Meet cute: Ranking 20 of TV's most intriguing new romances

In the process of calculating the 100 best TV romances of all time, we realized there were quite a few pairings that were too early in their show's run to include, but still deserved some careful consideration.

Here, we're ranking the most intriguing new TV romances to keep an eye on, providing insight on the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to the small screen's latest couplings and love triangles. For our criteria, we only looked at shows that are still ongoing and have only had two seasons or less, so apologies to Otis and Maeve on Sex Education, Laszlo and Nadja on What We Do in the Shadows, and Ryan and Sophie on Batwoman for just missing the cut.

Now, let's get to it.

20. Obie, Julien, and Zoya on Gossip Girl

Even if toeing the line of incestuous relationships is part of the Gossip Girl DNA, we've had it up to here with sibling love triangles. Introducing your male lead by having him break up with his longtime girlfriend and then immediately start dating her long-lost sister is a very hard pill to swallow, despite Julien (Jordan Alexander) swearing she's okay with the philanthropic Obie (Eli Brown) pursuing bleeding heart Zoya (Whitney Peak). Thankfully, in its growing pains, the HBO Max series seems to have dropped this romantic plot, giving more of a focus to Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Aki (Evan Mock), and Max (Thomas Doherty). They bring hope that more TV love triangles will just end with the trio as a throuple.

19. Emily and Gabriel on Emily in Paris

It's also hard to root for the protagonist of a show if they've already slept with their best friend's underage brother and long-term boyfriend in the first season. But the infamously Emmy-nominated Netflix comedy Emily in Paris is much more fun as a live-action reverse-harem show, with Emily (Lily Collins) having moved abroad and seemingly developed the superpower to make every man she comes across in Paris fall in love with her. She and chef Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) would've been interesting, especially since the bridge with Camille (Camille Razat) was already burned, but it's now tortuous watching them know what they want and still make countless decisions that prevent them from getting it.

18. Barry and Sally on Barry

A classic case of scene partners–turned–lovers, hitman Barry (Bill Hader) and struggling actress Sally (Sarah Goldberg) have had magical moments — but in the words of Maya Angelou, "When people show you who they are, believe them the first time." The unsolicited laptop gift was the only red flag the anxious artist should have needed to know that the somewhat repentant veteran has some work to do on himself before entering a relationship. While it doesn't feel like Barry has any intention of hurting Sarah, Barry viewers have already seen his noble plans fail time and time again. Here's hoping she doesn't become another victim of his past coming back to haunt him in season 3.

17. Alina and General Kirigan on Shadow and Bone

As a tyrannical military leader racking up war crimes, Kirigan (Ben Barnes) is probably the worst person on this list. But hey, sometimes we love a bad boy. Alina (Jessie Mei Li) has a real opposites-attract relationship with the Darkling that should probably be more off-putting, but Li and Barnes really sell it. Kudos to the Shadow and Bone villain for helping the messiah-like mapmaker find her inner light, but the age-gap discourse alone that comes with falling in love with a seemingly immortal being is probably enough to root against this pairing.

16. Rue and Jules on Euphoria

Many fans of the Emmy-winning HBO drama have fallen in love with Euphoria because of the tender relationship between Rue (Zendaya) and Jules (Hunter Schafer). It's rare on TV to get such a deep and nuanced queer love story, and a romance that's empathetic to a partner who is experiencing drug addiction. While Rue and Jules became official in season 2, their communication issues have not been resolved, and it seems like they have different relationship needs at the end of the day. There's probably still hope for them to be together, but these teens are understandably still figuring themselves out, so it may be best for them to remain single during that process.

15. Reagan and Josh on Rutherford Falls

These two wonks were a bright light in the first season of the Peacock comedy, initially supporting each other's professional creative endeavors. That said, it is not cool to air out someone's dirty laundry after your partner begs you not to. Did Josh (Dustin Milligan) even give Reagan (Jana Schmieding) a heads-up about his damning podcast? Probably not, or else she would've keyed in her best friend Nathan (Ed Helms) to the news. Given how season 1 of Rutherford Falls ended, the exes will probably cross paths again, but they have quite the hump to get over if they're going to reconcile.

