A very specific image comes to mind when fashion girls hear "Jennifer Lopez" and "Versace dress" in the same sentence: Lopez in sheer green chiffon, a tropical palm-tree print, and a bellybutton-grazing plunge at the 2000 Grammys. On May 26, this generation's Versace dress—a vintage ballgown with chest cut-outs—debuted at Netflix's Office Romance premiere. If the first rendition didn't already create Google Images, this one certainly would.

Lopez starred in and produced the upcoming rom-com, so it's no surprise she was one of the first to walk the red carpet at Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre. Her longtime stylists, Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn, ensured Lopez's arrival would be the grandest by sourcing secondhand boutique LILY et Cie for a Spring 2004 ballgown. (She found a vintage naked dress for the 2026 Golden Globes at the same West Hollywood store.)

Clearly, LILY et Cie knows how to keep sheer styles in tip-top shape: Three bejeweled, spider leg-looking bands sculpted the strapless bust, while nude illusion mesh added a sense of nakedness underneath. The curved, rhinestone-bordered cut-outs wrapped around the top of J.Lo's torso, before they gave way to glossy floral lace.

Just as the ballgown reached new voluminous lengths, the overlay's black cut-outs increased in number and density. Its taffeta skirt was mostly matte until oversize roses cascaded down the stair-grazing train.

The "On the Floor" singer let her paper snowflake-esque pattern do all the talking. She traded a statement necklace for diamond earrings and rings from Cartier, a move that earned Donatella Versace's stamp of approval: "Always radiant in Atelier Versace," the former creative director wrote on Instagram. "This SS04 dress is impeccable on you."

Lopez would've had to reserve a trio of seats inside the premiere for her Versace ballgown. Instead, she slipped into something more comfortable: a strapless, black column dress. Its only embellishment? Two rows of monochrome sequin bows, one beneath her bust, and the other around her waist.

The Maid In Manhattan actor J.Lo-ified the otherwise classic silhouette with matching opera gloves and a suite of Cartier sparklers. Lopez's Panthère de Cartier necklace alone sells for $276,000, thanks to 10.53 carats of emeralds, onyx, and brilliant-cut diamonds.

Lopez is going all-out for her first press tour of 2026, stopping by The Today Show, CBS Mornings, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as well as premieres around the world. So, expect no shortage of press tour outfits from now until the rom-com hits Netflix on June 5.

Judging by her Versace ballgown—and the Jean Paul Gaultier skirt set she styled two weeks ago—her Office Romance era will highlight vintage dressing above summer 2026 trends. There's no predicting which designer archives she'll dig through next, though. While Versace is a tried-and-true atelier for Lopez, JPG was a step outside her sartorial comfort zone. Trust that her follow-up looks will deliver more plot twists than her upcoming movie either way.

Comedian Brooke Averick sees the humor in modern romance. But instead of being the butt of the joke about dating-app doldrums and messy relationship dynamics, she makes herself the punchline—and has developed a devout following doing so.

Much to the excitement of her 1 million TikTok fans, and the listeners who tune into "Brooke and Connor Make a Podcast" every week, Averick is bringing her signature wit to a new format. On May 26th, the rising star will publish her debut novel, Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It. Just as candid as her comedy, the romance novel follows a soon-to-be-30-year-old with crippling intimacy anxiety who is determined to find the right man to lose her virginity to. The charming read is sure to be on every rom-com fan's TBR list—and one of the most highly anticipated books of the spring.

Below, read an advanced excerpt of Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It, when Phoebe meets her crush, Finn.

Love at first sight.

I’ve read about it. I’ve dreamed about it. I’ve watched it happen in countless movies. I’ve always known it was out there, but I had started to give up on it ever happening to me.

Until now.

I stand so quickly that small spots begin to dance around the edges of my vision. My heart plummets to the base of my stomach as I shuffle toward the door, dropping so far down that I worry it’s going to fall out of my athletic skort and onto the alphabet-themed rug. I clench as a precaution.

“Hi,” I say, my voice sounding distant. I curl my fingers in a wave, though I’m not sure it does any good with my hand at my side.

According to the attendance sheet, we’re still waiting on one more kid to arrive, but there’s no way this is his dad. He’s too young and dressed too casually. The few dads that do morning drop-offs are always in suits and fall somewhere in the forty-to-sixty age range. The guy in front of me is wearing a checkered button-down over a white T-shirt, navy blue pants, and Vans. There’s no sign of gray in his sandy brown hair. He can’t be a day older than me. Maybe he’s a hot nanny?

He sticks out his hand.

I stare at the veins in his outstretched arm for a beat too long before I finally shake it.

“I’m Finn, the new fourth-grade teacher. You must be Phoebe?”

I nod.

“I was told this is the place to go for some colored pencils. Do you mind if I borrow some, for the day? I promise I’ll bring them back.” He smirks, and I feel my face warm.

“I’m Phoebe.”

I hear Cheryl’s footsteps coming up behind me just in time to save me from myself.

“Here you go.” She hands him a box labeled ext r a col or ed pencils, courtesy of my label maker.

“Thanks!” He reaches his arm out to shake Cheryl’s hand. I stay mesmerized by his veins while he introduces himself to her. “I just started over there.” He points out the window toward the Stone Building.

“Oh, that’s amazing!” Cheryl says, and while she talks to Finn, I will my gaze away from his arms and begin fixating on the small sliver of ankle that’s visible below his cuffed pant leg. I keep my eyes down while Cheryl introduces herself.

Get it together.

“Well, I’m Cheryl, and you’ve met Phoebe. We were all so sad when Becky retired, but I have to say, I’m glad we’ve got some more young blood around here. Poor Phoebe’s always been the youngest here by at least twenty years.” She chuckles and pats my back, which anyone watching would assume is an innocuous gesture. But I know Cheryl, and I know it’s her subtle way of encouraging me to say something.

“And if you need anything else, don’t be shy,” she adds while looking at me expectantly.

“I have a label maker if you need it,” I chime in.

He smiles. “I’m good with the colored pencils for now, thanks.”

I nod, knowing that at some point in the future, he’ll come back for the label maker. Everyone always comes back for the label maker.

“It was great meeting you both. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

He ducks to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe on the way out, and I realize I’ve been holding my breath this entire time. Just as I’m about to exhale, he doubles back, peeking his head through the open door.

“By the way, Phoebe, I love your shirt,” he says with a wink.

I beam, my smile extending from ear to ear. “Thank you!”

I watch him leave through our windows, and only when he finally enters the Stone Building does my heart find its way back to its normal resting place. I finally unclench.

As if she can sense it, Cheryl shakes her head and lets out a laugh.

“You and that damn label maker.”

The kids line up behind the line leader of the day, a sweaty and smiling Charlie, yelling and pushing each other happily as they make their way outside for recess. Cheryl follows closely behind them, and I split off from the group to take my first, and probably only, bathroom break of the day.

The second I lock the bathroom door behind me, I reach into the depths of my skort for my phone and pull up the “no backing out” group chat. My hands are shaking with excitement.

I check my unread texts to see if he’s responded. Usually by this time of day, Matthew would have already sent me his Wordle score, but still, there’s nothing from him. This is good, I convince myself. This is a sign. What are the odds that I make a detailed plan on how to lose my virginity, and the very next day, a gorgeous fourth-grade teacher with perfect ankles and strong, healthy arm veins comes knocking at my classroom door? It feels too much like fate to ignore, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from all my romance consumption over the years, it’s that when the universe gives you a sign, you take it. And this is my sign that Finn is the one.

Excerpted from PHOEBE BERMAN’S GONNA LOSE IT by Brooke Averick. Copyright © 2026 by Brooke Averick. Published in the United States by Crown, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

This story contains extensive spoilers about The Drama and Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, including their endings.

It's a really strange sensation to watch The Drama when you're planning your own wedding.

In the movie, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson play Emma Harwood and Charlie Thompson, a couple in the midst of prepping for their own nuptials. While doing a (way-too-late) tasting at their venue to finalize the menu just a few days before the wedding, a conversation with their friends turns into a party game of sorts: What is the worst thing you've ever done? Charlie can't think of anything all that significant. Emma's is a doozy.

Here's where spoilers kick in: When she was a teenager, she planned, but didn't execute, a school shooting. It's a horrifying revelation that acts as a comment on the pervasiveness of gun violence in American society. But more than that, it's a jumping-off point to explore the anxieties associated with commitment. The anti-rom-com, written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, asks, if you found out your partner contemplated something genuinely monstrous, would you still tie the knot?

Now let's make this clear: I myself am remarkably chill about my upcoming event. Movies and TV shows are trying to make me less so.

In addition to The Drama, this spring has seen the arrival of the Netflix limited horror series Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. The show follows Rachel Harkin (Camila Morrone), who travels with her fiancé, Nicky Cunningham (Adam DiMarco), to his brood's remote vacation house for what she thinks will be their intimate wedding. Immediately, she is struck by a strong sense of foreboding. At first, she suspects her partner's weird family is going to murder her in some satanic ritual, but her plight ends up being a lot more existential. She is cursed, and if the man she marries is not her one, true soulmate, she will die on her wedding day. If they don't walk down the aisle, the curse will spread to his bloodline. That means she's forced to question whether the guy she loves is truly the only person for her because both of their lives are at stake.

Tonally, The Drama and Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen are vastly different. The Drama is ultimately a relationship saga that's almost too real. Meanwhile, the longer you watch Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, the more it leans into its supernatural flourishes before its Grand Guignol ending, where faces start oozing rivers of red liquid. But both, at their core, are about how choosing to say "I do" can be a recipe for disaster.

These days, marriage is looking less and less appealing. A recent report in The New York Times found that the U.S. marriage rate hit a 140-year low in 2019. It has risen a little since then, but not in a truly significant way. At the same time, the marriage industrial complex is still going strong—especially in the age of oversharing on social media, when bridal showers and bachelorette parties are more curated (and friendship-testing) than ever, and fashionable brides are desperate to get their ceremonies into Vogue. The Drama and Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen speak to those twin trends: As more people ask, "Why even get married?" the business of getting married can feel overwhelming.

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen leans into this by centering the episodes on different traditions, such as the bachelorette party or the ceremony. Rachel only wants to deal with the whole curse thing, while her nattering to-be-sister-in-law Portia (Gus Birney) demands she have fun with the girls. Similarly, in The Drama, Charlie and Emma are overwhelmed by an instructor (Celia Rowlson-Hall) coaching them on their wedding dance, who takes everything way too seriously. Also, the very conversation that yields Emma's confession starts because Emma and Charlie think they walk by their wedding DJ doing heroin on the street and wonder whether it’s a momentary lapse in judgment or the kind of thing that could ruin their celebration. After Charlie learns what Emma nearly did, they still go around meeting with their vendors, like the cheery photographer (Zoë Winters) who can't understand why they suddenly look so uncomfortable around each other. In each piece of entertainment, the show must go on. After all, there's time and money invested in making sure everything is just right.

Through these sequences, we see how the pomp and circumstance of marriage is the enemy of honest discussion. That's especially evident in Something Very Bad's rehearsal dinner episode, where Rachel placates her nerves by repeating the cute story of how she and Nicky met until she learns that something about her telling doesn't add up. Charlie spirals in The Drama without truly listening to what Emma has to say or realizing the pain these memories have brought up for her. He makes her drama all about him.

The ultimate question in both cases, as it is in any wedding, is whether these two people are meant to be together. And this, again, is where they diverge. At the outset of the finale of Something Very Bad, Rachel decides she's committed to believing she and Nicky are soulmates, but after her heartfelt vows, he is the one who has trouble sealing the deal. He thinks the best solution is to call the whole thing off. Given the curse, that is not an option, and she realizes he never truly believed her very justified fears. In the end, through a magic twist of fate, she gets to leave him behind, and thank goodness for that. She just has to serve as witness to every Cunningham marriage, as the human manifestation of the curse they now have.

The Drama, on the other hand, ends with Charlie and Emma together. They get married, but the reception is a hot mess with an angry, drunken bridesmaid (Alana Haim, genius in the role) and an admission of infidelity on Charlie's part. But after blood has been spilled and her dress has been ruined, they both land at the same diner, where they tentatively start over. Maybe they are choosing to ignore each other's flaws. Or maybe they are just recognizing that nobody's perfect.

I think I weirdly find The Drama's version of romance more comforting. Yes, Something Very Bad has a you-go-girl ending where Rachel drives off, grinning, smoking, and looking like a badass. But she's also condemned to a life of bearing witness to other people's misery.

It's The Drama that has a bizarre optimism for its central pair. Sure, they may be deeply messed up, but they are now married, and they are going to try to make it work. They always thought they'd conclude their night at the diner. Now they are doing just that, a little worse for wear, but together nonetheless.

At this point, I think I know my partner pretty well. We've been together for over 10 years. He's my best friend. But you can never truly know another person. There will be thoughts that will always be mysterious. Moods that you can't interpret. You just have to hope that you can meet at your version of a diner, willing to forgive.

In the third season of the charming teen rom-com XO, Kitty, our titular protagonist, worries about the future. In the newly released season on Netflix, Kitty Song-Covey (Anna Cathcart) has returned for her senior year at the Korean Independent School of Seoul (a.k.a. KISS) and started a serious relationship with her crush, Min-ho (Sang Heon Lee). But, with the end of high school looming and a question mark about what might come next, Kitty begins to feel anxious about what the future might hold. Will she stay in Korea, return to the U.S., or chart a course somewhere else?

By the season’s end, Kitty seems poised to return to the U.S. after she finishes her senior year, having been accepted early admission to New York University. However, nothing is ever predictable in the romance series, spun off from the beloved To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before movies. Especially because, unlike To All the Boys, XO, Kitty doesn’t have books that it's based on. With lots up in the air, below we're breaking down everything we know about XO, Kitty season 4.

Has 'XO, Kitty' been renewed for season 4?

XO, Kitty has performed consistently well on Netflix. Its first season, released in 2023, snagged over 14 million views in its first week, finishing only behind the Bridgerton series Queen Charlotte in the rankings. According to the Netflix Engagement Report for the first half of 2025, when XO, Kitty season 2 premiered, the series racked up more than 35 million views, making it the 18th most-watched series on the streamer in that period. If viewership for the third season stays high, then there is no reason why Netflix shouldn’t renew the original series for a fourth season. Season 3 showrunner Valentina Garza told Deadline about the possibility: “I know that all of our fans would love to see that. We’re just gonna have to wait and see what happens. We’re very excited to continue to see our characters learn and grow.”

Note: We didn’t get a season 3 renewal until about a month after season 2 dropped on Netflix—though perhaps the streamer was waiting for Valentine’s Day to make the big announcement. Either way, look for streaming numbers, especially in that first week and month after release, to determine if XO, Kitty will continue.

When will 'XO, Kitty' season 4 come out?

Should XO, Kitty be renewed, a new season is likely in early 2027. While there was a two-year gap between seasons 1 and 2, which was most likely a result of the Writers Guild of America strike, there was only about a year between seasons 2 and 3. Season 2 was released on Netflix in January 2025, and season 3 came out in April 2026. If Netflix follows that same production and release pattern, we should be hanging with Kitty and friends again around springtime next year.

What would 'XO, Kitty' season 4 be about?

XO, Kitty season 3 unfolds as if there could be a fourth. While the season’s conclusion—which sees Min-ho accompanying Kitty home to Portland following their reconciliation—could act as a satisfying series conclusion, there is definitely more story to tell. What will Kitty’s dad (John Corbett) think of Min-ho? Will Kitty manage to lock in for the final semester of her high school career and graduate? Will she really plan to go to NYU and leave Seoul behind? Either way, will she and Min-ho stay together?

That's ample material to explore. As for Kitty herself, Cathcart weighed in on what she thinks fans can expect from the Kitty-Min-ho ship going forward. While speaking with Refinery29, she admitted that she thinks they're "endgame."

The star said, "I definitely think if you ask them on that airplane, they would both say they are endgame...In that moment, they feel closer than ever and more excited than ever about the future; so much of the theme of season 3 is embracing the unknown and not knowing what’s gonna happen next and finding the joy in that versus the fear in that. And I think that really applies to their relationship as well."

Her co-star, Lee, also told the outlet that "there will be an ending" to the couple's saga, though he remained tight-lipped about what might be next. "You get to see that they started this relationship, but sometimes all good things come to an end. And even if it’s something bad, there will be an ending," he said. "But also, I feel that the audience should realize it’s okay; this is how life works. But there’s always a better thing to look forward to as well. It’s not the end of the world."

Kitty and Min-ho are hardly the only characters with more to explore in season 4; there is also the vibrant ensemble cast to consider. Yuri (Gia Kim) and Juliana (Regan Aliyah) ended season 3 by tentatively turning back towards one another following Juliana’s breakup with Praveena (Sasha Bhasin). Where will Dae (Minyeong Choi) go to college now that his dream of going to Seoul National University is dead? And will Q (Anthony Keyvan) and Jin (Joshua Lee) survive graduation as a couple? How will Alex (Peter Thurnwald) and Jiwon (Hojo Shin) navigate their relationship once their baby is born?

A fourth season could also include a proper update on To All the Boys characters Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter’s (Noah Centineo) relationship. While both Peter and Lara Jean have appeared on XO, Kitty, we have yet to see them both together on the show. A fourth season of XO, Kitty could be the perfect time to depict an engagement or even a wedding between the two fan-favorite characters. "Kitty and Lara Jean’s arcs are really interconnected,” Garza told Deadline. “They’re both able to give to each other and learn and grow through each other. Kitty gives Lara Jean the courage to take that step to turn in her book to her publisher. So it’s a very mutual relationship.”

Season 4 will also be an important one in terms of XO, Kitty’s long-term future. Will Netflix decide to wrap up the show at the end of Kitty’s high school experience, or will the story continue into her college years and beyond? Traditionally, high school-set shows don’t tend to make the transition to a post-graduation life so smoothly, but if anyone can do it, it’s Kitty Song-Covey.

Who in the 'XO, Kitty' cast will be back for season 4?

Other than the departure of Yunjim Kim, who plays Yuri’s mom, most of the main cast of XO, Kitty has stayed gloriously the same, with a few additions. No season of XO, Kitty would be complete without the main cast members Cathcart, Sang, Kim, Choi, and Keyvan, so we can certainly expect to roam the halls of KISS with them yet again.

For years, we’ve been in a rom-com drought. The lovetruck antics of 2000s heroines like Andie Anderson from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Marisa Ventura from Maid in Manhattan, or 13 Going on 30's Jenna Rink largely feel a part of Hollywood's yesteryear—and frankly, we've been mourning their absence.

Enter: Writer Emily Henry. The author is partially responsible for the romance novel boom in recent years, as she's penned six rom-com-inspired books since 2020—and now she's bringing them to the big screen, one by one.

Four adaptations of her books are in the work, but one that fans are particularly excited about is 2024's Funny Story. Hot on the heels of Netflix’s film adaptation of her 2021 novel, People We Meet on Vacation, Funny Story will be coming to the streaming service courtesy of EmHen, as she’s known to fans, herself, considering she's writing the screenplay.

“I genuinely couldn’t be more excited to work on the adaptations of Happy Place and Funny Story with Netflix,” she told Tudum of her dual movie projects.

Details about the film have been somewhat scarce, but we’ve got just enough scoop about the upcoming project to have us genuinely excited. Keep reading to find out everything there is to know about the Funny Story film, from its buzzed-about fan-casting to its juicy plot.

What is 'Funny Story' by Emily Henry about?

Funny Story tells the tale of two scorned lovers, Daphne Vincent and Miles Nowak, whose exes have left them for each other. Now, they’re teaming up to get their revenge by pretending to be head-over-heels in love with each other—despite being total opposites. Oh, and because Daphne is without a place to live, no thanks to her canceled wedding, she and Miles decide to live together as roommates. What could go wrong?

“Breakups are horrible in the moment, and oftentimes later, they’re very hilarious,” Henry told Elle of her fifth romance book upon its release. And that certainly rings true for the buttoned-up librarian Daphne and the disheveled, goofy Miles, who develop a witty banter, even though their exes have abruptly become an item.

For all its “com,” however, Funny Story also has plenty of heart as its two leads inevitably begin to fall for each other. As Henry told Elle, “Love is not just a silly story. It might be a funny story, but it’s not silly and superfluous. It’s the reason.”

When is the 'Funny Story' adaptation coming out?

Though Netflix announced the film in January 2026, it's still in early development, and casting has not begun. So, it will likely be a while before we see it hit the streaming service.

However, the screenplay has been in the works for some time. Henry revealed to fans that she had been working on it back in July 2024. “I have a draft of a script,” she announced at the time on her Substack, adding, “We’re all chomping at the bit to get this made.”

If Netflix moves ahead with the draft Henry already wrote, casting could begin and be announced later this year. If that were the case, filming could begin in 2027, with the project due for release by either late 2027 or early 2028.

Can't wait for the finished product? Adaptations of Henry's other novels, Beach Read, Book Lovers and Happy Place, helmed by Jennifer Lopez’s production company Nuyorican Productions, are also in development, so we're sure to have *something* to tide us over soon. And in the meantime, there's always People We Meet on Vacation starring Tom Blyth and Emily Bader.

Who is in the 'Funny Story' movie cast?

Funny Story’s official cast has not been announced, but that hasn’t stopped fans from throwing several actors’s hats into the audition ring—and Henry is totally on board.

“I love always hearing other people’s fan casts,” she told Us Weekly. “I don’t picture an actor when I’m writing, but after there’s a book that’s starting to get adapted, I do start thinking about it.”

Leading the audience-chosen pack? Stranger Things alum/musician Joe Keery or Twinless and Send Help star Dylan O'Brien. “Those actors are definitely on my mental Miles list. I think both of them would make total sense,” Henry reportedly told Us Weekly.

The author also clued the publication into her preferences for some of the film's supporting characters, including Miles’s sister Julia (Alien: Earth star Sydney Chandler) and Daphne’s pops. “It has to be someone who’s got some charm and is a hot dad," she reasoned. The writer said she briefly considered Matthew McConaughey, but thinks he might be “a little bit too young.” She continued, “I always loved…Stellan Skarsgård...[and] I think Dennis Quaid is perfect because you also get that little rom-com of old nod by getting him in there.”

As for Miles's cheating ex, Petra, Henry is aiming for someone with duality. “Petra’s whole thing is, like, you want to hate her, but also you’re like, ‘You’re also really nice. You did this bad thing.’”

She didn't weigh in on her hopes for Daphne, but fans have mentioned everyone from Molly Gordon to Dakota Johnson to Lily Collins. Everything is still speculation, though, so we'll have to wait and see!

Henry has also been open about how casting hasn’t been as easy as picking names out of a hat. “If the actors aren’t fantastic, the movie is going to sink or swim based on that,” she told Variety. “I still have been surprised by a lot of the ways that I feel like I’ve come up against a stigma. It’s really hard to cast these movies. I think there are a lot of actors who are very wary of this genre.”

She continued, “I think actors are very afraid that if they do one of these movies, they will be taken less seriously, or [that] they’ll be stuck in this genre, and they won’t be able to do anything else.”

Beyond that, Henry also pointed out the logistics. “You have to find someone who you feel like the audience will be excited about, you are excited about, the director and producers are excited about, the studio is excited about, and they’re free, available, and excited to do this. So it is shockingly hard, but there is movement.”

Who else is involved in the ‘Funny Story’ movie?

Behind the scenes, Henry will tackle her script. No director has been attached, but several producers are on board. Andrew Sweet for Ryder Picture Company and Alexander Black and Natalie Sellers for Lyrical Media will produce. Before Netflix was announced as the distributor, the aforementioned production team was on board.

“I left that meeting, with Ryder Picture Company and Lyrical Media, feeling that space crackling,” she wrote in a newsletter to fans in 2024. “I came away from the call feeling not just excited, but eager to get going.”

What has Emily Henry said about bringing ‘Funny Story’ to the screen?

Henry opened up about the film adaptation experience in an August 2025 interview with the Los Angeles Times. “It’s so fun adapting your own book because you already know it so deeply and intimately,” she shared. “It’s like you’re just thinking about your favorite parts.”

In addition to the screenwriting process, Henry has some strong opinions about the visuals for the upcoming film—and it's pretty much cozy or bust.

“Something that I have stressed with all of my producers and directors is the need for a very distinct sense of coziness in the actual setting,” she told Variety, pointing to the work of fellow romance icons Nancy Meyers (The Holiday, Father of the Bride) and Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally..., Sleepless in Seattle). “The characters can still be messy, the conflicts can still happen, but setting and sets are so important.”

We can't wait to see our beloved Daphne and Miles live in that world IRL!

Whether you’re looking to escape the general stress of life or simply unwind with friends, it’s never a bad idea to sit back and enjoy a comedy. Luckily, this year’s lineup of chuckle-inducing new releases is shaping up to be a great one, both in theaters and on streaming.

Comedy lovers are spoiled for choice in 2026, from a Charli xcx mockumentary to the long-awaited Devil Wears Prada sequel to a screwball romp filled with RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni. Below, we’re rounding up the best comedy movies of 2026, including what’s been released and coming in the near future to keep the good times rolling. (If you’re looking for recommendations of films you can watch now, be sure to check out our list of the best comedies of 2025.)

The Best Comedy Movies of 2026 So Far

'The Moment'

Release date: January 30

Starring: Charli xcx, Kate Berlant, Alexander Skarsgård, Kylie Jenner, Rachel Sennott, and Rosanna Arquette

Why it’s worth seeing: Charli xcx is officially entering her Hollywood era in 2026, from acting in films like the Erupcja and Sacrifice to working on the soundtrack for Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights adaptation. But first, she kicked off the year with her Brat tour mockumentary The Moment, featuring starry cameos from the likes of Alexander Skarsgård, Kylie Jenner, and Rachel Sennott. Charli is no stranger to capturing the self-referential, very online elements of her star persona—and this time, it’s in a feature-length format!

WATCH IT

'Forbidden Fruits'

Release date: April 9

Starring: Lola Tung, Lili Reinhart, Victoria Pedretti, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Chamberlain, and Gabrielle Union

Why it’s worth seeing: We all deserve nice things in 2026, and a witchy horror-comedy produced by Jennifer’s Body screenwriter Diablo Cody certainly fits the bill. Based on the play Of the Women Came the Beginning of Sin, and Through Her We All Die, written by Lily Houghton, Forbidden Fruits stars a myriad of rising Gen Z and GenZ/millennial cusp favorites as a group of mall co-workers who run a witchcraft cult in their basement. When a new coworker threatens the order of their operation, what’s a witch to do?

WATCH IT

The Best Coming Movies of 2026 Coming Soon

'The Devil Wears Prada 2'

Release date: May 1

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Simone Ashley, Tracie Thoms, Kenneth Branagh, Justin Theroux, and Lucy Liu

Why it’s worth seeing: Over the past 20 years, The Devil Wears Prada has emerged as one of the aughts’s most iconic, highly quotable comedies (Where would we be without “florals for spring?”). Now, cutthroat fashion editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), scrappy journalist Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), and their glamorous pals are back. Will they solve the collapse of print media that has taken place since we last saw them? Probably not. But watching these iconic characters snipe at each other across glossy runways should be delightful, nonetheless.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'The Sheep Detectives'

Release date: May 8

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, Emma Thompson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O'Dowd, Regina Hall, and Brett Goldstein

Why it’s worth seeing: So, most of the A-list cast in this comedy-mystery voice a sheep; the movie’s title is quite literal. But, bear with us: This film looks three bags full of adorable and laughs. The fluffy barnyard flock bands together when their beloved shepherd (Hugh Jackman) winds up shockingly murdered in their small English town. If you love cozy mysteries, this one is especially for you.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'I Love Boosters'

Release date: May 22

Starring: Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, LaKeith Stanfield, Demi Moore, Will Poulter, and Eiza González

Why it’s worth seeing: The 2018 release of activist and musician Boots Riley’s debut film, Sorry To Bother You, announced the arrival of a major new directorial talent, fusing bombastic, larger-than-life absurdism with salient criticisms of social ills. After taking a sojourn to TV with 2023’s I’m A Virgo, Riley is back with his first movie in nearly a decade: I Love Boosters. In the sci-fi comedy, a ragtag group of shoplifters set their sights on a cutthroat fashion professional.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'Stop! That! Train!'

Release date: May 29

Starring: RuPaul, Ginger Minj, Jujubee, Monét X Change, Brock Hayhoe, and Latrice Royale

Why it’s worth seeing: In a just world, comedies starring RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni would be a yearly occurrence. We’re not there yet, but Stop! That! Train! is a welcome start! Helmed by Hairspray’s Adam Shankman, this screwball follows train stewardesses Tess (Ginger Minj) and DeeDee (Jujubee) as they attempt to save passengers on the posh, high-speed Glamazonian Express from a deadly “Stormaganza.”

WATCH THE TRAILER

'Power Ballad'

Release date: June 5

Starring: Paul Rudd, Nick Jonas, Havana Rose Liu, Sophie Vavasseur, Rory Keenan, and Jack Reynor

Why it's worth seeing: Paul Rudd’s generational charisma and Nick Jonas’s non-Jonas Brothers return to acting? Say less. Rudd plays down-on-his-luck wedding singer Rick, who’s shocked to find that after spending a jam-filled night with rock star Danny (Jonas), the musician has stolen his original song. When Rick sets out to demand credit for Danny’s now-hit song, he finds himself catapulted into the spotlight he’s craved for decades…just not in the way he expected.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'Scary Movie 6'

Release date: June 12

Starring: Marlon Wayans, Regina Hall, Anna Faris, Shawn Wayans, Jon Abrahams, Lochlyn Munro, and Dave Sheridan

Why it’s worth seeing: There have been plenty of pop culture parodies over the years, but few have endured in our cultural consciousness like Shawn and Marlon Wayans’s Scary Movie franchise has. When the movies first premiered in the early aughts, they hilariously skewered the likes of Scream and The Ring. Now, between the rise of “elevated horror” and legacy sequels, there’s endless modern genre fare for them to satirize.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass'

Release date: July 10

Starring: Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Zoey Deutch, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Ben Wang, Joe Lo Truglio, and Sabrina Impacciatore

Why it's worth seeing: Mad Men fans, this is your chance to catch Jon Hamm and John Slattery’s big-screen reunion. But even if you haven’t seen the beloved AMC series, you can probably relate to the concept of a “celebrity pass” — a.k.a. a major celebrity crush that you and your partner jokingly agree you could pursue if given the chance. In Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, small-town girl Gail’s (Zoey Deutch) impending wedding is upended when her fiancé cashes in on his celebrity pass. Determined to get even, she flies to L.A. to pursue her own celebrity crush: Hamm. Predictably, chaos ensues.

'I Want Your Sex'

Release date: July 31

Starring: Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs, Charli xcx, Johnny Knoxville, Margaret Cho, and Roxane Mesquida

Why it’s worth seeing: We should be so lucky we're living in a world where there's a new Gregg Araki film coming out. For the first time since 2014's White Bird in a Blizzard, the acclaimed indie auteur and pioneer of new queer cinema helms a feature with I Want Your Sex. The erotic comedy-thriller stars Licorice Pizza breakout Cooper Hoffman as a young man who lands a job working for a star artist played by Olivia Wilde. She makes him her "sexual muse"—and you can bet that's only the start of this movie's tasteful provocation.

'The Wrong Girls'

Release date: August 14

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Seth Rogen, Alia Shawkat, LaKeith Stanfield, Zack Fox, Tony Hale, and Kumail Nanjiani

Why it’s worth seeing: Fresh off her directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, Kristen Stewart is letting loose in her wife Dylan Meyer’s upcoming film, The Wrong Girls. Back in 2023, Stewart described it as a “stoner girl comedy” that’s “really fucking stupid.” Throw in supporting cast members like Seth Rogen and Alia Shawkat, and really, what more could you ask for in a movie?

