Romance on television has evolved, but not always for the better.
While modern TV often fails to craft compelling love stories, there’s something undeniably rich and fulfilling about romances that transcend time — sometimes literally.
Take Claire and Jamie in Outlander, Spencer and Alexandra in 1923, and Kat and Thomas in The Way Home. These relationships aren’t just about attraction or fleeting passion; they embody a level of commitment, strength, and devotion that feels increasingly rare in contemporary romances.
What sets them apart? Their men care for them wholly and completely.
They allow their women to be exactly who they are because they are “manly” enough to love a strong woman, and the women, in turn, are strong enough to allow their men to protect and cherish them without fear of it threatening their agency.
On Outlander, Jamie Fraser is the gold standard of an enduring romantic hero. His love for Claire is unwavering, built on mutual respect and a fierce protectiveness that never diminishes her independence.
He admires her intelligence, her passion, and her unwillingness to conform to societal expectations.
Rather than feeling threatened, he revels in her strength, and in return, Claire trusts him to be her equal partner, protector, and lover.
Spencer and Alexandra on 1923 have a whirlwind romance, but one that is rooted in raw, undeniable devotion.
Spencer, a hardened man who has survived war and loss, immediately recognizes Alexandra as his future, his home. He fights for her, body and soul, and she never once hesitates to match his intensity.
Alexandra doesn’t see Spencer’s need to protect her as a slight against her own strength; she welcomes it because she knows it comes from love, not control.
Then there’s The Way Home, where Kat and Thomas’ love story takes shape across centuries.
Their connection is undeniable, but unlike the other two examples, this one ends in heartbreak — not because their love isn’t real, but because Kat ultimately chooses to let him go.
The show suggests that love alone isn’t always enough, but what makes Thomas so compelling is that he, like Jamie and Spencer, adores Kat for exactly who she is.
There’s no attempt to mold her into something else, no insecurity about her strength — only steadfast love. That love allowed her to return to her own time, fully aware of what her modern love should be.
Why, then, do modern TV romances so often fall short?
Too often, relationships are built on manufactured conflict, endless will-they-won’t-they dynamics, or a reluctance to portray men as protectors and women as receptive to being loved in that way.
There’s a fear of traditional gender roles, even when they can exist in a framework of mutual respect and balance.
Today’s love stories sometimes mistake independence for emotional isolation, forgetting that true strength isn’t about rejecting love but embracing it without losing oneself.
The best romances don’t hinge on outdated notions of dominance and submission, nor do they strip away the complexities of human connection.
Instead, they thrive on the idea that love is about partnership — a deep, unshakeable devotion where neither person is diminished.
That’s why the romance in these time-transcending stories feels so powerful: the men are strong enough to love wholly, and the women are strong enough to accept that love without fear.
Maybe that’s what’s missing in today’s TV romances. And maybe it’s time to bring it back.
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