What Your Favourite TV Show Says About Your Relationship
What TV show have you been binge-watching recently with your significant other? You know, the one that you tell your friends we’re watching when you recommend it to them in the hopes they get into it as much as you? Maybe it’s The Traitors, which inspires feverish speculation across the country, or the jetsetting White Lotus, which inspired you to book a trip to Thailand.
Perhaps what you’re currently watching says more about you- and your relationship- than you’d think. Our Entertainment Writer, Rufus Punt, shares what he thinks your favourite TV show says about your relationship:
Nobody Wants This
Nobody Wants This – which returned for its second season last month – is a good old-fashioned rom-com, and probably means that your relationship is a healthy one. Noah (Adam Brody) and Joanne (Kristen Bell) fall for each other after meeting at a dinner party. They’re separated by religion, with Joanne being agnostic and Noah being a rabbi, but their growing affection and commitment mean that they overcome some of the awkward obstacles in front of them and are both honest and communicative with each other. No one’s perfect, but there’s a reason why social media swooned over Noah’s romantic gestures and made the show such a hit in the first place. Perhaps you may have experienced such cultural gaps during your relationship with your significant other, and find solace in the show’s depiction of a blossoming relationship.
Severance
You both love shows that are both thought-provoking and have a bit of prestige. Apple TV’s Severance is definitely one of those shows that’s got a bit of an It-factor. If you say “we’re watching Severance”, you’ll probably be met with an “ooh, I’ve been meaning to watch that!”. But aside from bragging rights, you’re both a fan of a gripping, sometimes headspinning thriller. The show follows a group of employees at a biotech corporation, which splits them and their memories into “Innies” who work inside the building and “Outies” who live outside it. You might relate to the show’s commentary on modern office and work life, and how we balance our lives at home and at our jobs. As we slowly learn more about Mark, Helly and co.’s personal lives, the sci-fi show also depicts some of the most heartrending scenes on TV in recent years.
The Traitors
You love drama! But in a good way: The Traitors, despite being a game show, might be more dramatic than any of the other series on this list. When you’re not both glued to the sofa as the show’s emotional rollercoaster unfolds, you’re probably discussing the latest episode with each other and your predictions for the next one. Does loving The Traitors mean you’re mistrusting and scheming? No, but you surely love that addictive rush of anticipation night after night as the whole country tunes in. There’s a good chance, too, that one of you discovered the show first and roped the other one in, enough to make Claudia Winkleman proud. Oh, and you’ll be talking about Alan Carr for weeks.
Slow Horses
A thriller that’s rough around the edges: you love an underdog. The MI5 team of Slough House is composed of a rag-tag team of rejected agents who’ve been given a second chance, under the leadership of the slovenly Jackson Lamb. Gary Oldman’s shabbily dressed and cynical spy chief might be repulsive, but he’s great fun to watch, and there’s a reason why Slow Horses is so popular across the country. Of course, with all the espionage, thwarting heinous plots and investigating work, there’s not always much time for the show to meditate on relationships- but maybe that’s why the high-octane show appeals as such enjoyable escapism. Predicting together where the show might go next with its twists and turns is part of the fun. Plus, you can both play a game of asking “how good would I be as a spy?” to really put your knowledge of each other’s quirks to the test.
The White Lotus
Do you both perhaps love an exotic holiday? The White Lotus and its globetrotting production has been to Hawaii, Italy and Thailand (and heading to France for its fourth season) and has inspired a wave of tourism in these sunny hotspots. There’s more to the White Lotus, though, than Instagram inspo, because every season has a murder mystery: at least one of the characters we spend so much time with will end up dead. The real heart of the show, though, is the intertwining lives of the characters, often ending in tragicomic (or just purely tragic) ways. Whether it’s the oddball pairing of Rick and Chelsea in the latest season, or Nicole and Mark from Season 1, The White Lotus always has a lot to say about relationships, and creator Mike White is often pretty blunt in his writing. Still, perhaps the main thing it might say about you as a couple is that you can both bond over dark humour, and you enjoy some aesthetic escapism together.
The Bear
Well, you certainly don’t mind a stressful watch: with its four seasons about the life of a chef and his attempts to start managing a restaurant, The Bear has cemented itself as one of the most intense TV shows around. Of course, one (or both of you) might be a foodie, and The Bear depicts just how much stress cooking and being in the kitchen can create. The Bear is about the world of chefs and their culinary work on the surface, but the real appeal is the characters and how real they can feel. Maybe you can relate to some of Carmy’s struggles as he tries to overcome his flaws and create success for himself and his staff, and perhaps the up-and-down friendship between him and sous-chef Syd speaks to you. With its moments of comedic levity, and as Carmy attempts to balance his anxieties, The Bear reminds us how important it is to keep an eye on the well-being of yourself and those around you.
House of the Dragon
You’re certainly patient, since the last season of House of the Dragon aired back in June 2024 and won’t be back again until sometime in the middle of next year. With swords, battles and dragons, you both enjoy immersing yourselves in a fantasy world of kings and queens. Maybe you moved from watching Game of Thrones together to House of the Dragon, or both decided to give the prequel a whirl and now can’t stop obsessing over the family tree of the House of Targaryen. The big driving plot of the show is the outbreak of a civil war, and there are two sides to take: the Greens and the Blacks. Of course, if you both find yourself rooting for the opposite team, things might get a bit more complicated. We can’t recommend using many of the characters as either moral or relationship role models, either, since there’s a lot of scheming, machinations and downright terrible actions that the cast of characters take part in. And that’s why we love it.
