When you don’t have to deal with network television standards and practices, the definition of “romance” can range from sweet, chaste conversations to full-out sex scenes. But the perfect romance is, like real life, a mix of all genres — Love can happen amid the most tumultuous circumstances or the most cliche of settings. Whether it’s high schoolers experiencing first love or thirtysomethings who have been around the block (and back), there are many ways to fall in love.
The shows below are some of the best romances available to stream on Netflix, and they run the gamut between absolutely smutty trash and pure first love feelings.
The Hookup Plan
Elsa (Zita Hanrot) is about to turn thirty and her friends are concerned. She’s at a dead-end job and is still hung up over her ex-boyfriend. Whether it’s an inspired or completely chaotic idea, her best friends Charlotte (Sabrina Ouzani) and Milou (Joséphine Draï) decide to hire a male sex worker to romance her and get her out of her rut. They create the perfect meet-cute with Jules (Marc Ruchmann), and soon Elsa takes the bait. But, what was meant to be a one-night-stand to get Elsa’s life “back on track” turns into something more when Jules develops genuine feelings for Elsa. Modeled like a French Friends, The Hook Up Plan centers around a group of friends and the story moves beyond just Jules and Elsa. The show tackles more serious topics like burn out, the pandemic, feelings of apathy, and anxiety about becoming a parent, all while maintaining a lightness and friendship between the characters to keep you coming back to the story. — Therese Lacson
Sweet Magnolia
Set in the small, cozy, and fictional town of Serenity, North Carolina, best friends Maddie (Joanna Garcia-Swisher), Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott), and Helen (Heather Headley) band together as a unit — known around Serenity as the Sweet Magnolias — to handle whatever is thrown their way. The series is heartwarming and lighthearted, finding the perfect balance between the sweet and bitter moments of life and the Magnolias’ signature margaritas. Everything in Serenity comes down to love: Love of family, friends, coworkers, and especially community. As the Magnolias struggle with their search for the perfect suitors, their focus falls to what they can do to improve their little town for the future and, most of all, for the children. There’s a little something for everyone with this show, as the Magnolias’ teenagers have their fair share of challenges with love in the air in the high school hallways, too. — Jay Snow
Dash & Lily
Based on a young adult series by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, Dash & Lily is definitely a Christmas story but it is also a story about teen romance. Although it unfortunately only has one season, the series, created by Joe Tracz, is surprisingly charming as it follows a Christmas-loving girl named Lily (Midori Francis) and a Scrooge named Dash (Austin Abrams). The two meet each other through the iconic New York bookstore, The Strand, writing letters to each other through a journal that they exchange. Tension builds as the two begin to fall for each other through their letters, until they meet unexpectedly at a party. A sweet rom-com that is perfect for any season, not just the holidays, catch this series if you’ve just finished up Euphoria and you’re stunned by Austin Abrams’ performance on that East Highland stage. — Therese Lacson
Emily in Paris
When Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) realizes her life is at a standstill, she jumps at an opportunity to move to France for a year to bring her American perspective to a smaller Parisian marketing firm that the company she works for in Chicago has recently acquired. Emily in Paris is a romanticized take on life in Paris from an American point of view, as Emily struggles to adapt to the new world around her. Collins manages to perfectly encapsulate Emily’s bubbly and carefree personality without making her come across as ditzy, which makes her poor decisions (like slowly wooing her new friend’s boyfriend) all the more impactful… and frustrating. Nothing is too serious in Emily’s life, which gives the series an abundance of charm and makes the messes Emily creates fun — a rare experience on TV nowadays. Plus, could there be a more romantic setting for Emily’s new life to unfold? — Jay Snow
Never Have I Ever
