What To Watch: Realistic Relationship Edition
In a culture where on-screen romantic (and non-romantic) relationships are often dramatic, toxic, or overly idealized, it can be refreshing to see relationship stories that feel grounded in reality and human complexity. The best examples of realistic love, conflict and its subsequent resolutions, boundaries, and vulnerability offer viewers a chance to reflect on what is normal and what works in their own lives.
As a therapist, I am often disheartened by the portrayal of relationships in movies and on TV because they frequently romanticize unhealthy dynamics instead of dissecting them to gain meaning and make changes. Characters become entangled in secrecy, in passionate but dysfunctional cycles, riddled with jealousy, possessiveness, co-dependency, and miscommunication. These portrayals can reinforce damaging beliefs about love, friendship, families, and commitment, creating unrealistic expectations that can be harmful to real-life relationships. When there is drama (and there inevitably will be), I like a relational depiction that feels real, raw, and provides insight into the main characters’ origin story in an attempt to teach the audience to have compassion and understanding. In this way, we can all look inward and have more self compassion for how we show up in relationships.
Here’s a review of the best current shows and films that portray realistic relationships, rated through the lens of a therapist.
1. Somebody Somewhere (TV show, 2022)
Rating: ★★★★★
Themes: Emotional intimacy, platonic love, acceptance, vulnerability
Review:
This series shines in portraying platonic love, self-acceptance, and complex relationships. Sam, the protagonist, builds a found family of friends, particularly with Joel, a kind-hearted man who supports her through grief and personal challenges. Their relationship is rooted in unconditional acceptance, emotional intimacy, open communication, and it normalizes rupture and repair. It showcases that love can exist in many forms beyond romance.
Therapist’s Take:
The beauty of Somebody Somewhere lies in its portrayal of platonic relationships with as much importance as romantic ones. Sam and Joel’s emotional intimacy demonstrates how vulnerability fosters connection. It challenges the idea that romantic love is the pinnacle of intimacy, highlighting how friendships can be equally fulfilling when they are based on acceptance and emotional support.
2. Shrinking (TV show, 2023)
Rating: ★★★★☆
Themes: Grief, vulnerability, self-compassion, rebuilding connections
Review:
This dramedy centers around Jimmy, a therapist who is grieving the death of his wife, and how he reconnects with his daughter and friends. While some of Jimmy’s coping mechanisms are questionable (his impulsive decisions create challenges), the show ultimately models how vulnerability, honesty, and seeking support can rebuild trust and connection.
Therapist’s Take:
The way Shrinking portrays relationships in the wake of grief is refreshingly realistic. Jimmy’s interactions with his loved ones are messy but authentic, demonstrating how emotional wounds can be healed through vulnerability and communication. The show's depiction of grief and healing, particularly in relationships, strikes a balance between the struggle and the hope that comes from genuine connection. And of course it highlights that therapists are real people with many flaws and imperfections : )
3. The Bear (TV show, 2022-current)
Rating: ★★★★★
Themes: Workplace relationships, emotional honesty, family dynamics, boundaries
Review:
The Bear is a chaotic, intense portrayal of life in the restaurant industry, but it also gives us a grounded view of interpersonal relationships under pressure as well as the impact of intergenerational trauma on relationships.
Therapist’s Take:
I know what you’re thinking…”Mariah, I’ve watched this show and it’s so wild! The relationships are chaotic!” Hear me out. While not a romantic relationship-driven show, The Bear offers valuable insights into familial and workplace relationships, and the importance of boundaries and emotional honesty. As Carmen grows as a leader, he learns how trust and vulnerability can transform toxic dynamics into healthier, more supportive ones. The show also explores how individuals manage conflict and personal growth in high-stress situations, and how self-protecting coping mechanisms are not always in service to connection with others.
Carmen’s relationship with his staff ebbs and flows from frustration and conflict to one of mutual respect and growth, providing a realistic non-linear understanding of how humans in relationships can take steps forward and back and forward again. The show’s integration of complex family dynamics, particularly Carmen’s struggle to balance family obligations and tensions, with personal well-being, highlights that we can navigate tough relationships with the help of healthy ones.
4. Beef (TV Show, 2023)
Rating: ★★★★★
Themes: Self-awareness, forgiveness, emotional honesty, vulnerability
Review:
While Beef is primarily a dark comedy about two people caught in a feud, the personal relationships of the characters, especially Amy and George, provide moments of deep emotional vulnerability. Their struggles with communication, forgiveness, and reconciling their ambitions with their family life offer a grounded portrayal of how challenging, yet rewarding, emotional honesty can be in relationships.
Therapist’s Take:
Again, if you’ve seen this show you might be like “WHAT?! They HATED each other!” Well in my opinion the show is a powerful reminder of how external stressors can impact personal relationships. Amy and George’s journey shows that emotional awareness, empathy, and forgiveness are vital for overcoming personal and relational challenges. It’s a gritty yet valuable portrayal of how authenticity is crucial to healing.
