6 Perfect Rom Com Series To Watch After ‘Nobody Wants This’

By this point, I’ve already accepted that I won’t be able to watch every show on My List before I die. Perhaps I thought this was possible back in 2011 when hope was high and life worth living, and Netflix was still sending people DVDs … but now it’s a pipe dream. However, there’s one genre of show that I always watch no matter what – even if it feeds the metastasizing tumor that is My List. That genre is “rom-com.” There are just so many great rom com series now – an undisputed perk of the Golden Age of Streaming.

Now, if you’re like me, then you’ve already binged Netflix’s Nobody Wants This (and if you haven’t, then add it to Your List!) And if you’ve seen it all, then you might also feel like your life is missing something. Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Here are some great rom-com series that will fill the void.

Normal People

Transformative love between two people from different backgrounds? Check. Relatable personal growth? Double check. Incredible chemistry between the stars, Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones? Jackpot. I mean, if you thought Adam Brody and Kristin Bell lit up the screen in Nobody Wants This … just wait. If you love literary adaptations and coming-of-age tales, then this Hulu series is your perfect match.

Love

If you’ve ever thought, “What if Judd Apatow but with more feelings,” then you’ll love Love. In this Netflix series, Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust star as, respectively, Mickey Dobbs and Gus Cruikshank. The former is a messy, impetuous self-saboteur; the latter is an awkward, navel-gazing sap. Somehow, the two not only fall in love, but navigate the modern world together. Plus, Love is produced by Apatow, so it offers plenty of endearing laughs.

Never Have I Ever

A coming-of-age tale about a 17-year-old girl who wants to lose her virginity and become popular? Groundbreaking. But wait … Never Have I Ever is more than the sum of its parts. It was created by Mindy Kaling, after all, and her fingerprints are all over this Netflix series. Never Have I Ever will make you cringe, squeal, laugh, and palpitate, sometimes all at once. You will find yourself almost immediately rooting for its protagonist, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Devi Vishwakumar), as she looks for love. You might even start longing for high school again, as long as you don’t think about gym class.

One Day

Perhaps more of a rom-dram than a rom-com, One Day is nevertheless a lighthearted slow burn of a fairy tale.  While the final twist is abrupt, to say the least, the rest of this Netflix show is alternatively titillating and hilarious. You long for Emma (Ambika Mod) to open up just as much as you long for Dex (Leo Woodall) to grow up. Plus, the gimmick is perfect. You see the characters on the same day every year for 20 years – both as lovers and as friends. 

Crash Course in Romance

The romantic leads of this Netflix K-Drama are so kind-hearted and sincere that it’s impossible not to root for them. However, this sinuous series also comes packed with rom-com tropes, so you can bet your butt that Nam Haeng-seon (Jeon Do-yeon) and Choi Chi-yeol (Jung Kyung-ho) will hate each other at first. But oh, it’s so worth it to stick through that initial phase. Plus, this show will make you both squeal and think. By entering the world of the Hot Math Teacher Choi Chi-yeol, this series raises great points about the education system of South Korea – and elsewhere.

Heartstopper

Formerly a comic book and presently a gift from the queer streaming gods, Heartstopper is that one Netflix show that you must watch at all costs (unless you’re homophobic, in which case … how have you read this far? I made a Les Mis reference in the first paragraph.) Anyway, you will quickly invest in Charlie’s (Joe Locke) quest for love, especially once you realize that Olivia Colman is Nick’s (Kit Connor) mom. Also, there are twee animations that pop up throughout the series. If there is one time when it’s socially acceptable to be twee, it’s in the middle of a queer rom com.