14. Camille and Ian on Harlem

Actor Tyler Lepley deserves a special shout-out for being one half of another pair that could have made this list (though yikes, did Keyshawn do Diamond dirty on P-Valley!), but Harlem gives him more of a spotlight opposite Meagan Good. Faltering college professor Camille (Good) should not be out here ruining people's weddings, but it is satisfying to see her lay it all on the line for Ian (Lepley), the ex who she abandoned as he was going to culinary school and getting ready to propose to her. They don't need to get hitched immediately, but we do want to see our girl Camille, who kind of blew up her life in Harlem's season 1 finale, at least get to move into Ian's family's exquisite brownstone.

13. Nini and Ricky on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

What's a show to do when one of its stars skyrockets to fame via a fiery breakup song that everyone presumes was written about their scene partner? The reason people tapped into the "Drivers License" conspiracies so hard is that Olivia Rodrigo (Nini) and Joshua Bassett (Ricky) had a chemistry that popped in season 1 of Disney+'s underrated High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. They may have been an even more electric pairing than the original Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens). Unfortunately, art ended up imitating life in season 2 with a breakup that felt a little too manufactured. When they're together, Nini and Ricky can be the best part of the show, so we think this relationship is worth salvaging even if the actors who play them aren't feeling each other as much these days.

12. Sophie and Jesse, How I Met Your Father

As one of the newest pairings on this list, Hilary Duff and Chris Lowell's characters are still on an upswing, without any problems spoiling their romantic prospects. But the downside to them being so new is that we still haven't committed their characters' names to memory. (Yeah, they're listed above, but we had to check IMDb.) Fortunately, Duff (Sophie) and Lowell (Jesse) are romance-plot experts at this point, so even if viewers are still warming up to How I Met Your Father, they can do so knowing that this pairing has a lot of potential.

11. Taissa and Van on Yellowjackets

To quote Rihanna, they "found love in a hopeless place" — and that's something to be celebrated. Played by Jasmin Savoy Brown (Taissa) and Liv Hewson (Van), this young couple is sometimes at the eye of the storm of drama on Showtime's hit thriller, and other times drives some of the most interesting mysteries about what exactly happened to these young women before they were rescued. Their issues tend to come from a difference in ideologies (and maybe that one time Taissa was about to burn Van alive), so it will be fascinating to see which side they each land on as a rift between the stranded girls grows bigger and bigger. And the prospect of an adult Van, and whichever actress will play her if she's still kicking around, adds to the enthusiasm surrounding these two Yellowjackets.

10. Hughie and Annie on The Boys

When it comes to Amazon's twisted superhero tale, words like "hope" and "romance" don't come up very often, but these two star-crossed lovers making it their mission to topple a corrupt corporation that controls an army of genetically engineered goons offer a shred of salvation. Ever since Jack Quaid's Hughie and Erin Moriarty's Annie met on that park bench, they've built each other up to find strength they never knew they had. They've had some harrowing experiences together, from dealing with a mutilated whale carcass to battling a superpowered Nazi villainess, but, together, they've been able to stick to their guns and maintain dignity in the cruel, cruel world of The Boys.

9. Victor, Benji, and Rahim on Love, Victor

The best love triangles come from shows that make a strong case for the protagonist to go in either direction, and Hulu's Love, Victor does just that. Benji (George Sear) beautifully helped Victor (Michael Cimino) come out and live in his truth, and he gets major points for the basketball game stunt. (Shocking for a flash mob to be that endearing.) But not being empathetic toward Victor's family situation is the kind of red flag that may be too much to ignore. Meanwhile, Rahim (Anthony Keyvan) seems to really understand Victor's situation and has been adorable the whole time, so if we had to pick…

8. Earn and Van on Atlanta

It's been so long since Atlanta last graced our screens that many viewers have probably forgotten the specifics of these exes, but they're one couple we could definitely see finding their way back to each other. Donald Glover (Earn) and Zazie Beetz (Van) are so funny and charming as two young parents still clinging to their youth while simultaneously becoming a tad more responsible. They say more money, more problems, but with how things are set up for season 3, it seems like there's a good chance Earn and Van can have another, more solid go at settling down with one other, being better able to provide for their daughter, Lottie.

