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The best romantic TV shows, according to Glamour editors

From swoony slow burns to unforgettable love stories, these are the romantic TV shows guaranteed to make you fall hard. 

Rahemma AzwarRahemma Azwar
August 21, 2026 - 10:36AM
Glamour Australia
Image credit: HBO There’s a reason we keep coming back to romantic TV shows: sometimes, a little yearning is exactly what the doctor ordered. Whether you’re craving a slow-burn romance, a deliciously complicated love triangle, or the kind of chemistry that has you texting your friends in all caps, the best series know how to keep your heart—and your “next episode” button—racing. From swoony dramas to modern love stories packed with wit, heartbreak, and plenty of tension, these are the shows worth getting invested in. Ahead, Glamour editors share the romantic TV series they can’t stop watching—and absolutely recommend falling for.

Image credit: HBO

There’s a reason we keep coming back to romantic TV shows: sometimes, a little yearning is exactly what the doctor ordered. Whether you’re craving a slow-burn romance, a deliciously complicated love triangle, or the kind of chemistry that has you texting your friends in all caps, the best series know how to keep your heart—and your “next episode” button—racing. From swoony dramas to modern love stories packed with wit, heartbreak, and plenty of tension, these are the shows worth getting invested in. Ahead, Glamour editors share the romantic TV series they can’t stop watching—and absolutely recommend falling for.

Image credit: HBO Sex and the City “Though SATC is about more than just romance, it’s genius in how it shows the ups and downs of the love lives of four different women at the same time. How they navigate dating, relationships and even marriages, without ever losing themselves in the process, is perhaps why it continues to have such a remarkable cultural relevance. There are so many lessons to learn—even the bad ones!”—Jonah Waterhouse, Vogue fashion news editor

Image credit: HBO

Sex and the City

“Though SATC is about more than just romance, it’s genius in how it shows the ups and downs of the love lives of four different women at the same time. How they navigate dating, relationships and even marriages, without ever losing themselves in the process, is perhaps why it continues to have such a remarkable cultural relevance. There are so many lessons to learn—even the bad ones!”—Jonah Waterhouse, Vogue fashion news editor

Image credit: ABC Studios Desperate Housewives “Romance has many faces, and for the women in Marc Cherry’s prime-time soap, it happens to look like sisterhood, husbands of yore, scheming, plotting, and defacing your neighbour’s property in Manolo Blahniks. It taught me everything about love—and if anything else, the type of closet I should be ransacking to dress just like Gabrielle Solis.” —Karen Leong, contributing editor

Image credit: ABC Studios

Desperate Housewives

“Romance has many faces, and for the women in Marc Cherry’s prime-time soap, it happens to look like sisterhood, husbands of yore, scheming, plotting, and defacing your neighbour’s property in Manolo Blahniks. It taught me everything about love—and if anything else, the type of closet I should be ransacking to dress just like Gabrielle Solis.” —Karen Leong, contributing editor

Image credit: Netflix One Day “My wife and I binged this all in a day, hungover, and when I say we ran the full gamut of emotions, I’m not underselling it. Checking in with two characters on the same day every year from University to their early thirties, the show puts the weird cocktail of what makes up a lot of modern relationships under the microscope. It’s charming and deeply emotional, and it made Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall into stars.” — Charlie Calver, contributing editor

Image credit: Netflix

One Day 

“My wife and I binged this all in a day, hungover, and when I say we ran the full gamut of emotions, I’m not underselling it. Checking in with two characters on the same day every year from University to their early thirties, the show puts the weird cocktail of what makes up a lot of modern relationships under the microscope. It’s charming and deeply emotional, and it made Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall into stars.” — Charlie Calver, contributing editor

Image credit: Crave Heated Rivalry “If you’re into yearning, horny, enemies-to-lovers romance tropes, Heated Rivalry is going to tick all your boxes. And if you’re not, well you’re missing out, and this show is almost guaranteed to change your mind. It’s impossible not to fall in love with Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) as they fall for each other, and the show strikes the perfect balance between top-notch banter, intimacy, horny sex, perfect ass shots and the genuine experience of falling in love. The way this show navigates and celebrates the queer experience is truly beautiful. It’s also got me hooked on smut books, which is something I never saw coming. This series has become my comfort show – I’m guilty of a rewatch (or three…) and counting down the days until season two drops.” —Georgia Nelson, Glamour social & video editor

Image credit: Crave

Heated Rivalry

“If you’re into yearning, horny, enemies-to-lovers romance tropes, Heated Rivalry is going to tick all your boxes. And if you’re not, well you’re missing out, and this show is almost guaranteed to change your mind. It’s impossible not to fall in love with Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) as they fall for each other, and the show strikes the perfect balance between top-notch banter, intimacy, horny sex, perfect ass shots and the genuine experience of falling in love. The way this show navigates and celebrates the queer experience is truly beautiful. It’s also got me hooked on smut books, which is something I never saw coming. This series has become my comfort show – I’m guilty of a rewatch (or three…) and counting down the days until season two drops.” —Georgia Nelson, Glamour social & video editor

Image credit: BBC Normal People Do you know anyone who didn’t binge Normal People during the height of lockdowns in 2020? The show launched the careers and our collective obsessions with Paul Mescal (and his beloved silver chain) and Daisy Edgar-Jones, who had to do all of the press for the show remotely via Zoom. The show, based on Irish author Sally Rooney’s second novel, tells the coming-of-age love story of Colin and Marianne as they navigate life both together and apart. It’s a love letter to first loves, and the people and relationships that shape us when we’re most malleable, leaving a dent on our hearts forever.—Remy Rippon, Glamour editor

Image credit: BBC

Normal People

Do you know anyone who didn’t binge Normal People during the height of lockdowns in 2020? The show launched the careers and our collective obsessions with Paul Mescal (and his beloved silver chain) and Daisy Edgar-Jones, who had to do all of the press for the show remotely via Zoom. The show, based on Irish author Sally Rooney’s second novel, tells the coming-of-age love story of Colin and Marianne as they navigate life both together and apart. It’s a love letter to first loves, and the people and relationships that shape us when we’re most malleable, leaving a dent on our hearts forever.—Remy Rippon, Glamour editor