'Coyote vs. Acme'

Release date: August 28

Starring: Will Forte, John Cena, Lana Condor, P.J. Byrne, Tone Bell, Martha Kelly, and Luis Guzmán

Why it’s worth seeing: Quite frankly, the fact that Coyote vs. Acme is finally seeing the light of day is reason enough to check it out. Back in 2023, the already-completed Looney Tunes film was infamously shelved by Warner Bros. Discovery suits in hopes of writing off its budget on their taxes. Thankfully, it was saved by Ketchup Entertainment and slated for a release in a theater near you this summer. As for the actual plot, expect to see cartoon favorite Wile E. Coyote sue the Acme Corporation for all the faulty tools it’s sold him over the years in his quest to capture the iconic Road Runner. The ultimate selling point? Samy Burch, who wrote the excellent film May December, is behind the screenplay.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'Focker In-Law'

Release date: November 25

Starring: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Skyler Gisondo, and Ariana Grande

Why it’s worth seeing: Those pesky Fockers are back for another round of in-law misadventures in Focker In-Law. This time around, Greg (Ben Stiller) and Pam Focker (Teri Polo) are proud parents of son Henry (Skyler Gisondo), but none too sold on his new fiancée Olivia (Ariana Grande). Fresh off her breakout Wicked acting stardom, here’s hoping that Grande gets plenty of opportunities to flex her Glinda comedic chops in this reboot.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'Club Kid'

Release date: TBA

Starring: Jordan Firstman, Cara Delevingne, Diego Calva, Reggie Absolom, Eldar Isgandarov, and Miss Benny

Why it’s worth seeing: Jordan Firstman is a scene-stealer in Rachel Sennott's HBO comedy I Love L.A., but long before that, he cut his teeth as a comedy writer and built a following for his digital sketches. He's written several short films and starred in 2023's Rotting in the Sun, but now he's helming his own directorial feature. This one's for the nightlife rats: It follows an N.Y.C. club promoter whose life is turned upside down when he meets the young son (Reggie Absolom) he never knew he had.

'The Entertainment System Is Down'

Release date: TBA

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Kirsten Dunst, Daniel Brühl, Samantha Morton, Nicholas Braun, Tobias Menzies, Vincent Lindon, and Connor Swindells

Why it’s worth seeing: Swedish director Ruben Östlund is a master of probing social discomfort. For proof, look no further than his Oscar-nominated 2022 film Triangle of Sadness, which brought his anxiously anthropological style international acclaim. His latest black comedy, The Entertainment System Is Down, is predicated on a truly modern horror: the entertainment system within a long-haul flight from England to Australia breaks down. Hopefully, this star-studded cast of unfortunate passengers experience less…unfortunate digestive issues than the Triangle of Sadness characters did.

When casting the first film adaptation of romance's most beloved author, instant chemistry between the leads was essential. Luckily, Netflix's take on People We Meet on Vacation found the perfect duo in Emily Bader and Tom Blyth. Not only are the stars already used to book-to-movie adaptations—from their previous roles in My Lady Jane and The Hunger Games, respectively—they also seem to have gotten very close in a short amount of time, just like their on-screen counterparts Poppy and Alex.

In honor of the movie's streaming release, Bader and Blyth sat down with Marie Claire to test their friendship with a game of How Well Do You Know Your Co-Star?, a task that the rom-com stars took very seriously. Though we provided multiple-choice questions, the pair were determined to go without, sifting through their memories as they answered questions from their childhood jobs and go-to karaoke songs, to their IRL dream vacations and the best rom-coms of all time. (You will never guess Bader's answer for the latter.) Although the American actress and the British actor had to look past a couple of culture clashes, we could feel the satisfaction whenever they high-fived over a correct answer.

Watch the full challenge above, then head to Netflix to watch People We Meet on Vacation, streaming now.

Pack your bags, because it’s time to jet off with People We Meet on Vacation. The first film adaptation of Emily Henry’s popular novels is hitting Netflix on Jan. 9, with Tom Blyth (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) and Emily Bader (My Lady Jane) starring as Alex and Poppy. The duo are longtime friends with polar-opposite personalities—Alex is introverted and loves routine, while Poppy is outgoing and free-spirited—who begin a tradition of traveling together every summer. After years of these vacations, including one disastrous trip that leaves them estranged, the two begin to wonder if they could be something more.

“I'm such a big fan of rom-coms. I think there's elements that I miss about some of the early 2000s, '90s romcom genre, and I felt like this had a little bit of that,” Bader recently told PEOPLE. “There's something grounded about these two characters' slice of life. It was exciting to get to read that.”

Before we jet-set into their globetrotting love story, read on to learn more about Bader—including why her co-star and director have hailed her as the next rom-com queen.

Emily Bader is an American actress who got her start in her home state of California.

Emily Bader, 29, was born in Temecula, California, where she caught the acting bug early. “I was truly desperate to do small plays,” she shared with Air Mail, “but I couldn’t even get cast in my high school’s [productions].” She even made a PowerPoint when she was 15 to try to convince her parents to let her move to L.A., a move inspired by something similar she’d read about Emma Stone doing—but her parents said not until she was 18.

So, she moved to LA after high school, studying theater at Loyola Marymount University and landing parts in low-budget films and TV episodes. She made her professional theater debut at L.A.'s Geffen Playhouse in the play Our Very Own Carlin McCullough in 2018; from there, she starred in 2021’s Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin, had a recurring part on the rebooted Charmed TV series, and appeared in the mafia movie Fresh Kills in 2023.

She played the titular role in the Amazon Prime series 'My Lady Jane.'

Bader found her first big mainstream role in the Amazon Prime historical fantasy-romance My Lady Jane, which premiered in 2024. The series, based on the popular YA novel of the same name by Jodi Matthews, is a reimagining of the life of Lady Jane Grey (Bader), the Tudor noblewoman known as the “Nine Day Queen” because she held the throne for that many days before being executed once Mary I (Kate O’Flynn) took over. My Lady Jane, though, rewrites her tragic history and fills it with witty banter, contemporary needle-drops, sexy romance, and shape-shifting humans. (If you liked Dickinson and The Great, you’ll really vibe with this too.)

“People like to compare it with The Great, and I think it’s pretty different, but there are similarities there. It’s got a little bit of Clueless in it, The Princess Bride is a huge reference for us, Monty Python is there in some moments, and a little bit of Pride and Prejudice, too,” Bader explained to Vulture in 2024. “It’s got a little bit of everything, but it’s tricky because I don’t know if I could directly compare it to any one show. There’s even some full-fledged fantasy in there, a little bit of Dark Crystal-ness in some moments.”

The series was sadly canceled after one season, a move that was met with uproar from fans, including Game of Thrones scribe George R.R. Martin, who used his blog to highlight a petition asking Amazon to reverse their decision. “I wish them luck,” he wrote. “Jane deserved more than nine days, or eight episodes.”

Bader was cast as Poppy in 'People We Meet on Vacation' in 2024.

The announcement that Bader and Blyth would play Poppy and Alex, the two close friends who might be more than just good travel partners, came in August 2024.

Director Brett Haley (Hearts Beat Loud, All the Bright Places) told Tudum that they were the perfect duo to play these characters. “This story lives or dies on the chemistry between Alex and Poppy—and Emily and Tom’s chemistry is electric,” he shared. “They capture that opposites-attract dynamic in a way that feels effortless and true.”

“I think there's a lot of me in Poppy, which is probably maybe why I got the job,” Bader told PEOPLE in November. “She's not good at editing in her mind, and that's something that I work on. And I think that she just lives fully, and I think something that I also aspire to be, is to live as authentically as Poppy lives. It was an opportunity for me to just strip away insecurity and have faith in my director and Tom and the whole team and just try to be the biggest, loudest, most annoying version of myself, but in a real way.”

She and co-star Tom Blyth had immediate chemistry—even over Zoom.

When Bader and Blyth did their first chemistry read over Zoom, Haley knew “instantly” that they were the perfect Poppy and Alex, according to People We Meet on Vacation author Emily Henry. Still, she didn’t know what to expect until she watched the footage for herself.

“I was so nervous to watch it," she recalled in an interview with IndieWire. "Of course, it’s not ideal circumstances, you’re seeing two people in horribly lit rooms on opposite sides of the world, Zooming. But they were so good. They were so good,” she gushed. “So quickly, I was so ecstatic. And it was the day that they met, by the way. And then getting to see them act together on set. I did two different set visits, which was really fun. I got to see a little bit of everything. I just couldn’t be happier.”

Bader also told PEOPLE that the on-screen chemistry between her and Blyth came easy to them. “I think it was about us getting to know each other and becoming friends quickly,” she said. “And I think it was very easy because we shot the movie basically being on vacation on Costa Brava, on the beach swimming and eating beignets in New Orleans and doing the things that make quick friends.”

Bader's 'People We Meet on Vacation' director and co-star compare her to rom-com royalty.

Haley and Blyth’s high praise for Bader goes beyond playing Poppy: Both say she’s joining the ranks of iconic rom-com stars.

In an October interview with PEOPLE, Blyth praised his co-star as "the new Meg Ryan" of rom-coms. “She's got that quality where she can be going off the rails and you still are just so enamored by her," he explained. "She's so endearing and she's so playful within the language of the script, and I think she's going to really do justice to the character." (Bader later told E! News that was “the biggest compliment that I could have possibly gotten.”)

Speaking to Tudum, director Haley compared Bader’s charisma to the likes of Ryan and Julia Roberts. “[Poppy] wears her emotions so openly, and Emily Bader captures all of that so fully,” he said, adding, “Her comedic timing is razor sharp, but she also has the range to land dramatic and romantic moments with real depth…She’ll make you laugh, and she’ll make you cry.”

There’s nothing quite like getting swept up in the tale of two people falling in love. Whether it’s a charming, laugh-a-minute rom-com or a lush melodrama, the romance genre has something for every kind of film lover.

2026 is shaping up to be a strong year for romance enthusiasts, who are truly spoiled for choice when it comes to movies that have landed in theaters and what's coming down the pipeline. There’s a buzzy new take on Emily Brontë’s classic gothic novel Wuthering Heights, the very first adaptation of an Emily Henry novel, and an intriguing Robert Pattinson and Zendaya-led A24 joint. There’s even a BDSM “dom-com.” Below, we’ve rounded up some of the most exciting romance films of 2026, including what’s coming soon and on the horizon. (And if you’re looking for something to watch right now, check out our list of the best romance movies of 2025.)

'People We Meet on Vacation'

Release date: January 9

Starring: Emily Bader, Tom Blyth, Jameela Jamil, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Lukas Gage

Why it’s worth seeing: Over the past five years, Emily Henry has become a household name in the romance genre thanks to her witty, emotionally cogent storytelling. Now, one of her beloved novels, 2021’s People We Meet on Vacation, is finally headed to a Netflix account near you. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes star Tom Blyth and My Lady Jane’s Emily Bader play unlikely besties Alex and Poppy, whose friendship slowly grows into something more over their many travels together.

WATCH IT

'Pillion'

Release date: February 6

Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Harry Melling, Jake Shears, and Anthony Welsh

Why it’s worth seeing: Since it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival last year, Pillion has made a name for itself as a one-of-a-kind BDSM romance film. In filmmaker Harry Lighton’s directorial debut, dom daddy biker Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) recruits a timid British bloke named Colin (Harry Melling) as his submissive. What starts as a very specific arrangement soon takes a turn for the romantic as both men begin to come into their own.

WATCH IT

'Wuthering Heights'

Release date: February 14

Starring: Jacob Elordi, Margot Robbie, Hong Chau, Ewan Mitchell, Alison Oliver, and Shazad Latif

Why it’s worth seeing: Between Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, Emerald Fennell has proven that her films are water-cooler conversation starters. This year, she took on Emily Brontë’s iconic gothic novel Wuthering Heights, with Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. Fennell faced controversy, with some fans accusing the director of whitewashing the character of Heathcliff and oversexualizing the source material. Still, it's a feast for the eyes—and who can resist a score by Charli xcx?

WATCH IT

'Reminders of Him'

Release date: March 13

Starring: Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Lauren Graham, Bradley Whitford, Rudy Pankow, and Lainey Wilson

Why it’s worth seeing: Over the past few years, several of the #BookTok phenomenon Colleen Hoover’s novels have received the big-screen treatment, such as It Ends With Us and Regretting You. That cinematic universe is growing in 2026, starting with Reminders of Him. This tale of second chances opens as Kenna (Maika Monroe) is released from prison. Desperate to reconnect with her estranged young daughter despite objections, Kenna’s path toward redemption coincides with an unexpected romance with local bar owner, Ledger (Tyriq Withers).

WATCH IT

'The Drama'

Release date: April 3

Starring: Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie, Hailey Gates, and Sydney Lemmon

Why it’s worth seeing: Two of the internet’s celebrity crushes together in one movie? Say less. In The Drama, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson play a couple about to walk down the aisle when a stunning revelation makes them question their future together. Considering the film is helmed by Norwegian auteur Kristoffer Borgli and produced by Eddington filmmaker Ari Aster, expect the A24 to be filled with existential dread, in the best possible way.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'You, Me & Tuscany'

Release date: April 10

Starring: Halle Bailey, Regé-Jean Page, Lorenzo de Moor, and Nia Vardalos

Why it’s worth seeing: Nearly three years after stealing audiences’s hearts as Princess Ariel, Halle Bailey is leading another romance film: You, Me & Tuscany. Set in the gloriously sunny Italian region of the same name, Bailey stars as a young woman who impulsively flies to stay at a stranger’s villa without permission. When the owner’s (Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page) mother catches her, she saves face by pretending they’re engaged. A white lie and beautiful vistas? That’s the stuff rom-coms are made of.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'Office Romance'

Release date: June 5

Starring: Brett Goldstein, Jennifer Lopez, Betty Gilpin, Amy Sedaris, Edward James Olmos, and Jackie Sandler

Why it's worth seeing: What better way to celebrate summer than enjoying J-Lo, back in her rom-com bag? The multi-hyphenate plays a workaholic office employee who becomes entangled in a not-safe-for-work romance. Ol Parker’s Netflix film co-stars Brett Goldstein as her love interest, in case you need something to tide you over until Ted Lasso returns.

'The Invite'

Release date: June 26

Starring: Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton

Why it's worth seeing: After making a splash at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Olivia Wilde’s latest film is coming to theaters just in time to spark juicy conversation between your couple friends this summer. Wilde and Seth Rogen star in The Invite as Joe and Angela, a struggling couple who reluctantly agree to host a dinner party for their neighbors (Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton). Soon enough, it swings into a completely different direction, if you catch my drift.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'Heartstopper: Forever'

Release date: July 17

Starring: Joe Locke, Kit Connor, Yasmin Finney, William Gao, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, Tobie Donovan, Jenny Walser, and Rhea Norwood

Why it’s worth seeing: The sweet queer teens at the heart of Heartstopper are coming back for one last adventure. In place of a fourth season, Heartstopper: Forever will bring Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie’s (Joe Locke) stories to a close. Based on the sixth and final installment of Alice Oseman’s web comic of the same name, expect to see Nick and Charlie dealing with long distance after Nick goes to university. Will they truly last forever? We’ll have to tune in to find out, but expect plenty of tear-inducing moments and cartoon leaves in the process.

'Finding Emily'

Release date: August 28

Starring: Angourie Rice, Spike Fearn, Minnie Driver, Ella Maisy Purvis, and Yali Topol Margalith

Why it’s worth seeing: This wholesome British comedy feels like a callback to quirky rom-coms of yesteryear. When an indie musician (Spike Fearn) fails to give his number to his dream girl (Yali Topol Margalith) in a bit of a mix-up, he asks a psychology student (Angourie Rice) to help find her. Hailing from the team behind Love Actually, this one looks like it's full of laughs and heart—and we'd bet the soundtrack is one to remember.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'Practical Magic 2'

Release date: September 18

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Joey King, Xolo Maridueña, Lee Pace, Maisie Williams, and Solly McLeod

Why it’s worth seeing: Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are getting into more cozy, magical shenanigans as the Owens sisters at the heart of Practical Magic. Although details about the long-awaited sequel are scarce, seeing these two iconic actresses cast spells on moviegoers in sleepy New England sounds like the perfect way to kick off spooky season. Fingers crossed for more midnight margaritas.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'Sense and Sensibility'

Release date: October 16

Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, George MacKay, and Fiona Shaw

Why it’s worth seeing: There's a reason Jane Austen's works have been adapted to the screen so many times—both faithfully and remixed, contemporary versions. Her romances and stories of class are timeless—and few can compare to the power of her pen. This year sees a new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, her first-ever novel about the Dashwood sisters who must relocate to a small property on the grounds of a distant relative's estate amid financial ruin. Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet previously starred in a beloved 1995 rendition, so we're looking forward to Daisy Edgar-Jones and rising star Esmé Creed-Miles taking the reins.

'Good Sex'

Release date: TBA

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mark Ruffalo, Tucker Pillsbury (a.k.a. Role Model), Meg Ryan, Rashida Jones, and Tramell Tillman

Why it’s worth seeing: All you need to know is that Lena Dunham wrote and directed this sexy rom-com. The Girls alum—who's written expertly about sexual awakenings (the criminally underseen Sharp Stick) and complex relationship dynamics (see all of Girls)—is turning her attention to mid-life romance and eroticism, with Good Sex following 40-year-old Ally (Natalie Portman). Back on the dating scene, she juggles a man in her 20s, played by music heartthrob Role Model in his acting debut, and an older man (Mark Ruffalo). We're already blushing....and can't wait for this one to make us blush even more.

There’s a lot to love about so many of the most common romance book tropes, but perhaps the sexiest and most satisfying of all is the enemies-to-lovers setup. Sure, it’s sweet when longtime best friends finally fall for each other, and pursuing a forbidden romance despite all the obstacles is undoubtedly swoonworthy, but truly, is there anything more romantic than two people being so irresistibly attracted to each other that love wins out over any animosity or annoyance between them? I think not.

The enemies-to-lovers trope in literature dates back centuries: Shakespeare wove it into plenty of his plays, and Jane Austen, of course, immortalized it in her 1813 classic Pride and Prejudice, an enemies-to-lovers story so enduring that it has since sparked untold numbers of adaptations, riffs, and retellings on both page and screen.

Here, we’ve rounded up some of the best enemies-to-lovers books that’ll have you rooting for love to triumph over even the most ridiculously strong resentments, from classics like P&P all the way to present-day #BookTok-beloved rom-coms from the likes of Emily Henry, Chloe Gong, and more.

Classic Enemies-to-Lovers Novels

Fake Relationship Enemies-to-Lovers Novels

Fantasy Enemies-to-Lovers Novels

Forced Proximity Enemies-to-Lovers Novels

Enemies-to-Lovers Novels About Rivals

Last year, Netflix's rom-com series Nobody Wants This became the surprise hit of the fall, as millions of TV fans fell for the romance between sex podcaster Joanne (Kristen Bell) and hot rabbi Noah (Adam Brody). In addition to the central duo, the L.A.-set Netflix original features a cast of actors from some of TV's most acclaimed shows. In season 2, which premiered on October 23, Justine Lupe's Morgan stands out as one of the most unhinged members (and most-stylish dressers) of the hilarious ensemble.

In her biggest acting role to date, Lupe shines as Joanne's deadpan younger sister and podcast co-host who struggles to adjust to Joanne and Noah's serious relationship. Like her character, the actress is rapidly gaining fans for her no-filter openness about topics like new motherhood. Read on to learn more about the rising star, including where to spot her husband's cameo in season 2.

Justine Lupe is a Julliard-trained actress best known for playing Willa in 'Succession.'

Justine Lupe, 36, grew up in Denver, Colorado making camcorder movies with her brother, Colin, who now works as a cinematographer. She later attended the Denver School of the Performing Arts; her grandmother, community activist Katherine W. Schomp, was a "founding mother" of the school, per Rolling Stone. She went on to graduate from The Juilliard School in N.Y.C. in 2011, and quickly began her screen-acting career. In addition to her early film role in Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha, she also appeared in TV shows including Harry's Law, Cristela, Younger, Snowfall, Madam Secretary, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Mrs. Mercedes.

In 2018, Lupe rose to fame with her breakout role as Willa, Connor Roy's younger girlfriend in HBO's hit drama Succession. Willa, a former escort and aspiring playwright, started as a fan-favorite recurring role before Lupe was upped to a series regular in seasons 3 and 4. Speaking to Rolling Stone, creator Jesse Armstrong said of the actress, "She’s so brilliant that you just want to write more and more for her."

Justine Lupe's husband, Tyson Mason, makes a cameo in 'Nobody Wants This.'

Over the past few years, Lupe has had a whirlwind romance and started a family. In August 2023, she went Instagram-official with visual artist Tyson Mason. It's unknown when they began dating, but according to the L.A. Times, they were a couple in 2021. By August 2024, they welcomed their daughter, Ellis. During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in November of that year, Lupe revealed the meaning behind the name.

"My partner picked the name; he loved it," she said. "It means kind and benevolent, which we really wanted to, like, put that energy around the baby. We want you to be kind above all else."

In February 2025, Lupe and Mason were married in a courthouse ceremony in Beverly Hills, California. According to PEOPLE, they were joined by both their daughter and their dog, Lily. Both Lupe and Mason posted about the day on their respective Instagrams, introducing their "ding darn husband" and "ding darn wife."

Several of the Nobody Wants This cast's real-life partners make quick appearances in the rom-com's second season, including Adam Brody's wife Leighton Meester and Jackie Tohn's boyfriend Joe Gilette. Mason also makes a brief cameo in an episode, but according to Lupe, it took some convincing.

"He had a cameo this season. He’s the guy who’s drawing my portrait in the Valentine’s Day episode," she told Tudum. "He drew the portrait of me that goes into the finale. Tyson has zero interest in acting, and I had to beg him to do the part. even though he is not even on camera."

Lupe got advice from Sarah Snook and Kristen Bell on dealing with the "fourth trimester" of postpartum.

As a new mother, Lupe has spoken out about her experiences balancing her Hollywood career with the unspoken effects of pregnancy and postpartum. After filming season 1 during her second trimester, Lupe was several months postpartum when production began on season 2. In her cover story for Who What Wear's Parents Issue, the actress recalled going through a drastic hormonal shift while weaning from breastfeeding, and felt the symptoms for over two months.

"I had crazy anxiety. It was a little bit scary," she said. "I felt a different thing than I'd ever felt—sad, anxious. My body was totally out of control, and my brain didn't understand what was going on. I didn't have any postpartum depression. But this was real, and I didn't know anything about it."

To deal with the experience, Lupe leaned on her Succession co-star Sarah Snook, who had filmed the drama's final season while pregnant. "She gave me some really great podcasts to listen to for the fourth trimester, which is postpartum, and when postpartum came, she checked in on me," Lupe explained. "She was really helpful in terms of being like, 'You have nine months of pregnancy, and you're gonna get so much information about being a pregnant woman, and people forget about what happens after you give birth.'

Lupe was also able to confide in and lean on her on-screen sister Kristen Bell, who has two children with husband Dax Shepard.

"No one’s going to be able to do their best work, or even any work, if they feel completely out to sea while they’re on set," Bell told Rolling Stone. "As a mom, I know that feeling very well—those surging and dropping hormones. You don’t just have a baby and then instantly become who you were previously. There’s a whole process your body has to go through. I’m just glad [Justine's] honest enough to share intimate things. She allows you to feel so close to her, because she’s a very authentic person."

Lupe says she would be "happy with anything" that happens between Morgan and Sasha in 'Nobody Wants This' season 3.

Since season 1, Nobody Wants This has highlighted the unlikely friendship between Morgan and Noah's brother Sasha (played by Veep's Timothy Simons) as one of its main subplots. Fans who have already begun their Nobody Wants This season 2 binge know that Morgan is dealing with a lot on the romantic front, specifically her whirlwind romance with her therapist-turned-boyfriend, Dr. Andy (Arian Moayed). However, Lupe has pointed out that the show doesn't entirely write off Morgan and Sasha's will-they-won't-they vibe heading into season 3.

"I really just want to see their dynamic play out in any way ever," Lupe says of Morgan and Sasha in an interview with PEOPLE. "Tim is my favorite person to act with. He's so fun. He's a dear friend of mine—he's become one of my best friends—and I just love being in scenes with him."

"I am very hands-off about what the writers do and what they choose for these two characters, and I'm just excited to see any iteration," she added. "I think it also could just be really fun to watch them be weird, oddball buddies roaming around town trying to be each other's wingman or whatever. There's so much potential. I would be happy with anything."

Emily Henry has taken the rom-com publishing world by storm in recent years, putting out six romance novels since 2020, all of which have made themselves comfortable on various best-seller lists. That incredible track record—not to mention the delightfully swoon-worthy plots and broad appeal of the books—has resulted in five of those six novels being snapped up for on-screen adaptations. (And, let’s be honest, it’s only a matter of time until some studio or other picks up the rights to 2025’s Great Big Beautiful Life, too.)

The book-to-screen deals were made slightly out of order, with Henry’s second adult novel, People We Meet on Vacation, being the first to hit our screens on Netflix in January 2026. But the film version of her first rom-com novel, Beach Read, could be close behind. 20th Century Studios claimed the distribution rights back in 2023, with a writer-director already in place.

While we eagerly await more details about the film-ification of January and Gus's love story, we’ve rounded up everything we do know about the Beach Read film so far. (Plus, in the meantime, there are plenty more book-to-screen adaptations on the way for quite a few #BookTok-approved romance novels, from TV versions of Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus hockey romances and Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing romantasy series to the long-awaited The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo movie, based on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s beloved best-seller.)

What is 'Beach Read' by Emily Henry about?

The 2020 novel—the first of Henry’s adult rom-com books, after she got her start in YA—tells the story of January Andrews and Augustus “Gus” Everett, two very different writers. January releases lighthearted romance novels with mass appeal, while Gus has earned critical acclaim for his darker literary fiction.

When they find themselves living in neighboring lake houses for a summer, both struggling with writer’s block due to respective personal issues, they strike a bet where each must write a book in the other’s genre. In typical “opposites attract” fashion, their very writerly flirting and regular hangouts soon blossom into something more than just a friendly professional relationship. (We’ll just leave a “moderate” spice rating here.)

Of course, as things ramp up, the aforementioned emotional baggage in each of their (recent) pasts seeps back in, leading to some unfortunate miscommunications and misunderstandings. Both January and Gus must decide whether they’ll take the leap into the unknown of a new relationship or stick with what’s comfortable and familiar.

When is the 'Beach Read' movie adaptation coming out?

We already have our spring 2027 plans: Beach Read will release in theaters(!) on May 7, 2027. The film's writer/director Yulin Kuang announced the theatrical release date nearly a year in advance when she shared a sweet photo from set of stars Patrick Schwarzenegger and Phoebe Dynevor (more on that below!) during a camera test.

"a crumb of bts from the BEACH READ camera test for you, dear reader 🐥 can’t wait to show what we’ve been cooking up ⏲️👩‍🍳," she wrote in the caption. "filming has officially commenced ✅ see you only in theaters on May 7, 2027 🕶️🍿🍷👜"

In the shot, our January looks chic in a yellow cardigan, while Gus appears to have some handsome scruff (that might just put those casting naysayers to shame). This may be all we have to hold us over for some time, but we'll take it—and it's certainly more than enough to get us eager for spring of next year!

Where will the 'Beach Read' adaptation be released?

Thankfully, we'll be able to swoon at this EmHen story on the big screen. When the release date was confirmed, filmmaker Kuang also announced that Beach Read would be headed to theaters.

For a while, it was speculated that, because the Disney-owned distributor 20th Century Studios is behind the project, it would end up streaming on Hulu. Not only that, but following the release of People We Meet on Vacation, the adaptations of Funny Story and Happy Place are secured at Netflix and presumably also headed straight to streaming. But it seems as though the producers have heard our pleas for rom-coms to return to the cinema!

Who is in the 'Beach Read' film adaptation cast?

Are you ready to swoon? The leads of Beach Read have officially been cast! In February 2026, Deadline reported that Phoebe Dynevor will star as January Andrews. Given the Bridgerton alum's romance background, we bet she'll leave all of our hearts a-flutter.

Two months later, Deadline reported who our Gus is. According to the outlet, Patrick Schwarzenegger will star opposite Dynevor. The former White Lotus star (who will also soon lead a romance with Margaret Qualley, the forthcoming Love of Your Life) was said to be "a dark horse candidate and an unexpected choice." Nevertheless, his audition tape and chemistry read with Dynevor won everybody over; in fact, Deadline reports it "blew away filmmakers and the studio."

Schwarzenegger's casting may come as a surprise to some fans, who had been vocal about their dream choices for months. (At the time, many pointed to names like Drew Starkey, Logan Lerman, and Jonah Hauer-King.)

The news even sparked criticism online, which EmHen herself weighed in on during a May 2026 appearance on TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle. Regarding fan reactions, she said she has to "sit back and let it unfold." However, she suggested that readers hang tight and trust the process: "It is our baby—the readers’s and my baby—but it’s also the filmmakers’ baby and the studio’s baby, and I’m along for the ride with the readers, and we just have to trust the vision."

Kuang has also tried to put fans at ease by singing her praises of the star. When he was cast, she shared a lengthy, heartfelt caption on Instagram about what she thinks he'll bring to the role. “‘Patrick is a slow burn,’ is what I wrote in my notes after meeting him for the first time,” she wrote. “There was something about the way he talked about his feelings on love and romance that I couldn’t forget. But I was unconvinced we’d found our Gus, because I knew we had to be exhaustive in our efforts, given how important this character is to readers."

She explained that she saw many men for the role over six months, but chemistry was the most important thing. "I have always maintained that we are not casting a character, but a relationship. Once we knew Phoebe would be our January, my efforts became more focused and specific—not on who would play the best Gus according to the text but who would play the best Gus opposite our specific January."

"The moment Patrick sat across from her, there was something electric in the room with us," she continued. "‘There’s magic to chase here,’ I wrote in my notes afterwards. I checked in with Phoebe after the reads and she said, ‘It’s obviously Patrick, isn’t it?’ and I thought to myself, ‘So she feels it too.’”

Now that the leads are locked in and the film is gearing up for production, the supporting cast has started to get announced. Deadline reported in late May 2026 that the project recruited Hollywood legends Kevin Bacon and Andie MacDowell—both no strangers to iconic comedies and rom-coms (She's Having a Baby, Picture Perfect, and recently The Best You Can for Bacon; Four Weddings and a Funeral and Groundhog Day for MacDowell). Their roles haven't been disclosed, so it's unclear if they're playing new characters for the adaptation or ones original to the book.

Who else is involved in the 'Beach Read' movie?

Yulin Kuang has been attached to the Beach Read movie as writer and director from the start. It’s in capable hands: Not only is Kuang a romance writer in her own right, having published her debut novel How to End a Love Story in 2024, but she also served as a co-screenwriter on another EmHen production, People We Meet on Vacation. Her other Hollywood credits include the Hulu comedy Dollface and The CW's I Ship It.

In a July 2024 interview with Brit + Co, Kuang said she was “pretty focused on Beach Read at the moment,” but held back from revealing too much about her adaptation of the novel. “I truly believe that art belongs to the audience once it’s out in the world. And so saying too much, it feels prescriptive, you know?” she said. “So I hope they enjoy it. I hope that they know that a lot of care is going into the adaptations. I remember what it’s like to be watching with anxious hearts about the announcements of all my favorite adaptations. And so that’s the main thing. I hope they know that I really, really care.”

Meanwhile, ORIGINAL Film is attached as the production company. It's existed since 1990 and is responsible for iconic franchises like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Cruel Intentions, while its rom-com bona fides include '00s favorites like Sweet Home Alabama and Made of Honor.

What has Emily Henry said about bringing 'Beach Read' to the screen?

In the March 2024 Variety interview, Henry called Kuang’s first draft of the Beach Read script “fantastic” and said her take on the story “feels really different and special.”

The author explained, “It’s so different than I would have thought to approach it. It feels like a big swing, which I am all about, because I think the worst thing that a movie can be is boring and mediocre. If we’re doing this, let’s really go for it,” the author said about Kuang's work on the film so far.

She also spoke more broadly about the role she plays in the various screen adaptations of her novels, saying, “I trust the directors that we have, and I think that they really get it. They also know that I’m always watching my readers, and I want them to be happy. So in my involvement in every single adaptation, my main goal is to represent the readers’s interests.”

Calling all romance fans: One of #BookTok's most popular reads of all time is getting the silver-screen treatment. Ali Hazelwood's bestselling book The Love Hypothesis is being adapted into a rom-com feature film and is set to arrive very soon!

For anyone not in the know, Hazelwood's contemporary STEM romance has been a staple on romance recommendation lists since it was published in September 2021. After 40 weeks on the NYT Best Seller List, PhD student Olive and professor Adam's love story was greenlit to become a feature film. Amazon MGM Studios later took the reins, and filming took place throughout summer 2025. (You've probably seen behind-the-scenes clips on your For You page.)

As we wait for news of an official release date, buzz for the romance's long-awaited release continues to build. Read on for everything we know about The Love Hypothesis movie adaptation so far.