Growing up isn’t easy and it’s even tougher if you’re Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan). Never Have I Ever opens with tragedy. After witnessing her father Mohan’s (Sendhil Ramamurthy) sudden death during her freshman year and temporarily losing the use of her legs due to trauma, Devi begins her sophomore year ready to turn her life around. Struggling with her grief and also with her complicated relationship with her mother Nalini (Pooma Jagannathan), Devi’s life turns chaotic when she somehow ends up in a romantic relationship with not one but two boys. Caught between her childhood rival, Ben (Jaren Lewison), and one of the hottest guys in school, Paxton (Darren Barnet), Devi has to navigate the waters of high school romance while also dealing with her family and her Indian identity. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is hilarious and plays the messy Devi to a tee with both comedic and emotional moments. — Therese Lacson
Dawson’s Creek
One of the best teen shows ever, Dawson’s Creek is the story of Dawson (James Van Der Beek) and his best friends Joey (Katie Holmes) and Pacey (Joshua Jackson) as they navigate high school and life in their small Massachusetts town. Their lives are turned upside down when a new student Jen (Michelle Williams) arrives and throws their comfortable relationships into a stir. There are love triangles, drama, and plenty of awkwardness to go around as this perfect snapshot of the late 90s will make you nostalgic for the days of innocence. Dawson’s Creek is a fun trip down memory lane especially to see actors in their first major roles who are now major superstars. – Jennifer McHugh
Gilmore Girls
Is it too soon to say that Gilmore Girls is a classic? The tale of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore — mother and daughter, best friends — is one of beautiful simplicity that has kept people engaged for over two decades now. The town of Stars Hollow is filled with people who, despite their differences, truly care for one another and their community at-large. A romanticized view of small-town life, the many traditions of the town are just the cherry on top of what the series has to offer. Plus, love them or hate them, the series introduced a variety of men for both Lorelai and Rory that are each so unique and offer such different attributes to their relationships that viewers have been divided over who they prefer these women with since the very beginning. Romance ain’t easy, not even in Stars Hollow, but it’s nothing that your daily 10 cups of coffee can’t help dull the ache of. — Jay Snow
Bridgerton
Listen, if “romantic” you mean “sexy AF,” then Bridgerton is the show for you. It’s the first Netflix series from Shonda Rhimes, a regency-era romance following the romantic exploits of the Bridgerton family in early 18th century London. It’s based on a series of romance novels by Julia Quinn, and the first season follows a steamy romance between eldest Bridgerton daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and the smokin’ hot Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page). Their chemistry is electric, and while the first half of the season is a lot of longing glances and chaste flirting, the second half is essentially softcore sex scenes. Don’t watch it with your mom. — Jean Bentley
New Girl
Sure, this Fox sitcom was about a quirky (or, rather, “adorkable”) woman who moves into a loft with three dudes and the hijinks that ensue. But it was also one of television’s best slow-burn romances, as type-A Jess (Zoey Deschanel) and underachiever Nick (Jake Johnson) fell in love over the course of many seasons. (Not to spoil it for you, because there’s definitely a will they-won’t they dynamic for a long time, but this is television. Of course, they will.) — Jean Bentley
She’s Gotta Have It
The thing you know going into Spike Lee‘s series adaptation of his 1986 film of the same name is that this is a show about Nova (DeWanda Wise) first and foremost, not the three men with whom she’s juggling relationships (played by Anthony Ramos, Lyriq Bent, and Cleo Anthony). But since knowing yourself is just as important a tenet of a romantic relationship as the actual romantic chemistry, it’s a fascinating look at one woman and how her romances affect her life (and vice versa). — Jean Bentley
Easy
Another contemporary Netflix romance, this anthology from director Joe Swanberg features three seasons of love stories between various people living in Chicago, running the full gamut of what it means to find love in this day and age. Each episode is a standalone episode, which means you can watch any without previous context, but a few characters are revisited at different points in their lives. Not all of the storylines are romantic — it’s more of a musing on modern life in general — but it’s a relatable look on what it means to date and live in the 21st century. — Jean Bentley
Outlander
