Saagar Kote
Created by Mackenzie Crook, ‘Small Prophets’ is a British comedy-drama that centers on Michael Sleep (Pearce Quigley). He is a solitary man who has spent seven years waiting for answers after his girlfriend Clea, disappears without a trace. His uneventful existence consists largely of working at a home goods chain store, visiting his father Brian (Michael Palin) in a retirement home, and dealing with his irritating neighbors and difficult boss. Everything changes when Brian introduces him to the idea of homunculi, tiny humanoid prophets believed to possess the ability to answer questions and predict the future.
With little left to lose, Michael follows an old recipe from a mysterious book and attempts to create the creatures in his garden shed, hoping they can reveal what happened to Clea and whether she will ever return. His strange undertaking draws the attention of his colleague Kacey (Lauren Patel) and increasingly suspicious neighbors, turning his quiet suburban life into an increasingly bizarre supernatural adventure. These shows, similar to ‘Small Prophets,’ feature strange phenomena, characters, storylines, and more that will keep you hooked.
8. Wellington Paranormal (2018-2022)
‘Wellington Paranormal’ is a New Zealand mockumentary comedy horror series from creators Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, and a spin-off of ‘What We Do in the Shadows.’ It chronicles the experiences of Wellington police officers Minogue (Mike Minogue) and O’Leary (Karen O’Leary), whose routine work takes an unexpected turn when Sergeant Ruawai Maaka (Maaka Pohatu) recruits them for a secret team investigating paranormal activity across the city. Their cases take them into bizarre situations involving demon possession, haunted houses, and a blood bank robbery.
Despite their lack of experience with the supernatural, the officers are tasked with confronting strange phenomena while their work is presented in the style of a police reality show. Minogue and O’Leary’s attempts to handle the unexplained lead to a series of absurd and hilarious encounters. Like Michael Sleep in ‘Small Prophets,’ Minogue in ‘Wellington Paranormal’ finds himself dealing with extraordinary events that disrupt an otherwise ordinary existence.
7. The Outlaws (2021-2024)
Elgin James and Stephen Merchant are the creative voices behind ‘The Outlaws,’ which is the tale of seven very different offenders who are brought together in Bristol to complete community service, where their punishment involves renovating a building. Their service routine takes an unexpected turn when the group discovers a bag filled with a large amount of cash. Seeing a chance to benefit from their find, they consider keeping the money, unaware that it belongs to dangerous criminals who are determined to get it back. Among the group are student Rani (Rhianne Barreto) and Diane Pemberley (Jessica Gunning), who become caught up in the increasingly dangerous situation.
What begins as an opportunity to profit from an accidental discovery soon places all seven offenders in serious danger, forcing them to deal with criminals and threats far beyond anything they can imagine. The British crime thriller comedy series and ‘Small Prophets’ bring together unconventional characters who become connected through circumstances they did not initially expect, creating unusual relationships along the way.
6. Good Omens (2019-2026)
‘Good Omens’ is a fantasy comedy series from creator Neil Gaiman, based on the eponymous novel he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett. The story follows Aziraphale (Michael Sheen), an angel, and Crowley (David Tennant), a demon, who have both spent so much time on Earth that they have become close friends. Despite serving opposite sides, the two have grown attached to their comfortable lives and do not want Heaven and Hell to get in the way. Their peaceful existence is threatened when they learn that Armageddon is approaching and the Antichrist is on Earth.
To stop the end of the world, Aziraphale and Crowley must work together to find the missing Antichrist, a pre-teen boy who has no idea about his role in humanity’s fate. Along the way, they are joined by a witch as they race to prevent the final battle between Heaven and Hell. Both ‘Small Prophets’ and ‘Good Omens’ bring supernatural developments into ordinary life, allowing magical forces to become part of otherwise familiar surroundings.
5. Ludwig (2024-)
Created by Mark Brotherhood, ‘Ludwig’ is the saga of John Taylor (David Mitchell), a reclusive puzzle maker who publishes puzzle books under the name Ludwig and prefers a solitary life. His routine is disrupted when his identical twin brother, DCI James Taylor, mysteriously disappears. At the request of James’s wife, Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin), John takes on his brother’s identity and infiltrates the Cambridge police to investigate what happened to him. Pretending to be an experienced detective, he becomes part of the Major Investigations Team while secretly searching for clues about James’s disappearance.