What is 'The Love Hypothesis' about?

The first of Ali Hazelwood's beloved "STEMinist" romances, The Love Hypothesis centers on Olive Smith, a third-year Ph.D. student studying biology at Stanford and navigating the male-dominated field. When Olive needs to pretend that she's seeing someone, she kisses the first man she sees: Adam Carlsen, a superstar professor who's known for being a grump. (Of course, Olive is sunshine.) Olive and Adam agree to fake a relationship for mutually beneficial reasons, and a trope-y romance commences.

The Love Hypothesis also has a deep connection to, of all things, Star Wars. Hazelwood, a former neuroscience professor writing under a pseudonym, first posted the narrative as a Rey Skywalker/Kylo Ren (a.k.a. Reylo) alternate-universe fanfiction on Archive of Our Own. (The original fic has since been taken down.) According to Vulture, Hazelwood's agent reached out after the then-fanfic author expressed her interest in reworking her fics for traditional publishing. Not only did The Love Hypothesis's success help propel a Reylo trend in publishing, but Hazelwood has also since transitioned to writing full-time, publishing nine books and four novellas in the past four years.

When will 'The Love Hypothesis' film be released?

Get ready to fall for Olive and Adam! In early June, Prime Video unveiled the release date for The Love Hypothesis: The movie will officially debut on streaming on September 23, 2026. The streamer confirmed the release date with a cheeky video on social media featuring star Lili Reinhart ordering a coffee drink (with ample whipped cream!) and the date on the cup. Along with the news, the streamer shared a series of first-look photos, which you can see throughout this story.

Fans knew the movie would release in 2026 for quite some time, thanks to Reinhart's frequently shared TikToks from set throughout filming, including one teasing a 2026 release date. At least we received plentiful content from the cast throughout production to tide us over until September.

Who is in the cast of 'The Love Hypothesis' adaptation?

On July 16, 2025, Deadline announced that Riverdale alum Lili Reinhart signed on to both star in and executive-produce The Love Hypothesis. Per the outlet, Set It Up director Claire Scanlon is helming the film, and Ali Hazelwood serves as an executive producer.

Reinhart celebrated the announcement by sharing a selfie of herself in costume as Olive Smith—brunette hair, lab coat, and all—holding Hazelwood's book.

Meanwhile, British actor Tom Bateman will play Dr. Adam Carlsen. The 36-year-old is best known for appearing in the murder-mystery movies Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, as well as the series Da Vinci's Demons and Based on a True Story. (Fun fact: He's also married to Star Wars alum Daisy Ridley, who was his Orient Express co-star. She's since spoken out about her husband starring in Reylo fanfic, noting that she was aware of it, but had forgotten what it was by the time he booked the role.)

Rounding out the cast in unconfirmed roles are Adults's Rachel Marsh, The White Lotus's Nicholas Duvernay, internet legend/comedian Jaboukie Young-White, and Daredevil: Born Again's Arty Froushan.

In a statement pegged to Reinhart's casting, shared by Deadline, Hazelwood shared her excitement for the upcoming adaptation. "Honestly, I still can’t believe this is happening?" she wrote. "Elizabeth Cantillon [the film’s producer], Claire Scanlon, and Lili Reinhart have all created, produced, or starred in works that I’m absolutely feral about, and I am beyond honored that they’re choosing to bring their talent to this project."

She continued, "Books and films are very different media, and I have complete trust in this brilliant team. I cannot wait to see the final product they’ll come up with. I hope they have as much fun filming as I had while writing the book."

What has Lili Reinhart said about 'The Love Hypothesis?'

If any of her many TikToks are an indication, it looks like Reinhart had a blast making The Love Hypothesis. But the star has also opened up about the process and hinted at what fans can expect.

While speaking to V Magazine in January 2026, she shared, "It’s not my typical genre, but I appreciate a really good romantic comedy. I felt like this was a chance to change the perception of the streamer rom-com and do something more elevated."

She also explained that, as a producer, she felt like she had agency to speak about what felt right for her as an actress, and hopefully make the best version of the film. "I tried to make the story as grounded as possible [even if it meant telling people] 'these words don’t feel organic coming out of my mouth,'" she told the outlet.

While speaking to us at Marie Claire for her Next Gen Issue cover story, Reinhart also teased the highly anticipated chemistry between Adam and Olive. "I'm just excited for people to see what we actually did with the film, and I hope they like it," she said in a Marie Claire video segment. "But we were aware of the vibes that people were expecting of Adam and Olive, and I think we did them justice." (A.K.A. it sounds like we're in for one spicy rom-com!)

Where can I watch 'The Love Hypothesis' film?

While fans were hopeful that we would get to see Olive and Adam's grumpy-sunshine love story on the big screen, it's headed straight to streaming. Come September, you'll be able to watch it on Prime Video from the comfort of your couch. (At least some other highly-anticipated rom-com book-to-movie adaptations will be released in cinemas!)

Is there a trailer for 'The Love Hypothesis?'

There isn't a full-length trailer quite yet (be patient, our fragile hearts!), but there is footage available to hold you over. In late April, Prime Video dropped a video teasing all of its upcoming YA releases, due out later this year—including some adorable clips of The Love Hypothesis. We mostly see shots of our beloved Olive—looking smitten on a date, taking notes in class, and working in the lab—but there is a wholesome first look at her and Adam together. There's a blink-and-you-miss-it moment of them high-fiving—but the chemistry is palpable! Hopefully more footage (and a release date) will come soon!

Why Trust Us

Everyone on Marie Claire's Culture team considers themselves pop culture experts with an enduring love of all things TV, film, music, books, and more. Collectively, we have decades of experience writing about movies and television—from reviewing new releases and crafting hot takes on industry trends, to writing retrospectives about excellent shows no longer on air and interviewing stars and behind-the-scenes talent. Members of our team pride themselves on having deep knowledge of pop culture history and being part of associations like the Television Critics Association and GALECA. You can trust that we've triple-checked all of the information included in our explainers with trusted sources, and we have our eyes glued to Lili Reinhart's feed for any updates on our next favorite romance movie.

When you're looking to get lost in a book, sometimes you need your reading material to match your mood. With Marie Claire's series "Buy the Book," we do the heavy lifting for you. We're offering curated, highly specific recommendations for whatever you're looking for—whether you're in your feels or hooked on a subgenre trending on #BookTok.

In this author-curated rendition, Bolu Babalola —screenwriter, pop culture journalist, and bestselling author of 2022’s Honey and Spice—shares her favorite romance books, specifically those about finding a second chance at love, the subject of her upcoming novel, Sweet Heat.

Author Bolu Babalola is a self-described “romcomoisseur.” Meaning, she’s seen just about every rom-com film under the sun and understands what stories—be it enemies-to-lovers or fake relationships—make audiences swoon.

But for her forthcoming book Sweet Heat, the British-Nigerian writer explored one of her most adored tropes: second-chance romance.

“I love second-chance romances because grace—a key component of love, I feel—is folded in; we are forced to excavate ourselves and the aspects of our growth (or lack of) and question if love can grow with us,” Babalola tells Marie Claire. “It's a beautiful thing to explore.”

So, for her new book, publishing September 2, she revisited the characters from her debut novel, Honey and Spice; now, Malakai and Kiki are exes forced to reconnect at their best friends’ wedding. Babalola explains that she “wanted to see how their love would bloom” by continuing their story.

“Malakai and Kiki met when they were in university, and whilst I absolutely believed their love was real and strong, it was also born in the bubble of university,” she says. “I love the characters so much and wanted to test their love in the outside world when real-life struggles and dynamics and growth would interact with it.”

Here, Babolala curates a list of her favorite books that also feature second-chance romances, from a classic by Jane Austen to a recent hit by Emily Henry.

Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola will be published on September 2.

Picture a 1990s or early 2000s film: soft-filtered pastels, jazzy soundtracks, a curly-haired heroine making poor decisions in the name of love. It was a simpler time. Or—it wasn't, actually—but it certainly felt like it, cinematically. Whether the subject matter was fated love (falling for a widow via the radio in Sleepless In Seattle) or star-crossed circumstance (a bookstore owner and a movie star colliding in Notting Hill), the vibes were sweet, and the endings mostly euphoric.

In contrast, the summer of 2025 may as well be dubbed the season of the anti-rom-com. From horror-influenced takes like Together and Oh, Hi!, to dark break-up comedy The Roses and the tonal sterility of Materialists, we are, as one seasoned producer I spoke to put it, in a season of "rom-coms by way of misery.”

So how did Hollywood get from 1997—when My Best Friend's Wedding was considered subversive for its untraditional “happy ending”—to now when nearly every major movie billing itself as a rom-com is dark and twisted from start to finish? Perhaps it’s because Hollywood as a whole is flailing. I've seen it myself, as a screenwriter regularly pitching rom-coms to studios. In 2025, the genre has splintered into something messier and more self-aware, shaped by cultural fatigue, shifting expectations around love and dating, and a growing appetite for stories that reflect just how bleak modern romance can feel. Now, studios are guessing at what people will venture out to theaters to see—and what stories a populace deadened by our current cultural climate can actually relate to. The result is a wave of films that trade twinkle lights for discomfort, and happy endings for something more complicated.

Consider July’s Oh, Hi!, starring Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman as the infatuated Iris and Isaac, who embark on their first romantic weekend away. Afternoon delights and firelit vulnerability take a turn, however, when Iris comments on the surprising ease of their new coupledom. She does not get the reply she expected, and their adorable upstate romance quickly devolves into a horror movie by way of situationship. The female lead holds Isaac captive, spending the bulk of the movie trying to convince the commitment-averse young man to see her value—and acting out the existential dread so many have experienced upon realizing their beautiful blossoming relationship is a farce.

Given all of the above, Oh, Hi! is hardly a traditional romantic comedy—but its writer-director, Sophie Brooks, still very much sees her film as fitting within the genre. "I think the purpose of rom-coms is to relate and feel ultimately amused…I think we're in a moment, in a beautiful way in our culture, where we're really craving freshness and originality and to feel seen," Brooks told me over Zoom in early July. "I'm a very romantic person and I really believe in love. I've also been a single woman dating in my thirties and been like, 'This is a hellscape.'"

Brooks seems to point to a growing trend in the industry: In search of the more grounded, the more searingly "real," filmmakers and execs alike have leaned on the sardonic, the sarcastic, and the skeptical that reflect their own less-than-ideal relationship experiences. (And in doing so they’ve earned praise within a genre that’s historically slept on by critics. The Hollywood Reporter said of Oh, Hi!: “The film is sure to attract young fans and find its audience. At its root, this is a surprisingly sensitive commentary on uniquely millennial romantic loneliness.”

Celine Song, too, mirrored her own life with this summer’s Materialists, pulling from her short stint as a matchmaker. And like Brooks, Song also sees her newest movie as a romantic comedy despite Song approaching the themes of her movie with a candor that can be rare for the genre. In my theater, the air drained from the room when Dakota Johnson's character, Lucy, finds out that a matchmaking client of hers was assaulted on a date. "Has something like this happened before?" Lucy asks her boss (Marin Ireland). "Of course," the boss replies. "This is dating."

Set against a posh New York City backdrop, the film's characters treat each other like lists of traits on a sheet of paper—no shorter than 6’2”; no incomes less than six figures; "no baldies"—a means to an end for their social and economic ambitions. It tracks, within that narrative, that Lucy would be forced to face the bleakness of her own world by someone taking its very concept too far.

From Song's perspective, that subversion brought Materialists closer to its audience. And ultimately it paid off: The film earned an estimated $12 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend, making it the third-largest opening for an A24 film ever. “We’re not just showing up here to be in love and beautiful and get to be in a rom-com,” Song told the Los Angeles Times. “We’re also going to take this opportunity to talk about something. Because that’s the power of the genre.” It's worth noting that, among the 2025 fare described so far, Materialists is the most earnestly optimistic of the bunch. Spoiler alert: Lucy chooses love over her list, kissing her love interest on a stoop straight out of an Ephron movie.

"I think we're seeing it in books and in features that people, even underneath these movies that might otherwise feel a little frothy, are trying to really say something," says the producer I spoke to. (They requested anonymity to speak candidly about internal studio dynamics.) “We're getting more drama in a way. The classic '90s rom-coms were about a big idea, but not necessarily a heavy topic.”

Many of this summer’s films follow that lead, often starring A-listers better known for dramatic roles—actors capable of digging into more layered material. In The Roses (out August 29), Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch play a couple whose charming meet-cute slowly curdles into decades of resentment. The film presents itself as a sun-drenched romance, only to reveal itself as a deeply cynical satire of marriage—one where irritation and disappointment seem inevitable. Splitsville (September 5) follows suit with a messier, more absurdist tone: Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona star in a polyamorous entanglement between two couples unraveling through open relationships and retaliatory affairs. (And an eight-minute standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival signals audiences appreciated the premise.)

Together, these films reflect a recurring message: the modern romance movie isn’t just skeptical of love—it’s steeped in emotional exhaustion.

That disillusionment isn’t just creative—it’s commercial. The entertainment industry has always been a messy blend of the artistic and the aggressively corporate, with both sides shaping what gets made and how it’s sold. These days, rom-coms are often seen as a risk no one wants to take. “Directors really stay away from this genre, because even if you make a great one it’s not a genre that’s super well-respected in terms of filmmaking,” says producer Alex Saks, whose credits include No Hard Feelings and It Ends With Us. “If a rom-com doesn’t work—and most of them don’t—directors go to director jail.”

And without a boldface director attached, attracting an A-list cast becomes even harder. “To do a traditional rom-com you need a [certain level] of movie star,” Saks says. “The stars that we used to have—the Sandra Bullocks, Reese Witherspoons, Julia Robertses—they liked doing these movies. And now we don’t have a generation of stars that can really uphold them.” That casting crunch, she adds, is pushing financiers toward more genre-blending, subversive projects: “They’re choosing to throw something else into the mix to protect potential downsides.”

The other producer I spoke to is inclined to agree. As a development exec who’s worked with multiple A-listers and still champions the genre, she’s noticed a clear shift in studio appetite. “You need a different hook these days,” she said. “And honestly, I think you need more of an edge. We’re at a point where we’ve decided that romance doesn’t seem edgy.” Even Nancy Meyers couldn’t secure the budget she’s long commanded, ultimately scrapping a Netflix project mid-development.

Still, the producer believes the genre continues to sell in Hollywood, just not in the form many audiences grew up loving. The more "traditional" rom-coms—the sunnier, more aspirational fare of the '90s and 2000s—are largely being adapted from existing IP. "Basically every Emily Henry book is in development," she says. As of July, Henry, whose books all include the classic happily-ever-after, has one film (Beach Read) and one television show (Happy Place) headed to Netflix and five of her six published novels somewhere in the process of adaptation.

That, too, is part of the shift. The genre hasn’t vanished so much as split along tonal and commercial lines. This summer’s theatrical slate—marked by sarcasm, emotional fatigue, and narrative risk—caters to an audience that craves realism and edge. Meanwhile, the formulaic, lower-budget Hallmark-style rom-coms and IP-driven adaptations are still quietly thriving elsewhere, offering a familiar fix.

In some ways, the rom-com has adapted to survive, meeting different audiences where they are: some nostalgic for comforting structure, others looking for stories that reflect their messier, more skeptical realities. The genre hasn’t chosen a single direction—it’s fractured, yes, but also expanding.

But even if the genre is splintered, it’s far from dead. Maybe there’s room for all of it—the jaded, the joyful, and everything in between. Hollywood, after all, loves to ride a wave. Remember 2024, when three major movies centered on women over 40 dating guys in their 20s (two of them starring Nicole Kidman)? Or 2011’s dueling fuck-buddy rom-coms? Now, Celine Song is developing a sequel for My Best Friend's Wedding. Which suggests that even now, the genre might still pull off its signature trick: bringing two seemingly incompatible things—twinkle lights and subversion—together in the end.

Youn Yuh-Jung knows that life rarely follows best-laid plans. After she took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Minari in 2021, the 77-year-old Korean film icon had no plans to return to the world of American indie film. She spoke candidly during her awards press run about the challenges of Minari’s low-budget production. Her past few projects, including Apple TV+’s multi-lingual epic Pachinko and the Korean rom-com Dog Days, allowed her to stay close to home. Then came the offer for Andrew Ahn’s remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 comedy, The Wedding Banquet. Youn was initially hesitant, but eventually signed on for the same reason she will always have ties to the U.S.: her family.

Youn has two adult sons whom she welcomed while living in the U.S. during her 10-year hiatus from acting between 1974 and 1984. They both live in America; Youn accepted her role in Minari, her first American film in her 50-year acting career, partly for the chance to see them. Speaking to Marie Claire over Zoom (with her younger son and manager Nuel Cho helping to translate), Youn explains that the queer rom-com hit close to home because her eldest, who identifies as gay, encouraged her to take the role. And thankfully, filming The Wedding Banquet in cloudy Vancouver, rather than under the Oklahoma sun, made the experience all the more enjoyable. “Compared with that one, this one was a luxury to me,” she says.

In Ahn’s updated version of The Wedding Banquet, which arrives in theaters on April 18, Youn plays Ja-young, the Korean matriarch of a multinational corporation whose closeted grandson Min (K-drama actor Han Gi-Chan) is a student in Seattle. Ja-young believes it’s time for Min to come home and join the family empire, but he’s in a committed relationship with commitment-averse Chris (Bowen Yang). So Min thinks up a scheme: He’ll marry Chris’s best friend Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) for a green card, in exchange for paying for her and her girlfriend Lee’s (Lily Gladstone) IVF treatments. The plan immediately blows up when Min’s halmoni makes a trip to meet her grandson’s new bride—and shows that she isn’t as easy to fool as he thinks.

The Wedding Banquet ended up being an intimate collaboration between Ahn and Youn, with the director and actress crafting her role together based on her personal experience. Youn even helped write a late, emotional scene between grandmother and grandson, where she questions why he felt he needed to hide himself. South Korea remains conservative towards LGBTQ+ rights, making this moment hit hard, knowing how closely art reflects life for the most famous Korean actress of her generation. “I hope it can release in Korea,” Youn says of the film. “I hope we can wake them up and open their eyes.”

Below, Youn chats with Marie Claire about her “never say never” attitude towards her career, how she tested Han before filming, and what Korean entertainment fans tend to forget about the country.

Marie Claire: The Wedding Banquet is your first Western film role since Minari. Why did you choose to take on this role?

Youn Yuh-jung: My roles in Western movies [tend to] be very limited because I don't speak English well, or I don't know the culture that well. This film was written by Andrew Ahn, who is Korean American, so we have some similar culture between him and me. I was thinking, because I'm a very old lady, coming here is a big job for me. I was wondering if I should go to America again and then do an independent film, with that atmosphere and circumstance. I was hesitant, and then I spoke with my two sons. My youngest son said, ‘Okay mom, this is an indie movie, so why don't you skip this one? You can relax in your country.’ He suggested sending the script to my older son, [who] is a fan of Andrew Ahn. He can trust him. So my first son suggested, ‘Well you should do it. It's a good role for you.’ So we had a family discussion and I decided to do it.

MC: What was your experience working with Andrew Ahn? Is it important to you to continue to work with Korean-American directors?

YY: I'm not sure about my future because, you know, life doesn’t go as you planned. I learned that lesson a long time ago. So I won’t say, ‘I'll do this,’ or, ‘I won't do this.’ I'm not going to promise anything. But I think with Korean American directors, as an older actor from Korea, maybe they are like my kids, my boys. My heart goes with them, so I follow my heart.

MC: What was your experience working with Han Gi-chan in his first Western film role?

YY: In the original script, he was supposed to be my son, but I found out that he's much younger than my sons’ ages. So I suggested to Andrew, 'No, he cannot be my son. He could be my grandson.’ On the first day we met, Andrew and Gi-chan came over to the apartment where I was staying. As soon as he walked in the door, I said, ‘Sit. Okay, open your script, let’s go.’ There was not much of a hi or a hello. It was a ‘let's go,’ and they were pretty surprised. I was testing him. Maybe Andrew thought I was very harsh on him, but if he wants to be a professional, he has to be ready. That's my philosophy about acting. Gi-chan did really good on the first read-through. He passed my test.

MC: I appreciated that your character saw through her grandson’s ruse very early. In Ja-young’s backstory, how long has she suspected that Min is gay?

YY: Maybe since Min was a young boy, because Ja-young raised him instead of his parents. His parents passed away before he got older, so she was watching him. Maybe she sensed that he was different than other boys. But Min never spoke about that situation or his identity in Korea. Our country is very conservative, so coming out to their parents is, I think, harder than coming out between friends. That was my thought about that role.

MC: How would you describe the level of personal conflict Ja-young has as a chaebol to someone who isn’t familiar with Korean culture?

YY: It’s especially because of all the public eyes on their company. Then, if he comes out as gay, he's not going to inherit any money from his grandfather, so she's trying to protect him. All she was thinking about was protecting him as a family member. I think that idea of trying to have a fake wedding to put in the newspaper, that showed the love between Ja-young and Gi-chan. That's why he appreciated the plan.

MC: The fake wedding allows Ja-young to observe how happy Min is in his relationship. When you first discussed the role, was it important that she gradually became more accepting?

YY: Andrew and I developed that story between sharing his experience and my experience. I actually wrote my lines between Gi-chan and Ja-young at the end of the film, because Andrew understood. He accepted that I was going to write this dialogue between Ja-young and Gi-chan, [which] I of course got approved. My important line, it was not in the script, but in Korean, I said, ‘Whether you are straight or gay, first of all, you are my grandson.’ That was very important. I think those lines were my personal feelings to Gi-chan, and my personal experience.

MC: What do you hope viewers take away from the film?

YY: I hope it can release in Korea. We are a very conservative society, so they're not accepting of gay marriage, or coming out as a gay to a mother or father. Korean culture is so in the microscope of the world now. The world sees us as modern and futuristic, but you have to be reminded sometimes. We're such a young country. I was born in 1947. We didn't get our first president until 1953, so I was 6 when we first became a country. You have to put that into perspective, which explains a lot of our conservative values that still exist. So I hope we can wake them up and open their eyes.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Getting over your ex is always easier said than done, but imagine how hard it'd be if your ex looked like Simone Ashley or Hero Fiennes Tiffin. Prime Video's original rom-com Picture This is the latest edition to the "exes rekindling" sub-genre of romantic comedies, as Pia (Ashley) and Charlie (Fiennes Tiffin) are reunited as the maid-of-honor and best man for Pia's younger sister's wedding. When a fortune teller predicts Pia will meet her soulmate on one of her next five dates, she goes on some memorable blind set ups, but there's something about Charlie that she can't shake.

To celebrate the movie's streaming release, Ashley and Fiennes Tiffin sat down with Marie Claire to test their friendship with a round of How Well Do You Know Your Co-Star?. The pair showed off their natural chemistry while breezing through questions about their early jobs, go-to karaoke jams, and hidden talents. Fiennes Tiffin also took the opportunity to praise Ashley, who also served as executive producer on the flick, for creating a "fun, relaxed" atmosphere on set.

Watch the challenge above to get the scoop on the unexpected hidden talent they both want to learn, the gift Ashley gave the entire cast, and insight into Fiennes Tiffin's Justin Bieber-inspired early red-carpet looks. Then, head to Prime Video to catch Picture This.

In January 2025, Mindy Kaling's must-watch series The Sex Lives of College Girls wrapped up a season of big changes. Co-created by Kaling and Justin Noble for Max, season 3 of the friendship comedy set at the fictional Essex College saw the departure of a fan-favorite star (we miss you, Renée Rapp!) and the arrival of several newcomers, as Bela (Amrit Kaur), Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott), and Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) entered their sophomore year.

By the season 3 finale, which arrived on January 23, the core threesome and their new friends Kacey (Gracie Lawrence) and Taylor (Mia Rodgers) have dealt with mental health concerns, heartbreak, revelations about their sexuality, and even a brief stint in jail. For a while, fans were clamoring for news of whether our girls would be back to finish up sophomore year. Now we finally know the fate The Sex Lives of College Girls season 4; read on for more.

Has 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' been renewed for season 4?

On March 18, 2025, Deadline reported that Max cancelled SLOCG after three seasons. According to the outlet, the streamer's decision was likely due to ratings.

At the time, the SLOCG team was "looking for ways to keep the show going" by finding a new streaming home for it, including potentially with Netflix, which release the Kaling-produced Running Point. However, one month later in April, the producing studio behind the series, Warner Bros. Television, confirmed to Deadline that their attempts to shop the show around were unsuccessful.

"We were very much hoping to find a new home for that one, and I think we’ve now come to the end of the road, which is disappointing because it’s a show that we really love,” Warner Bros. TV Group chairman Channing Dungey told the outlet. “I’m so proud of the three seasons that we did at Max, but I don’t think there’s going to be more of College Girls.”

Showrunner Justin Noble seemed to be in the dark about Max's decision. In a TVLine interview published after the release of the season 3 finale, he was optimistic about the show's renewal chances but said he knew "just as little as an audience member."

"The only thing that I see is, like, the Top 10 list in Max, and for, like, 60-something days straight, Sex Lives was either the most-watched scripted show on Max or the second-most watched scripted show for, truly, months now," he said at the time. "So I would feel good, but I can’t control anything beyond that."

He expressed further disappointment when the cult-loved show was cancelled. On Instagram, he wrote, "I can’t help but mention that it feels like there are fewer and fewer comedy series every month—and we are living in an era where we need that comedy badly...So I really hope that turns around, but I will always be proud of this show for being the things that we weren’t seeing enough of: a hard comedy ensemble where ladies get the jokes.”

Who in the cast would have returned for 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' season 4?

Based on the end of SLOCG season 3, it was likely that the entire lead friend group—Pauline Chalamet (Kimberly), Amrit Kaur (Bela), Alyah Chanelle Scott (Whitney), and new addition Gracie Lawrence (Kacey)—would have returned for season 4. There was also a good chance that Ilia Isorelýs Paulino (Lila), Christopher Meyer (Canaan), and Renika Williams (Willow) would be back, as well as newcomers Mia Rodgers (Taylor) and Ruby Cruz (Ash).

What would 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' season 4 have been about?

Spoilers for The Sex Lives of College Girls season 3 finale ahead. The SLOCG season 3 finale wraps up most girls' journeys. Whitney used her new therapy knowledge to demand better conditions for Essex's student-athletes. In addition to finding her way back to comedy, Bela came out after embracing her bisexuality. Kacey lost her virginity, and though things don't work out with Cooper (Roby Attal), her friends help her through the heartbreak enough so she can claim her Greatest Showman solo. As for fellow new pal Taylor, she ended the season happily dating Ash and embracing her sobriety.

With all these happy endings and no cliffhanger, the character who would have been set up to deal with major drama in season 4 was Kimberly. Sure, she's not in a literal jail cell by the end of the season 3 finale, but our fave perfectionist would have had to deal with the institutional and friendship fallout of her protest going too far, after stealing Bela's ID(!) to get into the server room and shut down a conservative speaker's livestream. Plus, she had two dudes on the hook: hot protest leader Noah (Trevor Tordjman) and Eli (Michael Provost), who finally apologizes for abandoning her while she was on drugs at a rave.

Speaking with TVLine post-season 3, Noble hinted at what he hoped to explore in season 4, starting with more Lila lore. "I always want to see more of Lila and where her life goes and have her interact with our girls more," he shared.

He also opened up about the main characters' journeys thus far and where that could lead them going forward. "This was a season of big growth. This was a season of challenges thrown at our girls that they probably hadn’t seen coming when they entered sophomore year with open eyes," he noted. "So I think they’re emerging much more mature than they have in previous seasons. They’ve lived a lot more life, as opposed to, like, the sheltered life of worrying about a grade or something. So I’m excited to see how they lean on each other more as they start to really tackle things that are going to be big-ticket items in helping them become the people that they are meant to be."

Noble also laid out possible storylines following season 3's finale in an interview with TheWrap. "Kimberly has the cliffhanger of this season—she thinks that the school is going to sue her for property damage. I’d love to see how that goes down and if Tig Notaro’s character would play into that if she has to come to her aid," he explained. "We have multiple new love interests that appear in these two episodes at the end of season 3, we have the closing of some doors and different extracurriculars and school things, so there’s a lot of momentum heading into a season 4, and lots of ways we can go. So pending a phone call, Mindy and I and the writers will be at the ready to decide which way to go."

We're bummed we won't be able to returned to Essex to see that through!

For decades, shows like Sex and the City, Girlfriends, Gilmore Girls, and Grey’s Anatomy have made being in your 30s look as fabulous and ambitious as ever. But your 40s? Forget about it, at least based on the few complex representations of women in their 40s on TV. However, when Catastrophe came along in 2015, the British sitcom started to change that—and made me eagerly anticipate turning 40.

Not enough people watched Catastrophe. Created by Sharon Horgan (now of Bad Sisters fame) and Rob Delaney, the unflinching sitcom tells the very unconventional love story of Sharon Morris, an Irish schoolteacher who’s “on the wrong side of 40,” and Rob Norris, an American ad exec traveling in London on business. The pair have a chance meeting in a bar and then spend Rob’s entire six-day trip hooking up before they inevitably part. A month later, Sharon realizes she’s pregnant, and Rob uproots his life to be with her and raise their child in the U.K. The creators’ own lives inspired the premise; Horgan conceived her first child when she and her now-husband had only dated for six months, and Delaney is now sober and an expat living in London.

Catastrophe was released on the U.K.’s Channel 4 on January 19, 2015, before making it stateside as an Amazon Original that June. I got around to watching it one month after graduating college when only the first two installments of its four-season run were released, and it remains a formative memory on how I think of aging. Each season has six episodes, all co-written by Horgan and Delaney. Season 1 covers Sharon’s pregnancy with their son Frankie; the season 2 premiere fast-forwards nearly three years to the couple welcoming their daughter, Muireann (a traditional Irish name only Sharon and her relatives can pronounce, in a running gag). Throughout its run, the dark comedy is unflinchingly honest about how brutal, hilarious, disgusting, beautiful, and hard it is to maintain the fictional Sharon and Rob’s life together every day.

Sharon’s age is an inextricable part of the series, and it comments on how age is linked with motherhood. It’s a large reason why she decides to see the pregnancy through in the first place. As she describes to her brother Fergal (Jonathan Forbes) in season 1, episode 2, “They’re a little bit harder to make when you’re old–older. I can’t just rip it out and plant another one up there when the time is right.” The subject of Sharon’s age mostly comes up within medical settings, mostly standout scenes where a perpetually-bored OB/GYN (played by Tobias Menzies) relays the latest update of Sharon’s high-risk gestation, as well as her own anxieties. While a lesser show may make a punchline out of Sharon being beyond her 30s, Horgan and Delaney never make her the butt of the joke; instead, they point at the absurdity of how medicine treats women having a child past age 35. Catastrophe was the first instance I’d heard of the term “geriatric pregnancy,” and the joke wasn’t a chance to laugh at Sharon, but a chance to point out how wild it is that such a term would exist. If anything, it’s even funnier because, by that scene in episode 4, no one would use that term for someone as young-at-heart as Sharon.

Before Catastrophe, I’d never seen a female character in her 40s to whom I instantly related. To be fair, I wasn’t an extremely well-rounded TV watcher at the time. I hadn’t yet watched classic TV comedies like Golden Girls or Murphy Brown or Maude that portrayed gutsy women over 40, and I didn’t connect to self-sacrificing sitcom moms as a fresh college grad entering adulthood. Sharon was the first woman I saw approaching middle age with whom I had anything in common. I saw my dark humor and tendency to respond to vulnerability and big feelings with sarcasm in her. She had also studied writing in college, and I loved her cozy bachelorette apartment and her artistic, denim-forward style. At times I found myself imagining what her life could’ve been like before she met Rob, the ways it could’ve intersected with the nebulous life I was taking my first steps into. Most of all, I loved that she was the first female character over 40 I saw as someone I could eventually become.

The 2015 Boxed In report found that only 19 percent of female TV characters were in their 40s across network, cable, and Netflix shows released in the 2014-15 season. 9 years later in 2024, 17 percent of female major TV characters were in their 40s, followed by 12 percent in their 50s, and 6 percent in their 60s. Hollywood has been making gains in depicting nuanced stories of women’s aging, but complex, excellently-written TV characters like Sharon are still rare. Without Sharons on TV, there aren’t depictions to dispel the stereotype that women’s lives stop at a certain age and that only those in their 20s and 30s deserve to be seen.

