The 20 Best Swoon-Worthy Romance Series to Stream Right Now

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The 20 Best Swoon-Worthy Romance Series to Stream Right Now

Like most things aimed primarily at women, the romance genre, no matter the medium, has traditionally been overlooked, dismissed as inferior, or even unfairly mocked as being a horny housewife’s guilty pleasure. Romance is a massive and extremely profitable industry, so it’s a shame mainstream audiences have been so quick to judge and slow to accept it. Luckily, that view has begun to change over the last few years. With the warm embrace of Netflix’s cozy Virgin River and the overwhelming success of Bridgerton and its prequel Queen Charlotte, we’re seeing more romance TV series than ever as streaming services are cluing into romance’s sizable and largely untapped viewing audience.

This is a triumph for several reasons, but first and foremost, it means that fans hungry for heartwarming declarations of love and swoon-worthy moments of passion like those in heady, heart-thumping romantic series have more viewing options than ever before. So if you’ve found yourself yearning for a sweeping romance or a light-hearted rom-com, these are the best and most romantic TV shows right now (and for those looking for something a little different, the best romance anime series).

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Bridgerton

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Watch on Netflix

Based on Julia Quinn’s novels, this series hails from Shondaland alum Chris Van Dusen and is best described as Jane Austen by way of Gossip Girl. Set during the Regency era in England, the favored period of many a historical romance, the luxurious new series—which features a number of steamy sex scenes (don’t watch this with your mom!)—follows the eight Bridgerton siblings as they search for true love and attempt to remain in the good graces of Lady Whistledown, an anonymous gossip writer voiced by Julie Andrews who spills the secrets and scandals of the aristocratic Bridgertons and the rest of London’s high society in her regular column.

Each season follows a different sibling’s love story. The first focuses on eldest daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) as she enters society. Initially the talk of the town, her standing falls with the arrival of a beautiful newcomer, so to escape a loveless marriage with an unsavory man chosen for her by her eldest brother, Daphne strikes a deal with the handsome and newly titled Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), a committed bachelor with twice the bodice-ripping hero energy any one man should possess. In a classic fake-dating scenario, the Duke pretends to court Daphne in order to raise her value in the marriage market, while their agreement keeps women from throwing themselves at him. Naturally, feelings soon emerge. Then, in Season 2, eldest son Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), the Viscount Bridgerton, finally decides to take a wife, and when the queen names newcomer Edwina (Charithra Chandran) the season’s diamond, he resolves to make the young woman his new wife… until he ends up falling for her stubborn elder sister, Kate (Simone Ashley).

 


Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

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Watch on Netflix

Netflix isn’t one to let a good thing simply thrive on its own—it’s going to figure out how to squeeze as much from it as possible. Enter Queen Charlotte, a limited series created and written by Shonda Rhimes that serves as a prequel series to the service’s wildly popular historical romance Bridgerton. The show, which was directed by Rhimes’ longtime collaborator Tom Verica, follows Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio as a young woman, Golda Rosheuvel as an adult) at the beginning of her marriage to King George III (Corey Mylchreest), who at first shields himself from her because of a mental illness that few know about. As the series progresses, the two soon find common ground and begin falling in love, forever changing the course of British high society. Running parallel to this—and in direct contrast to it—is the story of Charlotte’s lady-in-waiting Lady Danbury (Arsema Thomas as a young woman, Adjoa Andoh as an adult) and her own husband, whom she detests. The show, which also tackles matters of race and features a queer love story, is a delight. Its only fault is that it is just six episodes.

 


Normal People

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Watch on Hulu

A faithful adaptation of Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel of the same name, Normal People tells the tender but complicated love story of Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal), two Irish teens from different backgrounds drawn together by their inherent loneliness. Beginning at the end of high school and carrying on through college, the series is a surprisingly honest and heartbreaking depiction of love and friendship, with a central relationship that is defined by periods of emotional and sexual intimacy that give way to long stretches of little to no communication, as fluctuating power dynamics threaten to destroy the deep bonds that connect them. This might not be your typical romance, but you’ll fall in love with it all the same.

