One Day premiered on Netflix recently to much critical acclaim as it stirred up our emotions and pulled heartstrings through Valentine’s Day and beyond.
Based on David Nicholls’ 2009 novel of the same name, One Day is a Netflix Original romantic drama series that follows the relationship and lives of Emma Morley (Ambika Mod) and Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall) in the two decades after they meet and spend a memorable night together upon graduating the University of Edinburgh. Though their paths diverge after that fateful first encounter, Emma and Dexter continue to see their connection persist and lives intersect in new and surprising ways, which viewers can witness through snapshots of their respective stories one one day, July 15, for 20 years.
Looking for more titles like One Day? Well, you’re in luck, because we’ve compiled a list of everything from intense connections captured over an extended period of time to heart-wrenching love stories and breakups. So without further ado, here are seven shows like One Day that are sure to move and beguile you.
Much like One Day, This Is Us follows the intertwined lives of its main characters over the course of many years. This Is Us initially aired on NBC from 2016 to 2022 and tracks the stories of “Big Three” triplets Kevin (Justin Hartley), Kate (Chrissy Metz), and Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown), as well as their parents Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore). The moving drama series follows their major struggles, successes, and enduring bonds with one another, culminating in a sweet and unforgettable family tale.
One Day fans will truly get a lot of bang for their buck with Love Life which follows not one but two unique (yet still slightly connected) romantic histories from first love to “the One.” With a first season that centers on Darby Carter (Anna Kendrick) and a second season that focuses on book editor Marcus Watkins (William Jackson Harper), this romantic comedy anthology title informs viewers deeply about not only the characters’ love lives but also about who they are and how they change and grow over time.
Like One Day, Daisy Jones & The Six depicts some of the different loves people can have in their lives and how it’s possible to be the right people but wrong time to be together. Based on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2019 novel of the same name, Daisy Jones & The Six is a Prime Video Original musical drama miniseries that follows the titular rock band and its members from their rise to immense fame in the 1970s to their eventual disbandment at the peak of their careers in 1977. Years later, the band members and those closest to them share their untold true story, as well as the love and loss they encountered along the way.
Lovesick: Season 3 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
This under-the-radar British comedy is as snappy and smart as anyone could ask for; after finding out he has an STD, Dylan decides to get back in touch with every girl he’s ever slept with to let them know what’s happened. Rife with a range of different comedic styles and stand-out performances from every cast member, Lovesick is the perfect cure to any illness.
[Stream Lovesick: Season 3 on Netflix]
This underrated British sitcom that originally ran from 2014 to 2018 is like One Day in how it portrays the people who come and go into its main characters’ lives, and how longtime yearning “will they, won’t they” between friends can eventually become something more. Lovesick follows a somewhat inept romantic 20-something named Dylan Witter (Johnny Flynn) as he informs previous sexual partners of his recent chlamydia diagnosis, all while taking a look back at the relationship history and significant life moments of him and his best friends Luke Curran (Daniel Ings) and Evie Douglas (Antonia Thomas).
Both One Day and Normal People are successful adaptations of books where an unexpected pair forms a lasting, undeniable bond that follows them even when their life paths diverge. Based on Sally Rooney’s 2018 novel of the same name, Normal People is a Hulu Original romantic drama miniseries that revolves around Marianne Sheridan (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell Waldron (Paul Mescal) as they grow close to one another as secondary school students despite their very different social standing and economic backgrounds. The show then continues to follow their complex relationship and respective coming-of-age journeys as they attend the same university in Dublin, depicting a gripping and raw picture of a modern-day romantic connection over time.
Much like One Day, this BBC comedy series features a romance between two very different people whose lives will change after meeting by chance one fateful night. Starstruck centers on a 20-something New Zealand woman named Jessie (Rose Matafeo) whose new life in London is forever altered after a one-night stand with a stranger who turns out to be famous actor, Tom Kapoor (Nikesh Patel). Though their lives and circumstances are extremely different, the two continue to be drawn to one another, and the show tracks their lives both together and separately in the years following their initial hook-up.
Lastly, both One Day and Fleabag remind us how with love sometimes comes total heartbreak caused by loss, a difference in core values, or other circumstantial issues, yet how even with the pain, the entire experience is something to be treasured. For Fleabag, that love and subsequent oh-so-human heart-wrenching pain comes in its second season as the free-spirited and fourth wall-breaking titular character (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) forms an unlikely yet deep bond with The Priest (Andrew Scott), whose feelings for her conflict with his duty to God. In between that are family dramas, moral dilemmas, and moments of genuine hilarity that combine to make Fleabag an utterly unforgettable triumph.
Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
