It’s the age-old, Hallmark-style meet-cute: In a bout of serendipity, two souls seem to sync up and run right into each other. After some romantic tension and awkwardness, the encounter closes with the burning question: “So … Do you want to come over and watch Squid Game with me?”
It might not be how love goes in your favorite rom-com, but it might be how many of your favorite zoomers and millennials hang out in the post-pandemic dating world. Imagine a good old-fashioned TV date: less the “Netflix and chill” creepin’ of the twenty-tens and more an affordable way to chat over the coolest new show or movie.
While it hasn’t always been most people’s romantic ideal, as many as 46% of Americans say they consider being asked to watch TV with a partner the same as being asked on a date. Between genders, that stat breaks down to 52% of men and 40% of women saying they’d call watching TV together a date.
But beware of the allure of an “easy” date night in front of the boob tube, TV fans and lovers. All is not so cut-and-dried when it comes to TV and romance. From seeing our relationships through the characters on screen to betraying our beloved by sneaking in a few episodes early, let’s look at what happens when sharing screen time leads to red-hot romance and the occasional crossing of relational lines.
How TV helps couples bond
Half or more people associate TV with romance, from helping them understand their own feelings to feeling more connected to partners—especially when those partners love watching the same shows in the same way they do, right down to the subtitles.
- 50% say a TV show has helped them understand their own romantic feelings
- 56% say watching TV with their partner has improved their romantic connection
- 61% say they feel more connected to romantic partners who like the same TV shows
- 63% say they feel more connected to romantic partners who have the same TV-watching habits (e.g., watching with subtitles)
- 41% say sharing the same taste in TV shows with their partner is one of their love languages
If you’d like to show yourself or someone else some love, it’s easy to pair TV time (quality time!) with physical touch (not too distracting), acts of service and gifts (like grabbing snacks and blankets), and sharing words of affirmation (like, “You were right, he was the killer!”).
For the majority of Americans, finding something good to watch on TV with a partner is tantamount to love.
How TV breaks couples apart
But not all TV time is smooth streaming and snuggles. Some people commit the sin of TV cheating, secretly watching a show without their partner. And some never tell their partners they did it, either.
- 30% would consider it a betrayal if their partner watched a show they typically watch together without them
- 23% have secretly watched a show without their partner, and 33% of those people have never told their partner
Others argue about what to watch, but most would rather sit through another episode of Is It Cake? rather than fight.
- 32% have argued with their partner about what to watch
- 63% have compromised with their partner about what to watch to avoid an argument
Have you ever wondered why your partner never seems to listen to you? According to our survey, 33% have argued with their partner about the volume of the TV. Chalk it up to simple physics?
If our TV habits aren’t aligned, chances are those differences can show up elsewhere in the relationship, too. And sometimes, it’s the things we observe on TV that lead us to conclusions in our own lives. For example, 39% have found faults in their relationship by watching other relationships on TV.
Though our ideals in romance may be more accurately reflected on TV than in our real lives, most of us are more than happy to spend time together watching TV, provided our other needs are met, and certain boundaries aren’t crossed—especially if secret spoilers are involved.
Methodology
This survey of 1,000 Americans was conducted using Pollfish on 1/9/2025. The survey data was post-stratified to accurately reflect the US population.