 


Poldark

Watch on Amazon Prime Watch on PBS Passport

If you’re looking for a swoon-worthy historical romance to transport you to another time and place, look no further than Poldark, the five-season British drama based on the books of Winston Graham and starring Aidan Turner as the handsome former soldier Ross Poldark. Returning home to Cornwall after the American Revolutionary War, Ross finds that his father has died and his estate is in ruins. And if that is not bad enough, his first love, Elizabeth (Heida Reed), has become engaged to his cousin. Luckily for Ross (and for the audience), he finds true love where he was least expecting it: with his scullery maid, Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson). Although their relationship initially shocks their friends and neighbors, the couple’s love and devotion to one another is guaranteed to sweep viewers right off their feet and into the beautiful sunsets of the Cornwall coast.

 


Jane the Virgin

On Jane the Virgin's Beautifully Nuanced Approach to Women's Sexuality

Watch on Netflix

A virgin perfectionist with a heart of gold probably shouldn’t be this watchable, and yet Jane the Virgin, which is based on a Venezuelan telenovela and serves as a loving homage to the genre, is one of the best series of this century. Add a pinch of the ol’ impregnated-by-artificial-insemination storyline, mixed in with the possible threat of a grandmother’s deportation, all while the protagonist is trying to rock a writing career, motherhood, and a love triangle for the ages, and you’ve got one of TV’s most fascinating characters. What’s great about Jane Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez) is that she handles everything with an impressive sensibility, and you can’t help but fall for her optimistic outlook on life. If there’s a will, there’s a way, and Jane takes the cards she’s dealt in life while never forgetting or forsaking the deep goodness Abuela instilled within her. That she has two great loves along the way is kind of just an added bonus. —Iris A. Barreto and Kaitlin Thomas

 


Descendants of the Sun

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Watch on Hulu

You’ll have to read subtitles for this 2016 K-drama that follows the love story of an elite soldier and the trauma surgeon who’s stolen his heart, but I promise it is worth it! Set against the backdrop of life-and-death situations, Descendants of the Sun is a military drama with a well-placed sense of humor that stars Song Joong Ki as Yoo Shi Jin, a captain in a special forces unit who falls in love with the beautiful and talented Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo), an emergency room doctor seeking a professorship, despite their differing philosophies on life—he believes death is sometimes necessary to protect others, while she values life above all else. Having given up hope of making a relationship work because of the nature of their lives and the secrecy of his profession, fate brings the two together once more when Shi Jin is deployed to a war-torn country and Mo Yeon joins a group of humanitarian aid workers there. A fated romance that will at times leave you breathless, Descendants of the Sun is a must-watch series for romance fans and a perfect introduction to K-dramas, if you’ve yet to experience them.

 


Virgin River

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Watch on Netflix

A little bit soapy and a lot romantic, Virgin River is a story about second chances. Based on a series of novels by Robyn Carr, the heartwarming medical romance follows Melinda “Mel” Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a skilled nurse practitioner and midwife who packs up her life in L.A. to move to a remote mountain town in Northern California to start over after a series of traumatic heartbreaks. With a cranky new boss (Tim Matheson) who wants nothing to do with her, and a dumpy cabin that fits the definition of an Airbnb scam, Mel questions whether she made the wrong choice to give up her life in L.A. But a warm friendship with Jack (Martin Henderson), a former Marine and the owner of the only restaurant in town, helps Mel put the traumas of her past in the rearview mirror. As their friendship quickly turns romantic, it allows Mel to turn the page and begin a new chapter.

 


Heartstopper

Watch on Netflix

From a Tumblr webcomic to a graphic novel to a TV show, Alice Oseman’s uplifting queer tale has gathered a dedicated fanbase that has only grown with the arrival of the Netflix adaptation. The sweet romance between Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) is wonderfully realized in this heartfelt and earnest teen coming-of-age drama directed by Euros Lyn and written by Oseman. Much of Oseman’s original spark carries over into the moving frames that are complemented with a fantastic soundtrack, perfectly detailed production design of teenage bedrooms, and an all-around talented cast.

