'Too Much' & The Best Rom-Com Series to Binge Right Now

Lena Dunham’s Netflix series Too Much takes the modern rom-com to new levels of lovable dysfunctionality. The series follows Jess (Megan Stalter), an American who moves to London for a job after a devastating breakup. Jess is not your typical rom-com protagonist: she’s big, she’s brash, and she has only the slightest of filters. 

While many might find her “too much”, Jess has a heart of gold and is willing to open herself up to love again when she meets the struggling musician Felix (Will Sharpe) in a dingy loo on her first night in the city. If you’re in the mood for a witty rom-com that doesn’t shy away from its protagonists’ messier sides, be sure to check out Too Much.

This three-season gem of a series, from the mind of New Zealand comedian Rose Matafeo, is perfect viewing for any fan of a classic rom-com with killer humour and a modern feel. 

The series stars Matafeo herself as Jessie, a funny and somewhat lost late-20s Kiwi working a series of odd jobs in London. When she bumps into Tom at a New Year’s party and the two have a one-night stand, Jessie realises Tom is actually a big film star. As their relationship goes through the motions and they learn more about themselves in the process, they try and figure out if their lifestyles are compatible.

Relatable, hilarious, and sometimes very real, Starstruck is without a doubt one of the best rom-com series of the past decade.

Girls focuses on the lives of four 20-something women trying to get their lives and careers on track in an unruly New York City. Hannah (played by Lena Dunham) is an aspiring writer dating the commitment-phobic Adam (Adam Driver). Both have their fair share of issues, and over the years, their relationship evolves in ways that prove both deeply frustrating and relatable.

While Girls is much more than a pure rom-com series, there’s no doubt that Hannah and Adam’s on-again, off-again relationship is one of the most compelling aspects of all six seasons. Dunham’s original creation has been subject to much critique over the years, mostly for its lack of diversity, but it has recently had a resurgence in popularity. 

As with Too Much, Dunham’s masterful ability to capture the messiness of dealing with oneself and others in a relationship is on full display.

It’s fair to say there is no rom-com series more iconic than Sex and the City. While Girls and Too Much revel in the messiness of being human, Sex and the City favours an escape into the glitz and glamour of New York life.

The protagonist, Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker), writes a successful column about dating and sexuality that somehow permits her to live in a West Village brownstone and splurge on Jimmy Choos every other week… Her and her tumultuous relationship with the enigmatic Mr Big plays a big role, and while the storyline falls into many of the unhealthy tropes of heterosexual dating, it remains a big pull for any romantic soul. 

Like Girls, there is much to criticise about Sex and the City by modern standards, but the series was one of the first to depict women over 30 dating and exploring their sexuality, and there’s no doubt that it remains extremely relevant even today.

While Fleabag is certainly much more than a ‘pure’ rom-com, the title character’s second-season romance with a priest is enough to land it a solid place on this list. This two-season masterpiece, adapted by Phoebe Waller-Bridge from her one-woman stage show, follows an unnamed woman, aka Fleabag, whose life is spiralling out of control after the death of her best friend.

In Season 2, she tentatively emerges from this personal abyss to fall for a cheeky priest (Andrew Scott), and we are treated to Fleabag breaking the fourth wall to tell us with all her signature wit exactly how she feels about him. While their relationship might be doomed from the start, the genuine affection and longing between them—not to mention that steamy scene in the confessional—is a beautiful thing to behold.

Nobody Wants This is a fun, modern rom-com based on the real-life story of actress Erin Foster, who also created the series. Her on-screen persona, Joanna (Kristen Bell), is an agnostic, outspoken woman who co-hosts a successful podcast about sex and romance with her sister, Justine. When Joanna meets a handsome rabbi, Noah, the sparks fly despite their clearly mismatched lifestyles and beliefs. 

Nobody Wants This is the perfect salve for anyone burned out by the current dating scene. Noah’s ability to listen, be supportive, and regulate his own emotions will melt your defences and make you raise the bar for any future dates.  

Netflix’s Love is a classic rom-com with a thoughtful modern twist. The series follows the story of two dysfunctional Los Angelinos: Mickey, an impulsive recovering alcoholic, and Gus, who is unstoppably neurotic and emotionally needy. While they both come with their fair share of problems, after their meet-cute in a 24-hour shop, the two sincerely try to work together to build a better relationship than any they had had before. 

Throughout Love’s three seasons, the series patiently yet engagingly deepens our love for Mickey and Gus at the same pace they fall for each other. The ups and downs of their relationship feel very real, and while there might be plenty of laughs, the series is surprisingly soft and intimate.

The pros and cons of an anthology series like Modern Love are that some episodes really stand out while others blend into a standard mix of clichés. This series, based on the popular New York Times weekly column and podcast featuring real-life love stories, contains two seasons of eight episodes, each with its own unique story and a host of A-list cast members. 

In episodes like “When Cupid Is a Prying Journalist,” in which Dev Patel’s Joshua and Catherine Keener’s Julie exchange stories about “the one who got away”, and “On a Serpentine Road, With the Top Down,” in which Minnie Driver’s Stephanie is only able to talk to her deceased first husband while sitting in a rundown sports car, Modern Love captures the universal experiences of love’s beauty and pain in the modern world.