Movies like Empire (2020)
The best movies like Empire (2020) are Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (2020) and Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer (2024). If Empire hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedIn a Heartbeat (2017)8.0/10 from 1,039 votes
- NewestDave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... (2025)Released 2025
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
A faulty computer causes a passenger space shuttle to head straight for the sun, and man-with-a-past Ted Striker must save the day and get the shuttle back on track – again – all the while trying to patch up his relationship with Elaine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (2020)
Jerry Seinfeld takes the stage in New York and tackles talking vs. texting, bad buffets vs. so-called "great" restaurants and the magic of Pop Tarts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer (2024)
Jimmy Carr refutes the idea that you can't joke about anything these days with his edgy takes on gun control, religion, cancel culture and consent.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this2 Minutes of Fame (2020)
An up-and-coming stand-up comic moves to L.A. to pursue a film career after video clips of his act make him an online sensation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDylan Moran: Like, Totally (2006)
Dylan Moran returns with an all-new stand-up show. Unpredictable, startling, bizarre, elegiac, but above all brilliant and hilariously funny, Moran is a master of comedy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... (2025)
Facing a world gone sideways, comedy icon Dave Chappelle delivers bold truths and potent punchlines in this no-holds-barred special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGabriel Iglesias: I'm Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry (2016)
Hawaiian-shirt enthusiast Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias finds the laughs in racist gift baskets, Prius-driving cops and all-female taco trucks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnthony Jeselnik: Bones and All (2024)
Anthony Jeselnik celebrates 20 years of delivering boundary-pushing comedy to the masses in this razor-sharp stand-up special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJohn Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City (2018)
John Mulaney relays stories from his childhood and "SNL," eviscerates the value of college and laments getting older in this electric comedy special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisJim Jefferies: Freedumb (2016)
Returning for a second Netflix comedy special, Jim Jefferies unleashes his famously ferocious black humor to a packed house in Nashville, Tennessee.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIliza Shlesinger: War Paint (2013)
Her innocent appearance is just a cover for Last Comic Standing winner Iliza Shlesinger's acerbic, stream-of-conscious comedy that she unleashes on an unsuspecting audience in her hometown of Dallas in "War Paint," her first stand-up special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDave Chappelle: The Dreamer (2023)
From his onstage tackle to the slap heard round the world, Dave Chappelle lets loose in this freewheeling and unfiltered stand-up comedy special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAdam Sandler: Love You (2024)
Adam Sandler hits the stage for a thrillingly unpredictable comedy special featuring songs, jokes, party-crashing dogs and plenty of love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGabriel Iglesias: Hot and Fluffy (2007)
Gabriel Iglesias is one of the fastest-rising comics today! With his unique brand of humor, lovable stage presence and wide range of voices and impressions, it's no wonder that he already has a huge fan following. Now you can see Comedy Central's "Comic of the Year" in his sold-out performance at the historic Fox Theatre in Bakersfield, California!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Mouse That Roared (1959)
The Duchy of Grand Fenwick decides that the only way to get out of their economic woes is to declare war on the United States, lose and accept foreign aid. They send an invasion force (in chain mail, armed with bows and arrows) to New York and they arrive during a nuclear drill that has cleared the streets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJim Jefferies: This Is Me Now (2018)
The gleefully irreverent Jefferies skewers “grabby” celebrities, political hypocrisy and his own ill-advised career moves in a brash stand-up special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRicky Gervais: Out of England 2 (2010)
The comic performs at the Chicago Theatre.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBill Burr: Drop Dead Years (2025)
In what might be his most personal and introspective hour yet, Bill offers hilarious takes on everything from male sadness to dating advice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIliza Shlesinger: Freezing Hot (2015)
Smart and brazen comedian Iliza Shlesinger shares her unflinchingly honest observations on the differences between men and women. Filled with hashtag-able catch phrases, this is a laugh-out-loud revelation exposing some of women’s best kept - and ugliest - secrets, including truths about first date attire, fantasy break-ups and the tireless pursuit of not being cold while still looking hot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJim Gaffigan: Beyond the Pale (2006)
The affable, towheaded comic demonstrates his hysterical brand of self-effacing comedy and deadpan delivery at two sold-out shows at Chicago's Vic Theater. It's OK to laugh at this pale white guy...'cause nobody's laughing at Jim Gaffigan harder than Jim Gaffigan!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIn a Heartbeat (2017)
A closeted boy runs the risk of being outed by his own heart after it pops out of his chest to chase down the boy of his dreams.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisTMNT (2007)
After the defeat of their old arch nemesis, The Shredder, the Turtles have grown apart as a family. Struggling to keep them together, their rat sensei, Splinter, becomes worried when strange things begin to brew in New York City.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLes Femmes (2022)
A young woman guides a man through a mysterious forest. In his eyes, everything seems normal, until he comes across two women waiting for him in a macabre ritual.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Taste of Love (2016)
After an ambiguous Snapchat video featuring Bilel and Adil, rumors start spreading about the two friends. To save their reputation, each of them tries to find a girlfriend. Their hunt for a date doesn’t quite go as expected.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
F Is for Friendship (2017)
Emily decides to air the skeletons in her closet and brave the scrutiny of a catty dinner party to win back her name.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The pencil of magic (2015)
Min-joon, who has failed the civil service exam for 10 years, gets a lucky pencil from his friend, Kyung-joon, saying, "When you do it, you get a perfect score."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Make Peace (2015)
Sun-young and Na-hee, who fought and broke up during college, met two years later to make up.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Love Triangle (2017)
Actresses Minji and Hannah are close friends and like Junho at the same time. The car with three people on its way to the beach smells like farts. One of the two is is doing her best in acting.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Allergy (2015)
In April, Min-ji is trying to change the mood in the house. Min-ji call men she know because Min-ji have to move heavy furniture, but everyone refuses. Min-ji is forced to call out Byeong-gu who is jerk. Byeong-gu begins to stir the house.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Like Empire and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Empire?
The closest matches to Empire are Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (2020) and Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer (2024). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Empire?
Start with Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), the closest match to Empire.
What is the highest-rated movie like Empire?
In a Heartbeat (2017), rated 8.0/10 by 1,039 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Empire?
Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Empire?
Yes: Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (2020) and Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer (2024).
How are movies similar to Empire chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Empire, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.