Shows Like Julie and the Phantoms to Watch Next

There’s nothing quite like a musical to capture the magic of television. Musicals allow you to sing (and occasionally dance) your worries away, at least for a little while. None more so than the Netflix adaptation, Julie and the Phantoms. The series stars Madison Reyes as Julie Molina, a high school student who has to find her way back to music after her mother’s death. Showing her the way are Luke Patterson (Charlie Gillespie), Owen Joyner (Alex Mercer), and Reggie Peters (Jeremy Shada), who make up the titular phantoms of the show. Together, they belt out catchy and unforgettable original songs that you’ll be humming for a long time.

The show is a combination of teenage drama, the supernatural, and of course, plenty of music. But so far, Netflix has only produced one season. It’s certainly not enough to scratch that musical itch. So, here’s a list of series, in alphabetical order, that you can watch in the meantime. These shows obviously include musical interludes, but most of them also have some fantastical elements, just like Julie and the Phantoms.

RELATED: The Phantoms of ‘Julie and the Phantoms’ on How They Became a Real-Life Band

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Based on the Archie comic books of the same name, this Netflix television series is wickedly eerie and a little tongue-in-cheek. The show, which exists in the same universe as The CW’s Riverdale, follows Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka), a teenage witch who is taking her first steps into learning dark magic, while also balancing her regular life at school, her love interest Harvey Kinkle (Ross Lynch) and her aunts, Hilda (Lucy Davis) and Zelda (Mirando Otto). Chilling Adventures of Sabrina had a few original songs during its run, but also included a robust soundtrack of classic and popular songs. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the show was eventually canceled. However, Sabrina will be back, at least temporarily in a crossover episode in Riverdale Season 6.

Glee

This was the show that reminded an entire generation that musical theater was cool! Glee wasn’t perfect, but so many people saw themselves on screen for the first time thanks to this show. Queer characters, characters of color, characters with disabilities, and plus-sized characters all featured prominently among the students of William McKinley High School. The covers of popular songs on the show often eclipsed the originals—who didn’t hear ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ on the radio every single hour for years? The cast’s performance was even certified gold, and sales for many other songs increased whenever they were featured on Glee.

Hannah Montana

Hannah Montana is the Disney Channel show that brought Miley Cyrus into the spotlight. She played the central character, Miley Stewart, a young girl who led a double life—by day, she was a regular school student, and by night, Miley became the famous blonde-wig wearing singer, Hannah Montana. Starring alongside her on the show was Cyrus’ real-life father, Billy Ray Cyrus, who played her father and manager Robby Ray Stewart. The show dealt with Miley the character facing the pressures of public life while trying to protect her identity and her relationships with her family and friends. The show featured lots of original music, and Disney even released albums of the songs.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

It may be a mouthful to say, but High School Musical: The Musical: The Series has received generally favorable reviews and has already been renewed for a third season. Inspired by Disney’s High School Musical films, the series follows a group of drama club members at the fictional East High School, who attempt to stage their own version of the film. The show has evolved into much more than its original mockumentary premise, as it explores interpersonal dynamics within a high school setting. The original songs, often performed live by the actors, have already propelled some of the cast to stardom, especially Olivia Rodrigo, who debuted her solo album in 2021.

iCarly

This Nickelodeon series tells the story of Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove), a teenager whose life was turned upside down when she produced her own web show, titled—you guessed it—iCarly. Carly created the show with her best friend Sam Puckett (Jennette McCurdy) and her neighbor Freddie Benson (Nathan Kress). Once the show took off, the friends had to find a way to balance their normal lives with their newfound fame. iCarly doesn’t have many original songs, but the studio was still able to produce soundtrack albums packed with music that you can enjoy. If that’s not enough to convince you, iCarly was revived in 2021 and has already been renewed for a second season.

Jem and the Holograms

Long before Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana, there was Jerrica Benton and her singing alter-ego Jem. Jem and the Holograms was an animated television series that aired in the 1980s, and it was a joint production between Hasbro, Sunbow Productions, and Marvel Productions. In the series, Jerrica was the manager of a music production company who adopted the persona of Jem with the help of holographic imaging. Jem would lead her band, the Holograms, in spectacular stage shows. These ‘music videos’ would often complement the story of the episode. Jerrica’s attempts to keep her two identities apart were central to the show, but she also had to protect her holographic technology from falling into the wrong hands, and defeat rival music bands, the Misfits and the Stingers.

Julie e os Fantasmas

Julie E Os Fantasmas is the Brazilian musical comedy that Julie and the Phantoms is adapted from. Just like in the Netflix adaptation, Julie (Mariana Lessa) was a teenage girl who met three ghosts; in this version their names were Daniel (Bruno Sigrist), Felix (Fabio Rabello), and Martim (Marcelo Ferrari). The original has more in common with Hannah Montana (it was literally created in reaction to the popular Disney show) than the Netflix series. In Julie E Os Fantasmas, Julie dealt with normal, everyday problems like teen romance and musical ambitions. The ghosts were written to help Julie achieve her dreams, and they did so by forming a band together. There was less mythology surrounding the ghosts in the original, with a greater focus on Julie’s life.

