Don’t make the same mistakes we made by waiting to watch Lovesick on Netflix this long. If we were aware of this show while it was initially airing, it would’ve been right up our alley with something we’d cover weekly, episode by episode. We’ll never pass up an opportunity on a romantic comedy here (unless we’re somehow blissfully unaware of it and no one’s forced us to rectify our wrong). Lovesick on Netflix is a brilliant British romantic comedy, and it’s appalling that we only have three short seasons of it.
Starring Johnny Flynn, Antonia Thomas, Daniel Ings, Joshua McGuire, Richard Thompson, Hannah Britland, and more, Lovesick on Netflix is centered around Daniel (Flynn) learning that he has chlamydia and notifying all his ex-girlfriends of it. It’s a story about friendships and complex, messy characters trying to understand what they want and what matters. In short, it’s a love story. It’s a series that plants seeds into harvest by bringing to life journeys that feel authentic, relatable, and hopeful even while uncertainties linger.
For fans of series like Ted Lasso, Starstruck, Fleabag, and Trying—Lovesick on Netflix is an absolute must-watch, and here are 7 mostly spoiler-free reasons why.
The Performances
The best comedies will work wondrously with nuanced, authentic performances. Performances that don’t feel forced or like they’re trying something new for conversation. Lovesick on Netflix allows its actors to be the driving force of its characters, which then brings to life the complexities that make even the most unlikable characters easy to appreciate.
Between the physical comedy and moments of genuine vulnerability, each of the actors on this show will thoroughly impress viewers at some point. It’s the kind of show that leads you down the IMDB rabbit hole where you’ll then try to figure out what you’re going to watch next because you can’t seem to get enough.
Complex Characters
The premise of Lovesick on Netflix isn’t its strength, but rather it’s each and every character whom you’ll end up caring about from the very first episode. We don’t have a Fleabag breaking the fourth wall to tell us “this is a love story” right from the start, but it’s clear that these characters are searching for it. Their complexities are the driving force of the series, and wanting them to succeed feels like the same kind of warmth in wanting a friend to succeed.
It’s easy to ache for them, but it’s also easy to be frustrated with them. It’s easy to want the best for them while pushing hard for them to look inward. And that’s precisely what happens throughout the series—they’re put through the wringer more often than not, but the growth process is exceptionally thought-provoking and inspiring.
The characters in Lovesick on Netflix are profoundly messy, they’re still figuring much of their lives out, but the series never takes them through paths that feel redundant or inorganic. They aren’t forced into situations for the sake of the plot, but instead, their stories are front and center to showcase the importance of conversations and therapy. The show authenticates the fact that it’s okay not to be okay.
Found Family Feels
There’s nothing quite like the found family trope, and it’ll never ever get tiring. No series is complete without a band of misfits who’d do anything for each other even while they grumble through it. Lovesick on Netflix might be a romantic comedy in its premise, but at its core, the most beautiful love story is the friendships within. It’s Dylan and Luke’s transparency with one another. It’s the home they’ll consistently have with each other. It’s crashing on couches and navigating through all sorts of make-ups and break-ups.
Where the series could’ve gone down the love triangle route, plenty of times, it chose the path of friendships instead. And even while there are mistakes, it never damages the heart of their friendship. The support is constant and endearing and their wild flat always feels like home.
The Tropes
Lovesick on Netflix is full of some of the best tropes, and its most fascinating plot point is its flashback and present-day storytelling. Each episode takes us back to when Dylan met an ex-girlfriend, but interweaving those moments with the importance of everyone’s journey. It’s an excellent “friends-to-lovers” journey that feels earned with every bit with sprinkles of “second chances,” “one night stands becoming something more,” and even a deliciously worthwhile “slow burn” with “mutual pining.”
The Humor
The show is hilarious. And I mean, really hilarious. The humor isn’t offensive. It understands itself, and it isn’t ever used at the expense of marginalized communities. Coupled with the amount of vulnerability that hilarious moments tend sometimes entail, it leans itself on using humor to deflect sorrows. The show wants you to care about these characters and it humanizes them as much as possible even when they are blissfully unaware of how flawed they are.
Its means of creating truly laugh-out-loud moments reminds me a lot of New Girl, and the dramatic antics of Schmidt, Nick, and Winston. If you enjoyed those three, then you’re bound to enjoy the humor within Lovesick on Netflix (and maybe, even a little more).
The Romance
Lovesick on Netflix is a modern-day romance that feels like the best kind of escapism. And while the tropes are one thing, the romance drives each of the episodes in a way that’s intriguing and new. Because each episode is framed around a specific love story, it makes the prominent love stories feel that much more earned. It’s the running theme throughout the series that makes the narrative worth following even when it doesn’t feel it’s going in the direction you’re hoping for.
But that’s the thing…it does. The romance is beautiful, wholesome, and it feels earned. It leaves you in a lovely daze wishing every TV show would understand why this genre is so consistently needed. The payoff always feels right, and within Lovesick on Netflix, it feels incredibly right.
Hopeful Conclusion
While Lovesick on Netflix originally aired on Channel 4 and was titled Scrotal Recall, Netflix has neither canceled nor renewed the show for a fourth season. But still, we know the game; if we are going to recommend our readers to watch a show and call it romance, then we’re going to let you know that the ending is hopeful. The show could’ve gone on longer and the stories could’ve expanded towards glorious places. (They still could.)
But the ending shows us that these characters are going to be okay, and these love stories are only just beginning. It’s hopeful, it’s endearing, and every bit of it feels earned.