From Maxton Hall‘s Ruby and James to Bridgerton‘s Colin and Penelope, TV couples have kept Us fed this year.
There have been many fictional relationships we wanted to see come to life in 2024, but the best surprises sprouted from the pairings we weren’t expecting to fall in love with this year.
Prime Video’s Maxton Hall is a great example. The series quietly premiered in May before blowing up because of the incredible chemistry between the leads: Damian Hardung and Harriet Herbig-Matten.
Maxton Hall introduced Ruby Bell (Herbig-Matten) as a scholarship student at a prestigious university in the U.K. who unwittingly witnessed a secret that put her on the wealthy Beaufort family’s radar. James Beaufort (Hardung) specifically set his sights on Ruby after realizing she knew something that could destroy his family. Their rivalry evolved, however, into an undeniable connection that Ruby and James were determined to make work despite their backgrounds creating constant obstacles for them.
The first season ended with James and Ruby hopeful for their future — until a cliffhanger turned things upside down again. Luckily fans — including Us — can rest easy knowing there are more episodes coming our way after Prime Video renewed the series within a week of its release.
Bridgerton is another successful series built off romantic love. Season 3 thrust Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) into the spotlight as he began to question whether his friendship with longtime friend Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) was something more.
Spoiler alert, it definitely was and now the second half of the series promises to deliver even more sweet moments and sex scenes now that Colin and Penelope are engaged to be married.
Keep scrolling for Us‘ favorite new TV ships from 2024:
