Best of 2024: Romantic Scenes features spoilers for the year’s TV and movies. Read with caution!
What kind of a year would it be if we didn’t talk about the best in romance? Our Best of 2024: Romantic Scenes spotlight the sweetest, sexiest, and downright swooniest moments in TV and movies this year. We’ve got bittersweet moments, hotly-anticipated kisses, and a few scenes that have just stayed with us all year long.
Let’s end 2024 talking about love — goodness knows we need it!
For more end-of-the-year coverage, be sure to check out our Best of 2024: Performances, the Best of 2024 Found Families, the Best of 2024: Romantic Relationships, and the Best of 2024: TV Episodes.
William Wellington and Eliza Scarlet
Miss Scarlet and the Duke
It’s been a rollercoaster of a year to be a Miss Scarlet fan — particularly a William/Eliza shipper. We started on a great note, with Season 4 finally bringing William and Eliza’s romantic connection to the forefront. A delightful flashback episode revealed their origins (and finally showed their oft-bantered-about first kiss as teens), and in the present day, William finally said the L-word to Eliza. Unfortunately, their subsequent smooch turned out to be a permanent, not temporary, goodbye, as actor Stuart Martin has now departed the show.
Sally Jackson and Poseidon
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
It may be surprising to have one of the Best of 2024 romantic scenes in a YA Disney show. Even more so, that it’s between two adult supporting characters. But actors Virginia Kull and Toby Stephens imbue their diner scene with such nuance and longing it’s hard not to fall for them. They barely even look at each other as they discuss their demigod son. And yet, every word and gesture implies the tenderness and depth that once connected them. In a later episode, when Percy asks his father, “Do you dream about Mom?” we know the answer is almost certainly “yes.”
Cole Ellis and Max Mitchell
Wild Cards
I am nothing if not a sucker for a will-they-won’t-they consultant procedural! Wild Cards delivers that sweet, sweet tension from episode one. In their first (very reluctant) team-up, chipper con artist Max and grumpy demoted detective Ellis clash immediately. But then they’re undercover and almost get made, so Max invokes that timeless trope: the fake-out make-out. Their chemistry is clear, even at this early stage. It perfectly sets the scene for a season of banter, growing trust, and messy feelings.
Kat Landy and Elliot Augustine
The Way Home
There is something marvelously complicated about these childhood-besties-turned-lovers-turned-exes. Season 2 is a growing-pains season for both Kat and Elliot. Kat’s single-mindedness over “fixing” the past returns, while Elliot goes through a (very frustrating) phase of sullen mixed messages as he struggles with regrets. Their season ends, though, with a sweet forehead touch, a reminder of their love for each other’s families, a moment of catharsis, and a much-needed honest conversation. It’s not the fairytale-golden-sunset of their first kiss in Season 1; it’s about figuring out what’s next and what’s real.
Evan “Buck” Buckley and Tommy Kinard
9-1-1
Some of the best pop culture moments are the ones that you watch from a distance. That’s what happened earlier this year when I logged onto Twitter (RIP) one evening only to see half my timeline going bonkers over the big “bi Buck” reveal. Have I ever seen an episode of this show start-to-finish? Nope, not a single one! But I am absolutely here for fanon becoming canon, and I am equally here for a good “cut off mid-sentence” smooch among our Best of 2024 romantic scenes!
Tashi Duncan, Art Donaldson, and Patrick Zweig
Challengers
No Best of 2024 romantic scenes roundup would be complete without the trio heard ’round the world! When tennis prodigy Tashi first meets BFFs Art and Patrick, the frisson between them — all three of them — is unmistakable. The result is a torrid three-way makeout that sparks over a decade of back-and-forth love, resentment, and lust between all of them. That dynamic is what sets the plot in motion and keeps it going throughout the years. It’s an unconventional love “triangle,” but that’s what makes it memorable.
