Best of 2023: Romantic Relationships features spoilers for various shows. Please be advised if there’s something you don’t want to know.
Romance isn’t going anywhere—not now, not ever. Year after year, the romantic relationships within a series always make it more special, intriguing, and utterly compelling. To deny the need for romance in television is a silly thing to do. If we want the fiction we consume to match the likes of the real world, denying love as a necessity no longer works. Most of us need it. Most of us crave it. It’s a part of life, and these relationships are part a large part of the beauty of a show.
For more end-of-the-year coverage, be sure to check out our Best of 2023: Romance Novels, the Best of 2023: Scene-Stealers, the Best of 2023: Performances, the Best of 2023: Romantic Scenes, the Best of 2023: Found Families, and the Best of 2023: TV Episodes.
Inej Ghafa and Kaz Brekker
Shadow and Bone
While books in the Grishaverse don’t fit into the romance genre for various reasons, it doesn’t change the fact that the relationships within are some of the most beautifully written love stories we’ve read in ages. For Kaz Brekker and Inej Ghafa, their unspoken adoration for one another is an anchor—the home away from home, a foundation built and fortified with trust and loyalty. Time and again, through dangerous heists left and right, they prove that there’s nothing they wouldn’t do for one another, and it becomes even more evident as their love language in Shadow and Bone Season 2. As two characters who can’t be physically intimate without keeling over, they show their desires in different ways.
Kaz Brekker, the man whose fears are more prominent than any other force in his life, puts aside his demons to help Inej when she needs him the most. In the brief bandaging scene, it becomes abundantly apparent that both would do anything to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself with the trauma the other has faced. There’s still so much progress they need to make—milestones to cross to get to a place where they’re completely comfortable and free from the chains that bind them, but what their relationship ultimately equates to is two people who understand that the other’s agency matters more than anything else. They’re two people always willing to look out for each other by doing everything possible to extricate them from all the perils that weigh them down. Further, Inej Ghafa is the one who knows he needs his gloves while no one else realizes he’s having a panic attack in broad daylight. There’s plenty we’ve discussed already in our Relationship Deep Dive, and as of right now, Netflix has canceled Shadow and Bone, but there’s a petition you can sign, if you haven’t already, to potentially save the show and allow these stories to continue unraveling.
Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford
The Rookie
For five seasons, The Rookie plays the slow-burn will they/won’t they card for Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford, finally setting things in motion during the winter finale. And the large majority of the remaining season dives into exploring the two of them as a couple, throwing one hurdle after another to exhibit why they’re so fit to last. They aren’t just one of the Best of 2023 romantic relationships, but year after year, they prove that they’re one of the best relationships to come from any procedural. We experience a myriad of firsts with Chenford as a couple—their first date, first Valentine’s Day, first significant conversations, etc. Still, it’s what we get after Lucy’s undercover case that cements how much they care about each other, perhaps even more than everything we get before.
So much of the relationship works because a solid, fortified trust between them stems from years of friendship and a keen understanding of how the other works. They are the grump and sunshine in more ways than one, giving each other the best of themselves through everything, but how they care about each other’s safety shows us this relationship isn’t fleeting. There’s also much riding on Melissa O’Neil and Eric Winter to take the words on the page and add coatings to the on-screen connection that amplifies everything we get with immense heart and vulnerability. I still think about their breathtaking laundry room hug in The Rookie’s Season 5 penultimate, as it displays a myriad of unspoken emotions, their unwavering devotion, and the safe place they’ve discovered in trying times. We still don’t have the three little words, but it’s unquestionable that Tim and Lucy love each other in ways they never thought possible—more than they’ve ever loved anyone else. Every longing gaze, every small moment, every quietly reserved smile, and every step they take to protect one another proves that they’re the person they want to continue orbiting around.
Eliza Scarlet and William Wellington
Miss Scarlet and The Duke
Miss Scarlet and the Duke Season 3 did nothing to propel William and Eliza’s love story forward, but we’re still on a steady, quiet road toward a romance that has to happen because the feelings are undoubtedly there for both parties. It takes longer to crack the sunshine sometimes than it does the grump. In their undercover proposal, we get concrete proof of the fact that William loves Eliza and sees her for who she truly is—everything that he needs and could want. Yet she isn’t there—her desires are hidden and masked with tinges of jealousy in the unnecessary love triangle that the season brings forward. But at the same time, she is driven by the desire to have a career in a time period where women can’t have both.
