5 mature on-screen romances worth your time

why middle-aged or married relationships aren't boring and deserve more opportunities 🫶🏼😤

Feb 23, 2024

Hello! It’s me, your local romantic, coming at you with a final post on the topic of love and romance for the month of February. 💌

At this point, I hope it’s a little obvious that romance is a genre I heavily gravitate towards. To get a little introspective, from a young age, I was attracted to chemistry, organic conversational banter, emotional vulnerability, and partnership.

“Maddy knew who she was from a very early age.” ✌🏼😗

Along with the idea that love isn’t just lust and passion, but a hundred other feelings we forget come along with it. It’s why I was confident Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler would become A Thing™. (25 seasons later, I think they’re still dragging people on the fine line of their possible relationship. Which is ... what it is.) It’s also why when I read the Twilight series, I cared more about Carlisle and Esme Cullen than the main love triangle. I could appreciate young, passionate love, but I’ve always been more interested in what happens after the “big kiss.”

How do people fall in love when they have years of history separate from one another? How do people stay in love throughout the phases of life? There is drama and entertainment in navigating the domesticity of mature relationships.

I think there’s also hope. And not cookie cutter, perfect idealistic family type hope. But tonally realistic and emotionally leveled type of hope.

Ehm, so … *gets off soap box*

The most popular age range for romantic stories in TV, movies, and books is young adults or people in their 20s. (Which is fine! I get it!) But it’s not a wild assumption that ageism plays a massive part in what traditionally gets made. This means there’s not a plethora of middle-aged pairings I’ve come across, let alone fallen in love with.

But today, my friends, I will share my favorite and the crème de la crème of mature on-screen relationships. Or, as a little slice of the internet likes to call them, The Parents™. There are also quite a few that have a lot of yearning, so as that has become a popular point of interest for general audiences, I think you’ll love them!

It’s also no surprise that the female characters break the usual molds they’re written in. 🥲

**Little disclaimer: I’ve only chosen TV relationships that are canonically together or were end game, and I’m only sharing those I have personally seen.**

Tami & Coach Taylor

Friday Night Lights (TV Series 2006-2011)

I have to start with the GOAT.🤘🏼🤠 The Blueprint™ if you will. There are slim pickings on well-written married couples nowadays, even less so in 2006.

TV shows usually make established couples “interesting” by throwing in a ✨ lil infidelity✨ or other darker topics. Which, y’know, makes for dramatic television — but also feels lazy in specific contexts. Sometimes, audiences want to see people navigate underrated hardships. I think that’s why shows like Parenthood and This Is Us are so popular.

In the small make-believe town of Dillon, Texas, one head coach and counselor-turned-principal were the show's beating heart for five seasons. (We won’t get into wild things like Landry Clarke’s murder plot in season two. Okay, focus.) Am I a little biased because I’m a born-and-raised Texan currently living in Austin (one of the show's central filming locations)? Of course. But Friday Night Lights is highly coveted and respected among television fans.

Tami Taylor (Connie Britton) and Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) have that gold-dust chemistry. Their interactions feel natural like you’re watching them from your childhood friends’ living room rather than wherever you stream shows. Together, you get this beautiful portrayal of two adults who chose each other as their spouse and partner. We watch them confront real problems, like who gets the support in their career and what that means for their family. Both characters have this organic wit and well-timed sarcasm — that isn’t used in a tropey way, along with challenging emotional scenes that leave you holding your breath. Tami and Coach Taylor live up to the rewatches of today by a mile.

Maureen & John Robinson

Lost in Space (TV Series 2018-2021)

A Navy SEAL and aerospace engineer walk into a bar; what’s the worst that could happen? 🚀💫 Be kind to them as they try to save their kids’ lives for the hundredth time on alien planets. They may or may not be working out marital issues that affect their overall decision-making. It’s great!

Lost in Space is a reboot of the original popular 1960s series. The show famously produced the phrase, “Danger, Will Robinson.” Which infiltrated pop culture on multiple levels. So much so that I, a medium-well sci-fi consumer, knew of it without ever seeing the original.

There’s a lot to love about the reboot. The cinematic sets, both on location in real-world places and others digitally created with a green screen. (I love it when I can spot tree lines and point at the screen exclaiming, “Vancouver!” to whoever is watching with me and does not have the same level of excitement or intrigue in production. 🥲) Yes, sometimes the zingers are cheesy, and there are alien robot battles — but in the depths of space, the center of the show is held together by the human trials and tribulations of the whole Family Robinson. Each character is given the opportunity to have a well-thought-out arc and be explored more than the surface level (for the most part … some characters get more meat than others).

Maureen Robinson (Molly Parker) is the protective matriarch, incredibly intelligent, with high expectations, sometimes questionable motives, and dangerously curious. She practices empathy like a seesaw and learns from her mistakes after saying something she shouldn’t have. Maureen often has the answer for everything and lets people know it, but she also feels the weight of such a heavy crown. We love it when moms aren’t just moms!

John Robinson (Toby Stephens) is introduced as the typical American dad who takes his family for granted. (Albeit heavily due to the state of the world and what he thinks his place in it is.) He’s a soldier! He’s strong! He has that rugged, handsome facial hair! We quickly learn that John is more emotionally vulnerable than Maureen. I mean, he can still murder someone with his bare hands. But we’re given scenes that show us his soft core.

Online, audiences who usually have ships like to categorize one person as “The Head” and the other as “The Heart.” I believe Maureen is “The Head” and John is “The Heart”. You feel like you would see them as a real couple at your local grocery store. They have that “gravitate around each other without trying” chemistry. If you love eye contact, they literally make jokes about them psychically communicating with each other. They’re not afraid to be brutally honest in heated moments and protectively comforting in others. Watching them work through their issues and face new problems together is a treat. And I love that the writers also gave us plenty of feel-good moments. We love these Space Parents™.

Bones (Dr. Brennan) & Booth

Bones (TV Series 2005-2017)

There are 12 seasons of Bones. Read that again. TWELVE. So, if you’re in the mood for a thorough and long binge-watch, Dr. Brennan and Seeley Booth might be your answer.

It’s been a minute since I last saw Bones. But when brainstorming my favorites for this piece, they quickly entered my thoughts. With a large ensemble cast, this show has several adult relationships. Their partnership is the most prominent because Bones is the nickname given to Dr. Brennan by Booth and that it’s the show's namesake.

Bones (Emily Deschanel) is a forensic anthropologist, and Booth (David Boreanaz) is a special agent in the FBI. These pairings aren’t groundbreaking, so it’s up to the actors and writers to create pacing and energy that differentiates them. In this case, it’s evident from the beginning that Dr. Brennan and Booth are going to have this broken banter (in an entertaining way). Their personalities and ways of thinking are quite different, so the way they communicate (at least when they are just starting to get to know each other) is what I imagine a cable box looks like. Some cables are connected, some are loose, some are barely touching, and others are entirely disconnected — but somehow, the power in the house is still on. Over time, they understand each other so well that they don’t need to speak. Because they begin to share the same work family, there’s no shortage of moments across the spectrum of drama that showcase who they are and what they mean to each other.

Elsie & Charlie Carson

Downton Abbey (TV Series 2010-2015)

An unexpected delight! My underrated downstairs royalty. The Trojan horse of the whole series, maybe? That’s a little dramatic. But I like to think writing for Elsie Hughes and Charlie Carson on the beloved show Downton Abbey was a treat.

Anyway, there are good, wholesome vibes all around for these two! If you’re looking for a little more drama or scandal, may I point you to a handful of other romantic relationships on this show? Which are all very deserving of their intrigue and following. But I’m a sucker for a humble love story.

Not a fan of period pieces? I didn’t think I could enjoy this show that much when I decided to start it. Cut to me five episodes in deciding I wouldn’t be moving from the couch for the foreseeable future. Much like sci-fi or fantasy, if the story of people is at the center, then the time frame, costumes, and sets are just the best supplement.

Elsie Hughes (Phyllis Logan) is the Head Housemaid, and Charles Carson (Jim Carter) is the Crowley’s long-time Butler. Essentially, both are the big bosses of the downstairs. Although they both take much pride in their work and maintaining a high level of efficiency, they differ in loyalty to the Crowleys. There’s very little Carson wouldn’t do for the family he sees as his own. Where Ms. Hughes never erases the line between the upstairs and downstairs, she’s like the generations of the working class today who push back on the “We’re one big family” from people in leadership positions who wouldn’t blink twice before layoffs. She respects the Crowleys but doesn’t sacrifice more than she needs to as their Head Housemaid.

I feel like I’m painting the Crowleys in a bad light, but that’s not the case. A central theme of this show is the battle between the past and the future. How things have always been and what they are becoming, and how that affects every single character’s place in it.

Ms. Hughes and Carson have this mutual regard for one another that slowly turns into more. It’s organic and cute. Yes, cute. It feels very innocent, but at the same time, because they are very much adults, they both have values that often clash.

Carson: I don’t like it when we’re not on the same side.
Mrs. Hughes: We’re different people. We won’t always agree.
Carson: I know, but I don’t like it.

Bertha & George Russell

The Gilded Age (TV Series 2022-)

Do I owe my life to Julian Fellowes? If you’re thinking, “Who this be?” He’s the writer and creator of both Downtown Abbey and The Gilded Age. The dude knows what the people want but gives them what they need!

In this case, he gave us the Vanderbilt-inspired married couple Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) and George Russell (Morgan Spector).

The Gilded Age takes place in New York during the 1880s. It centers around the battle between “old money” and “new money” with the most elite families. The Russells are the main family threatening the established social order, with Bertha’s goal of infiltrating the status quo and ultimately being the Queen Bee. Which like, yes, we love to see it. But Bertha’s motives are very personal and most times selfish but disguised as what’s best for the family. George is her ultimate proponent and defender, but after the season two finale, I think the tides are changing quickly.

To make my opinion on Bertha clear, please view the following image:

The Russells (1) have that ride-or-die energy, (2) toggle between sweet domestic moments to passionate chemistry, and (3) are hot. I said what I said. Both are very secure in themselves, which makes for refreshing interactions and dialogue.
I’m looking forward to season three and hoping we get more backstory on the early days of their courtship.

BONUS: Dana Scully & Fox Mulder

The X-Files (TV Series 1993-2018)

I wanted to give an honorary mention to the icons that are FBI special agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder! I Want to Believe they are another set of OGs™. However, we see them well into adulthood, with nine seasons, taking them to 2001 and then a reboot for seasons 10 and 11 from 2016 to 2018. I didn’t want to make them a piece of this article because, in the first season, they were in their late 20s or early 30s, which isn’t the age range I was highlighting.

Additionally, there’s so much unspoken and unwritten lore surrounding Scully and Mulder to the point where even I get confused about when or where they were canonically together. I mean, they have a son. And later … well, I guess you’ll have to watch!