Best of 2023: Romantic Scenes features spoilers for the year’s TV and movies. Read with caution!
Every year, there are always those moments that make your heart skip a beat and your shipper’s brain go into overdrive. From long-awaited hookups to subtle and emotional conversations, these depictions of romance cover all the different kinds of love stories we’ve watched on our screens this year. We can never have too much love in our lives, or in our media, and these moments are proof of just how memorable romance arcs can be.
For more end-of-the-year coverage, be sure to check out our Best of 2023: Romance Novels, the Best of 2023: Performances, the Best of 2023: Found Families, the Best of 2023: Scene Stealers, the Best of 2023: Romantic Relationships, and the Best of 2023: TV Episodes.
Alexander Colbourne and Charlotte Heywood
Sanditon
Throughout the season, the tension between Sanditon’s Alexander and Charlotte occasionally bursts through in moments of intense feeling — a delicate linking of fingers at a concert, an impulsive, forbidden kiss on the cliffs — but those moments are inevitably cut short by duty or misunderstanding. Fortunately, that’s not the case in the series finale. This time, there’s nothing to stop them from confessing their feelings or from sharing one of those sweepingly romantic kisses that period dramas do so, so well. After everything Sanditon fans have been through, it’s the happily ever after we deserve!
Kaz Brekker and Inej Ghafa
Shadow and Bone
There’s no shortage of romance in the second season of Netflix’s fantasy epic, but arguably, the best scene of the season is one that, technically, doesn’t even happen. When Inej, along with a few of her teammates, is dosed with a magical poison, she hallucinates a heated dreamscape for her and Kaz. He removes her knives (!) and his gloves (!!) and gently pulls her in while lowly murmuring that he wants her. It’s a devastating confirmation of just how much these two want to be together — and how far they still have to go before they can take that leap.
Charlie Nicoletti and Emma Hill
The Company You Keep
It feels like every year brings a new show for me to mourn when it gets cancelled too soon, and this year, it’s this spy/con-artist romantic drama. From The Company You Keep’s pilot episode, the chemistry between Charlie, a con man with a (mostly) good heart, and Emma, a federal agent, is off the charts. They hit it off at a bar, commiserate and flirt, then go their separate ways, only for Emma to take the risk and knock on Charlie’s door later. The sequence that follows is full of charming confessions and playful flirtation, intercut with love scenes that toe the line of just how steamy network TV is allowed to get.
Simone Griffith and Lucas Adams
Grey’s Anatomy
Lucas might not carry the Shepherd family name, but he is definitely carrying the family torch of star-crossed love stories, thanks to his slow-burn connection with fellow intern Simone. When her ex-fiancé shows up out of the blue, Simone is thrown into emotional turmoil, but Lucas takes a moment alone to assure her how wonderful she is. Gazing at each other turns into kissing against the door, and things start to heat up as Lucas’s hand vanishes out of the frame and — yep — down into Simone’s jeans. Sure, the moment is cut short by her ex knocking on the door, but it’s proof that we have a classic Grey’s romance on our screens again.
Gregory Eddie and Janine Teagues
Abbott Elementary
Let’s be honest: we all thought we’d have to wait at least until the third season of Abbott Elementary to see will-they-won’t-they teachers Gregory and Janine finally smooch. Imagine our surprise, then, when the uptight pair let their guards down at a teachers’ convention, where they find themselves alone in a dimly lit “living classroom” display. It’s Gregory who makes the first move, but it’s Janine who yanks him back in (by his lanyard, of course) for a longer kiss that soon complicates the still-unresolved tension between them.
Midge Maisel and Lenny Bruce
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Star-crossed comedy soulmates Lenny and Midge make their very last scene together count, imbuing a post-hookup Chinese food date flashback with the crackling chemistry, banter, and swoon-worthy romance that makes them so watchable. They alternate between quips about fame and sheepish admissions of long-held feelings. Lenny then makes up a fortune cookie for Midge, praising “your wit, your intellect, your smile, your great expressive eyes” and predicting her ascent to stardom. It’s not a love declaration per se, but it’s better — it’s a declaration of unshakeable faith, admiration, and attraction, and if that’s not love, what is?
Jordan Baker and Layla Keating
All American
It’s been a long and complicated road for this couple, but it wouldn’t be a CW ship if it weren’t filled with drama and obstacles! Still, the fifth season finale sees them take the biggest step yet: getting engaged in a romantic beach scene. Sure, they might be a little young to be getting engaged, and they’ve both got some complicated baggage from their pasts, but when you have moments like Jordan telling Layla, “When I’m with you, I feel like I’m home,” it’s impossible to feel anything but hope after all they’ve been through.
King George III and Queen Charlotte
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
This prequel miniseries is every bit as breathtakingly romantic (and deeply horny) as you would expect from the Bridgerton-verse, especially between royal newlyweds, Queen Charlotte and King George. After a rocky start, Charlotte and George finally connect and consummate their marriage, only to pull apart again after Charlotte overhears a conversation he has with his mother about doing his duty. They do still need to have an heir, though, so they make a hilariously matter-of-fact deal to have sex on alternate days, leading to a very funny and very hot montage of not-quite-hate sex all over the palace, from banquet halls to bathtubs and everywhere in between.
