When you sit down to watch a TV show like Bridgerton, Sex And The City, This Is Us or even Grey’s Anatomy, you know you’re guaranteed some romance somewhere in the mix. It’s basically the law.

Personally, though, I’ve always swooned the hardest when a TV series weaves an authentic and heartfelt romance into a story that isn’t, on paper, a love story. When it’s, say, a gritty drama about a zombie apocalypse or a sci-fi caper about a time-travelling alien or even a comedy about an angry, grief-riddled woman known only as Fleabag.

With that in mind, then, here is our pick of the best TV romances that caught us all off-guard – and that we love all the more for it.

Fleabag: season 2, episode 4

Fleabag, the eponymous heroine of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s critically acclaimed millennial comedy, could never fit into a mainstream love story – she’s far too complicated for that. This is, after all, a woman who relies on the crutch of casual sex to plaster over her blistering grief for the death of her mother and best friend.

Season two, however, saw her forge an unlikely friendship with Andrew Scott’s difficult, inscrutable ‘Hot Priest’ – and all of that simmering sexual tension led to one of the most unforgettable confessional scenes of all time. Ever.

All together now? Kneel.

Of course, it didn’t end as we might have liked: in the show’s big finale, Fleabag told her divine partner that she loved him, only to receive this response: “It’ll pass.”

Crushing.

Fleabag is streaming on BBC iPlayer.

The Last Of Us: Long Long Time 

Nobody expected The Last Of Us – a nerve-jangling series about an earth overrun by a mutated, zombifying fungus – to deliver one of the greatest love stories ever told, but that’s exactly what happened in the third episode of the show’s first season.

The hour was dedicated wholly to the 20-year romance between Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), who manage – against all the odds – to build a happy life together in an abandoned (and heavily fortified) rural hamlet. One knows how to survive; the other teaches him how to live – and it’s all in finding the small moments of beauty.

“Paying attention to things… it’s how we show love,” says Frank at one point.

And so, as the world around them falls apart, they take time to fix up their home. To forage for sweet-smelling strawberries. To savour a bottle of beaujolais. To sing a few bars of Linda Ronstadt as they touch the worn keys on an old piano. To cook hearty meals, paint gorgeous pictures, tend to their garden. To compose plates, go for jogs together in the sunshine, and hold each other tight when the darkness draws in.

“I used to hate the world, and I was happy when everyone died,” reads a final letter from Bill during the episode’s heart-aching conclusion.

“But I was wrong, because there was one person worth saving. So that’s what I did; I saved him.”

Excuse us while we cry forever, please.

The Last Of Us is streaming on NOW.

Doctor Who: Doomsday

The unspoken love between David Tennant’s 10 and Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler will forever be one of the greatest Doctor Who storylines of all time. It was ever-present in their broad smiles, lingering glances, playful banter and shared passion for adventuring – all of which was ramped up by their effortless chemistry, too.

The magic came to an end, though, when the pair were separated from one another forever when their plan to end the war between the Cybermen and Daleks hit a not-so-tiny snag: Rose was dragged through to another dimension, which sealed shut behind her, ostensibly never to open again.

In the most gut-wrenching of goodbyes, the Doctor managed to project an image of himself on the beach of Bad Wolf Bay so that he and Rose could speak together one last time – for just two sweet minutes.

“I can’t think what to say,” sobs Rose, wiping her eyes roughly on her sleeves.

Watch it for yourself below:

It’s made all the more heartbreaking for the fact that the Doctor maintains a calm and kindly demeanour throughout their conversation, all to reassure his beloved Rose Tyler that everything will be OK – only for the camera to cut back to him alone in his TARDIS, tears streaming down his face.

Honestly? It still hurts, even now.

Doctor Who is streaming on BBC iPlayer.

