revenge’ is also known as ‘Revenge Note,’ which is obviously a play on the title of the manga/anime ‘Death Note.’ The South Korean series follows Ho Goo-hee, a high school student who believes she is a pushover. She comes across a mysterious new app on her phone that allows her to seek revenge against any person only by putting their name in it.

Goo-hee’s first target is her supposed boyfriend, who is revealed to be cheating on her. She then targets an older group of delinquent students after they attack her father. She also targets a teacher behaving inappropriately with a student. Although ‘Sweet Revenge’ seems to have a supernatural element that doesn’t exist in ‘Burn the House Down,’ it is still ultimately about revenge and deals with themes such as bullying, exploitation, and envy.

5. Fire Country (2022-)

‘Fire Country’ is a drama series set in a Northern Californian town where fire-related disasters regularly occur. The plot mainly revolves around Bode Donovan, a convict who returns to his hometown to volunteer for the California Conservation Camp Program with the hopes of lessening his sentence. In ‘Burn the House Down,’ fire plays an important motif in the story, and Anzu suspects that what happened to her at home is a case of arson. Similarly, one of the episodes of ‘Fire Country’ focuses on an arsonist (season 1 episode 17).

4. Revenge of Others (2022-)

Ok Chan-mi, the protagonist of the South Korean series Revenge of Others, has much in common with Anzu. Like the latter, she infiltrates hostile territory to find out the truth. Chan-mi refuses to believe that her twin brother has committed suicide. To figure out what really happened, she transfers to her brother’s school just as the police prepare to shut down their investigation.

Chan-mi grows close to Ji Soo-heon, a young man who also pursues justice, though his path is much more volatile. Besides these two, there are Seok Jae-beom, the scion of an affluent family who recently woke up from a six-month-long coma, and Gi Oh-sung, a quiet manipulator and friend of Jae-beom. The narrative weaves around these four characters and beyond, forming a complicated tale.

3. Remarriage & Desires (2022-)

The South Korean drama series ‘Remarriage & Desires ’ tells the story of Seo Hye-seung, whose husband dies by suicide right in front of her. She discovers that he was pushed to this by the ambitious and manipulative lawyer Jin Yoo-hee, who not only set him up in a fraud case but also accused him of blackmail and rape.

Desiring revenge, Hye-seung joins a matchmaking company for the elite and encounters her adversary. As in ‘Burn the House Down,’ the protagonist seeks justice for a loved one in ‘Remarriage & Desires’ and embarks on the path of revenge. However, it effectively subverts the marriage-related tropes used in the other show.

2. Revenge (2011–2015)

Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 novel ‘The Count of Monte Cristo,’ ‘Revenge’ tells the story of Emily Thorne, who arrives in the affluent beachside town, the Hamptons, and quickly assimilates into its population. Her real name is Amanda Clarke, and she has come seeking revenge on Victoria Grayson, who played a critical role in her father’s imprisonment.

Emily/Amanda commits many morally questionable acts in her obsessive pursuits of retribution against Victoria and her family. Although Anzu manages to cling to her personal morality while going after Makiko, she is still very much driven by her desire for revenge and justice for her mother, so much so that she puts her life in static until she accomplishes her goal.

1. The Glory (2022-)

Like ‘Burn the House Down’ and several entries on this list, ‘The Glory’ is about comeuppance and deals with themes such as bullying, obsession, envy, greed, and revenge. Written by Kim Eun-sook, the South Korean series follows Moon Dong-eun. As a teenager, she endured vicious bullying at the hands of Park Yeon-jin and her friends. The teachers and police were no help, as Yeon-jin and the others were from affluent families. After her own mother betrays her for money, Dong-eun drops out of school and devotes herself entirely to the pursuit of revenge. She returns years later, finally ready to take on her past tormentors.