Valentine’s Day: Five Amazing Love Stories on TV to Cry Your Heart Out At

In honor of Valentine's Day, here is a short, curated list of some of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching romances to be put to TV.

By Alexandria T.Q. Ho

By Nayeli Cardozo

Warning: minor spoilers and sudden urge to rewatch your favorite couple ahead.

Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri) and Baek Yi-jin (Nam Joo-hyuk) — “Twenty-Five, Twenty-One”

Sometimes, first love doesn't work out, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth it. At its core, tvN’s hit drama “Twenty-Five Twenty-One” is a coming of age story about youths overcoming struggles to pursue their dreams in the uncertain world of post-1997 financial crash South Korea. Still, no viewers can resist the pull of the beautiful and realistic depiction of first love shared between the headstrong fencing prodigy, Na Hee-do, and the hardworking and responsible Baek Yi-jin. Despite the awkward (though hilarious) beginning to their relationship, Yi-jin and Hee-do soon show everyone the strength of their bond as they are there for each other even before the development of their romantic feelings. He is unwavering in his support of her dream to become a world-class fencer while her innocence and optimism provide him with the unexpected but necessary strength to overcome his struggles with his family’s bankruptcy. When they admit their feelings for each other (with the most heart-fluttering love confession ever), there is no doubt that they are perfect for each other. Though for many, the end is gut-wrenching after such a sweet beginning, but “Twenty-Five, Twenty-One” reminds the viewers that a love story doesn’t need a happy ending to be meaningful.

Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun) and Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan) — “The Walking Dead”

Bashing zombies’ heads while also navigating the worst of humanity in a post-apocalyptic world is probably not how one imagines meeting the love of their life. But “The Walking Dead”’s Glenn and Maggie do just that. After Maggie’s family offers the Atlanta survivors refuge in their farm at the beginning of season two, the pair soon become trusted allies, helping each other survive the increasingly dangerous threats from not just the undead but also their fellow survivors. It is a joy to see their partnership blossom into romance and love. Even though their future together is tragically and shockingly cut short, we have hope that in the afterlife, they will be together again, happy and safe at last. After all, as Glenn promises his wife: “Maggie, I will find you.”

The Doctor (David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi) and River Song (Alex Kingston) — “Doctor Who” (Season 4 — Season 9)

This love story will tug at your heartstrings. The first time The Doctor (and viewers) meet formidable archeologist, Professor River Song, is when she sacrifices her life to save his and countless others trapped in a digital 51st century library planet. While that is the last time she sees him, it’s only the beginning of their wild and tragic journey for him. Being time travelers, The Doctor and River Song have a nonlinear relationship, meeting each other out of order across space and time-travel. For audiences, their flirtatious banter and bickering are a wild but enjoyable ride throughout the seasons as the Doctor goes from distrusting River to risking himself to help her to going on years — long dates (it’s very timey-wimey complicated), until the full circle moment where her final time seeing him is his first time meeting her. However, the tragedy behind their relationship isn’t the only reason why audiences are drawn toward their doomed romance. Rather, it is thanks to the electrifying chemistry between Alex Kingston’s River and the many iterations of her husband/wife, whether it’s David Tennant, Matt Smith, or Peter Capaldi that proves to audiences that River Song is truly the Doctor’s wife. No matter if it’s the Tenth Doctor, Eleventh, Twelfth, or beyond, River Song is perhaps the only one in the universe who is capable of going toe to toe with the Doctor. The 2015 Christmas special “The Husbands of River Song” has shown us the final moment of River Song’s life before her momentous trip to the library, nevertheless, due to the creatively complicated structure of “Doctor Who,” hopefully we may see her yet again, this time interacting with the brand new iteration of her husband, the 15th Doctor, Ncuyi Gatwa.

Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) and Villanelle (Jodie Comer) — “Killing Eve”

Sometimes, love can be violent, especially if one is a psychopathic assassin and the other is the dutiful spy being tasked with capturing them. Oh and Comer redefine the genre of enemies-to-lovers as British spy Eve Polastri follows ruthless assassin Villanelle in a breath-taking game of cat and mouse. They are a couple that will not let pesky things like mutual feelings prevent each other from accomplishing their opposing goals. Despite their tendency to inflict physical harm on each other — including a stab to the gut and a shot to the back to give a few examples — to get what they want, at the end of the day, no one can deny that Eve and Villanelle’s feelings for each other are true. In fact, it is the toxic and dangerous aspect of their dynamic that delights and makes viewers want to go back to episode one and rewatch their journey together. After all, love isn’t always neat and happy. Sometimes, it’s chaotic and painful in the best way possible.

Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) and Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper) — “The Good Place”

Soulmates are overrated, unless they're Eleanor (Kristen Bell) and Chidi (William Jackson Harper). The star-crossed lovers from “The Good Place” are brought together in the afterlife purely because their different personalities are the perfect recipe for an after-lifetime of torture. However, Chidi and Eleanor turn out to be a match made in Heaven (Hell?). Together, they learn, grow, and change to become better versions of themselves all the while saving each other from the Bad Place over and over and over again — while simultaneously falling back in love countless times during their punishment in the Bad Place. For two people who are meant to be each other’s eternal punishments, their star-crossed love story only solidifies the couple’s status as meant-to-be. By the end of the series, there is no doubt about the extent of the love shared between Eleanor and Chidi. They both learn to put the other first, even overcoming their fatal flaws in life — Eleanor’s selfishness and Chidi’s inability to make a decision — even if it means they will have to say goodbye. But hey, if heartbreak isn’t love, what is?

Honorable Mentions:

Yoon Sep-ri (Son Ye-jin) and Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin) — “Crash Landing on You”

This star-crossed love story between South Korean chaebol heiress Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) and North Korean captain Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin) tugs at our heartstrings and brings together Korean showbiz’s most powerful couple. While the geopolitics of their nations mean they are only given a few weeks per year to be together, at least we can cheer for the real life relationship between Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin who welcomed their first child late last year after a fairytale wedding in March 2022.

Barry Allen (Grant Austin) and Iris West (Candice Patton) — “The Flash”

Despite several missed opportunities, multiple love interests, and a couple of near-death experiences, Barry Allen and Iris West were finally able to get together in the 2017’s “Crisis on Earth X” crossover event of the Arrowverse. With “The Flash” returning for its 9th and final season this month, we can only hope that Barry and Iris‘s epic love can hold strong to give them a happy ending.