As Nick and Charlie grow closer and their feelings become impossible to ignore, they have a whole host of supportive friends to confide in. The group includes caring Elle (Yasmin Finney), eccentric Tao (Will Gao), quiet Issac (Tobie Donovan), and two girlfriends: bubbly Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) and thoughtful Tara (Corinna Brown). Heartstopper updates stale cliches of the teen coming-of-age genre to deliver a thoughtful and earnest reflection of youthful self-acceptance, exploring what it is to be part of the LGBTQ+ community today. —Emily Maskell

 


Victoria

Watch on PBS Passport

Nothing pairs quite like romance and royalty, and Victoria is clear proof of that. An enchanting historical drama filled with old-fashioned romance, the ITV series chronicles the early years of Queen Victoria (Jenna Coleman). Because she is young and unwed at the beginning of her reign, she is pressured by many to marry. This naturally makes her unwilling to do so, until she meets and falls in love with Prince Albert (Tom Hughes), a development that leads to a beautiful and heartwarming proposal fairly early in the show’s run. Because the series doesn’t waste time throwing unnecessary roadblocks in the way of Victoria and Albert’s happiness, viewers are treated to an all-encompassing love story and one of the most unabashedly romantic dramas on TV.

 


Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

The Songs of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Gay Geometricians Can't Save Rebecca from Herself

Watch on Netflix

Don’t let the name keep you from tuning into this one—creator and star Rachel Bloom addresses it before the theme song’s even over, responding to choruses of “she’s the crazy ex-girlfriend” with lines like “that’s a sexist term” and “the situation’s more nuanced than that.” And it is: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a clever musical-comedy (think Flight of the Conchords, if they leaned more heavily on musical theater) that upends the hallmarks of the romantic comedy genre to tell a unique story about life, love, and relationships. The series follows Rebecca Bunch (Bloom), a lawyer who turns down a partnership at her New York firm to follow her ex-boyfriend Josh to West Covina, California, and try to win him back. But it’s more complicated than that: Along the way, Rebecca learns to address some of the neuroses she’s been carrying around since childhood and gets sidetracked (depending on how you look at it) by a sort of Sam and Diane “will they/won’t they” thing with Josh’s friend Greg. Her “crazy” is sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always presented smartly and sensitively—never what you might expect from a show called Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. —Bonnie Stiernberg and Kaitlin Thomas

 


A Discovery of Witches

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Watch on AMC+

Television is all in on vampires again, so if you’re still drawn to supernatural romances full of forbidden love, A Discovery of Witches will be right up your alley. Based on the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness, this romantic fantasy series stars Teresa Palmer as Diana Bishop, a historian and reluctant witch who discovers a long-lost manuscript during her research that is said to contain the origin stories of witches, vampires, and daemons. To protect herself from those who seek the book and wish to do her harm, Diana rethinks her stance on magic and begins to embrace her powers with the aid of a sexy and powerful vampire known as Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode). A steamy romance soon blossoms between the two, but because an ancient covenant meant to protect supernatural beings from humans states they cannot fraternize outside of their kind, Diana and Matthew’s desperate love is a forbidden affair, which only serves to make things hotter.

