Screen Time
3 Swoony TV Shows To Watch This Weekend
Get in the mood for love with these romances.
As a single person, I can tell you the holiday season doesn’t just usher in good tidings — it brings pressure to find someone to kiss under the mistletoe, too. ‘Tis the season to get swept away with grand gestures and declarations of love.
But luckily for me and my fellow single people, there are ways to feel the romance that don’t involve redownloading Hinge. Just press play on something about beautiful people falling for one another, and enjoy.
This week’s TV recommendations are a trio of genre-spanning romances that stand apart from the usual, lovey-dovey mainstays that play on cable every year. (While I’ll never judge you for revisiting Love Actually or the Pride & Prejudice miniseries, sometimes it’s nice to change things up between rewatches.)
So if you, too, are waiting for Bridgerton Season 3 and need something to watch in the meantime, check out this mix of new and old TV shows to get your fix.
Something New: The Buccaneers
Apple TV+’s new period drama is frequently compared to Netflix’s Bridgerton series, and for good reason. Loosely based on Edith Wharton’s final, unfinished novel, The Buccaneers follows a group of five wealthy American women in 1870s London, but it’s hardly stuck in the past: It’s got a diverse cast, a moody pop soundtrack, and vibrant period costumes to boot.
Still, the series manages to set itself apart from the uber-popular Netflix show. The story revolves around the women’s friendships rather than their marriage prospects, and their American attitudes are a welcome respite from the stiff upper lip that characterizes many England-set period dramas. For instance, the newly married Conchita (Alisha Boe) freely shares her opinions and likes to be the life of the party, much to the dismay of her in-laws; and Mabel (Josie Totah) even has a secret romance with Conchita’s sister-in-law, Honoria (Mia Threapleton).
In the middle of all this is Nan (Kristine Frøseth), who finds herself in a love triangle with two friends. Usually, it’s easy for viewers to pick a side in such scenarios. But in The Buccaneers, both of Nan’s possible beaus are equally swoon-worthy, and will have you waiting with bated breath to see who will win her heart in the end.
How to watch: The Buccaneers releases a new episode every Wednesday on Apple TV+.
Something Old: The Mindy Project
The Mindy Project (2012-2017) follows a team of OB-GYNs in New York City, with a particular emphasis on the romantic lives of doctors Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling), Danny Castellano (Chris Messina), and Jeremy Reed (Ed Weeks).
If you’ve watched the sitcom all the way through, you probably think I’m nuts to recommend it as a romantic show. And sure, Danny’s not all that great, and the show botched his and Mindy’s relationship in its final three seasons — but you can’t argue that their will-they-won’t-they tension at the beginning was peak rom-com television.
Series creator Kaling flaunts her love of romantic comedies throughout the show, in both subtle ways (Mindy and Danny follow a classic enemies-to-lovers arc) and major ones (Nora Ephron fans, you’ll instantly recognize Danny’s gestures to win Mindy’s heart from movies like Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail).
Plus, who can forget when Danny’s Secret Santa gift to Mindy was his choreographed performance of Aaliyah’s “Try Again”? I mean, come on.
How to watch: All six seasons of The Mindy Project are streaming on Netflix and Hulu.
Something Out Of The Blue: Dash & Lily
If you’re looking for a romance that taps into the holiday spirit, look no further than the massively underrated Dash & Lily.
Based on Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s young adult novel, the series follows complete strangers Dash (Austin Abrams) and Lily (Midori Francis) as they challenge each other to holiday-themed dares all around New York City — without ever meeting each other IRL. Lily, for example, will make the Scrooge-ish Dash steal Santa’s hat, while Dash will challenge the bookish Lily to rage at a secret Hanukkah punk show.
The book has two sequels, but when the series dropped on Netflix in 2020, it didn’t make a big enough splash to get a much-hoped-for renewal. Even so, the first season’s eight episodes still manage to tell a complete, satisfying story — and the abbreviated runtime makes Dash & Lily all the easier to binge over your holiday break.
How to watch: Dash & Lily is streaming on Netflix.
