Feeling overwhelmed by all the new television content competing for your eyeballs? Sometimes the best thing to watch is something familiar. Thus, we give you the binge list, a selection of shows to revisit 鈥 or to discover, if you missed them the first time around. Beware of spoilers.
Have you ever wondered what 鈥淣otting Hill鈥 would look like as a TV show? And what if the leads had to figure out their happily ever after following the happily ever after?
If you start going down that rabbit hole, you will eventually find your way to the rom-com 鈥淪tarstruck.鈥
The punchy series is a gender-reversal of the aforementioned Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant flick. In it, a millennial woman hooks up with a guy on New Year鈥檚 Eve, only to realize he鈥檚 an international movie star. What begins as a funny anecdote turns into more when both parties realize their feelings run deeper than a one-night stand.
Over three seasons the story traces the evolving relationship between the pair: Jessie (played by series creator and New Zealand comic Rose Matafeo) and Tom (Nikesh Patel). Along the way Jessie鈥檚 wild friend group weighs in,聽 developing separate friendships with the star while adding comedic relief, side plots and that 鈥渟tarstruck鈥 feeling promised in the title.
Ultimately this is Jessie鈥檚 story though, and through it she tackles relatable themes like feeling left behind as you age, finding purpose, and redefining yourself while in and out of a relationship. It鈥檚 a solid addition to the growing number of serialized rom-coms on streaming services as movie theatres forgo the genre in favour of big-budget action flicks and notable IP with built-in audiences.
鈥淪tarstruck鈥濃檚 biggest selling point is its strong voice and unique style, which is more banter than jokey. That tone is only possible because the creator plays the very likeable character at the centre of the world she鈥檚 envisioned. Matafeo takes traditional rom-com tropes like the 鈥渙pposites attract,鈥 鈥渟econd chances鈥 and 鈥渇riends-to-lovers鈥 storylines and examines what they鈥檇 look like with real people instead of one-dimensional characters.
What happens when two very different people from distinctive worlds want opposing things? Sure, it might work out for a while, but how sustainable is that relationship and does love really conquer all? Is there a world in which such a couple can thrive or were they doomed from the beginning?
It would be no fun to spoil the answers, especially since none of them come easily. The show also isn鈥檛 as heavy as it sounds, at least not in the first two seasons, which makes it a speedy watch.
The 20-minute instalments unfold at a non-traditional pace, skipping over the relationship minutia we鈥檝e seen before. Instead, 鈥淪tarstruck鈥 delivers the big-picture moments of a relationship and chooses key times in the characters鈥 lives to home in on the action.
The third season of “Starstruck” shifts from the main relationship to the one between Jessie (Rose Matafeo, left) and her best friend, Kate, played by Matafeo鈥檚 real-life pal Emma Sidi.聽
Mark Johnson MaxIn the first six episodes, that鈥檚 done by season. Following the New Year鈥檚 Eve premiere, the show skips to spring, then summer, autumn, winter and Christmas. The second season is less structured, with time jumps that allow viewers to fill in the gaps themselves. There is some 鈥渨ill they or won鈥檛 they,鈥 but the series is ultimately uplifting and funny.
The third season is a little more grounded, as it shifts from the main relationship to the one between Jessie and her best friend, Kate, played by Matafeo鈥檚 real-life pal Emma Sidi. Tom is still around, but the focus becomes more about Jessie and what she wants out of life.
It鈥檚 this season that may divide genre purists or those who have been invested in Tom and Jessie from the beginning, but it鈥檚 also the season that wraps the central story and allows the characters to move onto the next stages of their lives.
That makes it a satisfying and complete binge just in time for February, when celebrating love is more divisive than ever. You can easily whip through the entire series in a weekend or throughout the month, and feel satisfied no matter where you land on the topic of rom-coms.
Sometimes it鈥檚 just nice to escape with something cosy and fun, with a bit of physical comedy and a premise that feels relatable but doesn鈥檛 make you think too much. 鈥淪tarstruck鈥 fits that bill, whether you鈥檙e watching it for the first time or using it as comfort food to get you through the final push of winter.
Antonia Thomas and Johnny Flynn in “Lovesick.”聽
Brian Sweeney NetflixOther unique rom-coms to check out
Love Life
Anthologies had a bit of a moment before the pandemic and this series tackled the format from a romantic point-of-view. The first season stars Anna Kendrick and follows her relationships over the years, from first to last loves. It examines how these relationships shape her into the person she becomes, proving that these connections often stay with us for a lot longer than we think.
The second (and final) season shifts focus to another character, played by William Jackson Harper of 鈥淭he Good Place.鈥聽Both instalments originally streamed on Crave, but disappeared when HBO Max removed them from its library in the U.S. You can now stream the show for free on Tubi.
Lovesick
If you鈥檝e ever regretted an ex, this British series might be in your wheelhouse. It revolves around a romantic named Dylan (Johnny Flynn) who realizes he has an STD and now needs to track down and reveal this information to every single woman he鈥檚 ever slept with. Each episode is geared around a different ex, with some great anecdotes from their encounters that provide plenty of giggles. Through it all there鈥檚 also a central 鈥渨ill they or won鈥檛 they鈥 storyline to give you something to root for. All three seasons are available for purchase on Apple TV.
You鈥檙e the Worst
If you鈥檙e tired of watching perfect people unable to find love, give this series 鈥 which revolves around two unlikeable people 鈥 a whirl. The black comedy proves there really is someone for everyone, no matter how much you feel like you don鈥檛 fit in. Chris Geere and Aya Cash are sheer entertainment as the central couple, Jimmy and Gretchen, but the real magic of this series is in its ability to capture character nuances while delivering palpable chemistry. It鈥檚 surprisingly real and relatable, and it consistently delivers over five seasons. Stream it now on Disney Plus.
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