[Note from Frolic: We are so excited to have author Erin McLellan guest post on the site today. Take it away Erin!]
I watch a lot of TV, particularly sitcoms, to get my romance fix. Looking back at the comedies I grew up on as a child of the ‘90s — Boy Meets World, Saved by the Bell, Sister Sister, to name a few — I realize now that I was there for the love. I wanted to see the ups and downs of Cory and Topanga’s relationship. I swooned over Zack and Kelly. I crushed hard on Tamara’s smarty-pants boyfriend, Jordan. These sitcoms shaped my view of romance as entertainment. And now, when I watch TV, I focus on the same aspects that made me fall in love with those shows: chemistry between characters, tropes, storytelling, and the Happily Ever After.
My favorite love story arcs are able to lace a swoony romance with humor, silliness and sparkle while also keeping me on the edge of my seat. They can make me feel all the same ooey-gooey emotions that an epic, sweeping love story might. For example, I’ve cried about five times while watching Schitt’s Creek. But generally, the characters in a sitcom are much less likely to get murdered at a wedding Game of Thrones-style. As a romance reader, that’s why I like comedies and sitcoms, especially the ones that lead with compassion. Even though an HEA isn’t necessarily guaranteed, like in a romance novel, I know that happiness and humor will normally prevail.
So without further ado, here are a few current standout comedy couples that I think romance readers will love! These stories often flip the best romance tropes. The characters have chemistry. The storytelling is amazing.
Fingers crossed all of these shows get renewed in perpetuity, or, in the case of One Day at a Time, picked up by another network! Spoilers ahoy!