tv

The 9 best rom-coms to watch after you’ve finished Nobody Wants This.

I love love. Not in real life, that's disgusting. But I love love when it plays out on screen between two sensational people with firecracker chemistry. 

If you've just finished watching Nobody Wants This on Netflix, you'll know the type of love story I mean. One filled with quippy one-liners, swoon-worthy first kisses, dreamy lead stars and equally intriguing side characters. One that will have you giggling and kicking your feet and telling everyone you've ever met that they need to watch this immediately.

Fortunately, I have a list. 

It features iconic rom-coms like When Harry Met Sally, Notting Hill and You've Got Mail. Then there are the more 'recent' classics like How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, 27 Dresses and Crazy, Stupid, Love. And who could forget such wholesome British flicks as About Time, Four Weddings and a Funeral, or Bridget Jones's Diary. The list goes on and on, really.

In a secret subsection of Tina Burke's list of rom-coms is the part with a specific vibe. The vibe is refreshing, slightly underrated, and — here's the kicker — actually good. I know, big criteria over here.

But in a time when the market has been saturated by cheesy Hallmark-esque films, these underappreciated rom-coms are actually fantastic (just like Nobody Wants This).

So, if you've finished all 10 episodes of the Kristen Bell and Adam Brody series and you were left wanting more shows and movies just like it, then this list is for you.

ADVERTISEMENT

Happy watching.

Listen to The Spill's Brutally Honest Review Of Nobody Wants This.

Man Up

Simon Pegg and Lake Bell in Man Up.

I don't think enough people have seen Man Up and that is a travesty. 

A quintessential British rom-com, Man Up follows Nancy (played by Lake Bell), a 34-year-old single woman who is unsuccessfully navigating her way through the dating scene in London.

ADVERTISEMENT

Then she meets Jack (Simon Pegg) and accidentally goes on a blind date with him due to a case of mistaken identity. Big oops!

Set over the course of one day, we follow Jack and Nancy on their accidental date-turned-adventure as we root for them to make it work. This film is ridiculous, sweet, biting, and perfect for a cosy night of giggling at your TV screen.

Man Up is streaming on Stan.

Set It Up

The greatest rom-com of the 2010s, dare I say.

ADVERTISEMENT

All I can say is that I was flummoxed when people said Glen Powell "came out of nowhere" in Top Gun and Twisters. I thought Set It Up was a global smash hit, but it turns out not everyone was there for the magic of Glen Powell x Zoey Deutch in 2017. 

Set It Up follows two overworked executive assistants Harper (Deutch) and Charlie (Powell), who work for unhinged and demanding bosses Kirsten Stevens (played by Lucy Liu), a high-powered editor, and Rick Otis (played by Taye Diggs), a venture capitalist.

In order to win back some personal time, the duo plot to set their bosses up so they have a romantic distraction from work. As you can imagine, all that time spent scheming and spying leads to some heartwarming chemistry between our two leads. Shocking? No, this is a rom-com. Entertaining? Absolutely.

Set It Up is streaming on Netflix.

Plus One 

The faces of two people who are thrilled to be attending lots (and lots) of weddings.

ADVERTISEMENT

I love — LOVE — this movie. Plus One is about two college friends Alice (Maya Erskine) and Ben (Jack Quaid) who find themselves single and approaching "wedding season" alone. They agree to attend all of their weddings together as friends, which of course leads to complicated feelings and entanglements. 

Unlike some cheesy and over-the-top romantic comedies we've become accustomed to in recent years, Plus One is authentic and feels, at times, painfully real.

In particular, Maya Erskine is a standout as the comedic leading lady wearing her heart on her sleeve.

Plus One won the Narrative Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival when it premiered in 2019, and honestly vibes. It deserved the win.

ADVERTISEMENT

Plus One is available to rent on Prime Video and Apple TV+.

I Want You Back

My two faves! Comedians Charlie Day and Jenny Slate in I Want You Back.

Starring Jenny Slate, Charlie Day, Manny Jacinto, Gina Rodriguez, Clark Backo and Scott Eastwood, I Want You Back is a heartfelt ensemble rom-com that explores a series of break-ups and how the exes fare as their partners move on.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thirty-somethings Peter (Day) and Emma (Slate) are each dumped by their respective romantic partners. His girlfriend feels stifled by their comfortable six-year relationship, and Emma's boyfriend is unimpressed by her immature ways.

Together, Peter and Emma unite and work together to ruin their exes' new relationships. Which is totally going to go smoothly, as sneaky subplots always do in rom-coms.

I Want You Back is streaming on Prime Video.

The Mindy Project 

The Mindy Project is an all-time favourite.

ADVERTISEMENT

Oh Mindy, my sweet angel. The first television series on this list, The Mindy Project is basically one long romantic comedy spanning six seasons. 

Created by Mindy Kaling, the series follows Dr Mindy Lahiri and the rest of her gynecologist crew at Shulman & Associates.

The show perfectly blends an ensemble comedy in an office setting, with the romantic pursuits of Mindy. And Mindy gets the boys. Over the course of the series, some love interests are played by Chris Messina, Anders Holm, Bill Hader, Mark Duplass, Seth Meyers, Timothy Olyphant, and more.

At least once or twice a year I start re-watching this as one of my classic comfort shows.

The Mindy Project is streaming on Binge.

Palm Springs 

Palm Springs is the perfect summer rom-com (with a couple twists).

ADVERTISEMENT

We're in a time loop! But make it romantic.

Sarah (Cristin Milioti) travels to Palm Springs for her sister's wedding, where she meets Nyles (Andy Samberg). The duo hit it off, but when Nyles urges Sarah not to follow him into a weird cave… she does it anyway… and she gets sucked into a time-loop vortex. 

Waking up again to start her day over, Sarah faces the reality of her new life in the time loop with Nyles. I won't say anymore because then I may as well just tell you the whole dang thing, but be certain there are more plot twists to come than just a time loop.

But hey, life really is all about who you want to waste your time with.

Palm Springs is streaming on Prime Video.

Love Life 


ADVERTISEMENT

Love Life is an anthology television series, with season one following Darby Carter (played by Anna Kendrick) as she navigates her 20s in New York City.

Set over the course of eight years, we see Darby fall in and out of love many times as the show explores "how the people we're with along the way make us into who we are when we finally end up with someone forever."

Season two introduces us to a new lead character in Marcus (played by William Jackson Harper). Much like the first season, it follows Marcus as he navigates the dating scene in search of 'The One'. 

Love Life is streaming on Stan.

Rye Lane 

I'm obsessed with these two.

ADVERTISEMENT

Who doesn't love a meet-cute?

Upset by his recent breakup, Dom (David Jonsson) goes into a gender neutral restroom to have cry — when, to his embarrassment, he realises an unknown woman is listening to his sobs. Yas (Vivian Oparah) reassures him through the stall doors. The pair then take on South London together for a night of joy and melancholy as they confide in each other about their heartaches and their lives.

With two excellent leads, an incredible soundtrack, and a cameo from one of the best British rom-com leads of all time, this one is a must-watch.

Rye Lane is streaming on Disney+.

Starstruck

A drunken New Year's hook up leads to something more.

ADVERTISEMENT

From New Zealand comedian Rose Matafeo, Starstruck is another British rom-com to add to your list.

Jessie (Matafeo) is a mid-20s gal living in Hackney, London, working two jobs to pay rent in her flat-share. On New Year's Eve, she goes home with a handsome man named Tom (Nikesh Patel) only to wake up and discover he's actually a famous movie star.

Much to her surprise, Tom is very interested, and the series explores their relationship across three incredible seasons.

Starstruck is streaming on ABC iView.