7. Judy and B.J. on The Righteous Gemstones

These two are chaos, pure chaos. Quite possibly the definition of ride-or-die. Edi Patterson (Judy) and Tim Baltz (B.J.) are picture-perfect playing two lovesick characters vying for a spot among the megachurch establishment on The Righteous Gemstones. They may not be the most magnanimous individuals, but they're a ton of fun and well-matched, with the acerbic Judy being balanced out by doting B.J. They sometimes get compared to Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) on Succession, but we'd argue that there's much more love happening here. Plus, Shiv and Tom wouldn't be caught dead at Disney World, much less have their wedding there.

6. Devi, Paxton, and Ben on Never Have I Ever

Either way, our hero wins — and that's how you do a good love triangle. Netflix's comedy has somehow found a way to balance a plotline about Devi's dream guy falling for her with a classic enemies-to-lovers situation. Her ups and downs with both young men have viewers feverishly making pro-and-con lists for who she should choose, much as she does on the show. Under the tutelage of Never Have I Ever creators Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Devi), Darren Barnet (Paxton), and Jaren Lewison (Ben) have delivered a sheer romantic roller coaster.

5. Brooke and Lance on The Other Two

How does one not break into a smile any time Josh Segarra's Lance comes on screen to provide assurance to the often spiraling Dubek family on The Other Two? Put the unconventional design genius in the himbo hall of fame. Brooke is no slouch either, with Heléne Yorke infusing a hilarious amount of relatability into the budding music manager fumbling through surprise success. They may still be finding their way back to each other, but they are shaping up into ultimate couple goals.

4. George and Bertha on The Gilded Age

And here, although they're very new, is a marriage that already is couple goals. Sure, George (Morgan Spector) and Bertha (Carrie Coon) are cutthroat, but buying out an auction to shut it down and make a petty point on behalf of your spouse is a move that gets our locomotives running. We're putting a premium on stunts and drama in this here dancerie, but it's also just nice to see two people attempt an equitable marriage in a time that was really oppressive toward women. It's fascinating to see the storms this Gilded Age duo have already weathered (imagine some unwelcome bedfellows), and still the new-money aristocrats remain dedicated to one another. George can be the king, but watch his queen conquer.

3. Mabel and Oscar on Only Murders in the Building

As the most mysterious of the three amateur detectives/podcasters at the center of Only Murders in the Building, Mabel (Selena Gomez) is initially a tough nut to crack. But when viewers finally get clued in on her history, and her relationship to Aaron Dominguez's Oscar (a.k.a. tie-dye guy), it becomes clear she has a heart of gold. She and Oscar have suffered a lot of loss, but are each other's light at the end of the tunnel. While we want what's best for the young man who just completed his unlawful prison bid and is out for justice, we hope he holds Mabel down the way she did for him as she fights accusations that she and her two friends are guilty of the murder committed in the season 1 finale.

2. Nadia and Alan on Russian Doll

It almost feels like this Netflix series created by Amy Poehler, Leslye Headland, and star Natasha Lyonne premiered a decade ago, but please don't forget the heartwarming note that season 1 ended on: Nadia (Lyonne) and Alan (Charlie Barnett) figured out that the way to escape their deadly time loop was to find and save each other. It was a conclusion that was completely unexpected, especially given how late Alan was introduced in the season. He arguably doesn't even come off as a romantic prospect for Nadia at first! Just expert work all around in fast-tracking a couple with this much depth. Russian Doll season 2 can't come soon enough.

1. Janine and Gregory on Abbott Elementary

Is there some recency bias here? Absolutely. But the writers of ABC's hit sitcom Abbott Elementary have already shown they know exactly what they're doing with a good old-fashioned slow-burn workplace romance, so the flowers are warranted. Give us more longing glances, more tripping over words that sound too forward, more sharing of umbrellas. "Does Tariq make you happy?" We're screaming! Kudos to creator and star Quinta Brunson (Janine) and sitcom vet Tyler James Williams (Gregory) for developing characters that are so lived-in, with romantic stakes that feel familiar in the best way. Who knows how many seasons it will take for Janine and Gregory to finally date? Who knows if they're meant to be? All we know is that viewers are already deeply invested in these two plucky public school teachers and their mutual crush.

Read more from EW's celebration of TV's best romances of all time.

Related content:

• Crazy little things called love: TV characters who fell for inanimate objects
• Drawn together: The best animated romances on TV
• Why Lucy and Ricky are still the gold standard for television couples