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts

At first glance, it may not seem like Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts fits in the musical category, but there are so many original songs sprinkled throughout its three-season run. The animated series followed Kipo Oak (Karen Fukuhara), a young girl forced to flee her underground home to live on the surface of a post-apocalyptic world. The world is overrun by mutated animals, and Kipo has to make friends to ensure the safe return of her father. Just the theme tune will be enough to have you bobbing in your seat, but it’s the heart-warming, diverse, and gripping storylines that will keep you tuning in for more. As if that wasn’t enough, add to that a voice cast that included Sterling K. Brown and Dan Stevens.

Riverdale

Riverdale has little in common with the Archie comics that most people grew up reading. Aside from the character names and setting, the show is much darker, intense, and mature. Case in point, in the series premiere, we learned that Archie (KJ Apa) was having an affair with his schoolteacher! And that’s just the start. There’s murder, underground fight clubs, cults, supernatural investigations, dark magic, and bear attacks. But, despite all that, Riverdale is committed to carving out its own niche on The CW. While the show has upped the roster of diverse and queer characters, it could be even better. To lighten the mood, the show has had a few memorable musical episodes with powerhouse performances by the main cast.

Robotech

Robotech was a 1980s anime science-fiction franchise that spawned books, comics, toys, and video games. Admittedly, just the name of the series has a complicated past as it was a combination of different shows put together. The story was essentially about a series of military wars fought between humans and various alien invaders. To get the upper hand, the humans adapted alien technology to create ‘robotechnology’, hence the title of the franchise. This being a genre series, the saga had a great original score, but it’s the songs that are truly memorable. Even a war-ridden world needs music, so the franchise includes singing characters like Lynn Minmei and Lance ‘Lancer’ Belmont/Yellow Dancer to drop the occasional beat.

Smash

Smash is one of the few shows on this list that’s focused on adult characters. In this musical drama series, an ensemble cast of characters attempted to create new Broadway musicals. They had to balance their lives with the demands that come with a career on stage. The cast included well-known television figures like Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPhee, Christian Borle, Megan Hilty, Anjelica Huston, Jeremy Jordan, and Andy Mientus, as well as a few surprise guest stars. The songs, of course, were the selling point. The roof-raising, heart-thumping, and memorable numbers were the real stars of the show. Despite only lasting two seasons, the songs on Smash remain immortal.

Steven Universe

Steven Universe is the story of a young boy (the titular Steven, voiced by Zach Callison) who lives among gems and goes on epic adventures. These adventures sometimes contain songs that will have you bobbing your head, but most of the time, Steven Universe focuses on family and the power of love. For fans of Julie and the Phantoms, this animated show is the perfect accompaniment. It’s got a ton of heart, amazing visual design, important discussions around sensitive topics that are pertinent to younger audiences, and canon queer characters (for which the show has won awards!). Though not every episode includes songs, there are plenty of musical cues accompanying characters to gladden the musical at heart.

The Get Down

If you love music, The Get Down is the perfect balm for a tortured soul. This Netflix series was unfortunately canceled after just one season despite its popularity. But the available episodes are still worth a watch, not just for a stellar cast who have all gone on to have great careers, but especially the music. Set in the 1970s, the show included music from a variety of genres including R&B, disco, funk, and soul. Interwoven with the music was a ton of drama based on real events that happened in New York during the period of the show. For toe-tapping fun, you can’t do better than The Get Down.

VICTORiOUS

Before Ariana Grande declared God to be a woman, she appeared on VICTORiOUS as Cat Valentine. But Grande wasn’t the protagonist of the show, however. That was Victoria Justice, who starred as Tori Vega, an up-and-coming singer who was accepted into the Hollywood Arts High School. The show followed Tori and her group of eccentric friends as they completed musical assignments and battled high school drama. The songs were catchy, even if the antics on the show bordered on the absurd. VICTORiOUS was intentionally created for a younger target demographic, but if you want to turn off your brain and listen to some cool tunes, this is the show to watch.

In Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Jane Levy stars as Zoey Clarke, a computer programmer who realizes she can hear other people’s thoughts as song and dance numbers. This show is a jukebox musical with covers of songs from every era—be it 1980s classics to the latest Jonas Brothers number. The two seasons of the show have been a vibrant and emotional rollercoaster. Zoey’s life might have been full of music, but it wasn’t without its travails. Unfortunately, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist was taken from us too soon. But, there’s still hope for the show’s return. If another network picks it up, Zoey could sing again. Hey, it worked for Manifest!

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