5. Past Lives (Movie, 2023)
Rating: ★★★★★
Themes: Unresolved feelings, self-reflection, emotional maturity, acceptance
Review:
Past Lives is a romantic drama that follows two childhood friends, Nora and Hae Sung, who reconnect as adults after years of separation. The film explores themes of fate, missed opportunities, and emotional maturity. Their relationship is layered with emotional depth, showing how love sometimes requires acceptance of life's unpredictability.
Therapist’s Take:
This film captures the essence of emotional maturity in relationships. Nora and Hae Sung’s story is a moving example of how unresolved feelings can coexist with emotional clarity and acceptance. It’s a quiet but powerful portrayal of how love and connection don’t always follow traditional paths, and how emotional depth and honesty can create lasting bonds without a conventional romantic conclusion. Additionally, Nora’s marriage to Arthur reveals the fragility of even the healthiest relationship, but offers the viewer an incredibly loving model for trust and understanding. It’s quite beautiful.
6. Couples Therapy (TV show, 2023 season 3)
Rating: ★★★★★
Themes: Emotional honesty, conflict resolution, therapy, vulnerability
Review:
Couples Therapy provides a raw, unfiltered look into the therapy process, following real couples as they work through their issues with renowned therapist Dr. Orna Guralnik. Season 3 continues to deliver insightful and deeply emotional sessions that highlight the complexities of love, communication, and healing. The show sheds light on the real challenges that people face—resentment, trauma, and miscommunication—and how therapy helps them navigate these difficult waters.
Therapist’s Take:
To know me is to leave me alone while I’m binge-ing this one ; )
The beauty of Couples Therapy lies in its authenticity. Unlike scripted dramas or salacious reality dating shows, Couples Therapy offers an intimate view of how therapy works to facilitate emotional honesty and connection. Dr. Guralnik’s approach is gentle yet incisive, guiding couples (and in season 3, a polycule) to examine their patterns of behavior and communicate more effectively. The series showcases how even deeply entrenched issues can be addressed when partners are willing to be vulnerable, listen, and put in the emotional work. It's a perfect example of how conflict resolution and growth can happen through a therapeutic process. And it’s totally binge-able content!
7. Nobody Wants This (TV show, 2024)
Rating: ★★★★☆
Themes: Cultural identity, relationship challenges, family dynamics, love under pressure
Review:
Nobody Wants This offers a refreshing take on romantic comedy by diving deep into the complexities of cross-cultural relationships. Kristen Bell stars as Joanne, a woman in a relationship with Noah, a rabbi whose deeply rooted family ties add layers of conflict and growth to their love story. The show explores how cultural differences and family expectations can challenge even the strongest bonds, while also highlighting how love, vulnerability, and persistence can help couples navigate these obstacles.
Therapist’s Take:
This show serves as a realistic portrayal of how couples can grow. It offers valuable lessons in balancing individual identity with partnership, and the main characters often show a willingness to reflect and adapt for each other. For viewers, this can be a refreshing and relatable depiction of real-world romance, where love isn’t a fairy tale but a journey of growth and understanding. What makes Nobody Wants This stand out to me is its willingness to confront reality instead of fantasy. The characters find themselves facing real-life problems that don’t always have easy solutions. Joanne and Noah’s relationship demonstrates that love is not just about chemistry, but about navigating life's messy moments with patience, mutual respect, and lots and lots of communication.
8. His Three Daughters (Movie, 2024)
Rating: ★★★★★
Themes: Family dynamics, grief, emotional healing, sibling relationships
Review:
His Three Daughters is a poignant drama that takes a heartfelt look at the complexities of sibling relationships in the face of grief. The film centers on three estranged sisters, Katie, Christina, and Rachel, who come together in their father’s New York apartment to care for him during his final days. What follows is an exploration of buried emotions, unresolved tensions, and the ways that family can both wound and heal.
Therapist’s Take:
The emotional depth of His Three Daughters is striking. Each sister brings her own pain and history to the surface, and their interactions feel raw and deeply authentic. Katie’s controlling nature, Christina’s perfectionism, and Rachel’s sense of otherness as the half-sister all contribute to a rich portrayal of how differing personalities and unresolved family dynamics often chafe existing struggles in times of crisis. While the sisters may not always communicate effectively, their journey toward understanding and acceptance of each other is beautifully realistic.
What stands out in this film is how it handles the messiness of family love—there is no idealized version of conflict resolution here, but rather a real portrayal of how imperfect people try to reconnect. The movie masterfully avoids melodrama, instead focusing on the small, intimate moments that make family dynamics so relatable and so entrenched. It offers a therapeutic reminder of the importance of empathy, vulnerability, and forgiveness in times of emotional upheaval.
Happy Viewing!