Not only did I see myself in Sharon, but I also saw myself in her and Rob’s messy, loving, sometimes difficult partnership. Sharon and Rob are on my personal Mount Rushmore of the best TV couples of all time. Even while the show subverts rom-com kismet—when they learn each other’s last names are Morris and Norris, Sharon’s response is, “Well, at least that’s fucking ridiculous”—the pair are meant for each other. They just fit together, joke for filthy joke, moment for surprisingly tender moment. Despite their issues, once they decide to commit to their marriage, they are in. They fight a fair amount—often before bed, in a subversion of the classic TV trope of a married couple having loving conversations at the end of the day—but their communication is surprisingly open and honest. They don’t camouflage their worst selves from one another; from the start, they let the other see and love the other’s full, sometimes horrible, personhood. They support each other through financial issues, postpartum depression, and the death of each other’s parents, and they’re able to work through marital strife in later seasons. In season 2, episode 4, on the morning of their third anniversary, Rob explains why he’s prouder of them staying together than of them raising their kids. “What’s to be proud of there?” he says of their two infants. “Who doesn’t want to take care of their kids? You’d have to be a monster to not want to do that. But maintaining [their marriage], this is the slog.” There have always been platitudes that marriage is hard work; Catastrophe is the first show to make me understand that to my core.

In the 10 years since Catastrophe premiered, Hollywood has many more excellent depictions of women’s aging that would’ve also been balms to my younger self. While I realize rewatching the series in my 30s that I understand myself and the world and what I want even more so, Catastrophe still has me excited to tackle this decade and eventually 40, because I know that I won’t drastically change or disappear once I reach a certain age. Huge life changes will still happen, and day-to-day life will still be tough and messy but worth it to dig through and find the humor and joy. I may never end up being a single schoolteacher who accidentally gets pregnant and decides to marry a guy who moves to London for me, but Catastrophe will stay special in my heart as the show that made me realize that age is just a number.

Netflix's teen rom-com XO, Kitty has always worn its K-drama and K-pop inspiration on its sleeve. The To All the Boys... spinoff series follows Kitty Song Covey's (Anna Cathcart) dramatic dating life as she attends the same Seoul international school where her mother was formerly a student. In season 2, the show's use of K-pop jumps from its many needle drops into the plot itself, as we meet Min Ho's (Sang Heon Lee) talent manager father Young Moon (Philippe Lee) and K-pop star brother Joon Ho (played by Peniel Shin).

The academic arc of XO, Kitty season 2 turns into a semester-long lead-up to a K-pop talent showcase, where the KISS students competed for the opener slot on Joon Ho's next world tour. To play the fictional music sensation, XO, Kitty casts a Korean-American rapper whose real-life K-pop career has spanned 12 years and counting. Below, read on to learn more about BTOB's Peniel.

Peniel Shin is a Chicago-born musician who moved to South Korea to become a K-pop star.

Peniel Shin, 31, was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He was raised as a devout Christian and learned guitar at church after becoming interested in music. In 2010, he passed JYP Entertainment's global audition and moved to Seoul, where he trained under the company and learned Korean while also finishing high school.

In 2012, he transferred from JYP to CUBE Entertainment, and soon after he was placed in the boy group BTOB. In addition to his work in the group, Peniel has also hosted English-language music programs on TV and radio. In addition to XO, Kitty, he also previously guest-starred on the K-dramas The Heirs (in 2013) and Dae Jang Geum is Watching (in 2018).

Peniel is a rapper and vocalist in the K-pop boy group BTOB.

On March 21, 2012, Peniel debuted as a lead rapper and vocalist in BTOB, which stands for Born to Beat. The six-member group is best known for songs including "Missing You," "Pray (I'll be your man)," "Beautiful Pain," and "Wind and Wish."

Five of BTOB's albums topped Korea's Gaon Album Chart upon release, and they've previously won Best Vocal Group and Best Male Group at Korea's Golden Disc Awards. They also gained international recognition while competing on the Korean reality show Kingdom: Legendary War in 2021.

Peniel released his first solo music in 2016 and has remained active as a soloist since. He has contributed to BTOB as a songwriter and has dipped his toes into composing; recently he collaborated with Tzuyu of TWICE on her solo B-side "Heartbreak in Heaven."

In November 2023, all six members of BTOB departed their former agency CUBE. They subsequently established BTOB Company, which now handles BTOB's activities as a group, as well as the solo careers of Peniel, and members Seo Eun-kwang, Lee Min-hyuk, and Lim Hyun-sik.

He co-hosts the English-language podcast 'Get Real.'

Since July 2020, Peniel has co-hosted the English-language podcast "GET REAL," alongside KARD member BM, former Ladies' Code member Ashley Choi, and singer-songwriter JUNNY. Per its Spotify description, the DIVE Studios podcast is "a place for these close friends to open up about all the ups and downs of work, love, and adulthood from their perspective." They also regularly have guests, including English-speaking celebrities who moved to South Korea from countries like the U.S. and Canada to pursue careers in entertainment.

He's also an avid photographer who owns his own clothing line.

Outside of the entertainment industry, Peniel has also become known for his artistic hobbies. He often shares his photography on the dedicated Instagram account Penography. He also previously hosted photo exhibitions in Seoul in 2017 and 2018, and directed the BTOB music video "Stand by Me" in 2016.

The rapper also co-founded the athleisure brand CEEBSs, which debuted in Korea in 2023. However, he did not initially reveal that he was behind the clothing line. Fans eventually discovered that he was connected to the brand in the spring of 2024, at which point he confirmed his involvement. In an Instagram Live, he explained that he hadn't wanted fans to buy the clothing just because he was affiliated, telling them, "If you don't think you're gonna wear it, don't buy it just because it's my brand."

Every rom-com heroine needs a bestie to help her navigate the ups and downs of finding true love. As is the case with Kitty Song Covey and Quincy "Q" Shabazian on XO, Kitty, played by the adorable, IRL duo, stars Anna Cathcart and Anthony Keyvan. In the Netflix teen romance series' first season, Kitty (Cathcart) and Q (Keyvan) became fast friends as American exchange students in South Korea, and season 2 sees them reunite for another semester of academics and dating adventures.

Before XO, Kitty season 2's release, Keyvan and Cathcart tested their friendship with a round of How Well Do You Know Your Co-Star? In the game, the pair showed off how well they know each other's lore, from guessing their first non-acting jobs to sharing their Spotify Wrappeds to defending their favorite ice cream. Cathcart reminisced about dinners the XO, Kitty cast shared while filming in Seoul, while Keyvan shared an important travel tip: Make sure you get the conversion rate right while buying hotel massages.

To learn the pair's favorite thing to do while filming scenes together, watch the full challenge, above, then head to Netflix to catch XO, Kitty season 2, streaming now.

Despite Kitty Song Covey's hopes in Netflix's teen rom-com series XO, Kitty, she's still a "chaos queen." Luckily for fans, this means there are many more hijinks, love triangles, and swooning in store from the To All the Boys... spinoff set in Seoul, South Korea.

Season 2 saw the youngest Song Covey sister (played by Anna Cathcart) deal with multiple love interests (both male and female), a search for estranged relatives, an intricate revenge plot, and even a K-pop showcase. By the end, Kitty reunites with her family, has learned more about her sexuality, and secured another yearlong scholarship to return to KISS. But still, we're left wondering whether we'll see the resolution of that new Kitty and Min Ho cliffhanger? Below, read what we know about XO, Kitty season 3 so far.

Has 'XO, Kitty' been renewed for season 3?

Time to buy a ticket to Seoul! Netflix has confirmed that XO, Kitty will return for a third season. The streamer dropped the good news on Valentine's Day 2025, less than a month after season 2's release on January 16.

Netflix shared a video on Instagram to coincide with the announcement. In the clip, Cathcart receives the script for the first episode of season 3 and reads the love poem, Roses are red/violets are blue/there’s a third season of XO, Kitty/in store for you!"

“I’m so excited to head back to Seoul for another season with our incredible cast and crew," season 2 showrunner Jessica O’Toole told Tudum. "I know we left fans on a cliffhanger at the end of season 2, but I can promise season 3 will be worth the wait, including our first summer episode—not to mention plenty of romance, friendship, adventure...and kissing. Lots of kissing."

When will 'XO, Kitty' season 3 come out?

Spring is just around the corner—and so is the return of XO, Kitty! In mid-February, Netflix announced via a press release that the eight-episode season 3 of XO, Kitty will premiere on April 2, 2026.

The wait for this season of Netflix original was much shorter than the time between seasons 1 and 2. In mid-July 2025, Deadline reported that the series had wrapped production on the forthcoming episodes. The outlet also shared that a new showrunner is on board: Valentina Garza will take over for Jessica O'Toole. She was a writer on seasons 2 and 3 and promoted to showrunner when filming began, per Deadline. (It's unclear why O'Toole is no longer leading the series.) Thankfully, it sounds like production went swimmingly, and we'll be back at KISS in no time.

Who in the 'XO, Kitty' cast will return for season 3?

The entire main cast of XO, Kitty will return, including Anna Cathcart (Kitty), Minyeong Choi (Dae), Gia Kim (Yuri), Sang Heon Lee (Min Ho), Anthony Keyvan (Q), Regan Aliyah (Juliana), Peter Thurnwald (Alex), Jocelyn Shelfo (Madison), Jocelyn Shelfo (Madison), Han Bi Ryu (Eunice), Sunny Oh (Mihee), and Michael K. Lee (Professor Lee). Season 2 newcomers Sasha Bhasin (Praveena), Joshua Lee (Jin), Philippe Lee (Mr. Moon), and Hojo Shin (Jiwon) (upped to a series regular) will also come back for more episodes.

Audrey Huynh, who played villain Stella (a.k.a. Esther), was notably not included among the official season 3 cast, as reported by Deadline. Min Ho's brother (played by real-life K-pop star Peniel) also wasn't on the cast list, so it's likely that those two will not be back.

And of course, with every season of XO, Kitty, we remain hopeful that alums from the To All the Boys... cast will make an appearance. After season 2 saw cameos from Noah Centineo (Peter Kavinsky) and Janel Parrish (Margot Song Covey), fans have especially been clamoring that Lana Condor (Lara Jean Song Covey) would pop up in season 3—and as it turns out, Netflix has answered our wish!

In early March, the streamer teased that Condor will reprise her role as Kitty's sister. As fans very well remember, Lara Jean's love letter mishap from the To All the Boys... series was instigated by Kitty, and ended up inspiring her niche for matchmaking.

Netflix shared a video on social media to announce the news. In the clip, Sang Heon Lee walks through the set and says, "Covey?" as both Condor and Cathcart, sitting in their character chairs, whip their heads around. "Yes?" says Condor. It's pretty adorable, and if it's any indication of how sweet it's going to be to see these sisters reunite on screen, we're in for a delightful reunion.

Condor has also spoken about how thrilled she is to reunite with the To All the Boys... family. While speaking to Tudum, she shared a statement about getting to be a part of season 3: "It’s such a joy to be able to come back and see Anna. I think she did an amazing job creating the XO, Kitty world. It’s such a dream to be able to work with her again. I feel really excited and happy and honored I get to be back."

Are there any new cast members in 'XO, Kitty' season 3?

You bet! Deadline revealed that three names have joined the season 3 ensemble: Jamaican actor Sule Thelwell, Korean actress Soy Kim, and Korean-American writer/actor Christine Hwang. Kim and Hwang are said to be playing Yisoo and Gigi, though character details are left under wraps.

Fans may be excited to know that Thelwell is joining as Marius. Though he has yet to appear on screen, viewers may remember that's the name of Q's former roommate, with whom he had a fling. We can't wait to see what unfolds next!

What will happen on 'XO, Kitty' season 3?

XO, Kitty's season 2 finale somehow ends on a cliffhanger bigger than Min Ho's airplane love confession. No, Min Ho and Kitty technically don't end up together by the end of season 2, as Kitty chickens out on sharing her feelings. But she does ask if she can go on tour with him and his brother Joon Ho for the summer, and he says yes!

Netflix's season 3 announcement confirms that the new episodes will at least partially follow "summer of love" for Kitty Song Covey and her friends." We'll have to see whether Kitty and Min Ho on tour will bring a long-awaited romance or just more K-pop cameos. (Min Ho probably has some healing to do after getting scammed by Stella.)

Leading up to the release date, Netflix also unveiled an official synopsis, revealing the season will expand into the school year. "Kitty Song Covey returns for her final year at KISS with her perfect senior year mapped out," the synopsis reads. "She’s going to make meaningful memories with her friends, grow closer to her relatives in Korea, and make big decisions about her future. And she’s going to define her relationship with Min Ho. For real this time. But when surprise revelations throw her plans, and relationships, off course, Kitty will have to learn to embrace the unexpected."

Is there a trailer for 'XO, Kitty' season 3?

Yes! As if we weren't already eager enough to see what's next in the will-they-won't-they between Kitty and Min Ho, now we're absolutely dying to know what comes between these two. The trailer, which Netflix dropped in early March, shows Kitty gearing up for senior year, including making a "Senior Sunset List" about all of the things she hopes to accomplish, like figuring out where she wants to go to college and DTR-ing with Min Ho. You know, important stuff! The clip shows things not necessarily boding well for our youngest Covey Song girl—so much so that she calls her sister Lara Jean when she's stuck in her feelings and needs advice. Being a great big sis, LJ books a flight to come to her aid, which is how their long-awaited reunion is set to play out.

It looks like LJ is going to offer some solid insights and, as previewed in the clip, help Kitty to get out of her shell even more so and focus on her own joy. "Whatever happens with Min Ho, we can’t just stop living our lives," Condor says in character in a voice-over. "Look at everything you’ve done to make everyone else shine. You deserve to shine too."

We're looking forward to seeing Kitty step into her shine (and figure out the romantic drama on her hands!) very soon.

Is there anything better than a good love story? Everyone needs to be swept off their feet at least once in their lives, but as we wait for our Mr./Mrs./Mx. Right, romance movies can provide the heart-fluttering feels (and occasional tearjerkers) we need.

2025's slate of romance films offered viewers a diverse selection of courtships, flings, and endgame relationships, from hilarious romantic comedies to heartbreaking dramas to several highly anticipated queer movies. Below, find the best romance movies of 2025 that arrived in cinemas and on streaming this year.

'Wish You Were Here'

Release date: January 17

Starring: Isabelle Fuhrman, Mena Massoud, Jennifer Grey, and Kelsey Grammer

The love story: Make sure to bring tissues for this emotional romance from director Julia Stiles(!), based on Renée Carlino's 2017 novel. After she has a perfect, romantic night with a mysterious stranger named Adam (Mena Massoud), Charlotte's (Isabelle Fuhrman) search for answers uncovers a devastating secret.

WATCH IT

'Marked Men: Rule + Shaw'

Release date: January 22

Starring: Chase Stokes, Sydney Taylor, Alexander Ludwig, Ella Balinska, Evan Mock, Matthew Noszka, and Natalie Alyn Lind

The love story: If you have a penchant for sexy franchises like Fifty Shades or After, here's your next guilty pleasure. Shaw Landon (Sydney Taylor) has been in love with Rule Archer (Chase Stokes) since they were teenagers, but thought they could never bridge the good-girl/bad-boy divide. Come for a sexy tattooed Chase Stokes, stay for...a tattooed Stokes.

WATCH IT

'Heart Eyes'

Release date: February 7

Starring: Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa, and Jordana Brewster

The love story: If Valentine's Day wasn't brutal enough, this horror rom-com takes place in a world where the Heart Eyes Killer attacks romantic couples on the day of love. When co-workers Ally (Holt) and Jay (Gooding) share an unexpected kiss, they become the serial killer's next targets.

WATCH IT

'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy'

Release date: February 13 on Peacock

Starring: Renée Zellweger, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Leo Woodall, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Isla Fisher, and with Colin Firth and Hugh Grant

The love story: Legendary rom-com heroine Bridget Jones returned in time for Galentine's Day this year. Recently widowed (sob!), the newly single mother navigates dating for the first time in years, and even strikes up a romance with a younger man played by The White Lotus's Leo Woodall.

WATCH IT

'La Dolce Villa'

Release date: February 13 on Netflix

Starring: Scott Foley, Maia Reficco, Violante Placido, and Giuseppe Futia

The love story: Netflix's V-Day release this year follows a father and daughter having a joint Under the Tuscan Sun moment. Eric (Scott Foley) follows his daughter Olivia (Maia Reficco) to Italy to supervise her renovation of a one-euro villa, and each has their own dreamy summer romance.

WATCH IT

'Picture This'

Release date: March 6 on Prime Video

Starring: Simone Ashley and Hero Fiennes Tiffin

The love story: Ahead of her little sister's wedding, photographer Pia (Simone Ashley) receives a fortune: She will meet the love of her life within her next five dates. Hoping that career success will come along with love, she goes along with her family's matchmaking. But there's someone she can't stop thinking about: her ex Charlie (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), who's also in the wedding party.

WATCH IT

'Black Bag'

Release date: March 14

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, Pierce Brosnan, and Tom Burke

The love story: Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as a super-hot, devoted spy couple in a Steven Soderbergh movie? Sold. This action-drama sees their loving marriage be tested when one of them (Blanchett) is suspected of treason.

WATCH IT

'The Life List'

Release date: March 28 on Netflix

Starring: Sofia Carson, Kyle Allen, Sebastian de Souza, and Connie Britton

The love story: When her deceased mother (Connie Britton) tasks her with completing a "Life List" to get her inheritance, Alex (Sofia Carson) revisits her childhood dreams and gets closer to the will executor (Kyle Allen), making sure she checks off the entire list.

WATCH IT

'A Nice Indian Boy'

Release date: April 4

Starring: Karan Soni, Jonathan Groff, Sunita Mani, Zarna Garg, and Harish Patel

The love story: Out gay doctor Naveen (Karan Soni) has always kept his dating life separate from his family...until he falls head over heels with his eventual fiancé Jay (Jonathan Groff). This queer rom-com follows the pair and Naveen's family as they come together to throw the Indian wedding of their dreams (complete with tons of Bollywood references).

WATCH IT

'The Wedding Banquet'

Release date: April 18

Starring: Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Bowen Yang, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-jung

The love story: Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) and Lee (Lily Gladstone), and Min (Han Gi-chan) and Chris (Bowen Yang), are two queer couples facing financial and immigration issues while living in Seattle. So what better way to solve everything than a wedding plot? Follow the hijinks ahead of Angela and Min's fake traditional Korean wedding in this loose remake of the '90s movie of the same name.

WATCH IT

'Lost in Starlight'

Release date: May 30 on Netflix

Starring: Kim Tae-ri and Hong Kyung

The love story: This Korean romance movie is absolutely adorable, telling the love story between a scientist dreaming of the stars and a down-to-earth musician (Hong Kyung). When they meet right before Nan-young's (Kim Tae-ri) space voyage, the pair "embark on the longest-ever long-distance relationship—one that bridges Earth and Mars."

WATCH IT

'Materialists'

Release date: June 13

Starring: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Marin Ireland, Louisa Jacobson, Sawyer Spielberg, and Zoë Winters

The love story: After her Oscar-nominated debut Past Lives, filmmaker Celine Song helmed this movie about another complicated love triangle. Inspired by Song's past work as a matchmaker, Dakota Johnson plays a luxury matchmaker named Lucy, who has a handle on figuring out other people's love lives but struggles to work out her own when she meets a wealthy older man (Pedro Pascal) and reconnects with a former flame (Chris Evans). This one examines love from many angles—value, marriage versus romance, cynicism, and earnestness—giving you much to think about the nature of dating.

WATCH IT

'Love, Brooklyn'

Release date: August 29

Starring: André Holland, Nicole Beharie, DeWanda Wise, Roy Wood Jr., Cassandra Freeman, and Cadence Reese

The love story: In this romantic indie film, André Holland, Nicole Beharie, and DeWanda Wise play "three longtime Brooklynites navigate careers, love, loss, and friendship against the rapidly changing landscape of their beloved city," per the film's description.

WATCH IT

'Preparation for the Next Life'

Release date: September 5

Starring: Sebiye Behtiyar and Fred Hechinger

The love story: Bing Liu's adaptation of Atticus Lish's novel of the same name follows the unlikely romance between Aishe, an undocumented Uyghur woman working under the table in N.Y.C.'s Chinatown, and Skinner (Fred Hechinger), a white Army veteran living with PTSD. As the two societal outsiders find comfort in each other, their love is tested by their respective struggles to survive.

WATCH IT

'The History of Sound'

Release date: September 12 on Mubi

Starring: Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor

The love story: An LGBTQ+ period romance in which Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor fall in love amid the New England folk music scene circa WWI? Yes, please!

WATCH IT

'A Big Bold Beautiful Journey'

Release date: September 19

Starring: Margot Robbie, Colin Farrell, Kevin Kline, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Hamish Linklater, Lily Rabe, and Jodie Turner-Smith

The love story: In Kogonada's follow-up to After Yang, Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie are two strangers whose meet-cute at a mutual friend's wedding is extended into a supernatural journey into their pasts. As they unpack their respective trauma and hesitancy towards love, viewers wait for them to realize that even if they hurt each other, it may be worth the risk.

WATCH IT

'Plainclothes'

Release date: September 19

Starring: Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey

The love story: In this forbidden romance based on true events, an undercover police officer (Tom Blyth) struggling to fit in is tasked with entrapping and arresting gay men in 1990s New York...until he falls in love with someone he meets on the job (Russell Tovey).

WATCH IT

'Regretting You'

Release date: October 24

Starring: Allison Williams, Mckenna Grace, Dave Franco, Mason Thames, Scott Eastwood, and Willa Fitzgerald

The love story: Brace yourself for a messy romance from the mind of Colleen Hoover. When Morgan (Allison Williams) was young, she became pregnant by her boyfriend Chris (Scott Eastwood)...but she was secretly in love with her sister Jenny's (Willa Fitzgerald) boyfriend Jonah (Dave Franco). Fast-forward 17 years to when Chris and Morgan are married parents to Clara (Mckenna Grace), while Jenny and Jonah have recently reunited and welcomed a baby. An unexpected tragedy rocks their lives, at the same time that Clara begins her own teenage romance with Miller (Mason Thames).

WATCH IT

'Wicked: For Good'

Releases: November 21

Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum

The love story: Whether you're a Gelphie believer or not (if not...what are you doing?), the second half of Wicked is when the Glinda-Fiyero-Elphaba love triangle comes to a head. Prepare to have "As Long As You're Mine" stuck in your head for all of December 2025.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'Eternity'

Releases: November 26

Starring: Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, John Early, Olga Merediz, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph

The love story: In this fantasy rom-com, the afterlife is made of countless realms, and the recently deceased typically have one week to decide where to spend eternity. When Larry (Miles Teller) and Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) die one after the other, Larry expects to spend forever with his wife of 65 years. But there's someone else in the mix: Joan's war-hero first love (Callum Turner), who's been waiting just as long for her to arrive.

WATCH THE TRAILER

Justine Lupe is celebrating Nobody Wants This's Golden Globes nominations by spilling tea on the highly-anticipated second season.

At the 2025 Golden Globes, held on Sunday, January 5 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in L.A., Lupe, who plays Morgan on the Netflix romance series led by Adrien Brody and Kristen Bell, opened up to Marie Claire about what fans can expect from the upcoming episodes.

"All I know is that they want to give the people what they want. They keep saying that over and over," the actress exclusively told Marie Claire on the Golden Globes red carpet.

Several cast members of the hit series, nominated for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy at the awards show, also reunited on the red carpet. Lupe was joined by Timothy Simons, who plays Sasha, and Jackie Tohn, who plays Esther. The group had a heartfelt moment and expressed excitement for the upcoming season.

On October 10, 2024, Netflix announced that Nobody Wants This was renewed for season 2, just two weeks after the series' debut. The romantic comedy created by Erin Foster follows the complicated love story of Joanne (Bell), an agnostic sex-and-dating podcaster, and an unconventional "hot rabbi" named Noah (Brody). Season 1 drew in viewers who fell for the actor's dazzling chemistry, Joanne's stellar wardrobe, and the will-they-won't-they romance.

In addition to the series' nomination, on-screen couple Brody and Bell are up for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy.

Other shows nominated for Best Comedy include Abbott Elementary, The Bear, The Gentlemen, Hacks, and Only Murders in the Building.

Cinephiles are well aware that the most exciting movies in the world often hail from South Korea. The Korean entertainment industry is beloved for legendary films from award-winning blockbusters like Parasite to instantly classic horror movies like The Wailing, and many of the country's most acclaimed auteurs and stars are at the top of their game. 2025 has been no exception; for those looking to catch up, many of the films that dominated Korea's box office this year are now available to rent or stream.

Below, discover the best Korean movies to watch in U.S. theaters or streaming platforms in 2025. (And if you're still immersing yourself in Korean cinema, check out our recommendations for the best Korean movies on Netflix and the best Korean films of 2024.)

'Harbin'

Release date: January 3

Starring: Hyun Bin, Park Jeong-min, Jeon Yeo-been, Jo Woo-jin, and Lee Dong-wook

Why it's worth watching: Crash Landing on You star Hyun Bin won a Blue Dragon Film Award for his portrayal of real-life independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun. This Korean historical thriller takes place in 1909, following Ahn's mission to assassinate Itō Hirobumi, Japan’s first prime minister.

WATCH ON HULU

'Dark Nuns'

Release date: February 7

Starring: Song Hye-kyo, Jeon Yeo-been, Lee Jin-wook, and Moon Woo-jin

Why it's worth watching: Released 10 years after the hit Korean horror movie The Priests, this new spinoff is director Jang Jae-hyun's latest religious thriller. When a young boy named Hee-joon (Moon Woo-jin) becomes possessed by an evil spirit, headstrong nun Sister Giunia (Song Hye-kyo) attempts to perform an exorcism despite not being an ordained priest. When her efforts don't work, she meets Sister Michela (Jeon Yeo-been), a novice nun who hides a dark past. As Hee-joon's condition grows worse, the pair must confront their own fears to save him.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Mickey 17'

Release date: March 7

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo

Why it's worth watching: Though Bong Joon-ho's follow-up to Parasite is an English-language film produced in the U.S., we can't leave off the Oscar-winning director's latest movie. Based on Edward Ashton's sci-fi novel Mickey7, the movie stars Robert Pattinson as a man who volunteered to become a "disposable" employee sent on impossible missions and cloned whenever he dies.

WATCH ON HBO MAX

'Revelations'

Release date: March 21 on Netflix

Starring: Ryu Jun-yeol and Shin Hyun-been

Why it's worth watching: This thriller boasts an all-star creative team, including Train to Busan helmer (and Netflix favorite) Yeon Sang-ho as director and Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón as an executive producer. According to the description, the film "follows a pastor (Ryu Jun-yeol) and a detective (Shin Hyun-been), each driven by their own beliefs. The pastor believes it’s his divine calling to punish the culprit behind a missing-person case, while the detective assigned to the case continues to be haunted by visions of her dead sister."

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'The Match'

Release date: March 26 on Netflix

Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Yoo Ah-in, Ko Chang-seok, Hyun Bong-sik, Moon Jeong-hee, and Kim Kang-hoon

Why it's worth watching: This sports biopic is based on the true story of the careers of master Go player Cho Hun-hyun (played by Squid Game's Lee Byung-hun) and his protégé-become-rival Lee Chang-ho (Hellbound's Yoo Ah-in). Their intense history comes to a head in the match of a lifetime, played at a time when the game of Go was more popular than the World Cup. (For anyone unfamiliar, Go is the game of black and white stones that was featured in The Glory and the first Knives Out.)

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'Revolver'

Release date: April 8

Starring: Jeon Do-yeon, Ji Chang-wook, and Lim Ji-yeon

Why it's worth watching: This twisted revenge thriller centers on Ha Soo-young (Jeon Do-yeon), a police sergeant who agreed to take the fall for a corruption scandal in exchange for a cushy life upon release. However, two years later, no one picks her up from prison. Double-crossed and left with nothing, Soo-young sets out on a ruthless search for the man who screwed her over (Ji Chang-wook).

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Yadang: The Snitch'

Release date: April 25

Starring: Kang Ha-neul, Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-joon, Ryu Kyung-soo, and Chae Won-bin

Why it's worth watching: In this crime thriller, Squid Game season 2's Kang Ha-neul plays Lee Kang-soo, a professional informant (a.k.a. a yadang) who sells intel about the drug world to ambitious prosecutor Goo Gwan-hee (Yoo Hae-jin). When a drug bust at a party attended by high-profile second-generation VIPs leads to Goo double-crossing Kang-soo, the yadang teams up with a framed cop (Park Hae-joon) to get revenge.

WATCH ON VIKI

'Lost in Starlight'

Release date: May 30 on Netflix

Starring: Kim Tae-ri and Hong Kyung

Why it's worth watching: This year, Netflix debuted its first-ever Korean-language animated film, a love story between scientist Nan-young (Kim Tae-ri) and musician Jay (Hong Kyung). Nan-young dreams of traveling to Mars and searching for traces of her mom, an astronaut who never returned after a mission. Right before her space voyage, she meets Jay, who repairs retro instruments. Per the streamer, the adorable film will see the pair "embark on the longest-ever long-distance relationship—one that bridges Earth and Mars."

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'Hi-Five'

Release date: May 30

Starring: Lee Jae-in, Ahn Jae-hong, Ra Mi-ran, Kim Hee-won, Yoo Ah-in, Oh Jung-se, and Park Jin-young

Why it's worth watching: Check out this action-comedy for a new spin on the ragtag superhero team. When five strangers receive organs from a mysterious donor, they find that they've inherited unbelievable powers that link them together. They must learn to work together against a cult leader (Park Jin-young of GOT7) who seeks to absorb their new powers.

WATCH ON VIKI

'Wall to Wall'

Release date: July 18 on Netflix

Starring: Kang Ha-neul, Yeom Hye-ran, and Seo Hyun-woo

Why it's worth watching: For this thriller, Unlocked writer/director Kim Tae-joon promises another stomach-churning thriller that hits a bit too close to home with its realistic premise. After exhausting all his financial resources, Woo-seong (Kang Ha-neul) "finally saves up enough to buy an apartment, only to have it turn into a nightmare with financial ruin and mysterious noises from neighboring floors."

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'Love Untangled'

Release date: August 29 on Netflix

Starring: Gong Myoung, Shin Eun-soo, Cha Woo-min, Youn Sang-hyun, and Kang Mi-na

Why it's worth watching: For rom-com fans, this romance film set in a high school in 1988 sounds like a must-watch. According to the description, it "follows 19-year-old Park Se-ri (Shin Eun-soo) as she plans to straighten her perpetually frizzy hair before making a life-changing confession, all while getting entangled with transfer student Han Yun-seok (Gong Myoung)."

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'Good News'

Release date: September 5 on Netflix

Starring: Sul Kyung-gu, Hong Kyung, and Ryu Seung-bum

Why it's worth watching: This historical black-comedy from Kill Boksoon director Byun Sung-hyun is based on a real-life hijacking of a Japanese airplane by militant communists in the 1970s. Instead of going the thriller route, Good News focuses on the absurd details of the event and the spineless attempts at damage control from bureaucrats trying to pass the blame for the incident.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'Mantis'

Release date: September 26 on Netflix

Starring: Yim Si-wan, Park Gyu-young, and Jo Woo-jin

Why it's worth watching: Two years after the thriller Kill Boksoon debuted on Netflix, writer Byun Sung-hyun returns to the world of contract-killing agencies in this spinoff film co-written and directed by Lee Tae-sung. Per the description, the action movie "follows Mantis (Yim Si-wan), an ace assassin returning to a collapsed order-hired-killer industry after his vacation. Upon reentering this anarchic world, Mantis encounters Jae-yi (Park Gyu-young), his fellow trainee and rival, and Dok-go (Jo Woo-jin), a retired legendary killer, and realizes they are all vying for the top spot among the killers."

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'The Great Flood'

Release date: December 19 on Netflix

Starring: Kim Da-mi and Park Hae-soo

Why it's worth watching: This disaster movie is set on the last day on Earth, as a catastrophic flood threatens the entire planet. Kim Da-mi stars as An-na, an AI researcher struggling to survive as she rescues a child from a flooding apartment. Meanwhile, a security team member named Hee-jo (Park Hae-soo) tries to save Anna from "the flood that threatens the entire world."

