With Cuffing Season sitting on the doorstep, you may find yourself yearning for some romance and comfort. If your well of relationship possibilities has frozen over,, that warm feeling of romance may feel impossible to achieve. There are a few lovers that are always available: Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime.
While your love life may be on pause, there are several TV show couples you can turn to that will give you that warm, fuzzy feeling of love. Here are five of the best shows to binge when you’re in the mood for romance.
Gossip Girl
With six seasons of teen drama, Gossip Girl is the perfect show for when you want to experience the lives of the rich and famous. The series follows the lives of several elite teenagers living in Manhattan. It covers topics of drugs, sex, family issues and run-ins with the law.
Perhaps the best part of Gossip Girl: the cathartic relationship of Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf. As the seasons progress, you can watch as Chuck and Blair go from conniving school mates to a Manhattan power couple. While their relationship experiences several downturns, their highs will leave you wondering why you haven’t moved to Manhattan.
If you want to witness the beginning of a truly iconic relationship, pay special attention to season one, episode seven.
One Tree Hill
If you’re craving a show with a wholesome feel and a boy-meets-girl love story, then One Tree Hill will leave you crying happy tears into your popcorn. The show is staged in a small town of North Carolina and focuses on the lives of two estranged brothers and their friends. In a truly all-American fashion, the show’s focal point is on sports, specifically basketball.
Nathan Scott and Haley James fulfill the American love story to a tee. While binging the nine-season show on HULU, you can watch as Nathan and Haley make their way through life as high school sweethearts.
If you’re a fan of kissing, rain or kissing in the rain, then you should check out season three, episode 13. The show may leave you emotionally hugging a teddy bear while replaying the scene, but what good show doesn’t?
The Vampire Diaries
If you were a Twilight fan, then think of the Vampire Diaries as a way to extend your infatuation with the supernatural. Speaking from experience, one could easily breeze through all eight seasons on Netflix in the first two weeks of winter break. The show has multiple plot lines running at any given moment, but the most prominent one is an ongoing love triangle. You get to decide: are you team Damon or Stephan?
I am a strong believer that Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert were meant to be together. While the show did create a strong desire for a vampire boyfriend that I can never fulfill, it also depicted a love story to rival that of Edward and Bella.
There were multiple episodes throughout the show that left me in a numb state of tears, but the first time I knew Damon and Elena were special was season two, episode eight. Even though they aren’t officially a couple at this point, Damon Salvatore officially became my ideal version of a vampire boyfriend.
It’s worth mentioning that the Vampire Diaries has a spinoff entitled the Originals. The Originals also has a spinoff called Legacies. Basically, you can devote your entire winter to going down this supernatural rabbit hole.
Sex and the City
Sex and the City follows four friends living in Manhattan and their lives as they try to balance their work and their relationships. This iconic show is known for its friendships and fashion. As the name implies, it also deals with the good and bad experiences that come with adult relationships.
One of the most prominent couples in the show is Mr. Big and Carrie Bradshaw. While their relationship is tumultuous, it draws viewers in. Throughout the six-season show, which can be streamed on Amazon Prime, I found myself gnawing on my fingernails, wondering if they would end up together. One of the reasons viewers can easily binge through this love story is because of how relatable the couple is. Carrie and Mr. Big represent that on-again-off-again passionate relationship that a girl both craves and despises.
Season two, episode 12, may not be as romantic as the shows listed above, but it is a reminder that relationships aren’t always enjoyable. Sex and the City will leave you craving romance at some points and remembering why you are married to your bed at others.
Grey’s Anatomy
For those STEM majors that are on the lookout for a medical romance, Grey’s Anatomy is for you. The show is still airing live and is in its 16th season. If you’re willing to dedicate yourself to the never-ending possibilities of this show, then it is available on both Hulu and Netflix. Grey’s Anatomy follows a group of doctors through their medical careers and lives while throwing in all types of plots that no one ever sees coming.
The most widely known and loved couple from Grey’s Anatomy is, of course, Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd. While the two seem like an unlikely pair in the first few episodes, they quickly become a fan favorite. While many people know how the couple’s future pans out, there are plenty of hidden emotional nuggets in the newer seasons.
If you want an emotionally charged and overwhelmingly sentimental episode, try season three episode 16. Warning: this show may leave you crying on your kitchen floor and calling your best friend to vent. Again, I am only speaking from experience.
The fall and winter season is filled with grey days that are best spent indoors. Next time you’re in the mood for some romance, make some tea, pop some popcorn and wrap yourself in your fuzziest blanket. Throw on one of these TV shows and watch as an epic love story unfolds in your room.