The best romance shows on Netflix right now
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It’s worth noting that the two most prominent new additions to the best romance shows on Netflix right now are both series that are on loan to the streamer. First, romance is going to the witches with AMC’s A Discovery of Witches, while HBO’s Sex and the City has a coven of its own without any actual magic involved. We know that AMC’s deal with Netflix is only running for a year, so you have until August 2025 to binge all three seasons of A Discovery of Witches. But we can’t guarantee how long HBO will let Netflix borrow Sex and the City.
While Netflix does have its homegrown TV romance series like Bridgerton and Eva Lasting, it’s the network and cable shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Outlander that give fans some slow-burn love affairs over multiple seasons. And it’s a lot more fun to binge-watch a TV series when you won’t be running out of episodes anytime soon. You can find these series and more among the best romance shows on Netflix right now.
A Discovery of Witches (2018) [New]
Metacritic: 67%
IMDb: 7.8/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 3
Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
Cast: Teresa Palmer, Matthew Goode, Edward Bluemel
Created by: Kate Brooke
AMC’s A Discovery of Witches doesn’t hide the fact that it’s a fantasy romance series. The show takes place in a world where witches, vampires, and daemons are all real, and they’re all facing the decline and potential extinction of their respective species. A lapsed witch turned historian, Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer), has stumbled upon the Book of Life, a magic tome that may hold the key to healing the various races.
A vampire named Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode) gets close to Diana to learn what she knows about the Book of Life. But the romantic bond they form is so genuine that they defy their respective witches and vampires to be together. Diana and Matthew are willing to take on the world in the name of love, and the duo just might have to because they have no shortage of enemies.
Sex and the City (1998) [New]
Metacritic: 64%
IMDb: 7.3/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 6
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon
Created by: Darren Star
There are a lot of romantic entanglements in Sex and the City, but the heart of the show is actually the friendship between four women. Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), and Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) have some very interesting love lives, and they enjoy sharing the details with each other.
For Carrie, the guy she keeps coming back to is Mr. Big (Chris Noth), and their relationship unfolds across the entire series. But someone really should have told Mr. Big to stay away from a popular brand of exercise bikes in Max’s sequel series, which, for the record, is called And Just Like That.
Grey's Anatomy (2005)
Metacritic: 64%
IMDb: 7.5/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 20
Genre: Drama
Cast: Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr.
Created by: Shonda Rhimes
Grey’s Anatomy had a short 10-episode 20th season in early 2024, and series star Ellen Pompeo only appeared in half of the season. With Pompeo’s Dr. Meredith Grey largely in the background, veteran characters Dr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver), Dr. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), and Dr. Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) had more time in the spotlight. The show also continued to spread its focus to include newer characters like Dr. Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd), Dr. Benson “Blue” Kwan (Harry Shum Jr.), Dr. Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane), and Dr. Lucas Adams (Niko Terho).
Meredith may be in the background, but her conflict with Dr. Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen) over her experimental Alzheimer’s research looms large over the season. Catherine is looking to halt their progress, and the other doctors at Seattle Grace get caught up in the battle of wills between Fox and Meredith.
Eva Lasting (2023)
IMDb: 8.0/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 1
Genre: Drama
Cast: Emmanuel Restrepo, Francisca Estevez, Sergio Palau
Created by: Dago García
The second season for Eva Lasting begins with some good news for Camilo (Emmanuel Restrepo). The show picks up in 1976, shortly after the first season finale when Camilo’s girlfriend, Eva Samper (Francisca Estévez), was forced to leave Columbia and live with her aunt in the United States. But somehow, Eva was able to return, and she wants to pick up where she left off with Camilo.
That may be tricky since Camilo’s fling, Luisa Salcedo (Sara Pinzón), is pregnant with his child, and he’s feeling intense pressure to marry her. The situation is keeping Eva at bay from Camilo, and even his parents, José (Santiago Alarcón) and Ana de Granado (Verónica Orozco), are on the verge of splitting up over the stress about their son’s future.
Bridgerton (2020)
Metacritic: 75%
IMDb: 7.3/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 3
Genre: Drama
Cast: Regé-Jean Page, Phoebe Dynevor, Julie Andrews
Created by: Chris Van Dusen
After a long two-year hiatus, Bridgerton season 3 has finally arrived. This year’s storyline centers on Penelope Featherington, the incorrigible gossip who is secretly Lady Whistledown, the woman who knows all of the scandals and delights in releasing them. At the old age of 28 years, it doesn’t look like Penelope is going to get married, especially since she’s pretty angry at the man she loved, Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton).