WATCH THE TEASER

'No Other Choice'

Release date: December 25 in theaters

Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, and Cha Seung-won

Why it's worth watching: Park Chan-wook's highly anticipated new film, adapted from Donald E. Westlake's novel The Ax, is a must-watch for fans of satirical black comedies about the ways capitalism drives us to extremes. (Yes, think Parasite.) When a lifelong paper-industry pro (Lee Byung-hun) is unceremoniously fired, he decides to rid the competition to ensure his and his family's livelihood.

WATCH THE TRAILER

If you're a Netflix subscriber who has yet to dip your toe into the world of South Korean entertainment, you are in a small minority. According to the streaming giant, "over 80% of Netflix members around the world watch K-content" with Korean-language TV shows and movies joining Spanish and Japanese content as the most popular among U.S. audiences. Netflix's 2024 Korean slate gave us dozens of K-dramas and Korean reality shows, with shows like Queen of Tears, Parasyte: the Grey, Physical: 100 season 2, and Culinary Class Wars dominating the streamer.

Somehow, Netflix Korea went even bigger in 2025, with epic new stories starring Hallyu's biggest stars, and the return of several hit reality competitions. From When Life Gives You Tangerines to Physical: Asia to the final season of Squid Game, global fans had plenty to fill their watchlists. Below, we've rounded up the best K-dramas and reality shows that landed on Netflix in 2025.

The Best Historical Netflix K-Dramas of 2025

'When Life Gives You Tangerines'

Release date: March 7

Warning: You will need a lot of tissues when you watch this gorgeous drama from My Mister director Kim Won-seok. This weekly drama takes place on Jeju Island and "chronicles the adventures of Ae-sun (IU and Moon So-ri), 'the remarkable rebel,' and Gwan-sik, (Park Bo-gum and Park Hae-joon), the 'unyielding iron,' including Gwan-sik’s long-standing crush on Ae-sun since they were young."

WATCH IT

'Dear Hongrang'

Release date: May 16

This historical K-drama, adapted from Jang Da-hye's novel Hong Rang: Swallowing Gold, chronicles the bond between step-siblings Hong-rang (Alchemy of Souls' Lee Jae-wook) and Jae-yi (Destined With You's Jo Bo-ah). Over a decade after Hong-rang disappeared at the age of eight, he returns home with no memory, and Jae-yi becomes "torn between doubt and love for her enigmatic step-brother," per Netflix.

WATCH IT

'Aema'

Release date: August 22

In 1982, the movie Madame Aema made history as one of the box-office hits of that year, and as the most erotic Korean film of its time. This dramedy set in Chungmuro, the heart of the Korean film industry in 1980s Seoul, depicts the fictionalized process of creating the film. Among the characters involved are Jeong Hui-ran (Lee Ha-nee), the acclaimed diva who's removed from the lead role due to studio disputes; Shin Joo-ae (Bong Hyo-rin), a nightclub dancer who's suddenly cast as the film's new star; and Kwak In-woo (Cho Hyun-chul), the timid rookie director about to make his directorial debut.

WATCH IT

'Bon Appetit, Your Majesty'

Release date: August 23

This smash-hit K-drama starring Lim Yoo-na and Lee Chae-min had fans drawing comparisons to Mr. Queen (the highest of compliments). Inspired by the real-life tyrant Yeonsangun, this historical-fantasy series follows Ji-young (Lim), an acclaimed chef who's suddenly transported back to 16th-century Joseon. She's quickly captured by the temperamental King Yi Heon (Lee Chae-min), who will keep her alive as long as she keeps making him excellent meals. (Because this is a K-drama, they eventually fall in love.)

WATCH IT

'Typhoon Family'

Release date: October 11

Like the beloved romance Twenty Five Twenty One, Typhoon Family is a historical drama set amid the 1997 Financial Crisis. Kang Tae-poong (King the Land's Lee Jun-ho) is a wealthy playboy, but when his father dies amid the crisis, he steps up to save the family business, Typhoon Trading. His determination inspires Oh Mi-seon (Pachinko's Kim Min-ha), who works as a bookkeeper at Typhoon. As the pair navigate several crises, they slowly fall in love.

WATCH IT

The Best Netflix Korean Reality Shows of 2025

'Single's Inferno' season 4

Release date: January 14

The fourth season of Single's Inferno marked a big moment for Netflix Korea's unscripted shows, as the first one to be renewed for four seasons. Season 4 featured a new cast, including standout members like Lee Si-an and Jang Theo, who roughed it out on an abandoned island dubbed Inferno, flirting and competing in challenges in hopes of winning a Paradise date in a luxury hotel.

WATCH IT

'Kian’s Bizarre B&B'

Release date: April 8

Webtoon (or manhwa) writer and TV personality Kian84 leads this variety show, where he "sets up and runs an extraordinary guesthouse on the island of Ulleungdo called KIAN Bizarre B&B, which offers a unique experience for young visitors." According to the description, "the guesthouse operates in a realm between healing and hilarity," as Kian welcomes a diverse selection of guests, with the help of his part-timers, BTS member Jin and actress Ji Ye-eun.

WATCH IT

'The Devil's Plan: Death Room'

Release date: May 6

For viewers more interested in games of mental wit than physical strength, The Devil's Plan returned for a second season. The exciting first installment brought together contestants from various fields to solve sophisticated mental games for the chance at a 250 million won (approximately $173,000) prize. Season 2's cast included Single's Inferno host Kyuhyun, EXchange/Transit Love alum Jung Hyun-gyu, legendary Go player Lee Se Dol, K-pop soloist Chuu, and Beef and The Umbrella Academy star Justin H. Min.

WATCH IT

'Better Late than Single'

Release date: July 8

Following the success of Single's Inferno, this reality dating show helps "eternal singles" find their chance at love. The makeover show follows a group of adults who've never been in a relationship, as they "undergo an intensive inside-out transformation, [from] personal style and grooming to mindset and communication" while living together and going on dates.

WATCH IT

'The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea's Tragedies'

Release date: August 15

In March 2023, the true-crime docuseries In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal examined the disturbing stories of four Korean cult leaders. In December, one of the doc's subjects, Christian Gospel Mission (also known as JMS) leader Jeong Myeong-seok, was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexual violence. This upcoming follow-up docuseries is the "second story" of In the Name of God, and "will feature the final story of JMS and the vivid voices of survivors from painful, tragic events in Korea.”

WATCH IT

'Crime Scene Zero'

Release date: September 23

Following original series like Busted! and Agents of Mystery, Netflix picked up the fifth season of the popular variety show Crime Scene. Follow a cast of celebrities playing different roles in a murder scene as they investigate one another to determine the criminal among them. This new season's cast includes fan-favorites from previous seasons: director Jang Jin, announcer Park Ji-yoon, comedian Jang Dong-min, Flower of Evil's Kim Ji-hoon, and IVE's An Yu-jin. Joining them are guest stars like Culinary Class Wars winner Ha Seok-jin.

WATCH IT

'Physical: Asia'

Release date: October 28

This spinoff of the intense strength competition Physical: 100 expands its scope beyond Korea, recruiting athletes throughout Asia in the franchise's latest "search for the perfect physique." The elite athletes in this Olympics-esque tournament include Physical: 100 alums, the winner of Final Draft, and champion boxer and former Philippines senator Manny Pacquiao.

WATCH IT

'Culinary Class Wars'

Release date: December 16

After its smash-hit debut, Culinary Class Wars will return for a second season, featuring beloved judges Paik Jong-won and Ahn Sung-jae. The cutthroat cooking competition pits 100 chefs against each other through intense and creative challenges, with the acclaimed "White Spoon" chefs going up against the underdog "Black Spoons." Per Netflix, season 2 features "even bigger showdowns, bolder tastes, and unrelenting tension."

WATCH IT

'Physical: Welcome to Mongolia'

Release date: December 24

To celebrate the global success of Physical: Asia, PD Jang Ho-gi brings viewers a travelogue spinoff reuniting members of Team Korea and Team Mongolia. The four-part series will follow Amotti and Kim Dong-hyun as Mongolian fan-favorites Orkhonbayar Bayarsaikhan and Lkhagva-Ochir Erdene-Ochir lead them on a locals' tour of the country's capital, Ulaanbaatar.

The Best Netflix Romance K-Dramas of 2025

'When the Stars Gossip'

Release date: January 4

This rom-com K-drama has a straightforward plot description: "An astronaut and a tourist meet and fall in love at a space station." Hallyu superstar Lee Min-ho plays the space tourist Gong Ryong, an OB/GYN dating the heir to Korea's richest corporation.When the Camellia Blooms's Gong Hyo-jin plays Eve Kim, the perfectionist commander who has to keep Gong alive.

WATCH IT

'Melo Movie'

Release date: February 14

We spent Valentine's Day 2025 with this romance K-drama's all-star cast. Five years ago, movie buffs Ko Gyeom (Choi Woo-shik) and Kim Mu-bee (Park Bo-young) fell for each other before Gyeom disappeared. Five years later, the pair reunite as movie critic Gyeon interviews director Mu-bee about her new film...and becomes her next-door neighbor. Lee Jun-young and Jeon So-nee costar as exes who also reunite to work on a new movie.

WATCH IT

'The Potato Lab'

Release date: March 1

Korean rom-coms love a theme: This lighthearted drama follows a spud-crazy romance. The synopsis: "In The Potato Lab, Mi-kyung’s (Lee Sun-bin) potato-centric life is upended by Baek-ho (Extraordinary Attorney Woo's Kang Tae-oh), a cold pragmatist. A whirlwind healing romantic comedy unfolds, as twisty as a tornado potato."

WATCH IT

'Heavenly Ever After'

Release date: April 19

This rom-com puts a new spin on one of Korea's most popular fantasy concepts: the afterlife. Octogenarian Lee Hae-sook (Kim Hye-ja) is a kind-hearted loan shark whose husband Ko Nak-jun died a year ago. When it's Hae-sook's time to go, she discovers she can choose to live with a specific person and be her desired age for all eternity. Deciding to remain her current age after a dying Nak-jun said she's never been more beautiful, Hae-sook arrives in Heaven to find her devoted husband...who's now in his 30s (played by Son Suk-ku). Come for the extreme age-gap romance, and stay for the scenes of deceased pets reuniting with their loved ones as humans.

WATCH IT

'Tastefully Yours'

Release date: May 12

‬Squid Game's Kang Ha-neul and Sweet Home's Go Min-si lead this rom-com that follows an unlikely romance set among the culinary world. Per the description, "In an attempt to inherit a food corporation, Han Beom-woo (Kang), a chaebol heir turned 'recipe hunter,' meets Mo Yeon-joo (Go),‬ a stubborn chef who runs a one-table restaurant in the small city of Jeonju, South Korea. Their fierce kitchen‬ encounters unfold into a shimmering romance.‬"

WATCH IT

'Genie, Make a Wish'

Release date: October 3

Eight years after they first played love interests in Uncontrollably Fond, Bae Suzy and Kim Woo-bin reunite in this highly anticipated fantasy rom-com from The Glory screenwriter Kim Eun-sook. The fantasy drama (previously known as Everything Will Come True) chronicles the adventures of Jinn (Kim), a genie who's awakened from his centuries-long sleep, and Ga-young (Bae), who's granted three wishes.

WATCH IT

'Dynamite Kiss'

Release date: November 12

2025 may have been a rough year for classic rom-coms, but this hilarious series from SBS TV has K-drama fans swooning. During a trip to Jeju Island, striving "Cinderella" Go Da-rim (Ahn Eun-jin) finds her chaebol "Prince Charming" in Gong Ji-hyeok (Jang Ki-yong), but she ghosts him when she's called away for a family emergency. Weeks later, desperate for a job, Da-rim lies that she's married with a child to get a temp job at a baby products company. But guess who happens to be her new boss? Such begins the twisting, delightfully trope-y romance.

WATCH IT

The Best Netflix Slice-of-Life K-Dramas of 2025

'Our Unwritten Seoul'

Release date: May 24

Korean superstar Park Bo-young does double-duty in this slice-of-life K-drama, starring as two identical twins: perfectionist office-worker Mi-rae, and carefree former athlete Mi-ji. "After a complicated twist of fate, they swap identities, each sister navigating unfamiliar challenges to discover love and their true selves," per the description. GOT 7's Park Jin-young also stars as Ho-su, a childhood friend who reunites with the twins.

WATCH IT

'The Winning Try'

Release date: August 15

In this heartwarming sports drama, Yoon Kye-sang stars as Ju Ga-ram, a disgraced rugby player who gets the opportunity to coach his high school team. Though Hanyang High School is the weakest team in the league, the players and Ga-ram himself begin their quest for redemption.

WATCH IT

'You and Everything Else'

Release date: September 12

This K-drama tearjerker (also known as Two Women or Eun Jung and Sang Yeon) will follow "the journey of two friends who have an enduring, complicated love-hate relationship," per Netflix. Former childhood besties Ryu Eun-jung (Goblin's Kim Go-eun) and Cheon Sang-yeon (Reborn Rich's Park Ji-hyun) reunite at 42-years-old as they face a profound challenge: Sang-yeon's battle with cancer. The Glory's Kim Gun-woo also stars.

WATCH IT

'The Dream Life of Mr. Kim'

Release date: October 11

In the same month that Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice hit theaters, this slice-of-life K-drama offered a different perspective on the midlife crisis. Kim Nak-su (played by Moving and Chicken Nugget's Ryu Seung-ryong) is a corporate manager who is unexpectedly demoted after 25 years of working. As he takes a series of odd jobs to keep himself, his wife (Myung Se-bin), and his college-aged son (Cha Kang-yoon) afloat, Mr. Kim must learn to find happiness outside of monetary success.

WATCH IT

The Best Thriller Netflix K-Dramas of 2025

'Trauma Code: Heroes on Call'

Release date: January 24

Netflix's first original medical K-drama is an adaptation of the webcomic Severe Trauma Center: Golden Hour, produced by WEBTOON Entertainment’s Studio N. The comedy-thriller centers on an ensemble cast led by Kingdom's Ju Ji-hoon and rising star Choo Young-woo. The show's description reads, "Genius surgeon Baek Kang-hyuk transforms a university hospital's budget-draining trauma team into a trauma center that saves lives."

WATCH IT

'Karma'

Release date: April 4

Squid Game season 1 star Park Hae-soo and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha's Shin Min-a lead this crime thriller K-drama based on the Kakao webtoon of the same name. Per the description, the show follows "six people caught in an unbreakable karmic loop, each bound by reckless choices that spiral out of control." The main cast is rounded out by A Killer Paradox's Lee Hee-joon, D.P.'s Kim Sung-kyun, Running Man alum Lee Kwang-soo, and The First Responders' Gong Seung-yeon.

WATCH IT

'Friendly Rivalry'

Release date: April 6

After its domestic premiere earlier this year, Netflix brought this acclaimed high-school thriller to the platform. Woo Seul-gi (Chung Su-bin) is a studious orphan who moves from her provincial hometown to Seoul to attend the elite Chaehwa High School. She quickly befriends Yoo Je-yi (Reply 1988's Lee Hye-ri), Chaehwa's most popular student, to the surprise of everyone...including Seul-gi herself. The series unfurls the duo's complicated relationship, as well as the journeys of Je-yi's lackeys Ye-ri (Kang Hye-won) and Kyung (Oh Woo-ri).

WATCH IT

'Weak Hero Class 2'

Release date: April 25

Weak Hero Class 1 was one of the best thriller dramas of 2022, following high school student Yeon Si-eun (Park Ji-hoon) as he struggled against brutal school violence. Now, Netflix has taken the reins for the show's second season, in which Si-eun challenges a new set of lethal bullies after he's transferred to a new school. Weak Hero Class 2's cast also includes Twinkling Watermelon's Ryeoun, XO Kitty's Choi Min-young, and Crash Course in Romance's Lee Min-jae.

WATCH IT

'Mercy for None'

Release date: June 6

So Ji-sub stars in this highly anticipated noir crime thriller as a former gangster who re-emerges seeking vengeance. 11 years ago, Gi-jun (So) "severed his own Achilles tendon to leave the world of organized crime." He now lives a peaceful life, while his younger brother Gi-seok (Lee Jun-hyuk) stayed in the game and became a kingpin. Now, Gi-jun returns to "investigate and avenge" Gi-seok's mysterious death. Also starring in the show's ensemble cast are Huh Joon-ho, An Kil-kang,‬‭ Tiger Lee, Gong Myoung, Choo Young-woo,‬ and more.

WATCH IT

'Squid Game' season 3

Release date: June 27

Squid Game's final episodes arrived on the streamer this year, bringing the story of Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) to a devastating conclusion. Though Netflix's most-watched show of all time concluded its original story, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk's sadistic game will live on, via spinoffs like Squid Game: The Challenge and the rumored Squid Game: USA.

WATCH IT

'Trigger'

Release date: July 25

Korea is known for its strict gun regulation, but this thriller K-drama follows "two men [who] pick up their guns for different reasons" amid a fictional surge in illegal firearms. Lee‬ Do (Kim Nam-gil) is "a military sniper turned police detective, investigating a‬ series of incidents to hunt down the source behind these illegal firearms." Meanwhile, Moon Baek (Kim Young-kwang), "a methodical strategist behind his carefree manner, is the center of the arms‬ broker business.‬"

WATCH IT

'As You Stood By'

Release date: November 7

Parasyte: The Grey's Jeon So-nee and Squid Game's Lee Yoo-mi star in this K-drama adaptation of Hideo Okuda’s novel Naomi to Kanako. Longtime friends Eun-su (Jeon) and Hui-su (Lee) suffered traumatic childhoods and grew up to be unhappy in their adult lives. One day, they decide to finally change their lives...by killing Hui-su's abusive husband (played by Jang Seung-Jo).

WATCH IT

'The Price of Confession'

Release date: December 5

This mystery-thriller K-drama boasts an all-star cast, including Kill Boksoon's Jeon Do-yeon, Goblin's Kim Go-eun, Squid Game's Park Hae-soo, and Extreme Job's Jin Seon-kyu. Jeon plays Ahn Yoon-soo, a woman accused of her husband’s murder, who encounters a mysterious prison inmate (Kim) and "strikes a dangerous deal," according to the show's description.

WATCH IT

'Cashero'

Release date: December 26

Based on the webtoon of the same name, this action K-drama takes place in a world where superpowers are tied to special circumstances. Average man Kang Sang-ung (Typhoon Family's Lee Jun-ho) discovers that he has superpowers connected to the amount of money he possesses. With the help of his math-whiz girlfriend Kim Min-sook (A Shop for Killers' Kim Hye-jun), Sang-ung joins the Korean Coalition of Superheroes. Co-starring are Kim Byung-chul, who plays a lawyer who can only access his powers when he's drunk, and Kim Hyang-gi‬, whose telekinesis is powered by calories.

WATCH THE TRAILER

The Best Workplace Netflix K-Dramas of 2025

'Resident Playbook'

Release date: April 12

Three years after Hospital Playlist's final episode, the long-awaited spinoff Resident Playbook finally arrived. Per the description, the new medical drama "follows the lives and friendships of OB-GYN residents at Jongno Yulje Medical Center, a branch of the iconic Yulje Hospital." Moving's Go Youn-jung leads the cast, which includes Shin Shi-ah, Han Ye-ji, Kang You-seok, and Jung Jun-won.

WATCH IT

'Beyond the Bar'

Release date: August 2

Netflix's first entry in this year's courtroom dramas boom, Beyond the Bar follows brilliant rookie lawyer Kang Hyo-min (Jung Chae-yeon) as she begins her first job at the prestigious Yulim law firm's litigation department, led by Yoon Seok-hoon (Lee Jin-wook). Though the show eventually falls prey to the problematic age gap, the surprisingly heartwarming cases had fans loving this procedural.

WATCH IT

'Pro Bono'

Release date: December 6

This legal drama stars Crash Course on Romance's Jung Kyung-ho as Kang Da-wit, a famous judge whose dreams of joining the Supreme Court are dashed by scandal. After he's forced to resign, Da-wit's ex Oh Jung-in (Lee Yoo-young) recruits him to work for her modest pro bono practice. The pair makes a deal: If Da-wit wins over 70 percent of his cases in the next year, Jung-in will help him secure a Supreme Court nomination.

WATCH IT

When it comes to romance novels, Emily Henry, or “EmHen,” as the book community likes to call her, has the Midas touch. It’s been nothing but No. 1 bestsellers for the author since she cracked the genre wide open with 2020’s Beach Read.

Having switched her focus from the young adult novels she was previously penning, Henry has sold over 10 million books worldwide, with five of her titles getting the book-to-screen adaptation treatment. But where on Earth does one go to start reading?

That all depends on how you’re looking to approach Henry's collection. Much like Taylor Swift, the millennial author has an affinity for planting Easter eggs in her prose. For that reason, you may choose to read her romance novels in order, starting with Beach Read (2020) and People We Meet on Vacation (2021), and continuing with Book Lovers (2022), Happy Place (2023), and Funny Story (2024). In April 2025, she released Great Big Beautiful Life, so that should come last if you're concerned with reading the books as they were published.

If you want to go for the deep cuts, you could start with her young adult series, beginning with Henry’s first-ever book, The Love That Split the World. (There’s also A Million Junes, When the Sky Fell on Splendor, and Hello Girls.)

However, we suggest you tackle her library by skipping straight to the hits, or Emily Henry's very best books thus far. But don't worry: We've done the legwork to find out exactly how Henry's books rank, from her early works to her first star-crossed romance to her latest labor of love. Below, find the best Emily Henry books, ranked.

When does Emily Henry's next book come out?

Emily Henry has yet to announce her next book. The prolific author has been publishing one adult romance novel every spring like clockwork since 2020, with her last release, Great Big Beautiful Life, dropping in April 2025. Considering her recent output, it's safe to say that she may be taking more time on the next one, and it will likely be a longer hiatus before the next one hits shelves. (Great Big Beautiful Life was officially announced seven months before its release, so, at this point, the earliest a new book could be released would be late 2026 or 2027, more likely.)

According to TODAY, Henry also signed a four-book deal that began in 2022, and depending on whether her 2022 release, Book Lovers, was included, she may have fulfilled her contract, leaving her freer to explore other projects. Like, say, writing screenplays?

The author has her hands tied writing the script for Funny Story (more on that below) and expressed to TODAY that she hopes to write the movie version of Great Big Beautiful Life, as well. (An adaptation for her most recent book has yet to be announced.)

“It’s so fun adapting your own book because you already know it so deeply and intimately. It’s like you’re just thinking about your favorite parts,” she told The L.A. Times. “It did give me a little bit of a bug. I want to keep doing this.”

Henry also hinted that her future novels may be a little different than her last six hits. “I will write some more straightforward romantic comedies in the coming years, but...I'm excited to see what else is out there that would be fun to work on,” she told TODAY. “At some point, I would love to revisit writing thrillers, but I am always going to love a love story.”

Which Emily Henry books are becoming movies?

If you've read all of Henry's books and are eager for more, fear not: Five out of Henry’s six adult novels are being adapted into movies.

The first film based on one of the author's books, People We Meet on Vacation, premiered to acclaim on Netflix in January 2026. Directed by Brett Haley and with a screenplay co-written by Yulin Kuang, Amos Vernon, and Nunzio Randazzo, Henry has long been vocal about delivering a project that book fans will love, and that stands on its own as a solid romantic comedy. "Just it happening was not the goal. It happening and being good was the goal," she told The Los Angeles Times. "And luckily, I think [People We Meet on Vacation] is very good."

In the film, Emily Bader (My Lady Jane) and Tom Blyth (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) brought Poppy and Alex to life, with Sarah Catherine Hook, Lucien Laviscount, Jameela Jamil, Lukas Gage, and more in supporting roles. Ahead of the movie's release, Netflix shared footage of the director offering the leads their roles, and Henry giving her sign of approval. "I just truly could not feel any more confident that my readers…are going to completely, completely fall in love with Poppy and Alex, with you guys playing them," she told them over Zoom.

Also in the works are Book Lovers, which will be penned by former Girls writer Sarah Heyward; Funny Story, which Henry herself will write the screenplay for; Beach Read, which is to be written and directed by People We Meet on Vacation co-writer Yulin Kuang; and Happy Place, which was originally going to be developed as a TV show but is now going to be a movie produced by Jennifer Lopez’s Nuyorican Productions. Like People We Meet on Vacation, Netflix will produce and release Funny Story and Happy Place.

There's a lot of anticipation surrounding Beach Read in particular. Henry has full faith that writer/director Kuang will do it justice, though. "It’s so different than I would have thought to approach it," the author told Variety of the script. “It feels like a big swing, which I am all about, because I think the worst thing that a movie can be is boring and mediocre. If we’re doing this, let’s really go for it."

No cast has been announced yet for any of the forthcoming films, but Henry and Kuang had fans in a tizzy in May 2024 when they reposted a selfie of The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri and Paul Mescal to their social accounts. "I can’t confirm or deny anything with casting for any movie. I will say that those are two of my favorite 'Irish' actors," Henry told Variety at the time.

She added: "I actually saw them being discussed [online] for several different roles—and I definitely have a favorite."

As for Book Lovers, fans are already clamoring for Superman’s David Corenswet to take on the novel’s leading man, Charlie, opposite Dianna Agron, Simone Ashley, or Suki Waterhouse. While everything is still speculation, Henry isn’t mad at the suggestion. “Get him on board, and I’m in 💯,” she wrote in a comment per PEOPLE.

When it comes to Happy Place, Henry has teased who she envisions as the female lead. "For Harriet in Happy Place, I think Eve Hewson would be wonderful," she said to PEOPLE about the Bad Sisters and The Perfect Couple star. "She actually does look more or less how Harriet is in my head."

There may still be time to cast your votes, however. As Henry explained, “I always find it really fun to ask readers to do fan casting, and I do take those names that come up a lot into conversations with these teams.”

Why You Should Trust Us

From #Booktok favorites to acclaimed best-selling authors, we regularly rank just about any book you can imagine. Beach reads? We’ve done our homework. Smutty STEM novels? We've got them covered, too. We’re methodical in our methods: combing through real-life reviews, seeing what fans are saying on Reddit, TikTok, and GoodReads, and, of course, actually reading the books. We simply love to read and keep up with what's trending in the book world—so you can focus on more important things, like devouring every single precious word.

In case you were wondering, Jude Law knows just how much you still love Mr. Napkin Head. He's also aware of how ready the world is for a sequel to The Holiday.

Since its release in 2006, Nancy Meyers' The Holiday has become a staple Christmas movie. The adorable premise follows Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) as they swap homes over the holiday season. While Iris leaves England for sunny Los Angeles, Amanda travels to Rosehill Cottage, Iris' idyllic country home, where she meets the dashing Graham, played by Jude Law.

Just in time for the holiday season, Law reunited with Meyers to celebrate him receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In a video shared to Instagram, Meyers congratulated Law on the achievement, before teasing him about the Christmas rom-com they made together almost two decades ago. "Congrats Jude! I was thrilled to be at a lunch for Jude today and I had one question for him," she captioned the post.

Referring to the many interviews in which Law has been asked about The Holiday, Meyers says, "They keep asking you, 'Is there going to be a sequel?'" Seemingly in response, Law can be seen picking up a napkin, putting it on his head, and then being handed a pair of glasses. Having recreated his fan favorite character, Mr. Napkin Head, Meyers asks, "Is that a yes, Jude?"

Sadly, the video clip cuts before Law can answer, but seeing him recreate the beloved Mr. Napkin Head character from The Holiday has given fans hope.

"Patiently waiting for YEARS for this," one person commented underneath the video. Another commenter noted, "Omg this is such a TEASE!" Someone else couldn't handle the suggestion of a sequel, writing, "This is not the time of year to be messing around with our hearts, Nancy!" And one astute person said, "Just casually breaking the internet."

Earlier this month, Law opened up about the beautiful English cottage shown in The Holiday, revealing that it wasn't a real house, after all. Speaking to BBC Radio 2, Law said, "That cottage doesn't exist." He continued, "So the director [Nancy Meyers], she's a bit of a perfectionist. She toured that whole area and didn't quite find the chocolate box cottage she's looking for. So she just hired a field and drew it and had someone build it."

Fans of classic romantic comedy Notting Hill will be thanking Julia Roberts for shutting down one particular sequel idea.

In a new interview with IndieWire, screenwriter Richard Curtis was asked whether he considered making sequels to any of his beloved movies. "I don't think so," he responded, before referencing some of the short comedic sequels he made for charity events Red Nose Day and Comic Relief. "We did those mini sequels to Love Actually and those satisfied me," he explained.

Although Curtis had wanted to revisit Notting Hill in its own mini sequel, the film's star, Julia Roberts, apparently vetoed the idea. Notting Hill, of course, follows the unlikely romance between Hollywood actress Anna Scott (Roberts) and British bookstore owner William Thacker (Hugh Grant). Spoiler alert, the movie ends with the pair married and pregnant, reading on an idyllic park bench in London.

Discussing his idea for a follow-up, Curtis told the outlet, "I tried doing one with Notting Hill where they were going to get divorced and Julia [Roberts] thought that was a very poor idea." Fans of the film are likely to agree that breaking up Anna and Will would be pretty devastating.

While Roberts wasn't on board with a Notting Hill sequel, Grant previously suggested he would return to show that any so-called "happy ending" was a lie.

While promoting his HBO series The Undoing, Grant explained (via Huffington Post), "I would like to do a sequel to one of my own romantic comedies that shows what happened after those films ended. Really, to prove the terrible lie that they all were, that it was a happy ending."

As for how he'd revisit Notting Hill in particular, the actor said, "I'd like to do me and Julia and the hideous divorce that's ensued with really expensive lawyers, children involved in [a] tug of love, floods of tears. Psychologically scarred for ever. I'd love to do that film."

Grant also reflected on his role in Notting Hill during a Nov. 14 video interview with Vanity Fair. "Whenever I'm flicking the channels at home after a few drinks, and this comes up, I just think, 'Why doesn't my character have any balls?'" the actor said.

Grant continued, "There's a scene in this film where [Julia Roberts' character] is in my house and the paps come to the front door and ring the bell, and I think I just let her go past me and open the door, and that's awful." Grant has also received a lot of feedback about the movie moment, explaining, "I've never had a girlfriend, or indeed, now wife, who hasn't said, 'Why the hell didn't you stop her? What’s wrong with you?' And I don't really have an answer to that." Ultimately, Grant simply thinks his Notting Hill character is "despicable, really."

This Christmas, Netflix gifted us an update on the fluffy holiday rom-com with Hot Frosty. Starring Mean Girls alum Lacey Chabert, the film follows a plucky diner owner who could use a bit of Christmas cheer. Kathy's (Chabert) holiday season is turned upside down when she's gifted a magical scarf that turns a chiseled snowman into an alive, hot-blooded man. Kathy has recently lost her husband, and the newly-human Jack (Schitt's Creek's Dustin Milligan) gives her a second chance at love (and a refreshing dose of lust for such a wholesome flick).

Like many Christmas movies, Hot Frosty takes place in a cozy small town that gives Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow a run for its money. This movie's setting, Hope Springs, New York, has viewers wondering whether they could complete their holiday season with a trip to the town (hot defrosted snowman included or not). Read on for everything we know about the filming locations of Hot Frosty.

Is Hope Springs, NY a real place?

Sorry to break hearts, but Hot Frosty's small town of Hope Springs, New York, is completely fictional. However, there is a village with a similar name just an hour outside of N.Y.C. Cold Springs, NY, is located on the Hudson River just an hour MetroNorth ride away, and is idyllic enough to fulfill your small-town fantasies year round. (Whether you run into a hot, kind man who will cook you dinner is anyone's guess.)

Where was 'Hot Frosty' filmed?

Like many Netflix productions, Hot Frosty was filmed on location in and around the cities of Brockville and Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. According to TheWrap, Brockville is just across the border almost due north of New York, a seven-hour drive or two-hour flight away.

As reported by Screenrant, Court House Square in downtown Brockville (also known as the City of the 1000 Islands) stood in for Hope Springs' plaza, where the snowmen competition took place and Jack was born (or transformed). Scenes in Kathy's diner and the Reclaimed Rags thrift store were filmed in nearby buildings, including the Keystorm Pub.

Meanwhile, according to CTV News, Kathy's house was filmed in Almonte, a former mill town an hour northwest of Brockville and an hour southwest of Ottawa.

Finally, a closed elementary school in Ottawa served as the location for the Christmas dance.

Drew Barrymore's children are already fans of her work with frequent costar Adam Sandler, according to the actress.

During the Monday, November 4 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the Charlie's Angels star shared a sweet story about romantic comedy 50 First Dates.