Bill and Frank
The Last of Us
In the span of a single, nearly standalone episode, HBO’s postapocalyptic zombie drama, The Last of Us, became one of 2023’s most romantic shows. After getting off to a contentious start, zombie plague survivors Bill and Frank form a romantic connection and build a whole life for themselves in this dreary, isolating world, with scene after scene of emotional moments that give us a glimpse of their shared lives (and love) over several years. When one of them becomes terminally ill and decides to end his life on his own terms, the other decides to depart along with him, capping one of the year’s most devastating and romantic stories on screen.
Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne
Daisy Jones & the Six
While there are plenty of other relationships that break our hearts in this musical drama, it’s the intense push-and-pull between Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne that forms the spine of the whole story. That sense of urgent desperation is most evident in a hot-and-furious, almost manic backstage makeout session between the pair at a fateful final concert. There’s a spark of hope they can be together — until Daisy realizes that they can’t be “broken together” and need to go their separate ways.
Nora and Hae Sung
Past Lives
A happy ending isn’t always necessary for a love story to stick with us or for moments to land on our Best of 2023 romantic scenes list. After reconnecting as adults, childhood friends Nora and Hae Sung must go their separate ways again, but not before reflecting on could-have-beens and the idea of having an unbreakable bond from a past life. Hae Sung softly asks, “What if this is a past life as well, and we are already something else to each other in our next life?” Neither of them has an answer before they part, but it’s a devastatingly lovely moment that you won’t soon forget.
Lidia Poët and Jacopo Barberis
The Law According to Lidia Poët
Based (very loosely) on the true story of the first Italian woman to become a lawyer, this Italian period drama follows Lidia’s quest to get justice for her clients and respect for herself. She’s often working side by side with Jacopo, the all-too-charming brother of her sister-in-law, and the chemistry between them is evident from day one. That’s why it’s not surprising — but is very, very steamy — that they can’t avoid falling into bed together when they finally find themselves alone one night.
Carly Shay and Freddie Benson
iCarly
Fans of “Creddie” had to wait over a decade — including years of a revival series — but it finally happened! Even after coming back into each other’s lives as adults, Freddie and Carly spend a while tiptoeing around the attraction between them and even falling out over their failed attempt at romance years ago. It’s Carly who finally makes the grand gesture, summoning Freddie to a setup of screens filled with all their moments together over the years. The kiss is adorable, as is Freddie’s catchphrase quip as the credits roll! If that’s not one of the Best of 2023 romantic scenes, then we don’t know what is.
Dom and Yas
Rye Lane
In this underrated British rom-com, Rye Lane, Yas and Dom don’t exactly meet “cute,” but their connection and crackling chemistry is the kind of thing that makes you believe in “meant to be.” Of course, it wouldn’t be a rom-com without classic tropes like a last-minute breakup and a big climactic scene, so Yas gets on a riverboat to wave at Dom and tell him he deserves a grand romantic gesture, too. When she gets to the dock, he’s right there waiting for her, and their awkward giggling soon melts into a perfect kiss to end the movie.
Belly Conklin and Conrad Fisher
The Summer I Turned Pretty
Belly and Conrad’s firelit “first-time” episode checks off all the boxes of a classic romantic setup from those old-school teen dramas we all know and love: a beachside stroll (bonus points for snowfall at the same time!), cozying up by a flickering fire, and a tentative move to take their relationship to the next level. It all culminates with a tenderly constructed scene that evokes all the big, passionate feelings of first love — even if we already know that things don’t work out for them as they had hoped that night.
Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry
Red, White & Royal Blue
The movie adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s enemies-to-lovers romance between a First Son and a British Prince is both hilarious and heartfelt. After some amusingly clandestine hookups and makeout session in the early days of their intercontinental romance, Alex and Henry finally take their relationship to new levels of intimacy during a trip to Paris. Moments of nerves and awkwardness melt away into a deeply intimate love scene, shot in a warmly lit closeup to focus on details of the pair’s hands and facial reactions, all creating a moment that is genuinely sexy but also quite softly romantic.
Devi Vishwakumar and Ben Gross
Never Have I Ever
After four seasons of ups and downs, academic rivals turned friends (turned exes, turned lovers …) Ben and Devi finally get their happily ever after. As graduation looms and everyone is trying to figure out what comes next, Ben finally pulls off a grand romantic gesture, showing up at Devi’s grandmother’s wedding to tell Devi that he’s in love with her. Now more assured of herself, Devi finally tells him she loves him too, and they sneak out of the wedding to head back to Ben’s house, where they have a much more successful (and romantic) night together than their disastrous first “boink.”
