’Every Year After’ Season 1 And The 5 Best Second-Chance Romances
Second chance generally isn't a popular trope, but it should be. Angsty, delicious, and full of incredible pining, we always get something exceptional when people grow and change, then come back to each other. It's also one of the romance tropes that can go a number of different ways, like a second chance marriage in trouble, a second chance with the one that got away, or even a second chance after a bad breakup. Whatever it is, I'll take it, no questions asked.
The latest to dabble with the trope is Every Year After (2026) on Prime Video, which centers around two best friends, Sam Florek and Percy Fraser, who find their way back to each other ten years after breaking up. It’s deliciously angsty in more ways than one, so we've gathered a list of the best depictions of the trope available to stream now on Netflix, Apple TV, and more!
Based on Carley Fortune's bestselling duology, Every Summer After and One Golden Summer, the first season of Every Year After is a second chance romance between two childhood (early teen, really) best friends who never stopped loving each other. Picturesque, angsty, and bustling with one of the best soundtracks in the present day, the emotions between Percy and Sam are so palpable that it makes the show a hit that isn't to be missed.
The season explores their relationship through the span of a few years, while then building on their emotions in the present day in a manner that gorgeously showcases why they're each other's person, and why their relationship can indeed work out in the future again. Perfect for anyone who loves the idea of two characters who are actually each other's better halves, everything about the show is worth watching and may even change your perspective on the trope if it's not usually a favorite.
As another romance novel adaptation like Every Year After, Poppy and Alex's story in People We Meet on Vacation is everything you'd hope an Emily Henry adaptation would be. It's especially great for people who love When Harry Met Sally (1989), as it explores the idea of a second chance romance through characters who never quite made it in the first place because something almost always stopped them.
It feels like a classic rom-com in more ways than one, with fun destinations, another outstanding soundtrack, incredible performances, and a story that honors the friends-to-lovers trope gorgeously with the reminder of how two people can bring out the best in each other. It's one of the most riveting romantic comedies of the last decade, and it gets better with every viewing.
If you grew up loving Nathan and Haley's journey in One Tree Hill (2003), but somehow never knew about Love & Basketball, then now's the time to rectify this. It's a stunning love letter to basketball, teenage angst, and the type of second chance romance that stays with you. It weaves in the sport with the central love story between Quincy and Monica so significantly that the words "double or nothing" will forever be associated with them.
There's something so deeply angsty and compelling about the type of friends-to-lovers to second chance the film explores, and still to this day, there's been nothing like it with pacing, performances, and romance. Written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the film also effectively explored the concept of the female gaze long before it became a talking point in the media today. It's a rare treat from start to finish.
Pushing Daisies is and will forever be one of the greatest underrated gems to exist on TV, and it still pains me that few people know of its wildly whimsical premise. The series follows Lee Pace's Ned the Pie Maker and his special gift, where a single touch from him wakes the dead to solve their murder, but the catch is that if he touches them again, they die permanently. Now imagine what happens when his childhood crush is the one person he brings back to life but can't risk losing her again?
The creativity and charm that Pushing Daisies explores childhood friends and second chances with is so hilarious and so precious that watching it once won't be enough. While the show was canceled, it's well worth watching for the experience it brings in honoring romance through a unique lens that's bound to stay with viewers. Plus, if you love a bit of mystery in your rom-coms, look no further.
This one's for the musical fans because there's nothing that compares to Mamma Mia! Gorgeously shot and perfect for anyone who wants a scenic escape in their movies, the story also shines as a leading example of a second chance romance later in life. Often, when we see this trope, it's with younger couples, but the love story with Meryl Streep's Donna and Pierce Brosnan's Sam is top-tier perfection from beginning to end.
Plus, Greece and ABBA music the whole time? A found family and a solid girl group, along with the romance? Icons like Christine Baranski and Julie Walters? Need I really say more? There's really no critique out there about these movies that can be valid because they're that perfect. And even if musicals typically aren't your cup of tea, there's a good chance you can still appreciate both Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018).
While Nicholas Sparks isn't a romance author and his stories are generally more on the depressing side, it feels wrong to cultivate a list on second chance romances and not include The Notebook. The performances that Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams deliver in this movie are still extraordinary, and Noah's entire speech about writing letters to her every day for a year will always get to me. Talk about angst in spades.
It's the ideal second chance romance to explore the notion of the one that got away with kindred spirits in the form of how they've both honored each other in their time apart. Like Every Year After, the dreamy setting gives us a memorable escape and provides the right amount of nostalgia to make every beat of the movie stick the landing. Few hold up the way The Notebook does, so if you've been thinking about a rewatch, give it a go.
