Ah yes, the classic. This show incorporates Regency-Era London with plenty of longing glances across ballrooms and steamy sex scenes in carriages. It has a diverse cast and also tackles social and sexual boundaries whilst still maintaining that Disney-like, dreamy quality. With each series focusing on a different Bridgerton sibling, there’s no doubt that everyone will find a character that they can relate to and enjoy watching this Valentine’s day. Besides, who hasn’t fantasised about being swept off their feet in a historical drama? Minus the sexism and rotting teeth, of course.
Pride and Prejudice walked so Bridgerton could run. This six-part series is the cause of most people’s undying crush on young Colin Firth; the adaptation is more truthful to the novel than the 2005 version, which is more condensed and has less time to develop the characters. It is in both parts serious and comedic, with Lizzie and Darcy’s enemies-to-lovers arc completely stealing the spotlight. Elizabeth holds onto her independence whilst also falling in love with a tall, dark, handsome suitor. Don’t be put off by this being your mum’s comfort watch, it really is as good as she says.
If there’s anything better than period pieces, it’s love triangles. Jane is a young religious woman who has sworn to remain a virgin until marriage, but finds that she’s been injected with sperm from a donor during a gynaecological appointment. Jane is caught between her fiance Michael, and Rafael, the rich sperm donor who she has a surprising connection with. But don’t worry if the serious topics scare you; the tv show still knows how to make fun of itself, with telenova-style narration and plenty of mishaps. Despite the premise of the show being every students’ worst nightmare, it’s a notably good watch.
This show mixes elements of mystery and fantasy, revolving around Ned - a man who can bring the dead back to life. However, the only catch is that if he touches them again, they’ll die. The show centres around his love interest Charlotte, who he brought back from the dead and therefore cannot touch. Although the show only has two seasons, it includes some great characters and some even better mysteries. If you enjoy a detective-style show laced with two characters who can’t be together but spend most of the show gazing at each other, this might be the one for you. Nothing more romantic than some unresolved sexual tension, right?
And of course, everyone’s favourite comfort show. It focuses on Nick and Charlie, the main couple, but over the seasons every character becomes fully fleshed out and creates a likeable cast. It touches on some deep topics - such as Charlie’s eating disorder and experience with homophobia - but mostly remains optimistic and almost unrealistically cute, complete with animations by the comic-creator Alice Oseman. Maybe no one else’s high school relationship was ever that romantic, but we can all dream of falling in love with someone across a classroom. It would certainly make lectures more interesting.