Sometimes you just want to get lost in a good love story, right? It’s through romance TV series that you have plenty of time to fall for the characters and there’s a world of streaming options available. This is good and bad, since finding that perfect show to sweep you off your feet can be a challenge. So, we’ve put together a curated list of the best romance series to make your next binge-watch an easy choice.
Revealing the top 10 romance TV shows that are captivating audiences right now, this ultimate guide will help. We give you a full range, from heartfelt romantic dramas to laugh-out-loud rom-com series. And we even have the viewing public’s opinion on sweeping historical romances. Each TV show has been ranked based on public views and recent trends.
What are the best romance TV shows?
Our list of TV series relies on more than just a handful of opinions – instead, we analyse what’s currently trending across major streaming services and collect public opinions from a range of reliable sources, and this reveals exactly what audiences are genuinely enjoying and discussing right now.
But we don’t stop there – alongside the ranking, you’ll find the title, genre, director and key cast. Plus, to help you narrow it down, we offer a synopsis of the TV series, its total runtime and note which streaming service you can watch it on. All of this, and more, makes it easy for you to get started with your next romance binge.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
Drama •Romance
Overview
Every summer, Belly and her family head to the Fishers’ beach house in Cousins. Every summer is the same … until Belly turns sixteen. Relationships will be tested, painful truths will be revealed, and Belly will be forever changed. It’s a summer of first love, first heartbreak and growing up — it’s the summer she turns pretty.
Cast
Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, Sean Kaufman
Outlander
Drama •Fantasy •Romance •Sci-fi
Overview
The story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
Cast
Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Richard Rankin, Sophie Skelton
Friends
Comedy •Romance
Overview
Six young people from New York City, on their own and struggling to survive in the real world, find the companionship, comfort and support they get from each other to be the perfect antidote to the pressures of life.
Cast
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry
And Just Like That…
Comedy •Drama •Romance
Overview
This new chapter of “Sex and the City” follows Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte as they navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s.
Cast
Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Sara Ramirez, Cathy Ang
Downton Abbey
Drama •Romance
Overview
A chronicle of the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era—with great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.
Cast
Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Joanne Froggatt, Hugh Bonneville
Platonic
Comedy •Romance
Overview
A platonic pair of former best friends approaching midlife reconnect after a long rift. The duo’s friendship becomes more consuming—and destabilizes their lives in a hilarious way.
Cast
Rose Byrne, Seth Rogen, Luke Macfarlane, Tre Hale, Andrew Lopez
Duration
31 minutes
The Big Bang Theory
Comedy •Romance
Overview
Physicists Leonard and Sheldon find their nerd-centric social circle with pals Howard and Raj expanding when aspiring actress Penny moves in next door.
Cast
Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar
We Were Liars
Mystery •Thriller •Drama •Romance
Overview
One year after a mysterious accident left her with amnesia, 17-year-old Cadence returns to Beechwood, an island off Martha’s Vineyard, seeking answers. As three generations of the distinguished Sinclair family gather at their private summer utopia, no one will talk about the accident – neither her childhood friends “The Liars” nor her first love Gat, forcing her to uncover the truth herself.
Director
Nzingha Stewart
Grey’s Anatomy
Drama •Romance
Overview
Follows the personal and professional lives of a group of doctors at Seattle’s Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
Cast
Ellen Pompeo, James Pickens Jr., Chandra Wilson, Kevin McKidd, Camilla Luddington
Duration
49 minutes
Sex and the City
Comedy •Drama •Romance
Overview
Based on the bestselling book by Candace Bushnell, Sex and the City tells the story of four best friends, all single and in their late thirties, as they pursue their careers and talk about their sex lives, all while trying to survive the New York social scene.
Cast
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis
Frequently asked questions
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Benefits
What’s great about TV shows is that they allow you to spend more time with the characters as their relationship develops, and this is unlike a movie that has to wrap everything up in two hours. The benefits of this extended runtime? You can explore the ups and downs of a relationship over many seasons.
Romance goes one-size-fits-all, and our list reflects that as we include a range of romantic dramas and comedies. In the mood for a laugh-out-loud love story? Trying to find a heartfelt historical drama? It’s all included here, and we know you can find something that’s just right for you.
Here’s some good news – you can confidently pick any series from our guide and start your binge without any hassle because every show on our list is available on a major Australian streaming service. We make sure you don’t miss out on these great shows, especially when your interest has been piqued.
The romance genre is packed with fantastic series, so we couldn’t include every classic – and since our ranking is based on public sentiment and what’s currently trending, subjectivity doesn’t come into it. But as we look at what viewers are loving right now, we’re quite confident you’ll find top romance TV shows.
The best rom-com series have characters that feel real and witty dialogue you can enjoy, making the story more engaging, so this genre definitely offers more than the so-called cheesy rom-coms. Those that deliver on the romance and comedy without being over-the-top are ones to watch – but this doesn’t mean you should always avoid cheesy rom-coms – they might just make you laugh with their uniqueness.
Once you’ve found your favourite, you don’t have to stop there – you can use our website to search for other shows and movies that are perfect for romantic viewing, or rely on our universal guide to discover content across multiple streaming platforms.
One way to do this is to check the synopsis and details on the genre for each show in this list, which gives you a quick feel for the story and its style. Like dramatic storylines? Enjoy a light-hearted comedy? Or interested in historical settings for your romance TV show like with Outlander? We proudly list them all.
No matter if the world of streaming changes quickly – we update this list to reflect what’s currently trending and keep track of the amazing new romance TV shows. Whether something new comes along like The Summer Turned Pretty, or something old surges in rankings, rest assured that we include it on the list.