When they’re good, they’re great because William and Eliza’s partnership is based entirely on trust, even when there are no openly romantic gestures on display. The quiet moments do plenty to showcase how they’re feeling, but we’ve yet to see the bolder, louder moments in Season 3. There’s a fear in both of them to push beyond the friendship and toward something more because they matter more to each other than anyone else. What people often forget to address when it comes to crossing the threshold from friends to lovers is that there’s far more on the plate than there is for strangers to lose. You lose far more than love if it all goes wrong—you lose your person, your light, your whole heart. And whether these two admit it aloud or not, they are each other’s everything. No one else compares. No one else comes close. And steadily, they need to understand that their relationship is going to be a risk worth taking. Whether that happens in Season 4 or beyond, William and Eliza need to have extensive conversations that aren’t hidden behind metaphors.
Jesper Fahey and Wylan (Henricks) Van Eck
Shadow and Bone
If we look up adorable in the dictionary—in every language—a picture of Shadow and Bone’s Jesper Fahey and Wylan Van Eck will be featured next to the definition. While the series has its flaws, casting is always perfect, especially for these two, who feel like they’ve jumped straight out of the book. The chemistry, the sweet banter, the hope, and even the fragility of their time spent together is nothing short of extraordinary in Season 2, quickly exhibiting that through the challenges that’ll arise, they’re going to grow alongside them. While in the early stages, both Jesper and Wylan are already better for the relationship they’re building together, growing into versions of themselves who are stronger, more daring, and less afraid.
With the short amount of time we have with them, Kit Young and Jack Wolfe make it effortless for viewers to understand that there’s something deeply special between the pair. Like all relationships within The Crows, theirs is also about protecting one another from anything and everything that comes their way, whether they understand its workings or not. For Jesper and Wylan, there’s a riveting pull that stems from the idea that neither of them should ever be underestimated. Wylan might not know how to read, but he’s wiser than most people, accomplishing more in quiet corners than anyone’s ever done in the open. It’s why theirs is a bond built on communication—two people who talk to one another, listen when they mess up, and hear each other when all the words aren’t said aloud. What we get with them is how healthy relationships should be—full of profound longing, heart, fire, and a desire to understand one another even when they are unclear of specific details.
Ashley Rose and Miles Turner
Blindspotting
Blindspotting is not only one of the most underrated series to grace our TV screens, but the love story between Miles Turner and Ashley Rose will long surpass anything we have to say in our Best of 2023 romantic relationships list. Something tells me that I’ll rewatch the show years from now and think to myself—there’s more. There’s so much more to the story I thought I knew and loved because the depth and passion that goes into every frame are unparalleled. As one of the canceled series of the year, it’s so unfortunate that creatives won’t have the opportunity to tell more stories, but everything we get in Season 2 results in some of the most beautiful love scenes in recent decades. The intimacy in Miles and Ashley’s relationships stems from a trust that’s so deeply rare you have to search far and wide to find it because only a few couples can back from any sort of heartache or big betrayal. Yet, Miles and Ashley not only come back from all the obstacles thrown in their path, but they’re stronger because of it, ultimately proving that there’s nothing they can’t achieve together.
Season 1 authenticated that they’d always take the concept of ride or die to new heights, but Season 2 revolutionizes the idea even more profoundly as they navigate through parenthood, married life, and the pangs of missing each other. And with everything they face, the communication that keeps them grounded makes their relationship all the more admirable. It also helps that Jasmine Cephas Jones and Rafael Casal can converse in silence, showing us far more about the characters than words could ever. Between their stunning chemistry and the thoughtful narrative choices that showcase why Miles and Ashley are so deeply in love with each other, their story becomes something that’s wholeheartedly poetic. They’re everything to each other, and we see that clear as day on our screens and feel every bit of their adoration.
Janine Teagues and Gregory Eddie
Abbott Elementary
The progression of Janine Teagues and Gregory Eddie’s relationship on Abbott Elementary has been nothing short of excellent. From their first meeting in the pilot to where we leave them in the Season 2 finale, nothing is more straightforward than the fact that theirs is the kind of friends-to-lovers story that’s meant to last. Like all the best sitcom ships that came before them, they continue to give us the palpable type of longing that makes weekly viewing a tremendous delight. Theirs is a relationship that leaves a mark because they both choose to consistently listen to and look out for each other without ever expecting anything in return. Their love story (albeit still in development) is built on trust and transparency. Together, they can be their most authentic selves, allowing one another the safe space to be as they please without judgment in a place where that’s not always the case.