Barrymore explained (via Entertainment Weekly), "My daughter and Adam's daughter were watching it at my house the other night and I was like, 'Why are you guys watching this? Don't you get enough of me and your dad?'" She continued, "And they were just so happy and I was like, 'Oh, but this is so sweet and wonderful.'"

Both Barrymore and Sandler are raising daughters, respectively. Barrymore shares two daughters—Olive and Frankie—with her ex-husband, Will Kopelman. Sandler is raising daughters Sunny and Sadie with his wife, Jackie Sandler.

Barrymore also confirmed that she found it comforting that her kids were interested in watching her work, saying, "Because your kids will—a lot of the time—reject so many things about you that when you see them embracing something, you're like, 'Oh, how fantastic!'"

To date, Barrymore and Sandler have worked together on three romantic comedies. They first starred together in 1998's The Wedding Singer, which paid tribute to the 1980s. They reunited in 2004 for amnesia rom-com 50 First Dates. Ten years later, they appeared together in Blended, a romantic comedy about two single parents who unexpectedly hit it off while on safari.

In 2023, Barrymore reflected on her enduring friendship with Sandler, telling People, "You know, I just always believed in him so much. And not that my opinion matters. But I just felt like, this is the guy."

She continued, "This is the one all us women were so in love with him on SNL. And, you know, I love Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison. Comedians create their own brand, their own flavor and scent and, you know, ideal around them, that is not easy to do."

As a result, Barrymore was drawn to working with Sandler, and together they created some magical onscreen chemistry. "I wanted some place to put my admiration and I thought a film was the most safe and cathartic place to do it," she told the outlet.

Netflix's hit series Nobody Wants This is an excellent rom-com, and like all great rom-coms, it has the perfect cast for its love story. Created by Erin Foster, the must-watch series follows Joanne (Kristen Bell), an opinionated sex podcaster, and Noah (Adam Brody), a very hot rabbi. Although the pair wants to be together (don't worry, Hot Priest fans, rabbis can date), they deal with several societal challenges, including the well-meaning judgment of their families.

To bring the story to life, the Netflix romance series gathered many familiar faces, including legendary Jewish actors and L.A.-based comedy stars (including several The Good Place alums). Now back for its second season, the Netflix original has pulled in some of its stars's real-life partners to appear in the on-screen love story. Below, read on to learn more about the lovable cast of Nobody Wants This season 2.

Kristen Bell as Joanne

Joanne hosts a popular sex and dating podcast, which is in talks to be acquired by Spotify in season 1. She's opinionated, agnostic, and a tad cynical, though she isn't as bad a person as she fears she is. Her dating life mostly serves as fodder for her pod until she meets someone unexpected.

Kristen Bell, 45, began her Hollywood career with the breakout titular role in the hit teen show Veronica Mars, and she went on to play several other iconic characters, including the voice of Gossip Girl, the titular ex in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Anna in Frozen. Her other notable projects include Starz's Party Down, Showtime's House of Lies, NBC's The Good Place, and Apple TV+'s Central Park.

Adam Brody as Noah Roklov

Noah Roklov is an unconventional, modern-day rabbi who dreams of becoming head rabbi and finding his soulmate. Nobody Wants This's epic love story kicks off when he meets shiksa Joanne, shortly after breaking things off with his long-term, perfect Jewish girlfriend Rebecca.

Adam Brody, 45, needs no introduction for millennial women, as he's best known for playing teen heartthrob Seth Cohen in the hit 2000s series The O.C. Since then, he has also starred in 2005's Mr. and Mrs. Smith, 2009's Jennifer's Body, 2015's Sleeping With Other People, Crackle's StartUp, 2019's Ready or Not, 2020's Promising Young Woman, ABC's Single Parents, FX's Fleishman Is in Trouble, and 2023's American Fiction. (He's also married to Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester.)

Justine Lupe as Morgan

Morgan often butts heads with her sister and podcast co-host Joanne over their different views on where the business should go and their opinionated natures. Still, the sisters are always there for each other.

Two years ago, Justine Lupe, 36, ended her run as the call girl and aspiring playwright turned wife of Connor Roy in the HBO hit Succession. The Juilliard grad has also appeared in shows and films, including 2012's Frances Ha, ABC's Cristela, FX's Snowfall, Peacock's Mr. Mercedes, 2022's Luckiest Girl Alive, Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Apple TV+'s The Big Door Prize. (Her husband, artist Tyson Mason, has a cameo in Nobody Wants This season 2.)

Timothy Simons as Sasha Roklov

Noah's brother, Sasha, works for their father's company and has a family with his wife, Esther, and their pre-teen daughter Miriam. He can be self-effacing, dubbing himself and Morgan the "loser siblings."

Timothy Simons, 47, is best known for his breakout role in the HBO comedy Veep, where he played The Pointless Giant, the mildest of many nicknames for Jonah Ryan. Since then, the actor and comedian has starred in movies and shows, including 2014's Inherent Vice, 2016's Christine, 2020's Happiest Season, Max's Station Eleven, 2022's Don't Worry Darling, 2023's Joy Ride, as well as the Hulu shows Candy and The Handmaid's Tale. Next up, he's set to play Tantalus in season 2 of Disney's Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Jackie Tohn as Esther Roklov

Esther, Sasha's wife/Noah's sister-in-law, is a non-nonsense family woman with a dry sense of humor. At first, she doesn't like Joanne because Noah's ex-girlfriend, Rebecca, is her best friend. As her husband and Morgan become good friends, she becomes determined to prove she's "fun" in season 2.

She's played by Jackie Tohn, 45, an American actress and musician who has appeared in shows and films including 2015's Sisters, Netflix's Glow, Prime Video's The Boys and its spinoff Gen V, and 2023's Step Aside. She also competed on season 8 of American Idol in 2009, followed by the songwriting competition show Platinum Hit in 2011. (Her boyfriend, actor and filmmaker Joe Gillette, appears in season 2, episode 5 as Gabe.)

Tovah Feldshuh as Bina Roklov

Tovah Feldshuh, 76, is a stage and screen star who has acted on Broadway for over 50 years and received four Tony nominations. She plays Noah's overprotective mother, Bina, who immigrated to the U.S. from Russia. On the TV side of her career, she's best known for appearing in Law & Order, Flesh and Bone, The Walking Dead, Salvation, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

Paul Ben-Victor as Ilan Roklov

Noah's chill father, Ilan, is played by Paul Ben-Victor, 60, an alum of prestige dramas including The Wire (where he played Spiros in season 2), Entourage, Vinyl, True Detective, and Paul T. Goldman. He has also appeared in films including The Irishman, True Romance, Daredevil, Don Jon, and The Baker.

Stephanie Faracy as Lynn

Joanne and Morgan's wellness-obsessed mother, Lynn, is played by Stephanie Faracy, 73, a Brooklyn-born actress who made her television debut in a 1976 episode of Laverne and Shirley. She has appeared in movies including The Great Outdoors, Hocus Pocus, Sideways, Temple Grandin, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, as well as shows like His & Hers, True Colors, Frasier, Devious Maids, and Uncoupled.

Michael Hitchcock as Henry

Joanne's father, Henry, has recently separated from his wife, Lynn, to explore his homosexuality—but don't worry, the family's all still close. He's played by Michael Hitchcock, 67, an alum of the famed improv group The Groundlings, who has appeared in shows including Mad TV, The Suite Life on Deck, Men of a Certain Age, The United States of Tara, Glee, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Black Monday. He also previously costarred with Kristen Bell in the Netflix spoof The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window.

Sherry Cola as Ashley

Ashley is not only Joanne's close friend and podcast producer; she's the mutual friend whose dinner party begins Joanne and Noah's love story. She's played by Sherry Cola, 35, an actress and comedian who rose to fame playing Alice Kwon on the Freeform series Good Trouble. She's since starred in movies and shows including 2022's Turning Red, 2023's Shortcomings and Joy Ride, 2024's A Family Affair, Netflix's Blue Eye Samurai, and 2025's Freaker Friday and Good Fortune.

Leslie Grossman as Rabbi Shira

Rabbi Shira—Noah's old camp counselor-turned-mentor—is played by Leslie Grossman, 53, an L.A.-born actress and frequent collaborator of Ryan Murphy. The longtime TV actress has appeared in dozens of shows, most notably The WB's Popular and What I Like About You, Hulu's Love, Victor, FX's American Horror Story; and Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Hernandez Story.

Emily Arlook as Rebecca

Noah's ex (and Esther's best friend), Rebecca, is played by Emily Arlook, 35, best known for playing Nomi Segal on Freeform's college series Grown-ish. The Jewish-Buddhist actress has also appeared in 2019's Big Time Adolescence, 2023's You People, and several episodes of The Good Place.

D'Arcy Carden as Ryann

Joanne's good friend Ryann (seen above, next to Bernard David Jones as Charles) is played by Kristen Bell's former The Good Place co-star D'Arcy Carden, 45. In addition to her fan-favorite role as Janet in NBC's hit comedy, Carden is an actress, comedian, and UCB alum who has also appeared in shows including Broad City, Single Parents, Barry, and A League of Their Own.

Arian Moayed as Dr. Andy

In season 2, viewers meet Dr. Andy, Morgan's unconventional new boyfriend, a charming psychologist played by Arian Moayed, 45. The Iranian-American stage and screen actor reunites with his Succession co-star Lupe, after his previous Emmy-nominated run as private-equity bro Stewy Hosseini. Moayed's other notable projects include Netflix's Inventing Anna, the Marvel titles Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ms. Marvel, and HBO Max's Love Life, as well as his short-form series The Accidental Wolf.

Leighton Meester as Abby

Blair Waldorf actress Leighton Meester, 39, joins season 2 as Abby, Joanne's former middle school nemesis who's now a mommy influencer. Since her breakout role in Gossip Girl, Meester has starred in movies such as The Roommate, Monte Carlo, and EXmas, as well as shows Single Parents, How I Met Your Father, Good Cop/Bad Cop, and The Buccaneers. Next up, she's set to appear in Rachel Sennott's HBO show I Love L.A.

Seth Rogen as Rabbi Neil; Kate Berlant as Cami

Noah faces a minor crisis of faith in season 2 when he meets Neil and Cami, rabbis at the more progressive Temple Ahava.

Seth Rogen, 43, is a Canadian actor, writer, and filmmaker best known for his popular comedy movies—including Superbad, Pineapple Express, and This Is The End—and his more dramatic roles in films like The Fabelmans. He comes to Nobody Wants This fresh off his Emmy wins for the Apple TV+ satire The Studio. The multi-hyphenate is also a prolific producer for films and shows (ahem, The Boys), and he founded the cannabis lifestyle brand Houseplant in 2019. He has been married to actress Lauren Miller since 2011.

Kate Berlant, 38, is an actress and comedian who made her TV debut on a 2002 episode of Lizzie McGuire. She has since starred in titles including 2018's Sorry to Bother You, 2019's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 2022's Don't Worry Darling, Prime Video's A League of Their Own, and 2023's Dream Scenario. She has also released the stand-up special Cinnamon in the Wind, as well as the Peacock sketch-comedy special Would It Kill You to Laugh? with John Early. In addition to performing at comedy clubs and art institutions regularly, she also won the American version of Taskmaster in 2018.

Alex Karpovsky as Rabbi Big Noah

Rabbi Big Noah, a new face at Temple Chai who becomes Noah's competition for the head-rabbi job, is played by Girls alum Alex Karpovsky, 50. In addition to playing Ray on the HBO hit, the actor and filmmaker is best known for Lena Dunham's early film Tiny Furniture; the Coen Brothers films Inside Llewyn Davis and Hail, Caesar!; 2017's Folk Hero & Funny Guy; Prime Video's Homecoming; and Peacock's Angelyne.

Let’s face it: Matthew McConaughey is really, really good in a romantic comedy. Let’s walk down memory lane, shall we? The Wedding Planner in 2001 alongside Jennifer Lopez. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days in 2003 (and, later, Fool’s Gold in 2008) with Kate Hudson. Failure to Launch in 2006 with Sarah Jessica Parker. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past in 2009 with Jennifer Garner. On. And on. And on. Indeed, for nearly all of the decade that was the aughts, McConaughey was typecast as a rom-com king—and he didn’t like it.

Speaking to fellow Texas native Glen Powell for Interview magazine, McConaughey told Powell—himself a burgeoning rom-com star, after his role in Anyone But You opposite Sydney Sweeney last year—that he “had to leave Hollywood for two years” after he felt that’s all his career would amount to.

Before winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in 2013’s Dallas Buyers Club, McConaughey went on hiatus—one that he thought might be permanent. “I’ve usually zigged when I felt like Hollywood wanted to zag,” McConaughey told Powell. “When I had my rom-com years, there was only so much bandwidth I could give to those, and those were some solid hits for me. But I wanted to try some other stuff.” 

After Powell asked what it was like during his time away, McConaughey said, “Dude, it was scary. I had long talks with my wife about needing to find a new vocation.” He told his wife, Camila Alves McConaughey, that he was considering teaching high school, studying to conduct music, or working as a “wildlife guide” during this timespan.

“I honestly thought, ‘I stepped out of Hollywood. I got out of my lane,’” McConaughey said. “The lane Hollywood said I should stay in. And Hollywood’s like, ‘Well, fuck you, dude. You should have stayed in your lane. Later.’”

While McConaughey didn’t specify when this two-year hiatus took place, by 2013, he was starring in films like the aforementioned Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Interstellar, as well as True Detective on HBO.

“It was scary,” he said of his hiatus. “The days are long—the sense of insignificance. But I made up my mind that that’s what I needed to do, so I wasn’t going to pull the parachute and quit the mission I was on. But it was scary, because I didn’t know if I was ever going to get out of the desert.”

Good news for those who enjoy getting swept up in a swoon-worthy love story: Romance remains one of the fastest-growing (and most lucrative) book genres, giving authors plenty of room to churn out love stories of all shapes and sizes. Modern romantic fiction has also taken on its own form, as it's no longer confined to the standard boy-meets-girl pattern or dominated by Fabio-laden paperbacks of the regency variety. It features romantic leads that look and act more like the readers themselves.

That’s especially true of this year’s batch of new additions to the genre, which have been some of the most highly-anticipated books of the year. The best romance books that 2024 has to offer so far feature protagonists of all races, genders, and sexual orientations and cross into so many other genres—while still playing into all of our favorite classic romance and rom-com tropes, from friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers to love triangles to fake-relationships and forbidden-love and beyond. Here, find 25 of the best romance novels published so far in 2024 that will tug at your heartstrings and leave you giggling and kicking your feet.

The past decade has not been the best for the romantic comedy genre. We can't deny that must-watch rom-coms have been few and far between in recent years, as studios focus on blockbuster tentpoles over mid-budget darlings. With less frothy comedies hitting theaters, streamers have come in to pick up the slack, but it can be hard to tell which releases are worth a true rom-com fan's time. May we, the rom-com connoisseurs at Marie Claire, point you toward one streamer with a supreme collection: Prime Video.

The original films coming out of Amazon MGM Studios have been having a moment. Several of their new releases have become word-of-mouth hits over the past two years, from original comedies like this year's Upgraded to novel adaptations like 2023's Red, White & Royal Blue. And that was before they released the most-anticipated rom-com of 2024, the Anne Hathaway-led film The Idea of You. It seems like Amazon has tapped into the secret sauce that makes for fun, fulfilling love stories.

“It is always our mission to create content that connects with our customers, and the rom-com genre has been wildly successful in accomplishing this goal,” Courtenay Valenti, head of film, streaming, and theatrical at Amazon MGM Studios tells Marie Claire in a statement. “Anchored by the universal theme of the enduring power of love, we hope to create stories that are imbued with humor and joy; equally important, these stories allow audiences to find connection and inspiration.”

Below, we dove into the depths of Prime Video's offerings to bring you a selection of films that rom-com fans should add to their watchlists, from heartwarming holiday romances to hilarious and flirtatious hijinks to pure escapist decadence.

'About Fate' (2022)

Starring Emma Roberts and Thomas Mann, this 2022 film pulls off one of the cardinal requirements of a good rom-com: The chemistry between the leads has to be charming enough for viewers to buy into the wild meet-cute. (Call it the Sleepless in Seattle rule.) In the first scenes of this remake of a 1978 Soviet film, both Margot (Roberts) and Griffin (Mann) are counting down the hours until they get engaged on a December 30th dinner date. Both of their hopes are eventually dashed, and Margot is also left dateless for her sister's New Years Eve wedding. Through unfortunate circumstances, the strangers meet and Griffin agrees to play Margot's faux-boyfriend for the wedding. Wild? Absolutely, but as they bumble to the wedding in a blizzard(!), it's clear that Margot and Griffin just might be meant to be.

WATCH

'Anything's Possible' (2022)

In this heartwarming teen romance, Kelsa (Eva Reign) and Khal (Abubakr Ali) are high school seniors who become each other's first loves. Kelsa is a confident trans woman who keeps her YouTube channel secret from her mother (Renée Elise Goldsberry), while Khal is a cis man who spends his free time giving romantic advice on Reddit. As their relationship blossoms, the pair deal with high-school politics, friendship drama, and social stigmas in this contemporary, groundbreaking rom-com.

WATCH

'The Big Sick' (2017)

I'm calling it: The Big Sick is the rom-com that started it all. Or at least, the forerunner that ensured Prime Video was a streamer to watch for original love stories. Based on the real-life romance between writers Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, this film follows a fictional version of the stand-up comic Kumail as he falls in love with a grad student (played by Zoe Kazan) who heckles him at a show one night. Their effortless relationship faces huge challenges, namely Kumail keeping Emily secret from his traditional parents and Emily's sudden illness from a mysterious infection (the titular Big Sick). Fair warning: This one gets a lot heavier than the typical rom-com, but Nanjiani and Gordon's deft handling of sensitive topics gives The Big Sick an elevated authenticity that helped it earn an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

WATCH

'The Idea of You' (2024)

This adaptation of Robinne Lee's 2017 novel is pure escapist fantasy with a boy band twist. While accompanying her teen daughter to Coachella, Soléne Marchand (Anne Hathaway), a recently divorced art gallery owner on the cusp of 40, has a meet-cute with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the 24-year-old heartthrob in pop quintet August Moon. Despite their age gap, the pair have a whirlwind, globe-trotting romance until the pressures of fame bring their whirlwind affair back down to earth. Come for the loose Harry Styles/1D inspiration, and stay for Hathaway and Galitzine's electric chemistry.

WATCH

'I Want You Back' (2022)

In this joke-a-minute flick, Peter and Emma (played Charlie Day and Jenny Slate) have arguably the best reactions to their parallel, unexpected break-ups. The strangers meet by chance while crying in the same stairwell, quickly bond over their sorrow, and then team up to sabotage their respective exes' new relationships. Okay, the last part goes a bit overboard, but the pair's screwball schemes deliver the laughs, and Day and Slate are a casting match made in Heaven.

WATCH

'Música' (2024)

This inventive musical comedy mixes a coming-of-age story with romance—leading to a real-life coupling of its leads. Vine-turned-YouTube star Rudy Mancuso wrote, composed, and stars in this film as a version of himself: a student and part-time puppeteer living with synesthesia, a neurological condition that makes his brain hear musical rhythms from everyday sounds. After a fight with his long-time girlfriend Haley (Francesca Reale), he meets Isabella (Camila Mendes), a fellow Brazilian-American who immediately connects with Rudy's unique way of seeing the world. Chaos ensues as Rudy attempts to juggle his relationships with both women.

WATCH

'Red, White & Royal Blue' (2023)

Based on Casey McQuiston's 2019 novel of the same name, this adorable flick follows the unlikely animosity-turned-romance between the First Son of the United States and the handsome Prince of England. After Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and Prince Henry (Nicolas Galitzine) cause an international incident at a royal wedding, the hostile acquaintances are forced to pretend to be besties in a series of public appearances. Forced proximity leads to genuine friendship and even love, but will the world accept a romance between two scions of world leaders?

WATCH

'Something from Tiffany's' (2022)

This is the stuff of classic rom-com magic: During the holiday season in New York City, an epic mix-up brings two kindred spirits together. Single dad Ethan (Kendrick Sampson) buys an engagement ring for his girlfriend Vanessa (Shay Mitchell) at Tiffany's, on the same night Gary (Ray Nicholson) buys chef Rachel (Zoey Deutch) a pair of earrings. When Gary is hit by a car immediately after and Ethan comes to his aid, their gifts get mixed up and the wrong woman gets a Christmas Day proposal. In the aftermath, Ethan and Rachel begin to see their relationships, and the budding friendship between them, in a new light.

WATCH

'Upgraded' (2024)

In this art-world spin on Cinderella, ambitious intern Ana's (Camila Mendes) career gets a boost when she's tapped for a work trip to London. The demanding gig takes a turn as she's upgraded to a first-class flight and meets William (Archie Renaux), the handsome son of a British celebrity. Unfortunately, William mistakes her for her demanding art director boss (Marisa Tomei). As Ana and William grow closer, her little white lie threatens to blow up their modern fairytale romance.

WATCH

Prime Video's highly-anticipated rom-com The Idea of You has released its first trailer, showing a heart-fluttering look at the romance between an approaching-40-year-old mom and a pop star that looks a lot like one of the world's most famous musicians. The romance is one of the buzziest new comedy movies of 2024, thanks to its stars—the always-gorgeous Anne Hathaway and the booked-and-busy Nicholas Galitzine—and its notorious source material. Now that a good look at the film has finally arrived, we're moving it even higher up our must-watch lists.

Based on Robinne Lee's bestselling novel of the same name, The Idea of You follows Solène (Hathaway), a newly-divorced mom who takes her 16-year-old daughter Izzy to see her favorite band, August Moon, play at Coachella. Solène runs into August Moon's frontman, Hayes Campbell, and the unlikely pair have unbelievable chemistry. As the two begin a relationship, Solène has to balance her everyday life with this extraordinary romance, and deal with both the societal baggage around age-gap romances and the intense backlash to dating a man with a massive fanbase.

The trailer is full of both sweet and steamy moments, from the awkward meet-cute as Solène somehow finds herself in Hayes's trailer to his romantic shoutout onstage and even him tracking her down at her gallery (with paparazzi in tow) and convincing her to give the relationship a shot. Their first kiss is hot enough to elicit a deep exhale from Solène, but it's clear that she's more concerned about public opinion than he is. “What about what people will say?” she asks during a tryst, before Hayes responds, “I don’t care what they say.”

The natural chemistry between Hathaway and Galitzine should be enough of a draw, but as some former Directioners know, another lure for the movie is that Hayes is said to be based on none other than Harry Styles. Since The Idea of You novel came out in 2017, there has been speculation that it was based on the author's Harry Styles fanfiction, and it was part of the fanfic-to-traditional-publishing pipeline that began in the 2010s. (See Fifty Shades of Grey, After, etc.) In a 2020 interview, Lee even admitted that she began the book after researching Styles and learning about his history with dating older women—though, when asked if Hayes was inspired by Styles, she answered, "Inspired is a strong word." Instead, she added, "I made him into my dream guy... like Prince Harry meets Harry [Styles]."

Ella Rubin, Annie Mumolo, Reid Scott, Perry Mattfeld, and Jordan Aaron Hall also star in the film, and Jaiden Anthony, Raymond Cham, Vik White and Dakota Adan making up the other four members of August Moon. The movie will also feature original songs; the first, “Dance Before We Walk,” was released Wednesday along with the trailer.

The Idea of You will premiere at SXSW before making its debut on Prime Video on May 2, 2024.

Lindsay Lohan made a rare red carpet appearance at the Paris Theater in New York City last night for the premiere of her newest Netflix romantic comedy, Irish Wish.

The 37-year-old actress shut down the green carpet wearing a vintage John Galliano silver satin gown, sourced from the Albright Fashion Library.

Lohan's gorgeous dress featured a carefully ruched bodice and a lengthy hem that grazed the floor. The Mean Girls actress, styled by Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn for the occasion, completed her look with a pair of crystal-embellished Santoni heels, chunky gold and silver bracelets, and shimmering drop earrings.

Later in the evening, Lohan was spotted leaving the premiere all bundled up in a cream-colored coat while carrying a black tasseled clutch.

Irish Wish, Lohan's third film with Netflix, follows Lohan's character Maddie as she heads to Ireland for a friend's wedding and unexpectedly becomes the bride-to-be herself, as a result of a simple wish.

Considering Lohan takes on the role of a bride in the film, it only makes sense for her press tour to include a fair share of bridal-inspired looks. Prior to attending the premiere in a satin gown, Lohan was spotted earlier in the day entering The Drew Barrymore Show in an all-white look.

The Freaky Friday actress wore a cream-colored fur coat with a crystal-embellished white top and crisp white trousers. She finished the outfit with square-frame oversized sunglasses, a gold clutch, and coordinating gold platform heels.

Despite playing a bride-to-be in Irish Wish, Lohan is in fact married in real life. She tied the knot with her husband Bader Shammas back in 2022 and the couple welcomed their first child, Laui Shammas, in 2023.

Irish Wish is set to hit Netflix on March 15, with at least one bridal outfit in store onscreen.

Sydney Sweeney's career is on fire, but there's one actor she has yet to star with in a movie, and I'd personally really love to see it happen.

"Your film with Glen Powell, Anyone But You, was a box office hit—who's another leading man you'd like to star opposite in your next rom-com?" BuzzFeed asked Sweeney as part of a video Q&A in which she plays with puppies.

"Ooh, that's such a good question! Who would I want?" she said. "I feel like it would be really fun to work with, like, Paul Mescal or someone like that."

So far, Mescal has mainly starred in dramas—Normal People, Aftersun, All of Us Strangers—but I would definitely love to see him stretch his range in a lighter flick. And who better to be his costar than Ms. Sweeney?

Sweeney—who rose to fame following her roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus—sat down with BuzzFeed and the puppies to promote her new movie Madame Web, in which she stars alongside Dakota Johnson as the titular character.

For the Los Angeles premiere, both Johnson and Sweeney opted for some absolutely incredible spiderweb-inspired dresses.

Johnson wore a breathtaking "naked" dress made out of metallic netting, by Gucci, and made headlines with the gorgeous look.

Meanwhile, Sweeney opted for a black sequined "webbing" dress with a naked bust and opaque black skirt, which was custom-made for her by Oscar de la Renta.

Madame Web, a Spider-Man spinoff, was released in theaters around the country on Valentine's Day.

Anne Hathaway has always embraced a beauty transformation for the sake of a movie role, from wearing blunt bangs to play intern Andrea Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada, to wearing a retro blonde crop for a villainous turn in the psychological thriller Eileen. Now, it appears she's adding another beauty transformation to her résumé. For her upcoming movie, The Idea Of You, Hathaway chopped her bangs into a micro-fringe. It's a bit similar to the style she rocked whilst working under Miranda Priestly—with a 2024 upgrade. 

Hathaway, a star and producer of the upcoming movie, shared a glimpse at her latest hair transformation on Instagram. Obviously, I've spent some time inspecting the shot for the sake of her beauty. First, there's the hair update: Her bangs are mid-length and a bit wispy, falling somewhere in between French girl bangs and a classic blunt chop. Then, there are the smaller touches bringing her understated look together: white nail polish on her fingers and a natural shade of lipstick on her lips. 

Getting into character wasn't just about a haircut; it also came down to everyday wardrobing. With her arm around co-star Nicholas Galitzine, the Ocean's 8 star wears a navy blue T-shirt with criss-crossing ties up the front, plain blue jeans, and tortoiseshell sunglasses. The rest of her on-set look includes a turquoise watch and chunky gold rings.

Hathaway had posted a still from the trailer in celebration of The Idea of You taking the closing night slot at South by Southwest later this spring. In the film, Hathaway plays a single mother who strikes up an unexpected romance with a 24-year-old man and lead singer of August Moon, a wildly popular band. When she meets him at Coachella, they instantly click—but that's just the start of a bigger story based off the novel by Robinne Lee. The actress can't wait for audiences to tune in to her version. "I really think it’s something special—I’m so glad SXSW agrees!" she wrote in the caption underneath her new hairstyle's debut.

We're already leaving space on our calendar to see this film—and those micro bangs—in action when it hits theaters in May.

All hail the new romcom king, Glen Powell! The actor may be known for his more action-y roles in films like Top Gun: Maverick, but we love him for the respect he puts on the oft-maligned genre that ultimately rules so many of our hearts: the romantic comedy.

And though he may be out here promoting his newest one—the hotly anticipated and much-discussed-while-filming Anyone But You opposite Sydney Sweeney—a recent conversation with Cosmopolitan found Powell reminiscing about his chemistry with Set It Up co-star Zoey Deutch and the power of the genre in general.

"The romcom has now mostly gone to the streamers, which is completely fine, but I think it's taken away from the cinematic theatrical part where we don't just buy this as comfort food," he explained.

"The romcoms you and I grew up on were actually great movies," Powell continued. "I watched My Best Friend's Wedding the other day and it's so fun. It's things like that, where you're not just making a romcom because that's a genre that needs to fill out a piece of an algorithm, but putting care into into it."

And by George, the lad is right, as evidenced by the fantastically compelling work he and Deutch did in the aforementioned Set It Up, a film that instantly swept fans under its spell, thanks in very large part to the magnetic chemistry between the two leads.

Powell said that both he and Deutch are not only aware of their on-screen magic, they're actively working to cultivate it. "There is no doubt that Zoey and I are trying to find out what that thing is. Zoey and I had a blast making that movie. Chemistry is not a problem with the two of us. So we're trying to figure that out."

Are Glen and Zoey the Tom (Hanks) and Meg (Ryan) of the 2020s? To be honest, we're more than into it!

We’ve all been there: It's a Saturday night, and you’ve settled onto the couch for a cozy feel-good movie night at home. You start scrolling through Netflix to find something to watch…and an hour later, you’re still scrolling. With a seemingly endless list of options, that kind of decision fatigue should come as no surprise—though that doesn’t make it any less frustrating when all you want to do is put something on and turn off your brain for a bit.

So, we’ve done the work for you and narrowed down your options if you’re in the mood for a perfectly cheesy, soothingly predictable romantic comedy. Next time you’re desperate to settle on something—anything—look no further than this list of the best rom-coms currently streaming on Netflix.

'Alex Strangelove' (2018)

This 2018 coming-of-age film is an especially refreshing take on the rom-com genre. It follows a teenager, fittingly named Alex Truelove (played by Daniel Doheny), who’s just beginning to explore his sexuality, perfectly capturing all the sweetly earnest moments and awkward missteps that come with the process.

WATCH IT

'Always Be My Maybe' (2019)

One of Netflix’s very best, Always Be My Maybe stars Ali Wong and Randall Park as childhood sweethearts who reconnect as adults, 15 years and two very different career paths later. You definitely shouldn’t miss this one, even if just to witness Keanu Reeves’ scene-stealing appearance playing himself.

WATCH IT

'Anyone But You' (2023)

This 2023 blockbuster that marked the rom-com resurgence stars Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney as two New Yorkers who are sworn enemies after a great date led to disaster. Months later at a destination wedding in Sydney, Australia, they enter a fake dating pact that reignites their very real chemistry.

WATCH IT

'Choose Love' (2023)

If you’ve ever felt certain you could write a better rom-com than the one you’re watching, Choose Love is for you. It’s one of Netflix’s interactive offerings, and it lets you make choices throughout the story, resulting in a variety of endings for Laura Marano’s Cami—who might end up dating or even marrying any of three potential suitors, or none at all, depending on how you direct her life.

WATCH IT

'Falling for Christmas' (2022)

We’d be remiss not to include Lindsay Lohan’s long-awaited return to the big screen on this list. It’s a perfectly corny Hallmark-style Christmas movie, in which LiLo plays a rich hotel heiress named Sierra Belmont who develops temporary amnesia after a ski accident and is reluctantly taken in by Chord Overstreet’s Jake, a widower, single dad, and local inn owner, whose livelihood is currently at risk due to the Belmont family business. It sounds like a recipe for either disaster—or cheesy holiday-tinged love.

WATCH IT

'The Half of It' (2020)

The Half of It is another entry in Netflix’s canon of sweetly sensitive depictions of teenagers learning to embrace their queer identities. It tells the story of Leah Lewis’ Ellie, who’s hired by popular football player Paul (Daniel Diemer) to write love letters that’ll help him woo Alexxis Lemire’s Aster—which gets a lot more complicated when Ellie starts developing feelings for Aster in the process.