The Haunting Of Bly Manor: The Beast In The Jungle 

Horror is subjective, but love is universal, and that is where The Haunting Of Bly Manor comes out on top. Because, ghosts and jump-scares aside, viewers were obsessed with the slow-blooming relationship between Dani (Victoria Pedretti) and Jamie (Amelia Eve), the manor’s reassuringly straightforward groundskeeper.

The duo are never introduced to one another. Not formally, anyway. Instead, Jamie acts as if Dani has always been there. And that, in turn, feels entirely natural to Dani: she feels as if she’s known Jamie all her life.

Throughout the show’s nine episodes, friendship blossoms into romance, and romance, in turn, blossoms into something stronger, deeper than even that. And, while to say too much about the finale would veer us into spoiler territory, it’s worth remembering that it is largely dedicated to the life that the young women build together.

We see the home they make in America, the flower shop they set up, the many days, weeks, months, years they spend in each other’s company. The battered houseplant Dani brings home for Jamie to rescue, only for the latter to find an engagement ring hidden inside. And, of course, the heartbreaking goodbye they’re forced to make before the final credits roll. Sob.

The Haunting Of Bly Manor is streaming on Netflix.

Inside No 9: Empty Orchestra

Every 30-minute episode of Inside No. 9 acts as a self-contained story. So it doesn’t matter if you’re only tuning in now for the very first time because there are always new characters, a new setting (one bearing the number nine, be it a house, a flat or a dressing room), and a shocking new twist to prepare yourself for, too.

Perhaps the most shocking twist of all, though, comes in Empty Orchestra – which doesn’t just dish up a love story, but gives us a (whisper it) happy ending, too.

Taking place in a small karaoke booth, it follows a group of co-workers – all wearing fancy-dress, all harbouring secrets of their own – as they set out to celebrate the promotion of one of their own. Affairs are exposed, jobs are on the line, and the lyrics to most of the karaoke choices transform the entire thing into… well, into something not unlike a musical, actually.

And, without spoiling too much, the tender and authentic romance at the centre of it all gives us someone to actually root for. Which is no small thing in this dark and unsettling series, to be perfectly frank…

Inside No 9 is streaming on BBC iPlayer.

The Good Place: Whenever You’re Ready

On paper, Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) and Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper) are about as far away from soulmates as possible. And that’s the point of their story, really: self-confessed hot mess Eleanor is absolutely not supposed to be Chidi’s type on paper. Hell, a literal demon genuinely inflicts her upon the timid and indecisive philosophy professor to torment him in the afterlife (they’re in The Bad Place, remember?).

But here’s the thing: Chidi and Eleanor’s relationship evolves through multiple seasons of activity and reboots and experimentation. Because, through their partnership, The Good Place shows us love in all of its casual, wonderful forms: the love in friendship, the love in romance, the love in partnership, the love in education, the love in helping others, the love in growing together.

And, even in the very last episode, when Chidi says his final goodbye to Eleanor, he does so in a way that ensures his beloved companion will be able to handle the immense loss.

“Picture a wave in the ocean,” he tells her. “You can see it, measure it – its height, the way the sunlight refracts when it passes through. It’s there and you can see it and you know what it is. It’s a wave. And then it crashes on the shore, and it’s gone. But the water is still there. The wave was just a different way for the water to be, for a little while. That’s one conception of death for a Buddhist. The wave returns to the ocean – where it came from, and where it’s supposed to be.”

The Good Place is streaming on Netflix.

WandaVision: Previously On…

A superhero love story? Oh, you better believe it. This critically acclaimed series sees Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and Vision (Paul Bettany) trying to live out an idealised life in a suburban neighbourhood of Westview.

When we last saw them in Avengers: Endgame, though, Vision was dead and Wanda was desperately struggling to come to terms with her grief over the loss of her beloved. And so, as it turns out, she has been using her supernatural powers to hold on to Vision as tight as she can.

She’s recreated him based on her own memories and the love they shared. She’s denied herself the chance to reconcile herself to her loss, preferring to lose herself in the fantasy of what might have been. And she’s idolised the man she adored, focusing solely on the good and the perfect, and losing sense of any of the flaws that made him… well, him.

