8 Shows Like Baby Farm You Must See

Created by Mo Abudu, ‘Baby Farm’ depicts the horrific reality behind an age-old practice through a story that is set in Lagos, Nigeria. It opens with Adanna (Onyinye Odokoro), a young pregnant woman from a rural community, being welcomed into an NGO run by Dr. Oliver Evans (Langley Kirkwood) and his wife, Sister Barb (Jenny Stead). Despite their promises to take care of her and her baby, Adanna soon realises she is trapped in the facility with other women in similar situations. The real objective of the organization is to exploit vulnerable pregnant women for profit. While the premise of the drama sounds dystopian, it is unfortunately inspired by real-life set-ups. If the series has piqued your curiosity on the subject, here is a curated list of shows similar to ‘Baby Farm’ that you may consider watching next.

8. Unbelievable (2019)

‘Unbelievable’ is co-created by Susannah Grant, Ayelet Waldman, and Michael Chabon based on real-life assault cases that occurred between 2008 and 2008 in Washington and Colorado. Marie Adler (Kaitlyn Dever), a young victim of assault, gets arrested while reporting the crime as the police fail to find the perpetrator. Later, detectives Grace Rasmussen (Toni Collette) and Karen Duvall (Merritt Wever)launch an investigation into the case, as well as other similar incidents that have taken place over the years. Like ‘Baby Farm,’ the show is yet another fictionalized documentation of the traumatic experiences undergone by a group of women.

7. Alias Grace (2017)

Based on the eponymous Margaret Atwood novel, ‘Alias Grace’ revolves around young Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon), a poor young Irish immigrant who gets sentenced to life in prison as a domestic servant in Upper Canada. Along with stablehand James McDermott, Grace is accused and convicted of murdering her employer, as well as the housekeeper, in 1843. While James is hanged, Grace’s experience in captivity turns her into one of the greatest criminal minds in the country. The portrayal of her time in prison is reminiscent of Adanna’s time in the ‘Baby Farm.’

6. Orange is the New Black (2013-2019)

Jenji Kohan created ‘Orange is the New Black’ based on a memoir by Piper Kerman (Chapman in the series). Taylor Schilling stars as Piper, a public relations executive in her mid-30s living with her fiancé. She gets convicted out of the blue of being associated with a drug runner over a decade ago, and is sentenced to spend time in a minimum-security women’s prison in Connecticut. Settling into her new, temporary life, Piper meets many unusual and eccentric people with whom she builds meaningful bonds. While a far cry from the conditions of the ‘Baby Farm,’ both shows depict the incarceration of women and how they live through the experience.

5. Wentworth (2017-2021)

From the mind of Reg Watson, ‘Wentworth’ follows Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack), who is separated from her daughter and gets sent to the titular prison on charges of attempting to murder her husband. Living in remand until her sentencing, Bea remains full of uncertainty and hope. However, after being truly incarcerated, she is forced to learn about survival in prison and climbs her way up the inmate hierarchy. The Australian series highlights the harsh conditions in a women’s prison, which brings to mind the experiences of the inmates in ‘Baby Farm.’

4. The Handmaid’s Tale (2017-2025)

Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is set in a dystopian world following a second American Civil War that has led to the formation of a totalitarian military state called Gilead. It is ruled by a fundamentalist and theonomic regime that considers women as property of the state. Faced with a plummeting birth rate amid environmental disasters, women of appropriate age are forced into servitude and forced to bear children. Elisabeth Moss stars as June Osborne, one such woman who leads a rebellion against the regime and is desperate to be reunited with her daughter. The concept closely mirrors that of ‘Baby Farm,’ with both shows depicting social structures where women are exploited for creating new life.

3. Leila (2019)

Urmi Juvekar created the Indian series ‘Leila,’ based on Prayaag Akbar’s eponymous novel. The series is set in the fictional land of Aryavarta in the 2040s, a dystopia where society is deeply segregated. Clean natural resources and healthy living conditions are considered a luxury only enjoyed by the elite. Shalini (Huma Qureshi) is separated from her daughter, Leila (Leysha Mange), by a mob that accuses them of wasting water. Her husband is brutalized in front of her, before Shalini is taken away to a re-education camp. Learning that she may not get to see her daughter ever again over mixed parentage, Shalini decides to risk it all and break out. The inhuman treatment meted out to the women and the abduction of children with mixed parentage by the government echoes the theme of ‘Baby Farm.’

2. The Promised Neverland (2019-2021)

‘The Promised Neverland’ is an animated adaptation of the manga series created by Kaiu Shirai, which tells the story of the horrific fate that awaits the children in an orphanage known as the House. Spending their days in apparent bliss playing, studying, and taking part in tests, they are cared for by the House mother, Isabella. When six-year-old Conny is chosen for adoption, her closest friends Emma and Norman are elated for her. However, when they discover the twisted, sinister reality, they become desperate to escape along with the other children. While ‘Baby Farm’ depicted women being lured into imprisonment for their children, ‘The Promised Neverland’ shows children themselves being kept in captivity, for a cause that is far more horrific.

1. Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare (2023)

Helmed by Liza Williams, ‘Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare’ is a true-crime documentary about the Challenger Wilderness Therapy Programme, which Steve Cartisano founded in the 1980s. Working under the belief that children did not have goals ahead of them, the programme included a 500-mile hike through the Utah desert that takes 63 days. Parents would send their troubled teenagers to join, leading to devastating consequences due to a lack of necessary support. Much like ‘Baby Farm,’ the Netflix show dives into how parents are deceived into signing up their children for a brutal and horrific experience for entities to make a profit. While ‘Baby Farm’ has pregnant mothers living through the horrors of incarceration, ‘Hell Camp’ sees children left in the wild with no escape.