8 Great TV Shows and Movies in the Romantic Thriller Genre

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Searching for a great romantic thriller to watch!

“Romantic Thrillers?”

In truth, literature has no specific “romantic thriller" genre. You have the Love Genre and the Thriller Genre, and often, writers will choose one as their primary genre, with elements of the second woven into their story. That’s what I attempt to do, so I informally call “my” genre the “romantic thriller” genre for ease. That being clarified, I love several TV shows and movies that fall within the above definition of a “romantic thriller.” In this post, I will list my favorite TV shows and movies within this designation.

My 8 Favorite Romantic Thriller TV Shows and Movies

I have an eclectic mix of TV shows and movies among my favorites that I would classify as “romantic thrillers.” I will list them and briefly explain why they are among my favorites and why I consider them to be in the same genre as I write. I list them in no particular order. Summaries of each TV show or movie in quotations come from IMDB.com.

1.     House MD (2004-2012): “Using a crack team of doctors and his wits, an antisocial maverick doctor specializing in diagnostic medicine does whatever it takes to solve puzzling cases that come his way.” (imdb.com) Starring the incredible English actor Hugh Laurie, this is my all-time favorite TV show that falls within my writing genre. It’s more of a psychological thriller than an action thriller, and the romance involves both House and his attraction to his boss, Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), and the bromance between House and his colleague and best friend, Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard). Each week is a race against time and death for House and his team while he spars with his love interest-slash-nemesis, Dr. Cuddy.

2.     Bates Motel (2013-2017): “A contemporary prequel to Psycho, giving a portrayal of how Norman Bates’ psyche unravels through his teenage years and how deeply intricate his relationship with his mother, Norma, truly is.” (imdb.com) Truth be told, I am only two seasons into this excellent series that involves suspense, sex, and intrigue. It stars Vera Farmiga as Norma Bates and Freddie Highmore (From “The Good Doctor”) as Norman Bates. This show always keeps me on the edge of my seat. The interwoven Oedipal/Electra concept in this story fascinates me.

3.     The X Files (1993-2018): “Two FBI Agents, Fox Mulder the believer (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully the skeptic (Gillian Anderson), investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.” (imdb.com) This show caught and held me from the pilot episode, possibly because, along with enjoying romantic thrillers, I’m also a bit of a science fiction fan and a conspiracy believer. The thriller aspect of this show is evident from the first few minutes of every episode. Still, the romance between Mulder and Scully is masterfully written, especially in the first few seasons, as the sexual and emotional tension builds and the question of “will they get together or won’t they” is always in the viewer’s mind. I watched for the suspense; I stayed for the romance.

4.     Chernobyl (2019): “In April, 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics becomes one of the world’s worst man-made catastrophes.” (imdb.com) You’re thinking, “But Pauline, that’s a drama, not a romantic thriller!” You’d be partially correct. It is a fantastic drama. It also is a thriller. Not all thrillers are filled with fast-paced action (though I would argue that the explosion of a nuclear reactor is full of action). Many are psychological, precisely what you find in “Chernobyl.” There is also the romantic element of the romance between the brave firefighter who gets radiation poisoning and is nursed and comforted by his pregnant wife, who risks not only her own life but the life of their unborn child to be present for her radioactive spouse.

5.     While You Were Sleeping (1995): “A hopelessly romantic Chicago Transit Authority ticket booth operator is mistaken for the fiancée of a comatose patient.” (imdb.com) Okay, Okay, I admit it—this is a romantic comedy, not a thriller. But I had to include it because it’s one of my favorite all-time movies, and it does fit one of the aspects of my “genre,” namely, the romantic aspect. It stars Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman (“The Sinner” and “Independence Day”), and I just had to have it on the list because if you haven’t watched it yet, add it to your binge list.

6.     True Lies (1994): “A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used-car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.” (imdb.com) Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Bill Paxton (“Titanic”), this is your classic action-thriller with the romance of a love triangle and jealousy thrown into the mix. It may not be an Oscar winner, but it’s a fun watch—lots of fast-paced chases and love/jealousy thrown in for good measure.

7.     Gone Girl (2014): “With his wife’s disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it’s suspected that he might not be innocent.” (imdb.com) This movie stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, and Neil Patrick Harris. I watched the movie and was a little confused, then read the book from which it was drawn, and it fell into place and made more sense. I would always recommend reading the book from which a movie is created because it is almost always better. This is a real mind-twister, full of suspense, intrigue, love, and sex, and one you shouldn’t leave off your “To watch next” list. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Gillian Flynn. I would love to be able to write as compellingly as she.

8.     Passengers (2016): “A malfunction in a sleeping pod on a spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet wakes one passenger 90 years early.” (imdb.com) That passenger, played by Chris Pratt, then, out of lust and loneliness, intentionally wakes another passenger, played by Jennifer Lawrence. This dooms her to living out the rest of her life alone on the ship with only Pratt’s character as company, never reaching their destination alive. It is also crucial, however, for the survival of all on the ship. No more spoilers, I promise! It is full of adventure, battling problems in the spaceship threatening their survival, and the themes of love and betrayal between the main protagonists. It's not the best movie I’ve ever seen, but it's one of the best from the 2010s and an enjoyable watch that falls in my writing genre. The science fiction lover in me also approves of this movie.

This list isn’t exhaustive; it is just a sampling of TV shows and movies in the romantic thriller genre that I’ve enjoyed, which have helped influence my love for writing and inspired some of what I have written thus far. Do you have any names of programming that could be added to this list? What are your favorite romantic thriller TV shows and movies that you think I should watch? Mention them in the comments section. I’d love to hear what you have to say.

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Pauline J. Grabia

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