There’s so much to their story left to develop, and with a writer like Quinta Brunson, surely, it’ll be a brilliant showcase of agency, understanding, and compassion. We’ve written about Abbott Elementary before, and it bears repeating something from one of our reviews to describe the two of them: “The beautiful thing about how their relationship continues to develop is that, like flowers, they bloom naturally around each other. Gregory and Janine already like each other as they are, they care tremendously, and it’s how effortlessly synchronized they are with one another, even when they’re awkward, that works perfectly.” He also gave us one of the most romantic lines of the year with, “I take all your recommendations seriously. I want to know why you like stuff.” Do you hear us crying? Because we’re still crying about this.
Bertha and George Russell
The Gilded Age
The Gilded Age Season 2 puts George and Bertha Russell through various challenges, but they come out on the other side stronger than ever. Still, difficulties are undoubtedly on the horizon as they will likely clash with their different opinions on Gladys’ love life. With this possible storyline, the series could handle it in two ways: allow them to stay together while navigating through every peril as a steady couple, and thus, result in a more unique series because TV shows don’t often allow married couples to prosper, or end in divorce and become a tasteless cliche we’re tired of seeing. The greatest appeal to George and Bertha is the detail that a marriage like theirs is still so incredibly rare in the fictional world, and it elevates the show’s low stakes with organic beats of tension, longing, and romance.
As much as characters are based on historical figures, borrowing from their reality to create something even more daring could be The Gilded Age’s legacy. We don’t get to see couples this madly in love with each other after two kids on our screens, and they certainly exist in the real world, so why shouldn’t they exist on our screens? TV shows want to challenge relationships by consistently throwing wrenches in their romance, but if they allow them to rise above it all—stay and persist in loving each other through every obstacle as George and Bertha certainly would, then we’d have something utterly perfect on our screens. In other words, let more men be completely and unabashedly in love with their wives. It’s all for her anyway.
Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring
Heartstopper
Heartstopper doesn’t fall into a sophomore slump as it continues to develop not only the beautiful relationship between Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring but also various other LGBTQ+ romances within the show. As we continue to navigate through the toughest times in a person’s life (High School), we watch how Nick and Charlie continue to show up for one another, proving that every day is made a little bit easier with love by our sides. In our review of the second season, I said: “Charlie and Nick’s hugs are of utmost importance on Heartstopper, and Season 2 brings them to new heights with angsty, beautifully profound moments. Kit Connor and Joe Locke are better than before, with their sweet chemistry bursting through every scene to ensure how ardently Nick and Charlie care for one another. Their moments in the show’s sophomore season are exquisitely tender and vulnerable, allowing the characters to grow individually and as a couple. How their story unfolds and where we leave them are both rewarding and endearing.”
There are still many roads to walk through with Nick and Charlie, challenges and heartaches that still need to come to light, but since the two already showcase how deeply they care, we know that those dark moments will be easier to deal with because of this very compassion. They might be young, but the show’s approach to strengthening their friendship makes it so much easier to believe in the fact that they’ll last through every challenge that comes their way. If Theirs is a special story, one fortified through unyielding kindness, trust, and the constant need to create a safe space where they can talk about whatever’s necessary when the right time comes.
Rose Larkin and Peter Sutherland
The Night Agent
The Night Agent is the most surprising show of the year as something that we never thought we’d be running to AO3 for, and yet, here we are. Peter Sutherland and Rose Larkin start their journey together during an angsty, terrifying situation, which leads them to a place where trust is the only thing they can give. While his position makes it easy for Rose to believe she’s safe with him, everything they go through together proves that this accidental meet-cute is what they both need and more. As their friendship develops, they both inherently continue looking out for one another in ways that maybe others in their lives have yet to do. The show’s sharp attention showing how often Peter recognizes when Rose is nervous is no small detail. Instead, it reveals who his character truly is as a person and how he’d be as a partner, which is why when they do get together, it’s easy to believe that they just might be endgame.
Peter and Rose not only have the hottest first kisses but also get some of the most gorgeous moments of hurt/comfort, making it so easy to want more. Additionally, there’s something to be said about how quickly the development happens, which isn’t at all rushed but rather a seamless outcome of the forced proximity trope that makes it so refreshing to watch. A ton of tropes repeat throughout the year, but we don’t often get this gem on TV. Thus, it’s something we’ll always take because how it tests and challenges our characters only makes the eventual relationship that much more exciting. The chemistry is exhilarating, the heart is palpable, and the quiet moments of vulnerability make them such an enamoring couple.