Colin thoughtlessly insulted Penelope last season, and now he wants to make amends and save their friendship. But even if season 3 allows Penelope to find love with Colin, there are others who still want to expose the identity of Lady Whistledown. And that’s something that could scandalize Penelope — or worse.
Outlander (2014)
Metacritic: 76%
IMDb: 8.4/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 6
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast: Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan
Created by: Ronald D. Moore
The Starz original series Outlander has added its sixth season to Netflix, which now brings it within a single season of the show’s first run on cable. Since Claire is from the future, Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) know that the Revolutionary War is coming. But knowing the future and navigating it are two different things, especially since Jamie swore an oath to the British Crown … and he’s expected to keep it by taking up arms against the growing rebellion.
If that wasn’t enough drama, the Christie family reenters the lives of Claire and Jamie at a very inopportune time to drive a wedge between them. All of these factors combined are making Fraser’s Ridge into a powder keg that’s about to explode.
One Day (2024)
Metacritic: 76%
IMDb: 8.2/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 1
Genre: Drama
Cast: Ambika Mod, Leo Woodall
Created by: Nicole Taylor
It’s a rare thing to get a second chance at love with the same person. In One Day, college graduates Emma Morley (Ambika Mod) and Dexter Mayhew (The White Lotus star Leo Woodall) seemingly missed their moment together despite forming a deep connection. And yet Emma and Dexter remain in each other’s orbit, which means that the hope of romance isn’t completely gone yet.
Over the course of 14 episodes, Dexter and Emma’s lives intersect even when they’re dating other people. But it’s up to these lovebirds to write their own ending. Nobody else is going to do it for them.
Young Royals (2021)
IMDb: 8.3/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 3
Genre: Drama
Cast: Edvin Ryding, Omar Rudberg, Malte G?rdinger
Created by: Lars Beckung, Lisa Ambj?rn, Camilla Holter
Without Netflix, shows like Young Royals would not have found an international audience. This Swedish teen romance follows Prince Wilhelm (Edvin Ryding), a member of Sweden’s royal family who is sent to an elite boarding school after some very public fights at his previous school. Wilhelm soon meets and falls for Simon Eriksson (Omar Rudberg), which leads to a scandal for the royal family when a video of the two is leaked online.
The third and final season of Young Royals finds Wilhelm finally admitting publicly that it was him in the video. Wilhelm and Simon have also reconciled after a period of estrangement, but can they make their love last? Or will Wilhelm’s royal responsibilities keep them apart?
Wanderlust (2018)
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 1
Genre: Drama
Cast: Toni Collette, Steven Mackintosh, Joe Hurst
Created by: Nick Payne
Toni Collette stars in Wanderlust as Joy Richards, a relationship therapist whose own marriage to Alan Richards (Steven Mackintosh) is on the rocks. And both Joy and Alan seem to be incapable of being faithful to each other.
After Joy is injured in a car accident, she takes the opportunity to reassess what she wants in life. Rather than ending her union with Alan, she suggests that they try having an open marriage and begin dating other people. Although Alan and Joy mutually agreed to that, they aren’t fully prepared for the way it will place an even greater strain on their relationship.
My Life with the Walter Boys (2023)
Metacritic: 50%
IMDb: 7.1/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 1
Genre: Drama
Cast: Nikki Rodriguez, Noah LaLonde, Ashby Gentry
Created by: Melanie Halsall
Before Jackie Howard (Nikki Rodriguez) can find love, she has to experience a heartbreaking tragedy in My Life with the Walter Boys. Following the death of her family in a car accident, Jackie is moved cross-country by her guardians, George (Marc Blucas) and Katherine Walter (Sarah Rafferty).
As Jackie struggles with the culture shock of moving from the big city to the country, she also feels strong (and potentially romantic) connections to three of the Walter family’s sons: Cole (Noah LaLonde), Alex (Ashby Gentry), and Danny Walter (Connor Stanhope). But can even the Walter brothers fill the hole in Jackie’s heart?