The best moment in their doomed love story, though, came in the show’s penultimate episode, when Wanda and Vision sat down to discuss the realities of grief:

“It’s just like this wave washing over me again and again,” Wanda tells her husband. “It knocks me down and when I try to stand up, it just comes for me again. And I can’t… it’s gonna drown me.”

Vision replies gently: “No. No, Wanda. It can’t be all sorrow, can it? I’ve always been alone so I don’t feel the lack. It’s all I’ve ever known. I’ve never experienced loss because I’ve never had a loved one to lose.

“What is grief, if not love persevering?”

It has been dubbed the best line in scriptwriting history for a reason, you know.

WandaVision is streaming on Disney+.

The Office: Christmas Special, Part 2

This Ricky Gervais-helmed mockumentary rewired British humour with its sharp workplace satire, deliberately awkward humour and unforgettable cast of characters.

In among the eye rolls and jellied staplers, however, were some deeply moving moments as well. And I’m talking, of course, about Tim (Martin Freeman) and Dawn (Lucy Davis).

They may not have been the focal point of the show’s storylines, but they were always its heart – and it was their oh-so-believable friendship that got them through each and every day at the office. We were heartbroken, of course, when Dawn decided to abscond to America with her useless lout of a boyfriend… especially when, in the Christmas Special, it seemed as if she and Tim would never see each other again. Indeed, a quietly shaken Tim delivers a monologue to the camera wishing her all the best for the future.

And then, just like that, Yazoo’s Only You begins to play, Dawn appears in the background, walks straight up to Tim and they share a long, long, long overdue kiss.

Honestly, it’s a feel-good TV moment that will never grow old.

The Office is streaming on BBC iPlayer.

Game Of Thrones: Stormborn

Wait, what? Game Of Thrones made the list? HOW?!

Because of Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) and Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson), that’s how. His gentle and unwavering respect for her shone brightly amid a sea of violence and toxicity, and his breathless confession – “You are my weakness” – prompted one of the most romantic and intimate sex scenes to date.

The pair fall upon a bed together and it isn’t long before Grey Worm is kissing Missandei all over her body. Focusing in on female sexuality, the camera remains on Missandei’s face, capturing her expression of ecstatic pleasure as the castrated slave-warrior begins to go down on her.

As Emmanuel puts it: “There’s something unique about it purely because of Grey Worm’s situation – his brutal history of being mutilated – there’s a real sense of trust here and that really plays out in this lovely scene where they physically act upon their love.

“For him to do that is a really big deal and Missandei knows that and doesn’t really care. She just loves him and that intimacy they’ve shared comes to a head.”

Too bad their story ends exactly as any Game Of Thrones fan might expect: with blood, violence and someone losing their head… literally.

Game Of Thrones is streaming on NOW.

Friends: The One With The Joke

We’re cheating a bit with this one, because everybody knows how the story of Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Monica (Courteney Cox) plays out by this point, but those who are old enough will undoubtedly remember that their romance seemingly came out of nowhere… and we loved it.

From friends, to friends-with-benefits, to husband and wife, these two were soulmates right from the very word ‘go’ – even if Chandler was forced to pee on Monica’s jellyfish sting back in the beginning.

So, which is the very best Monica and Chandler moment? Is it the candle-strewn proposal, or their will-they-won’t-they wedding, or their desperately sad realisation that they will forever struggle with fertility issues? Nope. Because, while all of those are great, the sweetest ever line between the duo comes in The One With The Joke, shortly after Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) insults Monica by calling her ‘high maintenance’.

Naturally, our girl is offended by this, and orders Chandler to deliver a stilted and pre-prepared speech about how easygoing she is. Unable to commit to the lie, though, he winds up telling her: “You’re not easy-going, but you’re passionate, and that’s good. And when you get upset about the little things, I think that I’m pretty good about making you feel better about that. And that’s good too.

