Happy Nobody Wants This season two release day to all those who celebrate. If, like me, you watched the entirety of the first season on Netflix the day it dropped – and spent over a year waiting for the next instalment – today is like Christmas morning. But once we’ve binged this season just as fast, what should be next on our watchlists to fill the void left behind?
From noughties classics to laugh-out-loud hidden gems, here are 13 shows that channel the same rom-com energy as Adam Brody and Kristen Bell. Sit back, grab a cup of tea, and delve into a new world of chaotic relationships, heart-wrenching love stories, and everything in between.
Dolly Alderton's memoir translates seamlessly to screen
Everything I Know About Love (2022)
Based on Dolly Alderton’s bestselling memoir (which is also fantastic), this underrated gem is a must-watch if you’re either in your twenties or want to reminisce on the chaos of that era. Set in a London house-share in the 2010s, it follows childhood best friends Maggie and Birdy as they navigate friendship, growing up, and plenty of bad dates, but it's equally about platonic love as well as romantic – and how these ideals change as we get older. More heavy on the ‘rom’ than the ‘com’ (though still expect to laugh out loud), it’s a deeply heartfelt, startlingly realistic look at how we experience love as women.
Aidy and Lolly are a wonderful duo in this powerful show
Shrill (2021)
SNL alum Aidy Bryant both developed and starred in this adaptation of Lindy West’s bestselling book, so you know you’re in for no shortage of witty comedy. This three-season series follows Annie, a young journalist navigating work, love, and self-acceptance white pushing back against the pressure to shrink herself – literally and figuratively – in a world that demands it. Also starring Lolly Adefope, and featuring guest directors like Natasha Lyonne, this series is packed full of leading funnywomen that deliver a biting yet beautiful take on the rom-com genre.
The O.C. also stars Adam Brody
The O.C. (2003)
I’m not just including this because Adam Brody is also in it – if you haven’t seen this era-defining teen drama, consider this your sign to finally watch it. The show follows a troubled outsider who’s taken in by a wealthy family in Orange County, California, and though typically described as more of a teen drama, I’d say the banter and messy relationships are just as addicting as those of the rom-com variety – plus, you get to once again see Adam as a love interest (albeit a less than perfect one).
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This quirky show is an endearing - and underrated - watch
Love (2016)
Despite doing well with viewers, holds a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I feel like I never hear anyone talk about this oddly endearing Netflix series. Co-created by Judd Apatow and starring Community’s Gillian Jacobs, it’s presented as a “down-to-earth look at dating” from the perspective of two deeply flawed, emotionally messy people – Mickey and Gus – who bumble through trust, honesty, and intimacy in a painfully real way.
The pacing is excellent, and it shakes up the rom-com genre while still delivering all the moments that made us fall in love with it in the first place.
This popular Australian show was renewed for a third season
Colin from Accounts (2022)
This Australian dramedy was created by actors Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer, who are real-life partners, so you can already expect realistic romance to be imbued at the show’s core. The pair also star as on-screen couple Gordon and Ashley, in a charming story about two flawed singles who connect through a car accident – and a dog named Colin. It’s won three Logie Awards and was renewed for a third season earlier in 2025, so expect to see this sweet show’s popularity only grow from here.
This classic show brought the rom-com to the small screen
How I Met Your Mother (2005)
The sitcom How I Met Your Mother was hugely influential in merging the rom-com genre with TV, providing us with season after season of heartfelt comedy rather than a movie’s length.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the show, it follows Ted Mosby’s (Ted Radnor) humorous quest for true love in New York City, narrated years later to his kids as he recounts the moments leading to – you guessed it – meeting their mother. This is one of those shows you’ll immediately want to start from the beginning after you’ve finished it, while being disappointed that you now know everything that’s going to happen.
From Anne Hathaway and Andrew Scott, this charming Prime anthology is seriously star-studded
Modern Love (2019)
This Prime Video anthology series boasts an ensemble cast of Hollywood legends – from Anne Hathaway to Dev Patel – and every episode follows a different love story taking place in New York City. It’s based on the famous New York Times column of the same name and aims to celebrate “love in its multitude of forms” – expect to see a range of different romantic situations led by some truly captivating characters. If you like the sound of a rom-com that switches things up every episode, then this is a must-watch.
Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney are a hilarious duo
Catastrophe (2015)
Created and written by Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, who also star, this Channel 4 series follows an accidental pregnancy and the rollercoaster relationship that ensues between an American man and an Irish woman. The team won the BAFTA TV Award for best comedy writer, and the series also features Carrie Fisher in one of her last-ever on-screen appearances. It infuses that classic UK humour with the rom-com genre, and is both one of the funniest things you’ll watch while still being refreshingly down-to-earth.
Fleabag is an absolute must-watch
Fleabag (2016)
You’ve probably seen Phoebe Waller Bridge’s seminal work, but just in case, here’s a reminder that this comedy-drama series is unlike nothing you’ve ever seen before.
Packed with fourth wall breaks, audience commentary, and endless wit, Fleabag perfectly blends dark humour with (very) messy explorations of love and connection – with exhibit A being Andrew Scott’s swoon-worthy “Hot Priest”.
This quirky show has major Glee energy
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015)
If you ever wished Glee was more of a rom-com, then do I have the show for you. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend follows the unpredictable journey of New York City lawyer Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) who, on a whim, moves back to her California hometown after encountering her teenage fling. It’s soundtracked by many musical-theatre style songs that are true earworms, and was renewed for four seasons despite not performing well with critics, thanks to its die-hard cult following. It’s a truly unique, zany offering that is endlessly fun to watch.
Anna Kendrick leads the first season of this romantic anthology series
Love Life (2020)
A gem of a series that I feel like I didn’t hear much about when it first aired on HBO in 2020, this is another anthology that instead follows a different couple every season – though unfortunately, there are only two of them. Each season traces one character’s romantic history across years, exploring how every relationship – no matter how fleeting – leaves its mark. The first season stars Anna Kendrick with narration by Lesley Manville, and it’s kind of like One Day in terms of its long-game look at love – though without the tragedy, we promise.
Sutton Foster leads the cast of this popular workplace rom-com
Younger (2015)
This Darren Star-produced drama, based on the 2005 novel by Pamela Redmond Satran, follows Liza Miller (Sutton Foster), a 40-year-old woman who pretends to be 26 to reboot her career in publishing. There’s no shortage of complications than ensue with her double life, from whirlwind romances to identity struggles. Co-starring Hilary Duff and also featuring guest appearances from the likes of Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor, Younger blends workplace drama and millennial mayhem into a stylish, addictive watch.
This show is perfect for fans of Virgin River
Hart of Dixie (2011)
The Virgin River of the 2010s, Hart of Dixie follows New Yorker Zoe Hart who moves to a small Alabama town to run a medical practice, only to find herself very much a fish-out-of-water in the close-knit Southern community. Starring Adam Brody’s O.C. co-star (and on-screen love) Rachel Bilson, there’s no shortage of slow-burn romance - and love triangles). This one is packed full of feel-good energy and all the classic rom-com tropes.