Zero Chill (2021)
IMDb: 5.8/10
Rated: TV-G
Seasons: 1
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Family
Cast: Grace Beedie, Dakota Taylor, Jeremias Amoore
We already have the term bromance, but what’s an easy way to describe a growing bond between two young women? Zero Chill features Grace Beedie as Kayla MacBentley, a figure skater whose life and ambitions have taken a back seat to those of her brother, “Mac” MacBentley (Dakota Benjamin Taylor), after he gets an opportunity to play hockey in England.
With her whole life uprooted in the move from Canada, Kayla can’t even maintain her connection with her skating partner. Kayla does find a kindred spirit in Sky Tyler (Jade Ma), an ice skater who was forced to give up skating while battling leukemia. Sky and Kayla turn out to be a good pair on the ice. But Sky is also romantically interested in Mac, which could torpedo her new friendship with Kayla.
Tooth Pari: When Love Bites (2023)
IMDb: 6.9/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 1
Genre: Comedy, Mystery
Cast: Tanya Maniktala, Shantanu Maheshwari, Saswata Chatterjee
Created by: Pratim D. Gupta
Although it arrived on Netflix earlier this year, Tooth Pari: When Love Bites is very appropriate for Halloween. This Indian love story follows Dr. Bikram Roy (Shantanu Maheshwari), a dentist who treats Rumi (Tanya Maniktala) after she breaks a tooth. Romantic sparks fly between them — even though Rumi is a vampire.
Rumi’s kind are kept hidden by their ally, Adi Deb (Adil Hussain), to protect them from their enemies, who are led by Luna Lika (Revathi). But having made a connection with Birkram, Rumi risks everything to pursue a romance — even though she can’t tell him who or what she really is.
Surviving Summer (2022)
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rated: TV-PG
Seasons: 2
Genre: Drama
Cast: Sky Katz, Kai Lewins, Savannah La Rain
Created by: Joanna Werner, Josh Mapleston
You may get Fresh Prince of Bel-Air flashbacks from the way that Summer Torres (Sky Katz) is shipped off to Australia in the teen romance series Surviving Summer. Summer gets in a lot of trouble in the U.S., so her mother, Margot (Kate Beahan), needs someone to look after her while she’s on an international assignment. Margot turns to her friend, Abbie (Adrienne Pickering), whom she hasn’t seen since Abbie moved to Australia 10 years earlier.
Although Summer wants to ditch Australia right away, she makes an instant connection with Margot’s son, Ari Gibson (Kai Lewins), and his circle of friends starts to become hers as well. This trip was only supposed to be for the summer, but Summer may have found where she belongs.
Glamorous (2023)
Metacritic: 54%
IMDb: 6.0/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 1
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Cast: Kim Cattrall, Miss Benny, Jade Payton
Wondering what Kim Cattrall is up to when she isn’t making 30-second cameos on And Just Like That? Cattrall has her own Netflix comedy series, Glamorous, in which she plays an aging fashion mogul, Madolyn Addison, who still rules the industry with her company, Glamorous.
Cattrall may get top billing, but the focus of the show is more on her new assistant, Marco Mejia (Miss Benny), a makeup enthusiast who is deeply fascinated by the world of fashion. Marco is also experiencing some questions of sexual identity, which are only magnified in this new environment.
A Perfect Story (2023)
IMDb: 7.7/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 1
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Anna Castillo, álvaro Mel, Ane Gabarain
A Perfect Story is a Spanish romance series that follows an heiress, Margot (Anna Castillo), and a working-class guy, David (álvaro Mel). Margot’s hard work isn’t taken seriously by her family and she feels trapped by her engagement to Filippo (Mario Ermito). As for David, he’s got three jobs just to make his ends meet.
When Margot flees her own wedding, she ends up in a bar where David is working as a bartender. From there, a friendship begins to bloom, but can they find love and move on together?
Heartstopper (2022)
Metacritic: 100%
IMDb: 8.6/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 2
Genre: Drama
Cast: Joe Locke, Kit Connor, William Gao
Created by: Alice Oseman
Heartstopper season 1 was a slow-burn romance between gay teenager Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and his best friend in school, Nick Nelson (Kit Connor). In season 2, Charlie and Nick are in a real romantic relationship, but Nick is having some real trouble finding a way to come out to his friends and teammates on the rugby team.
While Charlie and Nick are on solid ground with each other, there are still obstacles ahead that are getting in the way of their happiness, especially Charlie’s ex-boyfriend, Ben Hope (Sebastian Croft).
