Television series

Love

Name: Love
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: 2016
Cast: Gillian Jacobs, Paul Rust, Claudia O'Doherty

Judd Apatow's shaggy, unglamorous portrait of two deeply flawed people trying to date like adults and mostly failing. Slower and messier than a rom-com, more interested in bad decisions than meet-cutes, funny in an uncomfortable way and tender underneath all the self-sabotage. Good for anyone who wants a love story that admits how much dating actually sucks.

TVMaze rating

7.1

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Same raw willingness to put real dysfunction and addiction inside a relationship comedy, with biting British wit and tight, economical seasons that never overstay themselves.

But British sitcom pacing and much shorter episode counts can make it feel like a different, brisker animal entirely.

You're the Worst2014

Matches Love's nerve in making its leads genuinely unlikeable while still making you root for them, sharp and cynical until it sneaks up and wrecks you.

But The abrasiveness is front-loaded; early episodes can push viewers away before the show earns its warmth.

Master of None2015

Same millennial dating anxiety and Brooklyn-adjacent malaise, with thoughtful pacing and the occasional bottle episode that reroutes the whole show.

But Less plot-driven and more essayistic than Love, which can feel slow if you want forward momentum.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

BoJack Horseman2014

Same emotional engine as Love — two self-destructive people orbiting each other — rebuilt entirely in an animated sitcom, proving the format was never the point.

An animated Netflix series that's arguably the smartest thing ever made about addiction and loving someone despite yourself — startlingly close to what Love is doing, just drawn.

But Talking-animal absurdist comedy is a big tonal leap if you specifically want live-action realism.

Girls2012

Lena Dunham's messy-young-adult New York energy pairs cringe comedy with real heartbreak, from the same era of gloriously awkward TV.

But Divisive characters and a comic register that's even more grating for some viewers than Love's.

Togetherness2015no page yet

The Duplass brothers do the same low-key, plotless-feeling relationship realism, sad-funny and quietly devastating in equal measure.

But Canceled after two seasons, so the journey is shorter and less resolved than you'd want.

Casual2015no page yet

Dating-app-era Los Angeles messiness with self-sabotaging siblings and lovers, wry and melancholic in a very similar key.

But Lower profile cast and less buzz make it easy to overlook, even though it's just as good.

Easy2016

Anthology format from the same Duplass-adjacent honesty about modern couples, a new pairing each episode that keeps the show feeling fresh.

But The anthology structure means you never get the sustained attachment Love builds with Mickey and Gus.

Fleabag2016

Shares Love's unflinching commitment to a woman's self-destructive patterns, played for laughs and gut-punches in equal measure.

But Much sharper, faster and darker — a considerably different comic register than Love's shambling naturalism.

High Fidelity2000

Gus's music-nerd commitment issues share DNA with this classic about a man who can't stop cataloguing his romantic failures.

But An older film with a nostalgic, soundtrack-driven vibe, far more stylized than Love's improv-heavy realism.

The Worst Person in the World2021

Swaps Love's serialized messiness for one compressed European arthouse gaze at the exact same problem: commitment as identity crisis.

A Norwegian film about a woman who can't decide who she wants to be or love, told with the same warmth and clear-eyed honesty about romantic indecision.

But Subtitles, a two-hour arc instead of a season, and a much quieter, more melancholy tone throughout.