John Blackthorne and Toda Mariko
Shōgun
Romance fans already know that Cosmo Jarvis was one of the only bright spots in Netflix’s otherwise … questionable Persuasion adaptation. Here, he gets to prove his pining chops once again. John and Mariko’s relationship is just one of many plot threads in this epic, and it’s destined to end in tragedy for so many reasons. Fittingly, their most powerful moment barely involves any physical contact. Instead, Mariko translates a courtesan’s explanations of desire and obligation, using first-person language to indirectly offer John the intimacy that they can never truly have as themselves.
Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton
Bridgerton
Dearest reader, you didn’t think our Best of 2024 romantic scenes would be complete without one of the year’s most viral moments, did you? The carriage scene between Colin and Penelope has always been one of Romancing Mr. Bridgerton‘s signature moments. And boy, howdy, did Netflix do it justice. There’s the confession speech, the big kiss, and Colin prioritizing Penelope’s pleasure. Placed at the end of Part 1 of the Bridgerton season, the scene became summer’s most talked-about TV moment. And a Pitbull orchestral cover to top it all off! It’s the perfect blend of super-sexy and super-romantic — just what we want from Bridgerton.
Gregory Eddie and Janine Teagues
Abbott Elementary
FINALLY. The only thing better than a sitcom slow burn is when it finally gets resolved. The final moments of Season 3 gave us what we’ve been waiting for: Gregory and Janine getting together. Abbott Elementary managed to hit the sweet spot of drawing out the tension just long enough but not so long that it got tired or frustrating. Somehow, the context (and Tyler James Williams) makes “I fixed your light” into the most romantic of sentences. It’s also a nice touch to see Gregory break the fourth wall after sweeping Janine into a kiss, closing the windows so “we” can’t intrude any further on this private moment.
The Fifteenth Doctor and Rogue
Doctor Who
There’s a good rule when watching Doctor Who. Don’t get comfortable when the Doctor starts falling for a guest star. That was definitely borne out when Jonathan Groff guest-starred as bounty hunter Rogue, but first, we got one of the Best of 2024 romantic scenes! Trying to lure out a group of aliens who are invading Earth by “cosplaying” in the Regency era, the Doctor and Rogue deliberately cause scandal by dancing together in a crowded ballroom. The music, the held gazes, the feigned-but-not lovers’ quarrel — it all adds up to a gorgeous (and eventually heartbreaking) romantic interlude.
Gary Johnson and Madison Masters
Hit Man
Who knew that covering up a crime could double as a grand romantic gesture? There are plenty of steamy, more overtly romantic scenes in this romantic thriller, but it’s the now-internet-famous “Notes app” scene that hits that emotional high. When the cops suspect Madison of her ex’s murder, they recruit Gary to try to get a confession on a wiretap. Instead, he uses his phone to coach her through a fake argument and convince the authorities of her innocence. Their instinctive teamwork and almost playful body language turn a criminal conspiracy into, effectively, a declaration of love.
Louis de Pointe du Lac and Lestat de Lioncourt
Interview with the Vampire
Yes, Louis and Lestat’s relationship is messy at best and toxic at worst. Thanks to some very fine acting and chemistry from portrayers Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid, though, we can’t help rooting for them. Their tortured reunion at the end of Season 2 brings them back together when they’re both hurting the most. They’ve realized their own sins; they’ve lost Claudia. And now, in the literal center of a hurricane, they’re clinging to the only thing they have left: each other.
Jules Millin and Mika Yasuda
Grey’s Anatomy
Alas, the infamous Grey’s revolving cast door has cut short another romance. At least before Midori Francis left, though, we got this unexpectedly magical love story. A near-kiss in the Season 20 finale hinted at feelings between the formerly platonic BFFs. We had to wait until the next season to see them dance around the awkwardness before finally falling into one hell of a great kiss. In the hospital locker room, naturally, because no one at Grey’s is capable of having romantic moments in appropriate venues.
