It’s THAT time again. Batten down the hatches, avoid social media at all costs and, if you can, don’t leave your home. That is, if you hate Valentine’s Day as much as we do.
Yes, we love flowers, adore chocolate and are big fans of sex, but we hate the unimaginative and ‘extra’ forced display of affection that February 14th has been turned into. In fact, we may have referred to this particular date as ‘Vom Day’ in the past.
Anyway, we digress. If you want to avoid ‘it which may not be named’, we think a much better idea than being taken out for a cheap set menu is to stay on the sofa – or in bed if you want to go with the spirit of the day – with a bottle of bubbles and binge-watch these sarky TV shows about relationships that offer a scarily realistic representation of love.
You’re The Worst
Our most recent discovery, we blazed through the first season of this dark romantic comedy in two days. Watching the dysfunctional coupling of narcissistic, struggling author Jimmy Shive-Overly and commitment-phobic stylist Gretchen Carter trying to turn their drunken wedding one-night-stand into a relationship reminded us of all the times we fell for someone despite our gut instinct screaming at us that they are totally toxic. LOL. Available to buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Love
This is THE classic tale of boy meets girl, is (kind of) punching above his weight and – therefore – super keen, but as soon as girl starts to like him back he loses interest. You might remember female lead Gillian Jacobs as the super annoying Mimi-Rose Howard from Girls, but her cool-girl-hot-mess Mickey Dobbs in Love is way more fun and relatable. Judd Apatow’s co-creator Paul Rust gives a subtly nuanced performance as loveable geek turned f**kboy Gus Cruikshank in this scarily realistic look at the politics of dating. Netflix it now!
Easy
From a married couple trying to get out of their sex rut with role play to a bacon-loving student pretending to go vegan in a bid to impress her new girlfriend, this eight-part series looks at the many facets of sex and relationships, set against the backdrop of arty, hipster Chicago. The well-written and intriguing stories are enough to suck you in on their own merit, but watch out for familiar faces in the star-studded cast, including Malin Ackerman, Orlando Bloom, Emily Ratajkowski, Jake Johnson and Dave Franco. Yep, it’s on Netflix.
Flaked
Are you getting Netflix a Valentine’s card? We’re sending flowers and chocs, because we are definitely in a serious relationship. Another piece of gold from the streaming service’s Originals series, Flaked stars eye candy Will Arnett as the devilishly charming – and deceitful – ‘self help guru’ Chip, who manipulates his friends and love interests alike to get what he wants. Oh, and he’s got a secret or two to hide…
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
If you’re feeling bad about yourself today because you, say, got dumped or are suffering from unrequited love, this cheesy all-singing-all-dancing whirlwind of a show will cheer you up in unexpected ways. Firstly, the second hand embarrassment sending shivers down your spine as you watch Rebecca Bunch’s desperate but hilarious antics in a bid to win back her ex from ten years ago will make you feel reassuringly sane. Secondly, once you got used to the Glee-style musical interludes, you’ll realise they are actually quite funny. Bonus: There are two whole seasons ready for you to watch on Netflix!
