THINGS TO WATCH IF YOU LIKE THE NEW SHOW ‘ELLE’
Likely everyone has at least heard of a little movie called Legally Blonde. Released twenty-five years ago, the film had Reese Witherspoon as the fierce Elle Woods, a girl who decides to follow the perfect guy to law school only to realize she actually has smarts that have nothing to do with said dude. On its twenty-fifth anniversary, producer Reese Witherspoon and Prime Video decided to team up to produce Elle, a prequel show that inspires this latest things to watch like the popular (with viewers!) show.
LIST | THE BEST THINGS TO WATCH LIKE ‘VOICEMAILS FOR ISABELLE’
THINGS TO WATCH IF YOU LIKE THE NEW SHOW ‘ELLE.’ What would you add to a things to watch like #Elle list? #PrimeVideo Share on XPanned by critics, the show is a bubbly concept that follows high school Elle (and yes, the show is supposed to be canon) as she is forced to move from her ideal Bel-Air sophomore year plans to the darkness of – gasp! – Seattle. While there, she finds it more than a little difficult to fit in which the show markets as the idea of how Elle became Elle.
With all of this in mind and an introduction to what the show is about, let’s see what things to watch like Elle you may enjoy!
THINGS to WATCH like ELLE
BARBIE, film
This one is all pink and cute and perfectly matches Legally Blonde if we’re talking vibes. Margot Robbie plays Barbie, one of many such characters, or rather the OG Barbie who struggles to feel at home in this world of plastic. It’s about her starting to feel human and questioning what this means for her life.
Synopsis: To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full‐on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, with HBO Max; or digitally purchase on places like Prime Video
BLONDE AMBITION, film
Jessica Simpson starred in this film that I have a feeling really did want to be another version of Legally Blonde. It follows the character Simpson plays, Katie, who comes to the city to surprise her actor boyfriend. She finds him cheating and then after getting a job, she must deal with backstabbers in her work. The film even has Luke Wilson in a minor role.
Synopsis: A young woman’s unconventional, comedic journey up the corporate ladder while finding love along the way. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, with Prime Video or Tubi
EMILY in PARIS
This is a show that I only saw an episode or so of before deciding it wasn’t one I wanted to keep up with. Some dramas I will and then those that just don’t have enough of a “hook,” I let go. (I don’t need to stay with excess soapy dramas when there are enough I do keep up with!) Still, this one, while the plot is different, primarily follows its titular female protagonist as she moves to Paris. So, it’s got the trying-to-fit-in concept and plenty of high fashion, too! Lily Collins stars. The show is set to end with its upcoming sixth season.
Logline: Emily, an ambitious twenty-something marketing executive from Chicago, unexpectedly lands her dream job in Paris. Her new life is filled with intoxicating adventures and surprising challenges as she juggles work, friendships, and romance. – via Netflix
Stream, at publication, with Netflix
GILMORE GIRLS
This is perhaps a big outlier show to put on this list. However, it is (obviously) very female centric and like Elle, it has a mother-daughter relationship that, in this show, is the central story. This isn’t all about the pink, but it is about a smart academic and her more free-spirited mom, and is one of those shows that is iconically rewatchable.
Synopsis: Fiercely independent single mom Lorelai raises gifted, Ivy League-bound daughter Rory amid a continual stream of quick-witted repartee. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, with Prime Video; you can also purchase digital (or DVD) seasons of the show on places like Amazon
LEGALLY BLONDE, film
I mean this is a duh addition, but it still has to be included as the OG story. Overall, I think Legally Blonde didn’t need a “back in the day” version of Elle, because we already saw why and who she was through the way Reese Witherspoon plays her and introduces her to us. This film is just so memorable and sweet, and it’s certainly iconic in cinematically unforgettable ways. A sequel, which people don’t seem to like as well, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde brings Elle to D.C.
Synopsis: Elle has it all. She’s president of her sorority, a natural blonde, and she dates the cutest fraternity boy on campus. There’s just one thing stopping him from popping the question: Elle is too blonde. So, when he packs up for Harvard Law, Elle rallies all her resources and gets into Harvard, determined to win him back. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, with HBO Max or Prime Video
LEGALLY BLONDES, film
This was also produced by Witherspoon and was a film that didn’t get much attention (I don’t think it had a theater run) but was about Elle’s two British twin cousins trying to fit into a private American school. It was cute if I remember right but never had the staying or memorable power as the 2001 Legally Blonde.
Synopsis: When Elle Woods’ young, blonde cousins Annie and Izzy (Milly and Becky Rosso) moved from England to California, they thought their pink clothes, small dogs and street smarts would make them instantly fit in and feel at home. However, they find they are miles away from the uniform fashions and money-focused power structure of their new prep school. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, with Roku or Tubi; or find streaming on Prime Video
NEVER HAVE I EVER
I think I only ever watched maybe the first season or an episode of this title, but it was cute. It became a fan favorite for many because it was part of the TV show collection that Mindy Kaling had a hand in. Themes that are similar between this and Elle are fitting in and struggling to find where that is or what it may look like.
Logline: Never Have I Ever is a coming-of-age comedy about the complicated life of a modern-day first-generation Indian American teenage girl. The series stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi, an overachieving high school student who has a short fuse that gets her into difficult situations. – via Netflix
Stream, at publication, with Netflix
SUBURGATORY
This show is one that tries to be a little bit “biting” and is the opposite concept of Elle. It’s about an edgy New York girl who moves to the suburbs with her single dad and has to deal with the elite wealthy, some of whom love fashion and pink. The show starred Jane Levy, Jeremy Sisto, Cheryl Hines and Rex Lee.
Synopsis: Manicured lawns. Cookie-cutter homes. Big lips. Little nose jobs. Synchronized sprinkler systems that erupt at the exact same time. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, with Howdy or Netflix
THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY
This is another popular adaptation (inspired by the Jenny Han novels) that goes deep into the love triangle. It tries to be more emotional than many teen stories but is still something fans of Elle may like to watch. It’s not my personal favorite, but yes, I still 100% binge watch the entire thing. The show ran for three seasons, matching the book series (very wisely so I might add) and Prime Video also already made the announcement that a film would be released trying up all of the final threads.
Synopsis: Belly Conklin is about to turn 16, and she’s headed to her favorite place in the world, Cousins Beach, to spend the summer with her family and the Fishers. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, exclusively with Prime Video
MORE to consider
- A WOMAN of SUBSTANCE
- CLUELESS
- JANE by DESIGN
- MEAN GIRLS
- NEW GIRL
Stream, at publication, Elle exclusively with Prime Video
Photos: Alamy | Feature: Prime Video / Amazon MGM Studios Poster
MORE to browse
- ‘ELLE,’ SEASON ONE: A PREQUEL STORY ABOUT YOUNG ELLE WOODS
- THE LOVE STORY OF TEWKESBURY AND ENOLA HOLMES
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