When you don’t have to deal with network television standards and practices, “romance” can mean anything from sweet, chaste conversations to full-fledged sex scenes. But, like real life, the ideal romance is a mash-up of all genres — love can happen in the most tumultuous circumstances or the most cliched of settings. There are many ways to fall in love, whether in high school or your 30s and have been around the block (and back).

The shows listed below are some of the best romantic shows on Netflix, and they range from absolutely smutty trash to pure first-love feelings.

The Empress

Featuring Devrim Lingnau as Elisabeth von Wittelsbach, Princess of Bavaria, his engaged sister, and Philip Froissant as Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary, The Empress is a romantic German historical drama about European aristocracy. The Empress, a work by Katharina Eyssen and Lena Stahl, highlights the journey of a modern young woman who defies the rigid society in which she lives and the complex monarch whose choices would influence European history. 

The Empress explores the spark that sparked, the difficult route set forth, and the power conflicts that these two families must face with a tale that is firmly founded in a story of love and politics. Yael Tygiel.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

This 2018 Netflix original, based on Jenny Han’s book of the same name, is the film that catapulted Lana Condor into the halls of teen rom-com royalty. It tells the story of a high school student named Lara Jean (Condor), whose stash of love letters she writes to her crushes in private accidentally gets released to the boys she likes, including a hottie played by Noah Centineo. 

She is forced to come out of her shell due to the aftermath and deal with some rather challenging love triangles. It’s adorable in every good way! This 2018 Netflix original, based on Jenny Han’s book of the same name, follows high schooler Lara Jean (Condor), whose collection of love letters catapulted her into the halls of teen rom-com royalty.

Set It Up

Set It Up’s setup, while not perfect, is excellent: Two personal assistants to overworked bosses because if their bosses were dating, they would have more free time, so they use the resources at their disposal (personal calendars, etc.) to attempt and construct a relationship. Nevertheless, as luck would have it, the helpers also develop feelings for one another. 

There are several attractive celebrities to admire in this film, including the extra-charismatic Zoey Deutch, Taye Diggs, and Glen Powell, who play the bosses and the helpers, respectively.

Silver Linings Playbook

It’s no surprise that the movie garnered numerous Academy Award nominations when it was released in 2012 because of its star-studded cast and its tale of love in the face of tragedy. Only Jennifer Lawrence won the Best Actress prize; it was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.

Someone Great

On Valentine’s Day, only some people are in the mood for romance. Netflix’s Someone Great is available for those seeking something a bit bittersweet with their SweeTarts Sweethearts and chocolate Kisses. Gina Rodriguez plays Jenny, an aspiring music writer who is coping with the breakup of a nine-year relationship while getting ready to relocate across the country to launch the next stage of her career. 

As she tries to enjoy her final few days in New York with her closest friends Blair (Brittany Snow) and Erin, Jenny is constantly plagued by her ex-boyfriend Nate, played by LaKeith Stanfield (DeWanda Wise). After watching, listen to Taylor Swift’s “Death by a Thousand Cuts” for an even stronger emotional impact. Swift was motivated.

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About Time

Richard Curtis, the screenwriter of Love, Notting Hill, and a dozen other well-known movies that make you go, “Awwwwww!” wrote this 2013 British rom-com with a tiny bit of science-fiction. 

Tim, played by Domhnall Gleeson, learns from his father a little-known fact: every man in the family can travel through time. Instead of using his new ability to make a few dollars betting on cricket games, he uses it to make up for past romantic mistakes with Mary (Rachel McAdams), replaying events until he gets them right. He quickly realizes that’s a bad way to live, but will he still succeed in winning her over? Maybe!

Always Be My Maybe

In this endearing rom-com, Ali Wong plays celebrity chef Sasha, who meets up with her old flame Marcus (Randall Park) in their native San Francisco as an adult. She is successful, he is, um, not, and a lot has changed in the 16 years since they last saw each other, but the spark is still there. Can their feelings for one another withstand all of their differences, though?

This Netflix original film is renowned for its humorous look at love and for Keanu Reeves’ amazing guest appearance and Marcus’ diss rap of Keanu.

Kissing Booth

Its so popular, that if you’ve been procrastinating, here’s your cue! Teenagers are the ones who truly understand true love; thus, we should all leave them to it! In this 2018 Netflix original rom-com, Elle (Joey King) has the brilliant idea to run a kissing booth for a high school fundraiser, where she kisses her best friend’s older brother. What will they do when their developing romance threatens her friendship with her best friend? Netflix produced a complete trilogy of The Kissing Booth movies since this was a bigger hit with audiences than with critics.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Think of it as an unusual couple pairing, but with a guy and his wingman/protégé instead of a couple: After learning that his wife had an affair, Cal (Steve Carell) teams up with Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a player determined to venture back out into society. However, when Jacob develops feelings for someone, things become tricky, and Cal concludes that he might not want to return to the world at all.

The Half Of It

This 2020 Netflix original movie puts a homosexual spin on the narrative of Cyrano de Bergerac, with a young, straight-A student helping a jock woo a lady by advising him what to say and do, even though she has a crush on the same girl. 

The well-reviewed movie tosses around the standard rom-com concept but doesn’t stick to instead emphasizes self-love and acceptance over any desire to hook up with a crush. Therefore this is the movie to see on Valentine’s Day if you’re currently enamored with someone but can’t see a way in.

Midnight In Paris

Ignoring the apparent problems that Woody Allen created and directed this picture – can you separate art from the artist? — this 2011 fantasy film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, winning Best Original Screenplay. 

It features Owen Wilson as a man who, while on a trip to Paris with his wife (Rachel McAdams), becomes disenchanted with her and, while walking the rues alone, time travels back to the 1920s with well-known people, repeating the adventure every night and learning more and more about his relationship. 

Another movie that emphasizes the idea that you must learn to love yourself before you can love another person is this one, which is set in the City of Lights and has a slight supernatural bent.

Safe Haven

You best have HBO Max if you’re in the mood for The Notebook. But start Safe Haven if you want to watch another Nicholas Sparks adaptation and are okay with a significantly worse one. With Josh Duhamel as the attractive widow with whom she begins a relationship, Julianne Hough plays Katie, a woman on the run from her past who settles down in a small hamlet on the North Carolina coast. 

However, things quickly turn sour when a stranger arrives in town and starts digging up Katie’s history. It’s a thriller that doubles as a romance.

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The Lovebirds

The Lovebirds, perhaps more of a “com” than a “rom,” centers on a deeply in love couple, played by comedians Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani, who find themselves on the run after being mistaken for murderers. Your relationship issues are nothing if they can remain strong through it.

Atlantics

The supernatural romance drama “Ada” about a woman whose lover, Souleiman, dies in a fire, but whose spirit, along with the spirits of others who also perished in the inferno, return and occupy bodies of the living, won the Grand Prix at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. 

Souleiman wishes to spend time with Ada while other spirits concentrate their attention on making amends for the wrongs of their murders. This Senegalese movie is ideal if you want to spend the evening learning exactly how far someone would go for love.

Firefly Lane

Firefly Lane, based on Kristin Hannah’s book of the same name, follows friends Tully and Kate from the time they first met as teenagers until adulthood. Despite their many differences—Kate is a single mother seeking to reenter the workforce while a drug-addicted mother raised Tully—the two have remained close throughout the years. 

That is not to suggest that there aren’t difficulties and drama, particularly due to new and old relationships. Warm and cozy, Firefly Lane has an intriguing edge that makes it stand out. (Taylor Gates)