 


Sanditon

Watch on Amazon via Masterpiece Watch on PBS Passport

Jane Austen wrote novels with romantic happily-ever-afters that she herself never even experienced. But Sanditon, a book with no ending, was given life as a PBS series. Starring heartthrob Theo James as Sidney Parker and the beautiful Rose Williams as Charlotte Heyward, fans of Austen get to see Andrew Davies’ perception of how things might conclude. While the cast and setting is thoroughly lovely, there is definite creative license taken to what Austen fans will expect. After all, it is hard to imagine the virginal Austen writing explicit sex scenes that pepper this new work. The series is perfect for those who love the flavor of Jane Austen but want an unexpected storyline with a touch of the erotic. And while the second season tones it down some, the romance never falters. —Keri Lumm

 


Chesapeake Shores

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Watch on Hallmark

Based on a series of novels by Sherryl Woods, Chesapeake Shores is part romance, part family drama. Meghan Ory stars as Abby, a successful single mother who moves back home to the small coastal town of Chesapeake Shores, Maryland, to be closer to her family. By a twist of fate, her one-time flame Trace (Jesse Metcalfe), a rising country music star, has also returned to the picturesque seaside hamlet, and it does not take long for things to heat up between the two. But it’s not just Abby and Trace who experience love at the shore; the Hallmark series is an ensemble drama, with Abby’s siblings all getting their own love stories throughout the relatively chaste but emotionally fulfilling series.

 


Outlander

Watch on Starz Watch on Netflix

If by chance you’ve yet to experience the timeless, heart-stopping romance that drives the bulk of Outlander, you’re in for a treat. Based on Diana Gabaldon’s books, the series stars Caitriona Balfe as Claire Randall, a former World War II nurse who travels through time to 1743 while on vacation with her husband (Tobias Menzies) and ends up falling in love with a rugged Highlander named Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). Full of time travel, steamy sex, and historical adventures, Outlander is a one-of-a-kind series anchored by a passionate romance for the ages, as Claire and Jamie’s love is regularly tested by forces outside their control but is thankfully never defeated.

 


Sweet Magnolias

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Watch on Netflix

Dripping with Southern charm, Sweet Magnolias is as refreshing as sweet tea on a hot summer day. Based on a series of books by romance author Sherryl Woods, the series follows Maddie (Joanna Garcia Swisher), a mother of three who attempts to pick up the pieces of her once picture-perfect life in a small town after her husband (Chris Klein) has a very public affair. Although she wasn’t looking for it, Maddie finds love again in the arms of Cal (Justin Bruening), a hunky former Major Leaguer who now coaches her eldest son in baseball. But while there is plenty of romance at the heart of Sweet Magnolias, the show is also a story about female friendship, with a lot of time devoted to Maddie’s relationships with her two best friends (Heather Headley and Brooke Elliott), each of whom gets their own personal and romantic arcs as well.

 


Emily in Paris

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Watch on Netflix

Say what you will about Emily in Paris, the stylish Netflix series from Darren Star has its fair share of swoon-worthy romance, which makes sense for a show set in the City of Love. The comedy follows Emily Cooper (Lily Collins), an ambitious millennial with a master’s in marketing who moves to Paris to work for a boutique firm her company has acquired. Once there, she quickly falls for her hunky neighbor, the chef Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), and he seems to return the attraction. But things become très compliqué when it’s revealed he’s dating Camille (Camille Razat), a woman who has befriended Emily and shown her all that Paris has to offer. And if that wasn’t complicated enough, the second season introduces Alfie (Lucien Laviscount), an English love interest for Emily, to ensure that this already complicated love triangle becomes more of a love… rhombus.

 


Lovesick

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Watch on Netflix

With an original title like Scrotal Recall, you’d be forgiven if you bypassed this gem of a British comedy before it was renamed and rebranded as Lovesick. But the punny original is quite fitting, as the show follows a twentysomething named Dylan (Johnny Flynn) as he tracks down his former sexual partners in the wake of being diagnosed with chlamydia. It’s a setup ripe for comedy and self-reflection as Dylan revisits past relationships and flings through a series of flashbacks. But what ultimately makes the show an addictive watch is the undercurrent of angst and romance running through it as Dylan attempts to come to terms with the fact he might have missed his chance with his best friend Evie (Antonia Thomas). Although she once harbored a crush on Dylan, she is now engaged to someone else. This missed connection, in conjunction with the shallow shenanigans and sexual escapades of the duo’s other friend Luke (Daniel Ings), makes for a perfect storm of romantic tension and lowbrow comedy, and you won’t be able to stop yourself from pressing play on the next episode to find out what happens next.