Nathan Grant and Elizabeth Thornton
When Calls the Heart
Have you ever seen a single GIF out of context that just hits perfectly? That’s what earned this scene a spot as one of our Best of 2024 romantic scenes. Let’s be honest here. Do I watch this show enough to have strong feelings about its (looooong) love triangle? Nope. Did my mouth drop open like a cartoon when I saw a GIF of the camera close-up of Nathan’s hands on Elizabeth’s waist during their first kiss? Abso-freaking-lutely. I am a simple girl; period drama + hands always earns a spot on my list.
Jane Grey and Guildford Dudley
My Lady Jane
Yes, we’re all still bitter about My Lady Jane‘s cancellation. That one hurt, friends. But at least while it was here, it gave us so many great romantic scenes that it’s hard to pick just one! Jane and Guildford’s flirty first meeting oozes frisson, and their fierce first makeout in the forest is a classic enemies-to-lovers romance. But for our Best of 2024 romantic scenes, it has to be their first-time scene midway through the season. It’s wildly sexy, yes, but they also laugh, are vulnerable, and express so much joy. Who could ask for more?
Qimir and Osha
The Acolyte
Let’s start with the obvious. This one’s for the villain-romance fans, not those looking for a hopeful, healthy HEA. Qimir is a murderous Sith, and Osha is a Jedi washout; both have traumatic backstories linked to powerful Jedi. But, frankly, this is one of the only Star Wars properties that is willing to let its characters truly feel desire. Osha spots Qimir stripping down to bathe, then threatens him when he’s vulnerable. And yet, he also is the only person willing to suggest there is more to her than even she herself believes. Maybe not “romantic,” exactly, but definitely sensual and memorable.
Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson
Heartstopper
Heartstopper has always been one of the banner shows for the “soft” side of YA TV. Even as its characters grow and mature in Season 3, that coziness remains. That’s true, too, of Charlie and Nick’s very sweet “first-time” episode. They’ve both been through a lot to get to this point, including body image and mental health issues. But in spite of all that, they connect in such a charming and joyous way — how can you not smile for them?
Esra and Halit
Midnight at the Pera Palace
The most romantic part of this highly-underrated period drama comes midway through Season 2. It’s hard to explain without diving deep into the time-travel shenanigans and bizarre rules that govern the plot! Suffice to say that the season’s sixth episode puts Esra (a modern journalist slipping through time) and Halit (the man she loves from a century earlier) through a devastatingly romantic, semi-contained adventure that reveals just how deep their love really is. I am a sucker for the “I waited for you” trope, and this episode takes it up several notches! Just trust me — you’ll cry.
Noah and Joanne
Nobody Wants This
If there were a prize for the best first kiss of 2024, Nobody Wants This would win in a landslide! This Best of 2024 romantic scene, first and foremost, reminds us what millennials have always known: Adam Brody is vastly underrated as a romantic leading man! It’s a setup right out of a romance novel. Podcaster Joanne and rabbi Noah know they shouldn’t try to be together. They try to ignore the chemistry between them. But then they just can’t anymore. Brody gives Noah’s request (that Joanne put down her purse so he can kiss her) with a pitch-perfect delivery, making it super-romantic instead of bossy or icky.
Rupert Campbell-Black and Taggie O’Hara
Rivals
Rivals gets the “easy” route to a Best of 2024 romantic scene, being based on literal romance novels. But without tension-building writing and great chemistry, audiences might not root for a damaged, privileged, arrogant playboy and a sweet, overlooked chef nearly 20 years his junior. Their season-finale kiss, though, does work. It’s one of those desperate moments where they know they shouldn’t and can’t be together, but they just have to give themselves this one moment. Like I said: pure vintage romance novel!
Elphaba and Fiyero
Wicked
As a decades-long Wicked fan, I know, I know — the big love song won’t be until Part 2. And I can’t wait! But I’ve always had a soft spot for the “lion cub scene.” Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey do so much with such a sparse, simple scene and a few loaded looks. From their first meeting, they both call each other out and see right through each other’s armor: his carelessness, her defensiveness. It all comes to a head when Elphaba insists that he does care, followed by a cautious cheek touch and the kind of held gaze that Bailey honed on Bridgerton. It’s a tender prelude to what comes next.