Diana Gabaldon‘s Outlander book series, which provides the source material for this Starz drama, isn’t strictly romance. It’s also got action, adventure, sci-fi, and time travel. But it’s the steamy sex scenes that stand out (and have helped create a veritable army of obsessed fans). When World War II nurse Claire (Caitriona Balfe) time travels to 18th century Scotland, she navigates her new world with the help of a hot-as-hell Scot (Sam Heughan). Their love story is at the center of the show, with plenty of action in between. There’s also some violence (including the sexual kind), so be forewarned that it’s not all swooning and missed connections. It’s half-period drama and half-romance, which makes the sexy scenes all the more intense. — Jean Bentley
Lovesick
This sweetly romantic British series about Dylan (Johnny Flynn), a man who reconnects with his exes and learns new revelations about his romantic history in the process originally had a different, punny name — Scrotal Recall, which makes sense since the reason he’s contacting these women is because he came down with an STD and has to contact his past partners. But the budding love story between Dylan and his BFF Evie (Antonia Thomas) is so sweet you spend the entire time rooting for them to realize their feelings for each other while also becoming invested in Dylan’s past relationships. It’s a delightful show that benefited from a name change, no matter how accurate (and funny) the original title might’ve been. — Jean Bentley
Grey’s Anatomy
There’s a reason the Shonda Rhimes medical drama has been on the air for the better part of two decades and counting. It’s gotten a little more serious over the years, but it started out pretty frothy — about young surgeons learning lessons and hooking up while trying to balance their work and personal lives — and you can still always count on some sexy hookups (by network television standards, at least) amidst all the medical maladies. — Jean Bentley
What/If
You might not believe this, but Renee Zellweger starred in an entire Netflix series that premiered in 2019. In the vein of the most underrated ’90s movie genre, the erotic thriller, Zellweger plays an extremely rich woman who makes an indecent proposal to a young couple — a night with baseball player-turned-first responder Sean (Blake Jenner) in exchange for an obscene amount of money, and financial security for Sean and scientist wife Lisa (Jane Levy). It is bonkers-level fun in addition to being sexy, which makes it the perfect trashy binge. — Jean Bentley
Crash Landing On You
Netflix has invested heavily in K-dramas of late, and one of the most fun, romantic binges of 2020. When a South Korean heiress accidentally paraglides into North Korea and literally crashes into a North Korean soldier — yes, that is literally the plot of this show — hijinks ensue (and yes, they fall in love). A North Korean defector on the writing staff means some of the details about North Korean life are ultra-accurate, but mainly this is an escapist, romantic love story about people from two different worlds. — Jean Bentley
On My Block
Like Grey’s Anatomy, On My Block isn’t strictly a romance. But the ’90s teen comedy clearly drew inspiration of the John Hughes classics of the 1980s, which means that budding romance is clearly at the heart of several storylines. Sure, you’re watching teens share sexual tension, which can get weird when you think too hard about it, but you’re also seeing people learn more about themselves and form their own identities at a particularly fraught time in their lives, which is relatable at any age. — Jean Bentley
Elite
If you like your high school shows as sexy and outrageous as possible, this Spanish series is for you. Part murder mystery, part high school drama, Elite takes its cues from Gossip Girl in terms of treating its teen characters like adults — which means, since this is very European and very risqué, you’re watching hot Spanish teenagers played by twentysomething actors hook up a lot. Sometimes that level of addictive drama is what you need, and Elite will fit the bill. — Jean Bentley
Love
This Netflix comedy was inspired by the relationship between creators (and real-life married couple) Lesley Arfin and Paul Rust, and follows two young people as they embark on a relationship — and the fun, awkward, romantic, sexy, and difficult experiences that entails. Rust also stars as the nerdy Gus, who falls in love with messy cool girl Mickey (Gillian Jacobs) in Los Angeles. — Jean Bentley
Feel Good
Comedian Mae Martin created and stars in this series, which draws plenty of inspiration from her own life, about a recovering addict and comedian who struggles with her demons while diving into an all-consuming relationship with her new girlfriend. Not only does it show how the rush of new love can manifest in sometimes destructive ways, it also tackles the fluidity of gender and sexuality and what that means in the dating world of the 21st century. — Jean Bentley
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