Nancy Drew and Ace Hardy
Nancy Drew
By the time the curtain comes down on the Drew Crew, star-crossed lovers Nancy and Ace have finally managed to break the curse keeping them from acting on their love for each other, but it’s a rough road getting there. Early in the season, they make a first attempt to break Temperance’s nasty spell, requiring them to deliberately trigger the curse with a kiss. Although this attempt doesn’t ultimately end their magical predicament, the scene is the stuff of romance dreams, with the camera swooping around them as lights spark and a montage of all their greatest moments flash before our eyes like the ultimate ship edit.
Ricky Bowen and Gina Porter
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Disney’s wonderfully cozy musical comedy more than delivers on the classic “kissing in the rain” trope in its final season, thanks to not-so-secret couple Ricky and Gina. A series of misunderstandings threatens to drive a wedge between them, and Ricky assumes the worst when he arrives at Gina’s house, chocolate box in hand, only to see her costar through the window. Fortunately, Gina sees him before he can leave, and she confidently leaps right into his arms as the rain comes down around them, cementing them among Disney’s most charming love stories.
Oliver Putnam and Loretta Durkin
Only Murders in the Building
I doubt anyone expected Only Murders in the Building’s Martin Short and Meryl Streep to give us one of the Best of 2023 romantic scenes, but that’s exactly what happened when their characters — a has-been producer and an actress who never quite got her big break — connected on the third season of the Hulu murder mystery. The moment where Oliver pours his heart out to Loretta at a chaotic sitzprobe, finally dropping the big “L” word, is one of the most heartfelt moments of the year, bar none.
Stede Bonnet and Ed “Blackbeard” Teach
Our Flag Means Death
Stede and Ed’s relationship goes through some highly dramatic ups and downs in the second season of the irreverent pirate comedy, but never fear — there’s also a healthy helping of the goofy and heartfelt romance that helped make the show a sleeper hit. There are plenty of memorable moments, including the most romantic mermaid hallucination you’ll ever see, but it’s hard to beat their reunion kiss on the ship’s dock, lit by romantic moonlight as they agree to take things slow as they figure out where they go from here.
Elizabeth Zott and Calvin Evans
Lessons in Chemistry
The romance between Lessons in Chemistry’s scientists Elizabeth and Calvin is relatively short-lived, but it does prove that Lewis Pullman needs to lead a rom-com right now. In one Best of 2023 romantic scene that feels straight out of a romance novel in the best way, Calvin attempts to teach a nervous Elizabeth how to swim. When she panics about putting her face in the water, he suggests that he “occupy” her mouth — kissing her, naturally — as she dips underwater. It’s playfully deadpan but also incredibly romantic, showing the ways these two misfits just deeply understand each other.
Hawkins Fuller and Tim Laughlin
Fellow Travelers
There is a lot of sex in Showtime’s period drama, Fellow Travelers, but that’s not all there is. The decades-long, devastatingly complicated relationship between Hawk and Tim puts them both through the emotional wringer, and even their first romantic encounter is tinged with nerves and passion. Tim, the more nervous of the two, lets Hawk remove his armor (glasses and cross necklace included) and pull him into bed, while Hawk, used to staying emotionally remote during transactional sex, can’t help being intrigued by his new partner’s less-guarded ways.
George Russell and Bertha Russell
The Gilded Age
As social climbing robber barons, The Gilded Age’s George and Bertha Russell, actors Morgan Spector and Carrie Coon have some of the most electric chemistry on TV today. It’s rare to see a married couple on TV that is neither boring nor constantly on the verge of splitsville, which is why it’s such a squee-worthy moment when George surprises Bertha in their Newport vacation home. They flirt, they talk about world (or at least New York) domination, and they slip off into a side room for a little private makeout — they’re just a couple that adores and respects each other, and not much is sexier than that.
Jack Dawkins and Lady Belle Fox
The Artful Dodger
The Oliver Twist prequel may be more of a Victorian medical drama (with all that entails) than a full-fledged romance, but it also gave us one of 2023’s best surprise ships: Jack, aka the Artful Dodger all grown up and now a surgeon, and Belle, an aristocrat with a mind and ambition for medicine. Their love story features plenty of stolen smooches and passionate angst, but their most heated scene happens when they barely know each other. After assisting Jack with surgery, Belle nearly crumples in pain, leading Jack to command her to take off her dress so he can listen to her breathing. Their faces inches apart, it’s clear they both feel the chemistry — and we the viewers certainly do too!
Nan St. George and Guy Thwarte
The Buccaneers
Apple TV’s new period drama sensation, The Buccaneers, has no shortage of romance (Mabel and Honoria’s rain kiss! Theo and Nan painting each other’s faces!), but there’s something unexpectedly tender about what happens when Guy and Nan finally give in to their feelings. Their giddy love confession and gauzy love scene aren’t what really puts this over the top, though — it’s what comes next. They willingly sacrifice their chance to be together (at least for now) to save Nan’s sister, parting with a bittersweet farewell that reminds us that love is also about encouraging one another to be brave and selfless.
What scenes made it to your Best of 2023 romantic scenes list? Let us know in the comments below.