WandaVision: 7 Shows to Fill the Mind Stone-Shaped Hole In Your Heart

Since it premiered early in 2021, WandaVision became a lightning rod for conversations about what the future of great television looks like. The series follows the character of Wanda Maximoff as she mourns the loss of her partner, Vision, following the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

While many people will hold this show up as a marker of great series to come that follow in its vein, I'd argue there are already some great shows that WandaVision is joining in a recent trend.

So what makes this show so great?

People tuned in because it’s part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and therefore, the storyline would have ramifications for the films coming out later this year, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.

Those connections aren’t what make this series great though, just like the events that came before the show didn’t make the show great.

Prior to its premiere, the characters of Wanda and Vision were an important part of the MCU, but did not have the fervent fanbase of other couples like Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter or Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. This largely is due to their first appearance being in Avengers: Age of Ultron, one of the lesser loved and fairly criticized films out of the 20 that have been released.

Regardless of its connection to the rest of the MCU, what makes the show great has little to do with those larger connections (though the Easter eggs sure were a lot of fun!).

The formula that fills this show is a mix of meta-humor and deep exploration of grief/depression, and an optional dose of science fiction. How many other shows could there possibly be like this?

Seven shows, at least in recent memory.

Let's laugh while we cry with these "depressing" series!

Rick & Morty

An animated comedy that every nerdy television viewer has checked out at some point, the series is famous for playing with pop culture tropes through the science fiction premise of a crazy, genius scientist and the misadventures he goes on with his naive grandson. Few people in this show actually want to deal with their emotional issues, leading to hijinx as it always unravels!

Star Trek: Discovery

This series, originally on CBS All Access and now Paramount+, took the classic science fiction franchise into new territory: serialized storytelling. Humor, love, and grief have always been apart of the franchise, much like the core of WandaVision, and the third season of the series took a deeper dive as it explored family and the grief/evolution that human actions cause.

Community

I already mentioned Rick & Morty, but let's face it, Dan Harmon's form of "meta-humor" aligns perfectly with that of WandaVision. Plenty of other comedy series have done episode homages to other pop culture staples, but few take it to the level that Community has. What began as a simple ode to action movies with a paintball war in season one, became an onslaught throughout the show of using genre to cover up the more morose emotional troubles of the Greendale Seven.

The Twilight Zone

Much like WandaVision, every episode has its own "vibe" to it with a wide range of tones both serious and humorous. And now there are even more episodes you can check out thanks to a reboot from Get Out's Jordan Peele on Paramount+!

Sorry for Your Loss

You may have heard of this series a while back and missed it. It was a critically acclaimed series from none other than Facebook. While there are lighter moments in this show, the meta-humor here isn't going to be as intentional as the others on the list, as the series stars Disney Universe stars Elizabeth Olsen (WandaVision), playing a (different) woman grieving the death of her husband, and Kelly Marie Tran (Raya and the Last Dragon, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Rise of Skywalker).

Bojack Horseman

This very adult, animated comedy has always had us laughing while we cried. Season Five set a new bar as it dealt with grief and, more specifically, grief over loving a very flawed individual.

You're the Worst

The best representation on television delving into the psychology of depression, as well as being the one show on this list absolutely everyone should check out, is You're the Worst. The performance by star Aya Cash (who also plays a superhero... or rather villain, in The Boys on Prime) netted her a Critics Choice Award nomination for her performance as a woman struggling with depression and unable to communicate it to her boyfriend as she spirals. It is darkly funny and one of the most honest portrayals of modern dating around.