If Only (2022)
IMDb: 6.2/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 1
Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Comedy
Cast: Megan Montaner, Miquel Fernández, Michel Noher
Created by: Irma Correa
Time-travel stories are often built around regret and an attempt to change something that went wrong. In If Only, everything went wrong for Emma (Megan Montaner), and it’s not just one thing she would change. It’s everything, but especially her failing marriage with Nando (Miquel Fernández).
Inexplicably, Emma finds herself reliving the past decade of her life. And this time she doesn’t have to commit to a dead-end relationship with Nando. She can find someone new to love. But just because Emma has lived through her life one time doesn’t mean that she’ll get everything right the second time.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023)
Metacritic: 76%
IMDb: 7.3/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 1
Genre: Drama
Cast: India Ria Amarteifio, Corey Mylchreest, Arsema Thomas
Created by: Shonda Rhimes
On Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) is so self-assured and in control that it’s a little disconcerting to see the young Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) decades earlier in the prequel series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Early in this show, young Charlotte becomes the queen when she marries King George III (Corey Mylchreest).
Unfortunately for Charlotte, love and marriage isn’t as easy as marrying into the royal family. George’s penchant for secrecy and his growing mental illness threaten his reign even as he and Charlotte struggle to make their marriage into a true union.
XO, Kitty (2023)
Metacritic: 67%
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 1
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Cast: Anna Cathcart, Choi Min-yeong, Gia Kim
Created by: Jenny Han
Spinoffs are always tricky because it’s hard to make a supporting character into a lead. XO, Kitty largely avoids that problem by taking Anna Cathcart’s Kitty Song Covey out of the familiar confines of the To All the Boys trilogy. Kitty thinks she knows everything she needs to know about love, but she’s in for a rude awakening.
Much to the surprise of Kitty’s long-distance boyfriend, Dae (Choi Min-young), Kitty uproots her life and moves to South Korea just in the hope of finally finding the true love that has eluded her. Kitty has a lot to learn, and she might get her heart broken along the way.
Valeria (2020)
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 3
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Cast: Diana Gómez, Silma López, Paula Malia
Created by: María López Casta?o
Do you think that Sex and the City is racy? Then you haven’t seen Valeria, the Spanish romantic comedy/drama series that is ending its three-season run on Netflix. Much like HBO’s iconic series, Valeria follows four female friends, Valeria (Diana Gómez), Carmen (Paula Malia), Lola (Silma López), and Nerea (Teresa Riott). Together, they navigate their late ‘20s as they search for love and fulfillment in their lives.
Season 3 picks up with Carmen heading to the altar while Valeria’s romance with Victor (Maxi Iglesias) hits the skids. Fortunately, it’s not long before Valeria sparks a new love connection with Bruno (Federico Aguado), a writer who shares many of her passions. But Valeria and her friends will have to face some serious questions before they can find the happiness they are looking for.
Sex/Life (2021)
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 2
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Cast: Sarah Shahi, Mike Vogel, Adam Demos
Created by: Stacy Rukeyser
Sometimes, romance means intense passion, and that’s just what Billie (Sarah Shahi) realizes she was missing in Sex/Life. While suffering a midlife crisis, the former psychology Ph.D. candidate, mother, and housewife can’t seem to stop thinking about her ex-boyfriend Brad (Adam Demos).
He lives a fast-paced, exciting life that’s very different from Billie’s life with her strait-laced investment banker husband. While her husband Cooper (Mike Vogel) tries to make her feel as sexually satisfied as she once did with Brad, their twisted, emotional states create a messy situation. Sex/Life isn’t your traditional romance, but it’s provocative, steamy, and erotic.
Love Is Blind (2020)
Metacritic: 62%
IMDb: 6.1/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 4
Genre: Reality
Cast: Vanessa Lachey, Nick Lachey
It’s difficult to believe that Netflix’s cheesy, weird, trashy social experiment is already on its fourth season. Thirty singles from a different state in America join each season to “meet” other singles, talking to them from separate enclosed pods without ever seeing one another. After courting multiple people, they decide who they made connections with and talk more.
If they ultimately decide this person is “the one” and want to propose marriage (and it’s accepted), the two finally get to meet in person. From there, they go on vacation together, live together, meet one another’s families, and discover if it is truly meant to be, all while planning their weddings. The concept is completely backward, but there are enough raw, romantic moments intertwined with the juicy drama to keep you hooked the entire way through.