His new role quickly brings unexpected complications when he becomes involved in solving unrelated murder cases. John attempts to maintain his deception, and his talent for solving puzzles becomes increasingly useful in his unfamiliar life as a detective. The British comedy-drama series captures the essence of ‘Small Prophets’ by focusing on a seemingly ordinary man whose carefully established routines are upended when he becomes involved in unusual situations that compel him to seek answers.
4. Worzel Gummidge (2019)
Directed by Mackenzie Crook, ‘Worzel Gummidge’ is a British fantasy drama series adapted from Barbara Euphan Todd’s book series of the same title. Two children, Susan (India Brown) and her brother John (Thierry Wickens), are outsiders and siblings who arrive in the village of Scatterbrook and soon find out that Worzel Gummidge (Mackenzie Crook), the scarecrow, is alive. Worzel is just as surprised to learn that the children are humans rather than fellow scarecrows, bringing three very different characters together.
Their unusual friendship becomes especially important when the seasons suddenly stop changing, the harvest fails to arrive, and chaos brews. With the village affected by the strange disruption, Susan, John, and Worzel must put aside their differences and work together to restore things to normal. Like Michael Sleep in ‘Small Prophets,’ Worzel Gummidge becomes part of a world where supernatural elements coexist with ordinary everyday life, giving rise to complex scenarios.
3. Ghosts (2019-2023)
‘Ghosts’ delves into the lives of Alison Cooper (Charlotte Ritchie) and her husband Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe), who unexpectedly inherit the enormous but crumbling Button House. Hoping to turn the property into a luxury hotel, the couple moves in and begins planning renovations, unaware that the estate is occupied by numerous ghosts from different periods of history. The spirits initially resent their new owners and try various ways to drive them away, eventually causing Alison to fall from an upstairs window. After spending two weeks in an induced coma, Alison wakes to discover that the accident has left her able to see and hear the ghosts. With the couple unable to afford to leave the property and the spirits bound to its grounds, both sides eventually accept that they must find a way to coexist.
As Alison and Mike struggle to restore the house and manage their finances, their unusual supernatural housemates complicate their new life. Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, and Ben Willbond are the creative team behind this British sitcom, which is a unique take on how the supernatural communicates with humans. While Michael’s attempt to create homunculi brings him in contact with the supernatural in ‘Small Prophets,’ the ghosts in ‘Ghosts’ deliberately interfere with Alison and Mike’s plans to renovate their inherited home.
2. The Change (2023-2025)
‘The Change’ is a Bridget Christie creation that revolves around Linda (Bridget Christie), a 50-year-old working-class mother. Her growing sense of dissatisfaction turns into an existential crisis after she is told that her forgetfulness is caused by menopause rather than early-onset dementia. The diagnosis leaves Linda feeling unexpectedly empowered, prompting her to reclaim some of the time she has spent doing thankless work for others and finally focus on herself. She sets off alone into the Forest of Dean on an old bike, hoping to reconnect with her identity, find a sense of purpose, and locate a tree she climbed as a child.
Linda encounters strange characters, including the Eel Sisters, an angry radio presenter, and a mysterious man living in the woods with a wild boar. What follows is a puzzling journey of self-discovery, unusual friendships, and strangeness. Along the lines of ‘Small Prophets,’ the British comedy drama series centers on a solitary character who pursues unconventional answers to deeply personal questions. Michael explores the possibility of creating homunculi, while Linda travels into the wilderness to navigate her feelings.
1. Detectorists (2014-2022)
‘Detectorists’ is set in the town of Danebury, north Essex, and follows Andy Stone (Mackenzie Crook) and Lance Stater (Toby Jones), two friends whose shared obsession with metal detecting keeps them searching the countryside for a discovery that could make them legends. Andy, an agency worker who qualifies as an archaeologist, and Lance, a forklift truck driver and amateur musician, spend their days exploring fields and open tracks as members of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club. Their friendship is full of constant bickering, but their bond remains strong as they pursue the same elusive dream of uncovering a priceless collection of historical treasures.
Alongside their eccentric clubmates, Andy and Lance encounter greed, betrayal, and redemption as they continue their seemingly endless search for the life-changing find that has always remained just out of reach. The British comedy series from the creative mind of Mackenzie Crook, akin to ‘Small Prophets,’ features people who struggle in ordinary lives yet become increasingly absorbed in unusual interests that give their lives a sense of purpose, thus connecting Michael, Lance, and Andy on a thematic level as complex characters.
Read More: Where is Small Prophets Filmed?