WATCH IT

'Happiness for Beginners' (2023)

Call it Wild Lite. In Happiness for Beginners, Ellie Kemper plays a pessimistic divorcée who signs up for a beginner survivalist course on the Appalachian Trail. Her solo soul-searching trip soon gets a bit less solo when Jake (Luke Grimes), a friend of her brother’s, shows up on the trip, too, and sparks reluctantly start flying.

WATCH IT

'Hit Man' (2024)

The second Glen Powell flick on this list is a genre-bending crime comedy based on a real-life fake hitman. Gary Johnson (Powell) is a college professor who lures potential criminals in for police stings, until he meets and eventually falls in love with one of his marks, played by Adria Arjona.

WATCH IT

'Holidate' (2020)

This movie inspires more questions than answers: How did they get their Chicago geography so wrong? Why do the main characters spend so much time in malls? But if you can suspend your disbelief for 104 minutes, you’ll thoroughly enjoy Holidate. The silly comedy stars Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey as a pair who agree to be each other’s dates to every holiday event for a full year.

WATCH IT

'Hot Frosty' (2024)

Just when you think you've seen every kind of Christmas rom-com out there, Hot Frosty surprises you. Lacey Chabert is a small-town diner owner who learns to love again when she falls for...an anatomically correct snowman (played by Dustin Milligan) that has magically come to life.

WATCH IT

'How Do You Know' (2010)

Some of Reese Witherspoon’s most entertaining roles are characters who have to choose between two very different men. There’s '00s classics like Legally Blonde and Sweet Home Alabama, and this one, in which she’s stuck in a love triangle with Owen Wilson’s Matty, a professional baseball player who’s insensitive to her feelings and continues to see other women even after she moves into his apartment, and Paul Rudd’s George, a businessman who’s much kinder than Matty but may be heading to prison for corporate malfeasance.

WATCH IT

'Ibiza' (2018)

Part buddy comedy, part rom-com, this 2018 film is pure fun. It stars Gillian Jacobs as Harper, who travels to Spain on a work trip—bringing along her two best friends (played by Phoebe Robinson and Vanessa Bayer), of course—and promptly goes rogue from her work duties, taking an impulse trip to Ibiza to track down famous DJ Leo West (Richard Madden), who she met on her first night in Barcelona. Sounds like a productive business trip to me!

WATCH IT

'The Incredible Jessica James' (2017)

They say misery loves company, and that’s essentially the plot of this rom-com. Jessica Williams and Chris O’Dowd play Jessica and Boone, who are set up on a blind date after having each recently gone through a bad breakup—and spend most of their subsequent dates commiserating about said breakups.

WATCH IT

'The Lovebirds' (2020)

If you’re ever in need of spicing up a stale relationship, just take a page out of this movie’s book: Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani are on the verge of a breakup when they witness a murder and get roped into a larger criminal plot as they attempt to avoid blame for the killing—resulting in a hilarious series of events that ultimately bring the duo closer together. Sounds simple enough!

WATCH IT

'Love Again' (2023)

The plot of this 2023 rom-com is a bit unconventional: Priyanka Chopra plays Mira, who, still in mourning over the death of her beloved boyfriend, begins texting his old phone number without knowing that the messages are going to Sam Heughan’s Rob's work phone. Rob quickly becomes determined to track down this mystery woman, but the film's plot only gets weirder when Celine Dion, playing a fictionalized version of herself, pops up to help guide Rob through the search. You’ll have to see it to believe it.

WATCH IT

'Love and Leashes' (2022)

This Korean romance movie gives a hilarious and sweet look into a BDSM relationship. After a mix-up at work, stoic Ji-woo (Seohyun) discovers that her obedient co-worker Ji-hoo (Lee Jun-young) has particular sexual tastes. She agrees to enter a dominant-submissive relationship with him, and as she learns more about being a dom, the pair get closer.

WATCH IT

'Love, Guaranteed' (2020)

Dating apps don’t always work, and that’s especially true for Damon Wayans’s Nick, who’s gone on nearly 1,000 dates through a dating website that guarantees to help its users find love. He decides to sue the website (the natural next step) but in a potentially lawsuit-ruining twist, soon begins falling for the lawyer (Rachael Leigh Cook) who’s taken his case.

WATCH IT

'Love Hard' (2021)

A catfish’s unmasking is usually the end of the story, but in this case, Josh (Jimmy O. Yang) gets a second chance after promising to help set up Nina Dobrev’s Natalie with the guy whose pictures he’d used to reel her in. A tangly, lie-filled scheme ensues, during which both Josh and Natalie—surprise, surprise—discover their true selves have a lot more in common than they’d thought.

WATCH IT

'No Hard Feelings' (2023)

If you like your rom-coms on the unconventional, raunchier side, this R-rated comedy stars Jennifer Lawrence as a 32-year-old bartender who strikes up a sweet friendship with a Princeton-bound teenager. How they met: His parents hired her on Craigslist to take their son's virginity before he sets off for college.

WATCH IT

'Notting Hill' (1999)

Thank goodness: Netflix has added the story of a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her to its streaming library. While on a press tour in London, a world-famous actress (played by Julia Roberts) falls for an average bookshop owner (Hugh Grant). It's a '90s classic and one of the best rom-coms of all time, led by two genre heavy weights. What more could you want?

WATCH IT

'The Perfect Find' (2023)

Based on the romance novel by Tia Williams, The Perfect Find shakes up the standard rom-com. For one, it stars Gabrielle Union as 40-year-old Jenna, who, after her 10-year relationship ends, strikes up a relationship with a man 15 years younger than her, played by Keith Powers. For another, it puts a whole new spin on the concept of happily-ever-after, as the film’s ending highlights several different forms of love, beyond just the romantic type.

WATCH IT

'Set It Up' (2018)

This may very well be the best of Netflix’s original rom-coms, with Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell playing two overworked assistants who team up to get their workaholic bosses to fall in love, in hopes of reducing their own workloads. No idea what’ll happen after all that time spent scheming together!

WATCH IT

'To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before' (2018)

An adaptation of Jenny Han’s YA book series, this 2018 Netflix original was an instant hit, followed by two sequels and a spinoff series about the main character Lara Jean’s younger sister Kitty. It all began with TATBILB, in which Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and her “former” crush Peter (Noah Centineo) agree to pretend to date to make Peter’s ex-girlfriend jealous and help Lara Jean avoid her current crush, Josh, who also happens to be Lara Jean's older sister’s ex. The start of any great love story!

WATCH IT

'Wedding Season' (2022)

Similar to Holidate, Wedding Season sees two unlucky-in-love people, played by Pallavi Sharda and Suraj Sharma, who agree to be each other’s dates to all of the weddings they’ve been invited to for a summer, after meeting on a dating site that their meddling parents each signed them up for. Wonder what’ll happen as they keep spending so much time together!

WATCH IT

'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani' (2013)

This 2013 Bollywood hit follows Deepika Padukone’s Naina, a doctor, and Ranbir Kapoor’s Bunny, a globe-trotting journalist, whose seemingly incompatible lifestyles stop them from following their hearts and being together. It’s a classic will-they, won’t-they tale—but, in true Bollywood fashion, made all the more exciting by multiple musical numbers.

WATCH IT

In recent years, cinephiles have been pining for the “return of the rom-com.” As it turns out, they don’t make ‘em like they used to—be it because Hollywood studios can’t figure out how to invest in them, talent isn’t interested in starring in them, or because they’ve taken on new flavors in both the indie and streaming spaces. But that doesn’t stop us from being nostalgic for their golden age—the aughts—and thankfully, the best 2000s rom-coms are always available for us to (re)watch.

Of course, the romantic comedy had preceding eras (Nora Ephron’s Meg Ryan trilogy forever!), but the 2000s are when they let the treacly and a dash of magical realism take over for full swoon-worthy effect. With signature meet-cutes, grand gestures, tearful proclamations of love, and charming A-listers in the leading roles (plus some incredible aughties fashion), they continue to be among the best feel-good movies of all time. Aughts-era rom-coms certainly weren’t perfect—their leads were overwhelmingly white and straight and often subscribed to pretty traditional gender roles—but there’s something about seeing a frazzled working woman bump into the wildly handsome future love of her life on the bustling streets of N.Y.C. that’ll instantly put you in a good mood.

To bring on the nostalgia (and make you believe in love again), we rounded up the best rom-coms the 2000s have to offer, complete with multiple appearances from Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey, and J.Lo, naturally.

'13 Going on 30' (2004)

When Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner) wishes to be “30, flirty, and thriving” on her 13th birthday in 1987, her wish comes true, and she’s magically transported to N.Y.C. in the early aughts. She has no recollection of what led her to her dream life—becoming her high school’s queen bee and landing a job at her favorite magazine—so she sets out to find her former BFF Matty (Mark Ruffalo) to pick up the missing pieces. As it turns out that the two have drifted, their reunion is all the more special and ignites in them the joie de vivre that we need not lose as we grow up. (Razzles, anyone?)

WATCH IT

'27 Dresses' (2008)

Next time you’re feeling bridesmaid-ed out, revisit this 2008 film and, specifically, the titular two dozen-plus dresses that poor Jane (Katherine Heigl) has racked up in her lifetime of fulfilling the classic “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” cliché. Then, since you’re already here, you might as well stick around to see her reluctantly fall in love with wedding skeptic Kevin (James Marsden) and finally stand up to her sister Tess (Malin Akerman) over her increasingly heinous behavior (don’t even get me started on what she does to their mom’s wedding dress!).

WATCH IT

'Bride and Prejudice' (2004)

The much-beloved 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice may not qualify as a rom-com, but this 2004 take on the Jane Austen classic certainly does. It stars Aishwarya Rai in the Elizabeth Bennett role—here named Lalita Bakshi—while Virgin River’s Martin Henderson appears opposite her as Will Darcy. It’s a Bollywood-style musical-dramedy version of P&P, which works surprisingly well for the centuries-old tale.

WATCH IT

'Bridget Jones’s Diary' (2001)

If you’re not Pride and Prejudice’d out, here’s yet another adaptation of Austen’s story. This time, it’s led by Renée Zellweger, a klutzy British journalist who finds herself torn between her fun but caddish boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), and her stuffy childhood friend, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be desperate to find someone who loves you, too, “just as you are.”

WATCH IT

'Deliver Us From Eva' (2003)

Fun fact: Gabrielle Union has starred in not one, but two modern adaptations of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. After appearing as a side character in 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You, she took center stage in 2003’s Deliver Us From Eva, playing a woman whose younger sisters’s significant others get so fed up with her overprotective ways that they hire a “master player” (LL Cool J) to seduce her. Things don’t exactly go according to plan. There may be a kidnapping plot and fake funeral involved, but fear not: Since this is an early-aughts rom-com, you can be sure there’s a happy ending on the horizon.

WATCH IT

'Down with Love' (2003)

Is there a more underrated ‘00s movie? We don’t think so! The Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor-led film was far ahead of its time and a campy delight, fit with incredible costumes and production design, cheeky dialogue, and even a dance montage. An homage to the mid-century “no-sex sex comedies,” Zellweger plays the author of a women’s liberation book that sees men as disposable, and McGregor plays the man-about-town, womanizing journalist she butts heads with. Do opposites attract? Do they learn a bit about love even as they advocate sex without commitment? Watch, find out, and have a sexy, swinging ‘60s time.

WATCH IT

'Failure to Launch' (2006)

The main love story here is certainly a good one. It’s a fake-dating setup, where Sarah Jessica Parker’s Paula is hired to convince 35-year-old Tripp (Matthew McConaughey) to move out of his parents’s home. And don’t sleep on Failure to Launch’s supporting cast. You’ve got Zooey Deschanel as Paula’s neurotic roommate, who ends up scheming with Tripp’s man-child friends, played by Justin Bartha and Bradley Cooper. Plus, Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw appear as Tripp’s beloved roommates (er, parents)!

WATCH IT

'Fever Pitch' (2005)

Jimmy Fallon’s post-SNL movie career was short-lived, but we thankfully got Fever Pitch out of it before he moved on to late-night talk shows. In the 2005 film, he plays Ben, who seems to be a nearly perfect boyfriend to Lindsey (Drew Barrymore). But, much like the changes that gremlins experience if they eat after midnight, Ben transforms every fall...into a crazed Boston Red Sox fan. It begs the eternal question that plagues lovers of diehard sports fans (and actual athletes) everywhere: Is one goofy man really worth going to dozens of hours-long sporting events every year for the foreseeable future?

WATCH IT

'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' (2008)

When it comes to heartbreak, there aren’t many situations worse than being abruptly dumped, then going on a solo vacation to cheer yourself up, only to find that your ex is staying at the same hotel for a romantic getaway with their new partner. That’s the premise of this movie, but luckily Peter (Jason Segel) can make the most of a bad situation by stirring up a new romance with hotel concierge Rachel (Mila Kunis)—she even gets him to perform an excerpt from his Dracula puppet musical, and for that, we should all be eternally grateful.

WATCH IT

'Hitch' (2005)

Will Smith plays the titular character, a so-called “date doctor” who teaches unlucky-in-love men how to form loving, long-term relationships with women. His track record is impeccable until he starts trying to use his signature moves on the cynical Sara, played charmingly by Eva Mendes, so he has to step up his game—as in, taking her via jet ski for a private tour of Ellis Island to track down her ancestors.

WATCH IT

'The Holiday' (2006)

This 2006 Nancy Meyers film may be a wintertime classic, but it hits just as hard year-round. Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet play two women who are frustrated with their lives and decide to swap homes for the holidays. Diaz’s Amanda heads to a cozy English cottage—where she runs into a very handsome Brit (played by Jude Law)—while Winslet’s Iris gets to bask in the L.A. sunshine and finds a bit of romance herself with Jack Black’s Miles. Truly, a win-win.

WATCH IT

'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' (2003)

Kate Hudson plays a magazine writer whose last assignment before she goes after the Serious Journalism Job™ of her dreams has her detailing her attempts to attract and then drive away a man within 10 days. Meanwhile, Matthew McConaughey makes a bet with his friends that he can make any woman fall in love with him within—you guessed it—10 days. Of course, they unwittingly choose each other as their respective targets, and chaos ensues.

WATCH IT

'Knocked Up' (2007)

Judd Apatow has made many raunchy comedies, but don’t discount how sweet they are at their helm! Take Knocked Up, for instance. Seth Rogen and Katherine Hiegl play a pair of strangers who have a one-night stand, and one thing leads to another, a.k.a. Hiegl’s Alison gets pregnant. As Alison decides to see the pregnancy through, Rogen’s Ben has a lot of growing up to do, but they grow closer nonetheless. Bonus: The supporting cast featuring Leslie Mann, Paul Rudd, and young Maude and Iris Apatow is hysterical, making this a rom-com with an emphasis on the com.

WATCH IT

'Last Holiday' '(2006)

What would you do if you only had a few weeks to live? That’s the question that kicks off 2006’s Last Holiday when shy saleswoman Georgia (Queen Latifah) gets horrible news, immediately decides to quit her job, and spends her remaining days traveling to Europe and working alongside a professional chef. Meanwhile, the coworker she’s secretly in love with (played by LL Cool J) has learned about her diagnosis and is racing to meet up with her to confess his feelings—amid a battle against a brutal snowstorm and the ticking clock.

WATCH IT

'Love Actually' (2003)

Why settle for one love story when you could have several of them? This beloved Christmas classic follows a handful of interconnected romances around the holiday season in London—from the Prime Minister’s fling to a young boy who’s down bad over one of his classmates. It’ll get you in the spirit, make you feel “love is all around,” and swoon over Hugh Grant’s charming dance moves.

WATCH IT

'Maid in Manhattan' (2002)

Long before he was Voldemort in Harry Potter, Ralph Fiennes played a charming politician named Chris who catches feelings for Jennifer Lopez’s Marisa, after mistaking her for a fellow high-profile guest at a swanky Manhattan hotel. In reality, she’s a single mother (to an adorable tweenage Tyler Posey!) working as a housekeeper at the hotel. But she’ll keep the ruse going as long as possible before having to find out just how star-crossed their love story really is.

WATCH IT

'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' (2002)

Nia Vardalos wrote and starred in this 2002 rom-com—one of the best wedding movies of all time. She plays 30-year-old Toula, who’s stuck working in her sprawling Greek family’s diner but dares to dream even bigger: to go to college, to get a new job, and even—gasp!—to marry someone who isn’t Greek. What follows is a sweet and often hilarious story of how true love can overcome cultural differences, and how a spritz of Windex can fix just about anything.

WATCH IT

'The Proposal' (2009)

The fake-dating trope is a staple of the genre for a reason. It works especially well here, as Ryan Reynolds plays an aspiring book editor who begrudgingly agrees to marry his no-nonsense boss (Sandra Bullock) so she can avoid being deported back to Canada. You’ll never guess what happens after all that time spent “pretending” to be in love!

WATCH IT

'Serendipity' (2001)

Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack’s Sara and Jonathan have an adorable meet-cute over the last pair of gloves at Bloomingdale’s and then spend a magical evening wandering around N.Y.C. But that isn’t enough for superstitious Sara, who decides to let fate take the wheel by writing her phone number in a copy of Love in the Time of Cholera and Jonathan’s on a five-dollar bill, declaring that they’ll each find the other’s number if they’re truly meant to be. No spoilers here, but let’s say it takes fate a very long time to decide on these two.

WATCH IT

'She’s the Man' (2006)

So many of the world’s best teen movies—like 10 Things I Hate About You and Clueless—are based on centuries-old classics. So is the case with She’s the Man, which takes inspiration from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. In translating the Bard’s twisty plot to a high school campus circa 2006, Amanda Bynes plays Viola, who dresses up as her twin brother so she can play on his school’s soccer team after her own school cuts its girls's team. Viola quickly starts to fall for her roommate, Duke (Channing Tatum), who’s pining over Olivia (Laura Ramsey), who has a crush on Viola-as-Sebastian. Just wait 'til the real Sebastian (James Kirk) shows up and throws a wrench in that whole love triangle (square?) situation.

WATCH IT

'Something's Gotta Give' (2003)

Nancy Meyers and Diane Keaton always make movie magic together. Here, we’re smitten with all of the chunky sweaters Keaton sports, the decor of her Hamptons home, and the adorable enemies-to-loves relationship that plays out between her and fellow Hollywood heavyweight Jack Nicholson. They meet in an uncomfortable circumstance—with Nicholson’s Harry dating the 20-something daughter (Amanda Peet) of Keaton’s Erica—but a comedy of errors pushes them together (and leaves us feeling giddy).

WATCH IT

'Sweet Home Alabama' (2002)

If you ever ran away from your hometown and still think about the one that got away, or you’re charmed by a Southern accent, allow Sweet Home Alabama to win you over. Reese Witherspoon stars as a plucky N.Y.C.-based fashion designer who heads to the small, rural town that raised her to announce her engagement—and inevitably reconnect with her childhood sweetheart (Josh Lucas). Yeehaw!

WATCH IT

'The Sweetest Thing' (2002)

The Sweetest Thing fits into the rom-com category—thanks to frustrating miscommunications, a crashed wedding, and the truly wacky series of mishaps that Cameron Diaz’s Christina encounters as she tries to win over Peter (Thomas Jane). But just as important to the story are Christina’s relationships with her roommates Courtney and Jane, played by Christina Applegate and Selma Blair, respectively. Who else but a true best friend would suggest a spontaneous road trip purely to help you chase down your crush?

WATCH IT

'Two Weeks Notice' (2002)

A criminally underrated entry on both Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant’s rom-com resumés, Two Weeks Notice deserves far more attention. It’s a classic opposites-attract story, with Grant playing an arrogant billionaire and Bullock as the do-gooder lawyer he hires as chief counsel for his real estate development company. There’s lots of sassy repartee and snappy one-liners, but it all leads to a classic rom-com grand gesture that could melt any heart.

WATCH IT

'The Wedding Planner' (2001)

Matthew McConaughey makes the list again, this time playing a pediatrician, Eddie, who rescues a woman named Mary (Jennifer Lopez) from a dumpster speeding down the hills of San Francisco. Sparks fly immediately, but it’s only a matter of time before they discover that Eddie’s fiancée (who is not Mary) has hired Mary as their wedding planner. Perfect!

WATCH IT

Matthew Perry tragically died on Oct. 28 at the age of 54, and has been remembered for his humor-filled and sensitive portrait of his beloved Friends character Chandler Bing.

But what we didn't know until now is just how much influence Perry ended up having on the course of the show as a whole: According to a one-time Friends guest star, the actor was solely responsible for blocking a storyline which had Chandler cheating on Monica during season 5 in Las Vegas.

This was a move which Perry reportedly felt would ruin the audience's relationship with Chandler, and would be too hard to come back from, per Lisa Cash, who ended up playing a small role as a flight attendant instead of the original role for which she had been booked.

"I came in as a guest star on Friends, and I was super excited," Cash told TMZ.

"Basically, the scene was: Chandler and Monica were arguing in Vegas about Monica having lunch with Richard.

"Initially in our script, Chandler goes up to the hotel room, orders room service, and I bring it up as a hotel worker, and we end up talking and laughing and connecting, and Chandler ends up cheating on Monica with my character.

"We had rehearsed it and everything and then the day before we were shooting in front of a live audience, I was told that Chandler went to the writers and said the audience will never forgive him for cheating on Monica, which—he was probably right. That would have changed possibly the course of the show and of his character."

Instead, Cash ended up playing "the costarring role as a flight attendant with Ross and Rachel."

The actress also revealed how "likable and welcoming" Perry was when they were rehearsing their scene together. "It was just easy doing the scene with him," she said. "That was just such a tribute to him, you know, for making me feel comfortable with him like that."

Commenting on the ultimate decision for Chandler not to cheat on Monica, Cash said, "I think it was a good move, because they had that other thing with Ross and Rachel, like 'we were on a break,' but Chandler and Monica weren't on a break.

"This was a decision that he was gonna make to cheat on her. I mean, in the moment and everything, but I don't think the audience could have really forgiven that."

It would certainly have been very hard to come back from for Friends fans, yep.

In the 1990s and 2000s, no show was more popular—or more culturally relevant—than Friends. And, if you were an actor, there was no more coveted role than the guest cameo: Sometimes within a single episode, sometimes spanning across entire seasons, you could be cast as a love interest, a family member, or a total stranger. The network sometimes engaged in "stunt" casting, to bring a famous name onto the show with the idea of boosting ratings. Sometimes one of the actors might bring on a friend (or even an at-the-time husband—more on that later). And sometimes the show had a knack for bringing on an actor early in their career before they hit mega-stardom.

If you're familiar with the show, you may remember some of these epic episodes, where someone super cool was hanging out with Monica, Joey, Rachel, Chandler, Phoebe, and Ross (that's Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer, in case you forgot). But we're betting that there are just as many cameos you've forgotten or didn't realize at the time (John Stamos? Gabrielle Union??). Read on for the most hilarious, OTT, and scene-stealing cameos in Friends history.

Morgan Fairchild

Nora Tyler Bing (that's Chandler's mom, if you don't know her by name) made a number of appearances throughout the series. Morgan Fairchild, who starred in season one of Dallas and was well-known as a TV actor, embodies the erotic novelist with exactly the right amount of flirtatious arrogance. 

Kathleen Turner

Charles Bing, Chandler's dad and a Vegas drag queen, was played by Academy Award-winning actress Kathleen Turner. It was…dated casting, especially the jokes surrounding Charles' appearance and mannerisms. Turner said she wouldn't take on the role today. But at least she got to sing "I Feel Pretty"!

Helen Hunt

Fans have always wondered if Friends shared the same universe as Seinfeld and Mad About You, which were airing at the same time. And, in a season one crossover episode, Helen Hunt (who played Jamie) and Leila Kenzle (who played Fran) came into Central Perk and mistook Phoebe for Ursula, Phoebe's twin and a waitress in Mad About You. Confirmation!

Dermot Mulroney

The My Best Friend's Wedding and Scream VI star had a short role in season nine as Rachel's coworker (and romantic interest, naturally) who steps aside when he realizes the whole Ross-Rachel complication of it all.

Leah Remini

Fun fact: Remini auditioned to play Monica. She didn't get the role, obviously, but she did get to play a pregnant woman named Lydia in season one delivering her baby on the same day as Ross' ex (who befriends Joey while he's in the hospital). Joey ends up helping her through her delivery in a surprisingly sweet moment.

Alec Baldwin

Parker, Phoebe's enthusiastically over-the-top friend and potential love interest in the eighth season, immediately clashes with the rest of the group thanks to his complete lack of sarcasm. Baldwin later said he found Lisa Kudrow "so beautiful and funny, but slightly odd in a wonderful way."

Susan Sarandon

Long-term Days of Our Lives actor Cecilia Monroe (Sarandon) plays Jessica Lockhart in season seven—that is, until she's written off the show as a way for Joey's character to return. Joey accidentally spills the beans to her that her character's brain is being implanted into Dr. Drake's body. She, understandably, is furious, but then forgives him and they have a quick fling. Sarandon called the experience "lovely" and said she felt "very, very privileged."

Denise Richards

In one of the show's weirder plotlines, Richards plays Cassie, Ross' cousin. Ross mistakenly thinks their movie night in is sexy, instead of friendly, and…tries to kiss her? It doesn't go well, to no one's surprise.

John Stamos

Stamos played a freaked-out coworker whom Monica and Chandler try to coerce into being a sperm donor for them [TOO R-RATED??]in season nine (which feels like a wild Mad Libs association). Stamos remembers feeling "heartbroken" over his cameo, since he was told to hold for applause when he entered—and the audience reacted with complete silence.

Jon Favreau

Remember Monica's billionaire boyfriend Pete, who decides he's gonna become a (very bad) MMA fighter in season three? Yup, that was celebrated director and actor Favreau! In a Reddit thread, he called his character "a man of tremendous focus and conviction" and jokingly said he worried about Pete because "I'll always have to live with the uncertainty of what his fate held."

Billy Crystal and Robin Williams

It's a quick scene in season three, but Tomas (Williams) and Tim (Crystal) have a back-and-forth about Tomas' wife's infidelity (spoiler alert: Tim is the one sleeping with her). Apparently, the comedians wandered on set and the writers asked them to do a cameo on the spot—which they completely ad-libbed.

Danny DeVito

You may remember the brief-but-memorable role in which DeVito plays a last-minute stripper Monica and Rachel find for Phoebe in season 10, the same stripper who starts weeping after the women aren't interested in him taking off his clothes. DeVito said that, aside from the fact that he wish he could have stripped completely (lol), he had a great time.

Dakota Fanning

Fanning was one of a few child actors (including Mae Whitman and Cole Sprouse!) to make a cameo on the show. She stars memorably in season 10 as an 8-year-old kid who befriends Joey (they have similar interests!) and gives him some wisdom about accepting Monica and Chandler moving out of the city and into her old house.

Kristin Davis

The Sex and the City star hopped by for a quick cameo in season seven as Erin, one of Joey's flings, whom Rachel and Phoebe end up loving way more than Joey. The two go on a few more dates, but Erin agrees that she and Joey just don't have a "spark."

Brooke Shields

The season two cameo was fun—Shields played Joey's stalker, who ends up licking his hand because she loves his character so much—but in less fun news, her husband at the time Andre Agassi was so enraged by her character's behavior that he came home and smashed all his tennis trophies.

Ben Stiller

A brief love interest for Rachel in the third season, Stiller's character Tommy is basically the angriest man alive (but pretends for a bit that he's, like, a totally normal and chill person). After he gets peed on by the pet chicken(!), his explosive anger immediately outs him to the group, and he breaks up with Rachel immediately on the way out.

Ellen Pompeo

Literally months before she officially became Meredith Grey, Pompeo starred in season 10 as an old classmate of Ross and Chandler and the source of a pact between the two to not date women they both liked (she absolutely made out with Chandler, though, so pact—broken).

George Clooney and Noah Wyle

The two ER doctors appear as…doctors, clearly, treating Rachel in season one in a network stunt that was nevertheless a fun cameo. They have a double date with Rachel and Monica that goes predictably badly, with the two ladies sniping at each other and confessing to insurance fraud. Which is a shame for the show's crossover opportunities.

Anna Faris

Anna had a multi-episode run as the birth mom to Monica and Chandler's babies—remember the surprise twins?—in season 10. Erica is initially worried she might not be pregnant with her football player's baby and instead might have gotten pregnant thanks to "Shovelly Joe" (in prison for, naturally, killing his dad with a shovel), but fortunately it ended up being the football player in the end. Baby Erica is named after her!

Freddie Prinze Jr.

Playing against his heartthrob type, Prinze Jr was a "mannie" (male nanny) named Sandy whom Ross and Rachel hired to take care of Emma in season nine. He ends up getting fired for being too sensitive and being an adult who likes playing with stuffed dinosaurs.

Jeff Goldblum

Goldblum is the very serious theater director Leonard Hayes who clashes with the very not serious Joey in season nine. The two end up getting along—right up until Joey (who uses his full bladder to act better) accidentally pees on Leonard. Fun fact: Jeff is one of only a few characters to break the fourth wall on the entire show.

Aisha Tyler

The first recurring Black character on Friends, Dr. Charlie Wheeler is a love interest first for Joey and then for Ross. (She ends up leaving them both!) Tyler later spoke about her role coming about because of "colorblind casting": "The role wasn't written as a woman of color, and when I auditioned, I read against women of every ethnic background," she said. But, she said she had a good time on the show.

Christina Applegate

Amy Green, one of Rachel's sisters, makes an appearance in season 9 (and Applegate was Emmy-nominated for the appearance). Applegate said she loved being on the show and has known some of the actors, including Perry, for years. Amy came back in season 10, just as selfish and horrible as ever!

Selma Blair

Blair's character Wendy appears in the ninth season, getting flirty with Chandler as the two are working together in Oklahoma. Both of them are married, which apparently doesn't appear to bother Wendy. Chandler quits his job to move back home.

Bruce Willis

Eliciting a huge audience scream, Willis starred in season six as Paul, the dad to Ross' much younger girlfriend…who also ends up dating Rachel. Perry later confessed that Willis appeared on the show because he lost a bet to Perry over whether the film they starred in, The Whole Nine Yards, would be a hit.

Gabrielle Union

Kristen, whom both Ross and Joey like, goes on dates with both men in season seven. Shocker—both men compete for her attention, and she ends up not interested in either of them. Union has spoken about feeling disrespected (on the show and in Hollywood) as a Black actress; She hosted an all-Black cast Friends episode reading in 2020.

Jennifer Coolidge

Coolidge made a very memorable appearance in the tenth season of the show, the fake-British accent-having Amanda who annoys her former roommates (Phoebe and Monica). Coolidge called the role "intimidating," and that she was discouraged from improvising any of her lines. The bloopers are still amazing, though.

Paul Rudd

Technically this could fall in guest role instead of cameo—Rudd appeared in the last two seasons as Phoebe's love interest and husband-to-be Mike—but it was still a treat to occasionally get the goofy character in a few fun scenes. Rudd admitted he found the experience "strange" and "surreal," feeling like an outsider during the emotion-filled last episodes for the tight-knit cast.

Winona Ryder

Melissa Warburton, Rachel's sorority sister from season seven, plays a queer character who had a drunken makeout with Rachel in college. She initially denies it, but when Rachel kisses her again, she mistakenly believes they're destined to be together (Rachel then rejects her). In hindsight, it's cringey, especially since it was a network stunt that was called out immediately for being insensitive.

Reese Witherspoon

Witherspoon played Rachel's other sister—the "spoiled one" who briefly comes into the friend group in season six and goes on a date with Ross. There were rumors that Witherspoon and Aniston didn't get along, which seem to be mercifully false; the two have referenced their time together on the show before since becoming coworkers again on The Morning Show.

Julia Roberts

America's Sweetheart was a little less sweet in her cameo as Chandler's middle school classmate Susie Moss in season two, who gets revenge on him for flashing her in front of the whole school. Apparently she made Perry write a paper on quantum physics before she agreed to appear, and the two then briefly dated.

Brad Pitt

It's hard to top Aniston's then-husband coming onto the show in 2001 as Ross' friend and admitting to starting an "I Hate Rachel Green" club. Fun fact: Pitt was Emmy-nominated for the appearance, but he admitted to Access Hollywood that "I flubbed my first line…We had to stop and start again."

The latest rom-com to hit Netflix follows the love story of two travelers who make a fated connection: Hadley, played by The White Lotus star Haley Lu Richardson, and Oliver, played by British actor Ben Hardy. While this may be viewers' first time seeing Hardy as a leading man, the actor is a familiar face from his supporting roles in major Hollywood films, including superhero epics to an award-winning rock biopics. If you've already watched the sweet romance flick, read on to learn more about the talented star.