Little Things (2016)
Seasons: 4
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Cast: Mithila Palkar, Dhruv Sehgal
Created by: Dhruv Sehgal
The Indian rom-com, offered in English language (with some Hindi dialogue), is the sweet story of a young man and woman living together in Mumbai. The episodes through the show’s four-season run follow Kavya (Mithila Palkar) and Dhruv (Dhruv Sehgal) through their everyday lives trying to make life interesting and fun. Exploring the typical mundane conversations between couples in a realistic but humorous fashion, Little Things is all about, well, the little things that test a relationship and love for one another. It’s also about the challenges young couples in today’s modern society face, from career aspirations to the fear of missing out on things with friends, long distance, and life goals. As a show without all the frills and exaggerations of romance, Little Things’s ability to be relatable is what makes it entertaining.
Emily in Paris (2020)
Metacritic: 58%
IMDb: 7.0/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 3
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Cast: Lily Collins, Ashley Park, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu
Created by: Darren Star
Despite all the criticism, Emily in Paris remains the perfectly predictable, corny, funny, sweet, and modern show that takes the concept of romance right to its source: Paris. While Emily initially moves to the city of love for a one-year work project, she quickly finds herself wrapped up in the beauty, culture, and attractive men the city has to offer. From torrid romances to jealous jaunts, career setbacks, and culture shock, it’s like a Hallmark holiday movie extended for every season, with gorgeous people in love (and lust), stereotypical French storylines, and stunning fashion to boot. If you like exploring an indulgent, guilty pleasure show every now and then, Emily in Paris won’t disappoint.
The Empress (2022)
IMDb: 7.9/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 1
Genre: Drama
Cast: Devrim Lingnau, Philip Froissant, Melika Foroutan
Created by: Katharina Eyssen
Netflix quickly snapped up this German historical drama series based on the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Devrim Lingnau). This sultry, mostly true tale finds 16-year-old Bavarian duchess Sisi falling in love with her sister’s betrothed, Emperor Franz Joseph (Philip Froissant). When Franz Joseph returns her love, Sisi picks up and moves to Vienna, causing a rift in the family and prompting many in her husband’s family to scheme to sabotage the marriage. With a bevy of political complexities, captivating characters, and an enduring romance at the heart of the show, The Empress is a fascinating historical drama.
Jane the Virgin (2014)
Metacritic: 81%
IMDb: 7.9/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 5
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Cast: Gina Rodriguez, Andrea Navedo, Yael Grobglas
Created by: Jennie Snyder Urman
Jane (Gina Rodriguez) has been raised by her Catholic, telenovela-obsessed grandmother to believe that a woman’s virginity is sacred, and it must stay intact until marriage. But when 23-year-old Jane is accidentally artificially inseminated by donor sperm, the technically still-a-virgin woman experiences a bold new awakening of her sexuality. Suddenly, the opposite sex never seemed so appealing and attainable. You can watch all five seasons of this hit romantic dramedy on Netflix.
Love (2016)
Metacritic: 73%
IMDb: 7.7/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 3
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Cast: Gillian Jacobs, Paul Rust, Chris Witaske
Created by: Judd Apatow, Paul Rust, Lesley Arfin
This series has a pretty basic name for a pretty basic series. It’s a show about a nice guy named Gus (Paul Rust) who moves into a new apartment after his relationship falls apart only to meet the free-spirited Mickey (Gillian Jacobs). Although they’re at different stages of their lives and appear to be polar opposites, Gus and Mickey find they just plain work.
Grace and Frankie (2015)
Metacritic: 58%
IMDb: 8.2/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 7
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Cast: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen
Created by: Howard J. Morris, Marta Kauffman
It’s a situation no person ever wants to find themselves in, particularly in their 70s. But alas, Grace and Frankie learn, while in the golden years of their lives, that their husbands and business partners are actually gay and have secretly been in a relationship with one another for more than 30 years. So goes the story of two women who are completely different from one another trying to not only re-start their lives in an elder age, leaning on one another for support, but also trying to find that romantic spark by dating again. Spoiler alert: They succeed on both fronts, offering a compelling look at romance at a time when some would consider these women to be past their primes.