 


Starstruck

Watch on Max

“He’s a famous actor, and you’re a little rat nobody.” It’s a tried-and-true fanfiction scenario, the inverse plot of Notting Hill, and now, the premise of Max’s truly delightful Starstruck. Premiering first on BBC Three, the London-based romantic comedy follows Jessie (New Zealander comedian Rose Matafeo) after she has a drunken New Year’s Eve one-night stand with Tom (Nikesh Patel), only to learn the next day that he is a famous actor. Anyone who’s seen a rom-com can probably guess what happens next: a will-they-or-won’t-they flirtation, a disastrous fight, an eventual reconciliation. But while Starstruck riffs off a familiar fantasy, it stays grounded in its approach, playing with genre tropes with great aplomb.

Starstruck is clearly the product of people who unabashedly love rom-coms. Inspired by the genre’s classics, the three short six-episode seasons provide a light-hearted modern update with a protagonist who toys with expectations. I’ll keep it vague, but the first season’s final moments are so lovely and understated that the tenderness took my breath away. With such a short running time, Starstruck makes for a quick watch that leaves you wanting to linger in the escapist joy for a little longer. Just like a good rom-com should. —Annie Lyons

 


Dash & Lily

Watch on Netflix

Christmas in New York is a fabled institution. NYC is the home of the high-kicking Rockettes and the carefully curated Rockefeller tree; a place where gigantic ornaments line the streets of Midtown, and holiday markets pop up throughout the city as soon as the weather starts to turn. It’s hard to not get swept up in the magic of December in the city—except of course if you’re not a Christmas person, like Dash (Austin Abrams) in Netflix’s charming romance Dash & Lily.

Based on the novel Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares, the eight-episode series is a scavenger hunt through a lived-in New York City, starting at the most romantic place of them all: The Strand Bookstore. Lily (Midori Francis), a lovelorn Christmas truist, leaves a book of clues in the stacks that intrigues Dash (an intellectual teen who hates the entire idea of the holiday), in the hopes of forging a romantic connection on the page. After a series of dares that get each other out of their respective comfort zones and a romantic back-and-forth via written letters in a red notebook, the duo have to face the truth of how their love translates to real life.

Dash & Lily is a delightful holiday-themed series that reminds us how festive and cozy the Christmas season normally feels, whether you usually celebrate in a city like New York or in your small hometown—or whether you celebrate Christmas at all. In a season of life now that continues to be unlike any other before it, celebrate the good things and treat yourself to a binge. —Radhika Menon


Younger

The Men of Younger on #MeToo

Watch on Hulu Watch on Paramount+

As the saying goes, age ain’t nothing but a number. That’s a concept Younger plays with throughout its seven-season run. At the beginning of the fizzy romantic comedy from Darren Star, recently divorced Liza Miller (Sutton Foster, winsome as ever) quickly realizes that no one wants to hire a fortysomething woman for an entry level publishing job, so she pretends to be twentysomething (Foster is gorgeous so just go with it). As the seasons progress, Liza must work to hide the truth from most of her social circle, including new work buddy Kelsey (Hilary Duff), much younger tattooed boyfriend Josh (Nico Tortorella), and boss Charles (Peter Hermann). The series is fizzy, fluffy fun, and once you start watching you won’t want to stop, pushing play on the next episode to find out how the Josh/Liza/Charles love triangle that creates a stable foundation for much of the show’s run will eventually play out. —Amy Amatangelo and Kaitlin Thomas

 


Kaitlin Thomas is an entertainment journalist and TV critic. Her work has appeared in TV Guide, Salon, and TV.com, among other places. You can find her tweets about TV, sports, and Walton Goggins @thekaitling or read more of her work at kaitlinthomas.com.

For all the latest TV news, reviews, lists and features, follow @Paste_TV.

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