He grew up in England and rose to fame on the British soap 'Eastenders.'

The 32-year-old actor was born in the coastal town of Bournemouth in southern England, and grew up in nearby Sherborne. He got his start on stage in the play The Judas Kiss, before he joined the long-running BBC soap opera EastEnders. He took over the role of Peter Beale, the son of Ian and Cindy Beale, and was part of the show from 2013 to 2015. 

After the soap, he made his film debut playing Angel in the 2016 superhero movie X-Men: Apocalypse. Most recently, Hardy starred in last year's HBO Max miniseries The Girl Before and the 2021 thriller The Voyeurs. He also starred in the queer romance indie Unicorn, which recently made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. 

He learned to play drums to portray a member of Queen in 'Bohemian Rhapsody.'

Hardy played Queen drummer Roger Taylor in the 2018 award-winning film, and went on to receive a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In a 2018 People interview, Hardy revealed that he actually lied and told the film's director that he could play the drums when he really had no experience.

“I wanted the job really bad,” he told the outlet. “Who doesn’t want to play a rock’ n roll star? So I told him a little white lie—slash—big lie, that I could play the drums. So he was like great, ‘Can you put this song on film for me to show to the producers?' I went away in a massive panic, there wasn’t enough time—I bought the cheapest drum kit I could find and found a drum teacher locally and was like, ‘Look here’s the deal: I need to learn to play this song as soon as possible. What can you do?’

“Bryan messaged me and was like ‘Where’s the video?’ I was like, Here is the moment, gonna have to do it. So I put it on film and just prayed,” he added. 

Once he got the role, Hardy learned all of the 13 songs featured in the biopic, which were performed by the actors during filming.

He has dated two of his previous co-stars.

Hardy and Plummer—who are both EastEnders alums, though their time on the soap didn't overlap—reportedly dated after meeting on the set of The Girl Before, where they played a couple whose relationship is tested after they move into a house with a mysterious, strict landlord. The two British actors went public with their relationship in 2021, and in March 2023, Daily Mail reported that they split due to  busy schedules.

And while working on the 2020 comedy thriller Pixie, Hardy met and began dating his co-star Olivia Cooke (who now stars as Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon). The two actors were first photographed together in February 2020, and Daily Mail reported that same August that the two had split after their relationship "naturally ended."

Netflix's latest rom-com Love at First Sight shows the beginning of an improbable love story. Based on Jennifer E. Smith's 2013 novel The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, the film follows Hadley Sullivan (Haley Lu Richardson) and Oliver Jones (Ben Hardy) during a meet-cute in an airport on December 20. After spending a cross-Atlantic flight together, Oliver puts his number in Hadley's phone, but it dies before she can save it. With the pair not even knowing each other's name and the entire city of London between them, can Hadley and Oliver reunite? Or will they lose each other forever after a perfect, chance meeting?

As evidenced by the trailer (and the fact that the source novel is billed as a best-selling romance rather than a tragedy), Oliver and Hadley are Meant To Be. Despite the "0.2 percent chance they will ever see each other again," the pair are fated to reunite, either by actual fate or the machinations of the Narrator (Jameela Jamil), who pops into the story every now and again to deliver statistics via fourth-wall breaks or nudge the couple along the way as a guardian angel. (In one early scene, she's literally the flight attendant who moves Oliver so he and Hadley are seated together for the six hour, forty-seven minute flight. 

Whether the film's stats are charming and swoon-worthy, or head-scratching and slightly morbid depend on your opinions on the concept of fate (though I admittedly skew more skeptic than romantic). Also, there's a fair chance that Oliver's subplot and reason for traveling may make you tear up and want to call your mom/parent/caretaker. Still, Love at First Sight makes a sweet, 90-minute ride out of the question of just how Hadley and Oliver will end up together?

So, how do they end up together? Here's our breakdown of the movie's ending—and whether it differs from the book.

How does 'Love at First Sight' end?

After the lovely extended meet-cute of a plane ride, we first follow Hadley as she sets out to be a bridesmaid in her father Andrew's (Rob Delaney) wedding to his new wife. Between the ceremony and reception, she overhears some guests talking about a memorial happening in Peckham, the same neighborhood where Oliver previously said he would be. Oliver didn't tell her that he was traveling for a memorial, but she thinks that may be his event anyway, and she's sad at the thought of him facing his mom's funeral by himself. Promising her dad to make it back for the reception, she heads straight there to try and find him.

Meanwhile, Oliver is attending a living memorial for his actor mom, which is Shakespeare-themed and includes eulogies in the form of poetry, monologues, and interpretive dance. (Hadley's dad is a Shakespeare professor, the thread that explains how he and Oliver's family can have mutual friends in a city as huge as London.) Oliver is clearly struggling with grief for his mom, who has cancer and has forgone treatment. 

When Hadley arrives at the memorial, she and Oliver end up arguing about Oliver not being honest about the event—he argues that he didn't want to unload his mother's illness on a stranger he just met, which, fair—and about his feelings. See, Oliver's the type of guy who will spout stats or suddenly go in for the first kiss rather than open up emotionally. So Hadley leaves saying it was a mistake for her to come, and without getting his number. However, as Narrator points out, Hadley accidentally left her bag. 

Hadley is now lost in London with a dead battery (in case you couldn't tell with the missing the flight and the forgetting the bag, all this is kind of her thing). She eventually finds a kind stranger who lets her use her phone to call her dad. He comes and picks her up, and they discuss Oliver and, eventually, Hadley's parent's divorce. After feeling conflicted about her dad's remarriage all film, the two make amends.

Meanwhile, after Oliver gives an emotional (and quite lovely) eulogy, he happens to find an invite to her dad's wedding reception in her bag. His dad finds him and chimes in with one simple, essential fact: "If I knew the odds that your mother was going to get cancer and die when I fell in love with her, do you know what I would've done differently? Absolutely nothing." All the possible hurt and pain pales in comparison at the chance of lifelong love. So, Oliver piles into his brother's van with the whole family and they race to the reception. He finds Hadley at the reception, he apologizes in his own subtle way, and Hadley accepts his apology with a kiss. She tells him that she's decided to stay in London for Christmas with her dad, and he starts spouting statistics about couples meeting at an airport or because of missed connections. She asks him what he's actually studying. The answer? "The statistical probability of love at first sight." (Cue the Pointing Leonardo DiCaprio meme.) 

The Narrator gives a final mini-monologue about the rest of Hadley and Oliver's life together, mentioning they'll be married for 58 years and have at least one daughter, as the ending caption unfurls, reading, "The beginning..."

How is 'Love at First Sight' different from the book?

While the film adaptation does make several changes from the book, most of them are minor things like when Oliver and Hadley meet (over luggage in the book and a phone charger in the movie) and when their first kiss happens (right before customs in the book, while the movie makes us wait until the final scene). Oliver's backstory is fleshed out a bit more; while he was traveling for his father's funeral in the book, the movie's living wake for his mother is a new invention, but just as heart-wrenching. 

There's also the big change of making the Narrator an actual person. Adapting a book like Smith's means narration's pretty much guaranteed—and the use of the stats behind each of Oliver and Hadley's crossroad decisions is effective—but the guardian angel aspect brought up a lot of questions. Is Jameela Jamil Cupid? The manifestation of fate? A god come to earth to steer these stupid humans in the right direction? Mental spiral aside, the change ends up working for Love at First Sight the film, which stays faithful to the heart of the book.

Red, White & Royal Blue was one of 2023's biggest surprise hits. Based on Casey McQuiston's popular (and #BookTok-beloved) queer romance novel of the same name, the Prime Video rom-com tells the love story of Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), son of the first female U.S. President, and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) of the United Kingdom. After the two total opposites are forced to fake a friendship following an international incident involving a royal wedding cake, they fall for each other and must keep their romance a secret.

Three years since RWRB made its streaming debut, the film adaptation is still one of Prime Video's top three most-watched rom-coms, so it was no surprise when Amazon MGM Studios confirmed that another installment is on the way. Below, read on for everything we know about the Red, White, and Royal Blue sequel so far.

Has a 'Red, White & Royal Blue' sequel been announced?

On October 16, 2025, Amazon MGM Studios announced that a follow-up to Red, White & Royal Blue was officially greenlit. The news comes with a new title for the sequel: Red, White & Royal Wedding(!!!).

According to a press release, Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez are set to reprise their roles as Prince Henry and Alex Claremont-Diaz. Matthew López, who directed the original film, returns to write the screenplay alongside My Lady Jane creator Gemma Burgess and book author McQuiston. Jamie Babbit, who helmed the queer classic But I'm a Cheerleader, will direct the film.

The sequel was first teased in May 2024, when the creative team spoke about the possibility of a second film during a fan screening in Culver City, California.

Speaking with Teen Vogue in August 2023, López teased that he was open to continuing Alex and Henry's love story, saying, "I would love to do a sequel—if we have the right story."

He continued, "I think there has to be a better reason than simply the desire to make one. There has to be a compelling story reason. I don't think a sequel is a bad idea, but I don't think a sequel for the sake of doing a sequel is necessarily sufficient. What I will say is the movie is 72 hours old. Before I can start thinking of sequels, I’m still trying to understand the impact this movie has had on the world. And I'm incredibly grateful that it has been received with so much love and warmth and enthusiasm."

Based on his past comments, he and McQuiston must have a compelling continuation of Alex and Henry's romance in store!

When will the 'Red, White & Royal Blue' sequel be released?

Though the release window for Red, White & Royal Wedding is still anyone's guess, there have been some promising updates. On January 18, 2026, Zakhar Perez and Galitzine announced the start of filming with an Instagram clip captured during the first day of production. Three months later, in March 2026, the cast and crew confirmed filming had wrapped with a TikTok.

As for a possible release date, some good news is that rom-coms tend to have quicker production timelines. For example, Red, White, & Royal Blue debuted just a year after filming took place between June and August 2022. Now that production's done, we're hoping Red, White & Royal Wedding debuts on streaming before the end of 2026 or by early 2027 at the latest.

Who is in the cast of 'Red, White, & Royal Wedding'?

Amazon MGM Studios has confirmed that most of the LGBTQ+ rom-com's main cast will return for the sequel. In addition to Galitzine and Zakhar Perez, Uma Thurman (President Ellen Claremont), Sarah Shahi (Zahra Bankston), Rachel Hilson (Nora Holleran), Ellie Bamber (Princess Beatrice), Clifton Collins Jr. (First Husband Oscar Diaz), Stephen Fry (King James III), Thomas Flynn (Prince Philip), Aneesh Sheth (Amy Gupta) and Malcolm Atobrah (Percy Okonjo) are all set to return.

Meanwhile, four actors have been added to the cast in undisclosed roles: Saturday Night Live alum Chloe Fineman; Game of Thrones star Lena Headey; Danish actor Alex Høgh Andersen; and Henry Ashton, who previously appeared in My Lady Jane and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

What will 'Red, White & Royal Wedding' be about?

Though plot details for Red, White & Royal Wedding are still under wraps, the stars have already responded to a big fan theory. Despite widespread speculation that the titular wedding will be Alex and Henry's, Zakhar and Galiztine confirmed in the January Instagram post that the second royal wedding is actually Bea's. For those who haven't read the book, Princess Beatrice is Henry's younger sister.

Though Alex and Henry's wedding is still a "long ways off at this point," per the clip, the sequel will likely see the pair consider their own relationship as they witness Bea's nuptials. It seems likely that RWRB 2 could also touch on the challenges Alex and Henry have faced while dating in the public eye, and how Henry's duties as a senior royal changed as the first openly gay member of the Royal Family.

McQuiston teased as much while speaking with Elle at Prime Video's Obsessed Fest in June 2026. They said, "It’s sort of this sense of: After the confetti falls and after the big whirlwind romance, what does it look like to just be together? All of a sudden, your life changes in an instant, and that’s all exciting. We adjust to it, and we now are settled into this new life together, and all of our real-life obligations and responsibilities have to come back knocking."

The author added, "These are two people who are very, very important to the world—very, very important to their families—and have big dreams and big ambitions, and sometimes those things are going to come into conflict with each other. It’s about: How do we figure out a compromise? How do we navigate these things together when all of these external factors are pulling us in opposite directions? How do we decide how we move forward together?"

McQuiston has also hyped up just how much romance—and spice—fans can expect. They told Elle, "It’s so romantic. It’s so funny. It’s so fun to watch these characters not just continue to grow their relationships with each other, but with their families and their siblings and their friends."

Along with that romance is even more heat. During an Obsessed Fest panel, the writer emphasized that the upcoming movie will be "a couple degrees spicier than the first."

They added, "There's definitely more domesticity in this movie, because, you know, they’re together now. So, you get to see a little bit of their life at home. I really hope I don’t get in trouble for saying this...The intimacy is kind of dialed up in a way that is really beautiful and really fun to watch."

It's safe to say we're already blushing!

Is 'Red, White & Royal Wedding' based on a book?

Red, White & Royal Wedding is not directly based on a book, as Red, White & Royal Blue was originally a standalone novel (more on that below!). However, fans get an official peek at Alex and Henry's lives after the film's events by reading a special version of the book. Red, White & Royal Blue: Collector's Edition, which was published in 2022, three years after the original was released in 2019, includes an exclusive chapter set after the novel's events, told through Henry's point of view. (Alex narrates the rest of the book.)

In the special chapter, Alex and Henry move to Brooklyn after traveling for several months. The two briefly live in separate apartments before moving into a brownstone together. Alex goes off to law school, while Henry starts a nonprofit, gets into cooking, and travels back and forth to London for various royal engagements. They get engaged(!) and eventually plan to move to Austin, where they can enjoy a quieter life away from the paparazzi.

Red, White & Royal Wedding will tell its own original story, but it's possible some of the book's epilogue could make its way to the screen—or at least be hinted at!

Will there be another 'Red, White & Royal Blue' book?

Since the novel was published in May 2019, author Casey McQuiston has hinted that Alex and Henry's story could continue in a new installment. In a September 2019 interview with Hello!, they said, "I will say that I have plenty of ideas for stories set in this world and would love a chance to explore one of them someday. I would be surprised if you've seen the last of Alex and Henry."

Fans will finally get a glimpse of that in winter 2026. In May 2026, McQuiston announced the spinoff novella, Red, White & Royal Blue: The Private Correspondence. Rather than a direct sequel, the book, which hits shelves on December 1, takes an unconventional yet charming approach by being formatted as "a collection of letters, notes, scraps, scribbles, and ephemera exchanged between Alex and Henry over the next two decades of their lives together, from 2022 to 2039."

McQuiston has explained that the novella stands separate from the film series, but it's sure to make any fans of the couple swoon.

In the meantime, fans may also be interested in checking out McQuiston's other books. They have written One Last Stop, an N.Y.C.-based queer romance about a love that literally transcends time; I Kissed Sara Wheeler, a YA rom-com about high school girls growing up queer in a Christian school in the South; and The Pairing, a bisexual romance that came out in August 2024.

Calling all rom-com and K-drama fans, XO, Kitty is your next heart-fluttering escape. In 2023, Netflix revived To All the Boys I've Loved Before with the hit spinoff show, following the youngest Song Covey sister, Kitty. The series created by book author Jenny Han begins four years after To All the Boys: Always and Forever, following Kitty as she gets the chance to attend the elite Korean Independent School of Seoul, her late mother's alma mater, for her junior year.

The first two seasons of the romance series follow Kitty through her first two semesters at KISS, where she comes to new realizations about her matchmaking skills, her sexuality, and her deceased mother's side of the family. Following season 2's love-triangle-filled chapter of Kitty's coming-of-age journey, the show was renewed for a third season, which just premiered in April 2026.

For the series filmed primarily in Seoul, Han has tapped a cast of up-and-coming actors from American television, Korean dramas, and even international theatre. Read on to meet (and follow) the cast of XO, Kitty, including the new stars who appear in season 3.

Anna Cathcart as Kitty Song Covey

Kitty is 16-years-old when we catch up with her in the spinoff, living in Portland with her dad and stepmom. She's been virtual pals with Dae since they met at age 12, and the pair are now in a committed long-distance relationship. All of that changes when Kitty is admitted to KISS, where she learns more about both her deceased mother and her adoring boyfriend. Kitty has made several discoveries in her years at KISS—from her bisexual awakening to long-lost family—but as she enters senior year, she's set for even more personal growth.

Anna Cathcart, 22, has played Kitty since the first To All the Boys film was released in 2018. She has also starred in the PBS Kids series Odd Squad, and the Disney films Descendants 2 and 3, as well as appearing in a short role on the ABC series Once Upon a Time. Since XO Kitty's debut, Cathcart has done voice acting for both podcast series and the 2025 Monster High animated series.

Instagram: @annacathcart

Minyeong Choi as Dae Heon Kim

At the start of XO, Kitty, Dae and Kitty have been long-distance dating since they met at Namsan Tower four years ago. The Seoul native is now one of the top students at KISS, making his working-class family proud. Dae is still one of Kitty's best friends, though they broke up at the end of season 1.

Choi Minyeong, 23, got his start as a child actor in stage musicals and several beloved K-dramas, including W: Two Worlds Apart, Strong Woman Do Bong-soon, Chicago Typewriter, Mr. Sunshine, Itaewon Class, and Twenty-Five Twenty-One. In spring 2025, he starred in the highly anticipated thriller K-drama Weak Hero Class 2.

Instagram: @choi_minyeong

Gia Kim as Yuri Han

KISS queen bee and social media star Yuri is the daughter of a successful CEO and the school's former principal. When we first meet Yuri, she's a magnet for paparazzi and is used to putting on a show of perfection, even when her family and romantic lives are in turmoil. Season 3 will see her adjust to a new normal after her family lost their fortune at the end of season 2.

XO Kitty is Gia Kim's first major TV role. The 33-year-old actress previously appeared in stage productions in Beijing, Seoul, and L.A. Next up, she's set to appear in Paramount Pictures and Hybe America's untitled K-pop movie.

Instagram: @thisisgiakim

Sang Heon Lee as Min Ho

Wealthy and privileged Min-ho seems cold and bratty on the surface, but he's fiercely loyal to his friends and family, including his longtime friend Dae. He doesn't react well when Kitty shows up and changes the dynamics of his friend group. Of course, things become a bit clearer when he realizes his feelings for the American matchmaker. The pair's will-they-won't-they intrigue continues into season 3.

29-year-old Sang Heon Lee made his acting debut in XO, Kitty. The Korea-born, Hong Kong-raised actor has since appeared in the 2023 action movie Gran Turismo and the 2024 miniseries Secret Ingredient. (Also fun fact: He and his co-star Gia Kim are real-life siblings!)

Instagram: @sangheonleesh

Anthony Keyvan as Quincy "Q" Shabazian

Q is an international student at KISS and one of Dae's best friends, though he quickly becomes a confidant to American Kitty. He's also one of the few openly gay students at the school.

25-year-old Anthony Keyvan was born in Orange County, California, and started his career as a child actor. The TV veteran has appeared in shows including iCarly, Grey's Anatomy, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, NCIS, Fresh Off the Boat, Genera+ion, and Love, Victor. Next up, he'll join the ensemble cast of Kieran Shipka's Goodbye Girl, and he'll star alongside Milly Bobbie Brown in the upcoming Netflix rom-com Just Picture It

Instagram: @anthonykeyvan

Regan Aliyah as Juliana

At the start of XO, Kitty, Juliana was Yuri's best friend and secret girlfriend, who couldn't return to KISS after her parents found out about their relationship. However, the pair were able to reunite, and at the start of season 2, Yuri, Juliana, and Kitty were suit mates...which made Kitty's crush on Yuri a lot more awkward.

Regan Aliyah is an L.A.-based rapper and actress who previously appeared in the TV miniseries Club Mickey Mouse and various shorts, as well as the 2024 horror movie Please Don't Feed the Children. Last year, the 26-year-old joined the MCU as Zelma Stanton in the Disney+ series Ironheart.

Instagram: @reganaliyah

Jocelyn Shelfo as Madison

Madison was a new student at KISS in season 1, joining the school thanks to her parents, who are working on a business deal with Yuri's father. The teen is also a huge K-pop fan (to a sometimes cringe effect).

XO, Kitty is Jocelyn Shelfo's second time working with Jenny Han, as she previously appeared in the creator's TV adaptation of The Summer I Turned Pretty. The 24-year-old also appeared alongside Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore in the Todd Haynes film May December. In 2025, Shelfo graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.

Instagram: @jocelyn.shelfo

Han Bi Ryu as Eunice Kang

Eunice has been good friends with both Yuri and Madison since season 1, but at the time, they acted more like followers than friends. In season 2, Eunice started to show off her independent side as she competed in the K-pop singing competition and formed a romance with her competitor, Dae. Season 3 sees Eunice embarking on a worldwide tour as an opening act, with Min Ho as her manager.

Han Bi Ryu, 22, began her career as a child actress in K-dramas like Local Hero, Entourage, and Suspicious Partner. In 2018, she won the MBC Drama Award for Best Young Actress for her work in the romance-thriller Come and Hug Me. XO, Kitty is Han Bi's return to acting after a five-year hiatus; though it's never been confirmed, she's rumored to have trained as a K-pop idol alongside members of NewJeans.

Instagram: @hanbiryu

Sunny Oh as Mihee Yoon

Mihee (above, right), another member of Yuri's friend group, is played by Sunny Oh. The young actress made her major TV debut on XO, Kitty.

Instagrams: @sunny.oh

Sasha Bhasin as Praveena

Praveena is another KISS student introduced in season 2, whose parents work in the U.S. State Department (and may or may not be CIA). She stands out as a possible new love interest for Kitty, but by season 3, Praveena is dating a different KISS student.

Sasha Bhasin was born in India, grew up in Florida, and moved up the East Coast to attend college at NYU, studying politics while pursuing acting on the side, per Teen Vogue. In addition to XO, Kitty, she has also starred in the 2023 movie Brave the Dark and played influencer Nandi in season 1 of The Pitt. Bhasin is also a musician, currently working on an EP.

Instagram: @sashabhasin

Joshua Lee as Jin

Jin is Q's rival on KISS's track team and has a history of bullying Q, Dae, and Min Ho. However, Jin surprises Q when he starts channeling a familiar K-drama trope: enemies to lovers.

Joshua Hyunho Lee, 27, is a Korean-American actor who graduated from Harvard and worked in corporate finance before pivoting to acting. His U.S. television debut is in XO, Kitty; before that, he appeared in the Canadian series Gangnam Project. He also made his Broadway debut in the 2022 musical KPOP.

Instagram: @joshualee

Sule Thelwell as Marius

After being name-dropped throughout the series, Q, Dae, and Min Ho's old suitemate (and Q's former fling) Marius finally returns to KISS in season 3. The charismatic pot-stirrer immediately starts complicating things for both Kitty and Q.

Sule Thelwell, 24, is a Jamaican actor and musician (under the stage name Sule Kamu) who attended drama school in London. Before XO, Kitty, he made his television debut as Desmond on the Hulu thriller Saint X.

Instagram: @sulekamuthelwell

Peter Thurnwald as Alex Finnerty

In season 1, Alex was a friendly new chemistry teacher at KISS, who had just moved to Seoul from Melbourne, Australia. Since he's closer to the kids's age, he bonds with students like Kitty and Yuri and offers advice through tumultuous times. In season 3, he becomes the latest subject of Kitty's matchmaking

Thurnwald, 27, grew up in Australia and began studying acting after working as a featured extra on several films, including Kong: Skull Island and Thor: Ragnarok. He's best known for appearing on the Australian series Bump, the Paramount+ series Players, and NBC's Young Rock. In 2025, he also starred in the Australian rom-com It's Our Time.

Instagram: @peterthurnwald

Michael K. Lee as Principal Lee

Lee, a long-time KISS teacher, is stern when disciplining his students. His sky-high expectations give Kitty a rough wake-up call about the different standards between KISS and her U.S. high school. In season 2, he received a promotion and became the principal of the international school.

Michael K. Lee, 52, is a stage and screen actor born in the U.S. and now based in Seoul. He's best known for his work in musical theater, including roles in productions of Miss Saigon, Pacific Overtures, Rent, and Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as his supporting role in the fantasy drama A Korean Odyssey.

Instagram: @michaelkleeofficial

Hojo Shin as Jiwon Ahn

Hojo Shin, a Korean-American actress, plays Kitty's Korean cousin Jiwon Ahn. In season 3, Jiwon joins the KISS staff as a professor and resident advisor.

Shin, 32, began her career with supporting roles in the 2019 movie Boy Genius and the Snap Original series The Dead Girls Detective Agency. In 2022, she held her first Korean acting role on the Hulu K-drama Big Bet.

Instagram: @hojoshin

Soy Kim as Yisoo

In season 3, the KISS students become acquainted with the world of high fashion world through Yisoo, a legendary designer who begins working with Eunice. Yisoo is also interested in hiring a new part-time assistant.

Soy Kim, 45, is a Korean actress, singer-songwriter, and filmmaker. The multi-hyphenate made her entertainment debut as a VJ in 1994, and was part of the girl group T.T.Ma from 1999 to 2002. Since her pivot to acting in 2005, she has starred in Korean movies like 2016's Like a French Film, 2017's The Seeds of Violence, and 2020's Again, as well as the 2024's K-drama Sorry Not Sorry. (She's also the cousin of the popular singer-songwriter Paul Kim.)

Instagram: @soy_weird

Christine Hwang as Gigi

Christine Heesun Hwang, 25, plays Gigi, Yisoo's assistant who's also a family friend (and noona) of Min Ho's. The queer Korean American multi-hyphenate began her career as a musical actress, playing Eponine in the national tour of Les Misérables before making her Broadway debut in Suffs in 2024. Last year, she landed her first two television roles in episodes of Law and Order: SVU and Netflix's The Beast in Me.

Instagram: @chiseoni

The Season 1 Cast of 'XO, Kitty'

Yunjin Kim as Jina Lim

Jina Lim (above, right) is Yuri's mom and the principal of KISS until she leaves the position before season 2. The administrator is also an alum of the school, who attended at the same time as Kitty's mom.

Yunjin Kim, 52, is a Korean-American actress who starred in all six seasons of Lost, as well as the ABC soap Mistresses and the Netflix remake Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area. She also appeared in several hit Korean movies, including 1999's Shiri, 2002's Ardor, 2007's Seven Days, and 2014's Ode to My Father. Most recently, she voiced Celine in the global phenomenon KPop Demon Hunters.

Lee Sung-wook as Mr. Kim

Dae's caring father (above, left), who works as a driver for the Han family, is played by South Korean actor Lee Sung-wook, 46. The K-drama and film veteran has appeared in recent dramas including Misty, Forecasting Love and Weather, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and Decoy. He also had supporting roles in five Netflix original dramas: The Silent Sea, Black Knight, The Frog, Gyeongseong Creature season 2, and Aema.

Instagram: @leesungwook_official

Lee Hyung-chul as Mr. Han

Yuri's father is a successful businessman and head of a hotel chain, demanding perfection from his daughter and wife, Jina.

He's played by Lee Hyung-chul, 55, a South Korean actor known for appearing in several dramas, including Scent of Man, Sisters of the Sea, On Air, City Hall, War of the Roses, and Good For You. He also played Henry Higgins in a production of the stage musical My Fair Lady.

Théo Augier as Florian

Florian (above, right) is another international student at KISS, who struggles to balance his personal life with his studies in season 1.

Augier grew up in Athens, Greece, and moved to Paris at 18 to pursue acting. He has appeared in several French-language projects, including the teen series Grown Ups and Endless Night.

Instagram: @theo.augierbonaventure

Han Chae-young as Dami

Min Ho's mother, Dami, happens to be an international movie star. She makes time to video-call her son while she’s filming a movie in L.A.

Han Chae-young plays the supporting role. She's a familiar face to fans of classic K-dramas, including Autumn in My Heart, Sassy Girl Chun-hyang, Only You, and My Girl. The 45-year-old (nicknamed "Barbie Doll of Korea") most notably appeared in the Hallyu hit Boys Over Flowers.

Taecyeon as Ocean Park

In season 1, 2PM member Taecyeon makes a brief cameo as Ocean Park, Madison's favorite idol, on a KISS camping trip. The 37-year-old idol and actor debuted as the main rapper of the group 2PM in 2008, followed by his acting debut in 2010. His best-known acting credits include the dramas Dream High, Bring It On, Ghost, Save Me, Vincenzo, and Secret Royal Inspector & Joy.

Instagram: @taecyeonokay

The Season 2 Cast of 'XO, Kitty'

Audrey Huynh as Stella

Stella is Kitty's new roommate in season 2, who joins KISS as a new student fresh off the plane from small-town Ohio. She seems like a sweet and kind friend with an innocent crush on Min Ho, but Kitty eventually learns that Stella isn't what she seems.

Audrey Huynh, 20, is an actress, singer/songwriter, and college student studying at Chapman University. She began working as a child actress in 2014 and went on to appear in both live-action and voice-acting roles, including the 2019 movie Wyrm and four episodes of We Bare Bears. Most recently, she voiced Jun-hee in the English dub for Squid Game season 2.

Instagram: @audreyyhuynh

Philippe Lee as Mr. Moon

In season 2, we meet Min Ho's father, Mr. Moon, a famous talent manager who is considered "the Kris Jenner of Korea." He's played by Philippe Lee, 61, an actor and model born in France and raised between France, Africa, and Korea, per his Instagram. XO, Kitty is his first major TV role.

Instagram: @philippelee_official

Peniel Shin as Joon Ho

The season 2 finale includes a cameo from real-life K-pop idol Peniel Shin, who plays Min Ho's superstar brother Joon Ho. The 33-year-old Korean-American grew up in Chicago and moved to Seoul in high school, where he debuted as part of the boy group BTOB in 2012. He currently releases music as a soloist and with BTOB, in addition to co-hosting the podcast "GET REAL."

Instagram: @btobpeniel

Alicia Silverstone is most famous for her culture-shaping role as Cher Horowitz in 1995 rom-com classic Clueless, but of course her career spans beyond that single movie.

In 1999, Silverstone starred opposite 2023 Oscar winner Brendan Fraser in a completely bonkers-looking rom-com titled Blast From the Past. The movie sees Fraser's character born and raised in a bomb shelter, where he and his family live for 35 years before he first sees the light of day (the streets of Los Angeles). It gives a bit of a Kimmy Schmidt vibe, as the protagonist becomes accustomed to things like... the sky, cars, windows.

It's ridiculous and amazing, and from the looks of the trailer, I love it already.

Anyway, there could be more to love in the future, because Silverstone just appeared at '90s Con this past weekend, and was asked if she'd be down to do a sequel.

"With Brendan? I would do anything with Brendan. It was so much fun," she said (via Variety).

"I just saw Brendan after he won his Oscar and he’s so cute. He talked in his speech about how we all go through this really hard time and you have to grow and it’s part of life that you struggle and then look what happened to him. So yes, I’m happy to do that."

Fraser won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his part in controversial movie The Whale.

Silverstone, as for her, reprised her role as Cher Horowitz this year for a Super Bowl ad for cashback platform Rakuten. So, if you ask me, the time for Blast From the Past 2 is now.

Courteney Cox was just honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and her longtime pals and Friends costars Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow were right there by her side to celebrate her.

Aniston took to Instagram to share how happy she was for the Monica Geller to her Rachel Green.

"Very proud of our girl @courteneycoxofficial today," she wrote. "I love these women with literally every ounce of my heart and soul ... @lisakudrow and I were on a cloud being able to celebrate her and her incredible achievements"

Reese Witherspoon, who played Jill Green in the cult TV show, commented, "Wow!! Congrats @courteneycoxofficial !! So well deserved!!"

Aniston, Kudrow and Laura Dern were all guest speakers during the ceremony.

"We are thrilled to welcome Courteney Cox to the Hollywood Walk of Fame!  Courteney has played some momentous roles during her career, and we know there is much more to come," Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, said in a press release.

"I am happy to add that her star is just a few feet away from her friend and now fellow Walk of Famer Jennifer Aniston."

Friends ran from 1994 to 2004, and to this day, every cast reunion—whether formal or informal—sends fans into a near frenzy.

Aniston and Cox have remained especially close over the years since the show ended. The Rachel Green actress is even godmother to the real-life Monica Geller's daughter Coco Arquette, according to Us Weekly.

Cox shares Coco with her ex-husband, the actor David Arquette, whom she married in 1999.