Gilmore Girls (2000)
Metacritic: 78%
IMDb: 8.3/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 7
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Cast: Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Scott Patterson
Created by: Amy Sherman-Palladino
While Gilmore Girls is primarily focused on the mother-daughter relationship between Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) Gilmore, the lighthearted drama has more than its fair share of romance. Lorelai’s the young single mom who has the eye of just about every eligible bachelor in Stars Hollow, Connecticut, while Rory is the driven, straight-A student and witty daughter who’s the apple of her mother’s eye. And just about every boy’s eye in town, too. But through all the romantic entaglements and drama, the two women remain one another’s best friend.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015)
Metacritic: 80%
IMDb: 7.8/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 4
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Rachel Bloom, Donna Lynne Champlin, Vincent Rodriguez III
Created by: Aline Brosh McKenna, Rachel Bloom
Rachel Bloom is a revelation in this wacky romantic comedy about a woman who impulsively throws her successful Manhattan life away to chase a former romantic interest across the country to West Covina, California. Despite her success, she just feels something missing, and she hopes that this new adventure will help her find the happiness — and love — that she’s been missing. The musical comedy is simultaneously a send-up of rom-coms and a touching tribute.
Lucifer (2016)
Metacritic: 49%
IMDb: 8.1/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 6
Genre: Crime, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast: Tom Ellis, Lauren German, Kevin Alejandro
Created by: Tom Kapinos
Despite being part of the DC Comics universe, based on the character from The Sandman comic book series, and falling under the police procedural/urban fantasy genre, make no mistake: Lucifer will satisfy the desires for romance television, too. It’s a slow burn from the romance angle but predictable from the get-go in that respect as well. Nonetheless, the intertwining, ever more fantastical stories, characters that draw you in, and the right amount of comedy mixed with drama and corniness all make Lucifer a worthwhile watch. Check out all six seasons, which wrap up the series with an equally satisfying end.
Sex Education (2019)
Metacritic: 81%
IMDb: 8.3/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 4
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Cast: Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa
Created by: Laurie Nunn
It’s more about physical relationships than emotional ones, but Sex Education provides a good look into romance and how it impacts the youth of today. At the heart of the story is high school student Otis, who has become ambivalent about sex because of his mother, who is not only a sex therapist but also quite promiscuous. Call it an anti-romance series, but it’s unconventional and relatable, with themes and topics that will teach you a thing or two about Gen Z.
Virgin River (2019)
IMDb: 7.4/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 5
Genre: Drama
Cast: Alexandra Breckenridge, Martin Henderson, Colin Lawrence
Created by: Sue Tenney
A surprise hit for Netflix, this romantic drama stars Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel, a woman struggling with her life who makes an impulsive decision to move to a remote California town and work as a midwife and nurse practitioner. She wants to leave her old life and the painful memories that come with it behind and believes a change of scenery is just what the doctor ordered. But upon arrival, she learns that what she really needs to heal is herself before she can find lasting love.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (2016)
IMDb: 7.6/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 1
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Cast: Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Scott Patterson
Created by: Amy Sherman-Palladino
A continuation of Gilmore Girls, Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel return as mother-and-daughter duo Lorelei and Rory, who find themselves supporting one another as they both deal with their lives and unique relationship troubles. It’s a sweet look back at the fast-talking series that enthralled viewers through the early 2000s. With Rory now all grown up and Lorelei married to Luke for a decade, the pair rely on the advice of one another once again in hopes of finding their individual happiness.
Easy (2016)
Metacritic: 72%
IMDb: 6.9/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 3
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Created by: Joe Swanberg
Love and romance are never easy, which is precisely the focus of this comedy-drama anthology series. With three seasons under its belt, each has a different star-studded ensemble cast that depicts the trials and tribulations of navigating love and relationships. Set in Chicago, the focus is on depicting the many different types of modern love, from married couples in open relationships to living up to your partner’s expectations, threesomes, reignited love, and old flames. There’s no romantic relationship type left untouched through the 25 episodes.
Love Alarm (2019)
IMDb: 7.0/10
Seasons: 2
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast: Kim So-hyun, Jung Ga-ram, Song Kang
Created by: Yoo Bo-ra
Hailing from South Korea and based on the Daum webtoon of the same name, Kim Jo-jo is a high schooler who starts to use a new mobile app that alerts the user when someone nearby has romantic feelings for them. So begins the love triangle story of the beautiful but troubled young girl, the handsome model, and the son of a domestic worker who secretly loves Jo-jo. As the app eventually reveals itself to cause more societal problems than it helps, the story takes a dramatic turn. But it’s ultimately about understanding what it truly means to like, or love, someone without technology getting in the way.