There are a handful of TV shows from the late '90s and early aughts that seem to disappear off the face of the earth, and if you're lucky enough to have a few VHS recordings from back when they were airing, you have a relic of sorts. The majority of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen TV shows are like this, making some of us millennials feel like we've basically made them up in our heads. For the longest time, I also felt this way about What I Like About You (2002). Outside of the few friends I grew up with, any time I'd bring the show up, people would look at me like I was talking in code. But thankfully, Netflix has quietly decided to bless millennials by adding one of the funniest and swoon-worthy rom-coms to its lineup.
Starring Amanda Bynes and Jennie Garth as sisters, the emotionally compelling and genuinely laugh-out-loud sitcom is one that not only still holds up, but it also tackles some of the best tropes. If you never knew of its existence back then, now is the perfect time to revisit for nostalgia, heart, and plenty of humor.
'What I Like About You' Is One Of The Best Rom-Coms For Sitcom Fans
When it comes to drama TV shows, we can't always bank on the fact that they'll follow up with the romance they're setting up. More often than not, we're better off expecting disappointment. If there is a happy ending, it's at least a pleasant surprise and not a complete heartbreak. But generally, sitcoms are a lot more reliable in allowing the romantic arcs to conclude with the kind of happy endings that'll satisfy fans because of how they tackle the ordinary with levity and joy. And for the longest time, both romantic relationships in What I Like About You have lived rent-free in my mind.
That's right—we get two for the price of one, with a few extra relationships scattered in between. For a sitcom, the slow friends-to-lovers trope is one of the most common ones, so it isn't surprising that we see this come to fruition with Amanda Bynes's Holly and Nick Zano's Vince. How their relationship pans out is not only fun throughout, but it's also surprisingly emotional. So, if friends-to-lovers is your trope of choice, there's no doubt that you'll appreciate the delicious progression we get between Holly and Vince.
But if you're an even bigger fan of years of pining, accidental marriage, and second-chance romance, What I Like About You delivers an unbeatable and genuinely organic display of all three through Jennie Garth's Val and Dan Cortese's Vic. The show is great in the beginning, but it gets ten times better and more memorable the moment Val and Vic's relationship kicks a new arc into motion. In the same way that most critics and fans will say that Parks and Recreation (2009) truly found its footing when Adam Scott's Ben Wyatt stepped into the role, the same can be said about what happens in What I Like About You with both Vince and Vic.
The relationship buildup and angst that we get with these two is so hilarious at times that it's shocking more people don't dabble in the tropes. It often leads to the best kind of payoff in romance novels, so TV shows should take up the opportunity the way What I Like About You does. Trust me on this one: these two are old school OTP levels, excellent. If you know, you know.
Amanda Bynes Delivers Her Funniest Performance In 'What I Like About You'
When we often talk about Amanda Bynes's iconic performances, shows like The Amanda Show (1999) and movies like She's the Man (2006) understandably come up most. She's impeccable in both of them, and from a young age, she proved just how much range she's capable of. But for me, What I Like About You was always her funniest work, and the amount of emotions that she brings to life as Holly is stunning.
A sitcom can only work if its cast is exceptional enough to keep us invested in the ordinary, and Bynes shines as a lead, making everyone around her gleam, too. She's transcendent, wildly hilarious, and so relatable that the coming-of-age series doesn't feel formulaic, but it feels fully fleshed out and well-rounded. There's a great amount of depth to cover with how the show dives into certain topics, and it's through Bynes's performance that we get something wholeheartedly memorable.