Belle Fox and Jack Dawkins
The Artful Dodger
The Artful Dodger provides an incredible surprise this year, giving us one of the most unexpected Best of 2023 romantic relationships through Jack Dawkins and Belle Fox. The sizzling chemistry results in some of the finest romantic moments on television with the kind of tension that could make the heart stop, and it almost nearly does. How the series is shot and the ways in which their relationship progresses reveal the fact that they’re both each other’s entire world—the one person they’d risk everything for, which Jack does by the end of the season to save Belle’s life. It’s equal parts unexpectedly wholesome and equal parts steamy, resulting in the level of intimacy that we could always use more of TV: stolen kisses, longing gazes, and tension that cut through a knife—or maybe an artery.
Their staggering intimacy shines with impressive ease in every episode, layering both characters through challenges that ultimately showcase the best and worst of them. The series allows Jack and Belle to be messy, curious, wondrously enchanted, and deeply terrified, all while carefully disentangling societal norms to exhibit that love should never get in the way of man-made rules. It’s the best kind of historical romance in more ways than one. By the end of the season, it’s clear as day that they not only belong together, but they’re better as a couple—both as individuals and as surgeons, which could only continue to evolve and enhance even more if (hopefully when) the series is renewed.
Marian Brook and Larry Russell
The Gilded Age
[Hey Siri, play “Slut!” by Taylor Swift] In a world of boys, he’s a gentleman indeed. From the moment we meet him, Larry Russell is both his father’s son and not at all like him, proving that when the time comes, he can, in fact, be better because if there’s one thing the Russell men will be, it’s unquestionably besotted with their wives. And long before their sparkling kiss in the Season 2 finale, Larry shows commitment to Marian deeply rooted in something more promising than either of them knows how to handle. As they solidify and strengthen their friendship, they establish a loyalty that’s hard to come by in their immediate circles, differentiating them from everyone else.
The setup for Larry and Marian’s relationship is more obvious than ever as the progression from friends to lovers gives them the chance to make a real love match and be with someone who’s a true partner—mentally, emotionally, and physically. They’re both already so deeply precious to one another, so it’s only inevitable that in a romantic relationship, everything they already feel would heighten. They’re on the outskirts of society in more ways than one, and riding out their creative desires together would make them incredibly wholesome.
Ted Lasso and Rebecca Welton
Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso and Rebecca Welton, affectionally known as TedBecca by fans, are the only couple on this list who aren’t actually a couple. But we’d be lying to ourselves if we said that they aren’t one of the biggest ships we’ve ever had. Both actors have noted that the two characters are soulmates, and while we can accept that they mean it in a platonic sense, we see it more as a romantic duo, or at the very least, what they could’ve been. For a man who was always too much for his ex-wife and a woman who was never enough, Ted and Rebecca were always perfect and more than enough for each other. That’s what we’ve always said about them. It’s why we’ve been so adament about rooting for them because they’ve consistently looked out for each other in ways no one else has. And sure, maybe in some universe, they are better off as friends, but the potential of what they can be is bursting with a profound understanding that words aren’t enough to convey properly.
Ted didn’t just see the good in Rebecca, but he saw the absolute best in her; he believed in her through everything and paid attention to the little things she wouldn’t even dare to say aloud. In the same way, Rebecca saw Ted’s whole heart and tenacity in ways others neglected, acknowledging his unwavering devotion to showing up for others, even when they didn’t deserve it. As pressures built up and boiled in the third season, Ted and Rebecca remained each other’s safe space—the one person they could turn to and Oklahoma whenever everything else was unclear. While opinions might differ on whether or not Ted and Rebecca should’ve been a romantic pair, it should be safe to declare that they are each other’s person, the undeniable beating heart they needed in more ways than one to show them that in every way, wherever they go, whatever they do, they’re enough. They’re more than enough.
Honorable Mentions: JJ Maybank and Kiara Carrera (Outer Banks), Sol Perez and Miles Murphy (With Love), James T. Kirk and La’an Noonien-Singh (Strange New Worlds), Roy Kent and Keeley Jones (Ted Lasso), Geralt of Rivia and Yennefer Vengerberg (The Witcher).