“So, they can say that you’re high maintenance, but it’s OK, because I like…maintaining you.”

Love it.

Friends is streaming on Netflix.

Schitt’s Creek: Open Mic

Schitt’s Creek started off as an irreverent TV comedy, but it soon delivered the love story we all know and love when business partners Patrick (Noah Reid) and David (Dan Levy) realise that they’re soulmates.  

Now, there are so many excellent episodes to choose from for these two. There’s Grad Night, of course, when Patrick nervously invites David out for a birthday dinner and presents him with a framed copy of the receipt from Rose Apothecary’s very first sale. There’s his utterly unexpected proposal in The Hike (which this writer is honestly still swooning over). And let’s not forget the big series finale, which is wholly dedicated to the couple tying the knot.

The most romantic episode of all, though, is Open Mic. Because it’s in this episode that Patrick goes public with their romance and dedicates his soulful rendition of Tina Turner’s Simply The Best to a shiny-eyed David. And it’s made all the better for the fact that Moira (Catherine O’Hara) is watching along tearfully, too.

Unlike so much in the LOL-worthy series, it’s played entirely straight, and it hits us hard with all of its passion and raw vulnerability.

To quote Moira: “Right now my boy is being serenaded by his butter-voiced beau.” And it really is truly wonderful to behold.

Schitt’s Creek is streaming on Netflix.

Black Mirror: San Junipero

Black Mirror is widely considered to be one of the most addictive and thought-provoking shows around: indeed, there are countless Reddit threads dedicated to analysing every last reference, cameo and Easter egg. And, while the anthology series is famed for its dark and unsettling stories, there is one which stands out for being… well, for being beautiful.

Annoyingly, I can’t say too much about San Junipero because, as we all know, the joy of any Black Mirror episode is watching all the twists and turns unravel before your eyes. What I will say, though, is this: the story of Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis) and Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) might seem like its your typical coming-of-age romance in a fun-loving beach town, but all of that sun, sea, sex and sand is an illusion. Because this all goes so much deeper than anyone watching for the first time might expect.

Black Mirror is streaming on Netflix.

Frasier: The Proposal

It might be Frasier’s TV series on paper, but let’s all just admit that Niles (David Hyde Pierce) is the character who experiences the most growth and positive change throughout the popular sitcom’s 11-season run.

Daphne and Niles were perhaps the golden couple on Frasier, despite the fact that they didn’t actually get together until the show was nearly over. And, in the beginning, Niles’ crush on Jane Leeves’ character was entirely unrequited and played largely for laughs: the married psychiatrist loved the way she looked, sounded, smelled, and trailed after her around his brother’s palatial apartment, sniffing her hair whenever he could and referring to her as a “working-class Venus”.

Over time, though, Niles grew in confidence, divorcing his (frankly abusive) wife, letting go of many of his more fastidious habits, and becoming an all-round healthier person. His obsession with Daphne, too, evolved into a true friendship – which is why we were all caught by surprise when she suddenly realised she had a crush on him come the show’s seventh season.

With so many excellent moments to choose from, it’s hard to decide which episode best sums up this delightful duo. Personally, though, I’m keeping it basic with Niles’ big proposal, solely because it shows that he doesn’t just love her for the idyllic dream woman he held her up as all the years ago: he loves her for her.

In the scene, Niles is attempting to hastily cancel his outlandish proposal plans because Daphne, bundled up in bulky clothes and nursing a terrible cold, is sneezing far too loudly to hear anything he’s saying – let alone notice the white doves and costumed Cupids he’s booked for the occasion.

“From your beautiful toes all the way up to your crusty nose, there’s not an inch of you that I don’t adore,” he tells her suddenly. “And you know, it’s funny. You could take a million years to plan the perfect evening, and you’d never come up with this. But Daphne, I have to ask you a question… will you marry me?”

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!

Frasier is streaming on All4.

Images: Netflix