What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedKeeping Up with the Joneses
Greg Mottola · Film · 2016
If you loved Keeping Up with the Joneses, start with SPY x FAMILY (2022) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Keeping Up with the Joneses across media.
What hooked you in Keeping Up with the Joneses was the thrill of ordinary suburban lives colliding with high-stakes, hidden espionage.
Books on the same thread
Spy School
Stuart Gibbs · Book
Explores: imposter syndrome, competence porn, underdog hero.
If you enjoyed the fish-out-of-water humor in Keeping Up with the Joneses, you will appreciate how this story forces a regular boy to navigate a secret world of spies.
Spy x Family, Vol. 1
Tatsuya Endo · Book · 2020
Shares a thread with Keeping Up with the Joneses: Action comedy.
Like Keeping Up with the Joneses, this story masterfully balances domestic farce with intense espionage, centering on the comedic friction between a fake family and their hidden, dangerous identities.
Double Down (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #11)
Jeff Kinney · Book · 2016
Explores: Family Relationships, School Life, Friendship.
While lacking the spy elements of Keeping Up with the Joneses, this story captures the same frantic, relatable suburban pressures and family dynamics that define the original film's comedic tone.
Outrunning Danger
Gina Bell · Book
Explores: hiding in plain sight, identity crisis, survival.
This book shares the core premise of Keeping Up with the Joneses by exploring the tension and constant vigilance required when a normal life is masked by a protective cover.
Series on the same thread
SPY x FAMILY
Series · 2022
Shares 2 threads with Keeping Up with the Joneses: Fish Out of Water, Action Comedy.
This series mirrors the secret identity themes found in Keeping Up with the Joneses, focusing on the hilarious and chaotic contrast between performing suburban normalcy and executing covert missions.
Spy
Simeon Goulden · Series · 2011
Shares a thread with Keeping Up with the Joneses: Fish Out of Water.
If the workplace-meets-espionage dynamic of Keeping Up with the Joneses appealed to you, you will enjoy this sitcom that forces an unprepared man to balance domestic duties with secret operations.
American Housewife
Sarah Dunn · Series · 2016
Shares a thread with Keeping Up with the Joneses: Suburban Comedy.
This show captures the exact suburban satire that frames Keeping Up with the Joneses, focusing on the class differences and social pressures of living among neighbors who seem far too perfect.
Your Friends & Neighbors
Jonathan Tropper · Series · 2025
Explores: wealth inequality, midlife crisis, moral decay.
This series explores the darker side of the suburban malaise presented in Keeping Up with the Joneses, showing how quickly a familiar neighborhood can transform into a site of criminality.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Joe Rogan Experience
Joe Rogan · Podcast · 2026
Explores: intellectual curiosity, unfiltered dialogue, lifestyle exploration.
If Keeping Up with the Joneses hit, The Joe Rogan Experience shares the thread.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts · Podcast · 2026
Explores: mental health awareness, female friendship, coping mechanisms.
If Keeping Up with the Joneses hit, My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark shares the thread.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Keeping Up with the Joneses a movie about suburban life?
Yes, Keeping Up with the Joneses follows an ordinary suburban couple who find their daily routines disrupted when they encounter their new neighbors. The film explores the contrast between their typical lifestyle and the sophisticated, covert lives led by the couple next door.
What is the central conflict in Keeping Up with the Joneses?
The central conflict in Keeping Up with the Joneses arises when the suburban couple discovers that their new, ultra-sophisticated neighbors are actually covert operatives. This revelation forces the ordinary couple to navigate the challenges of interacting with people who are hiding dangerous secrets.
Who directed Keeping Up with the Joneses?
Keeping Up with the Joneses was directed by Greg Mottola. Released in 2016, the film focuses on the comedic and suspenseful interactions between a regular suburban couple and their mysterious new neighbors who turn out to be undercover agents.
Does Keeping Up with the Joneses involve espionage?
Yes, Keeping Up with the Joneses incorporates elements of espionage as the plot centers on the discovery that the new neighbors are covert operatives. The story tracks the suburban couple as they deal with the complexities of living next to individuals involved in international intelligence work.