‘A Very Venice Romance’ & More Romantic Titles to Check Out on TV This Fall

In the mood for love this fall? TV has you covered with several options ranging from movies to series. We break down three must-see titles, below.

A Very Venice Romance (Saturday, September 30, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel)

The Lovers: Amy (Stephanie Leonidas), an exec at a New York City wellness company, and Marcello (Raniero Monaco Di Lapio), an Italian chef who runs a Venice cooking school.

How They Meet Cute: Amy tries to hire Marcello to help launch a new line of meal prep kits, but he turns her down. Undeterred, she enrolls in his school — housed in a breathtaking palazzo — to continue pleading her case.

Challenge They Face: After they fall for each other, Amy has to persuade Marcello to return with her to the ultra-competitive Manhattan restaurant scene.

Will They Make It?: Sì, if Marcello can instead convince Amy to stay and embrace the slow-paced pleasures of a life in Italy, and with him.

(Credit: Netflix)

Love at First Sight (Friday, September 15, Netflix)

The Lovers: Hadley (Haley Lu Richardson), an American bookworm, and Oliver (Ben Hardy), a U.K. statistics major.

How They Meet Cute: At the airport, Hadley connects first to Oliver’s borrowed phone charger, then with its charming owner. Fate places them on the same flight to London—in adjoining seats—leading to a first date over the Atlantic.

Challenge They Face: Hadley’s broken phone leaves her without Oliver’s number, which sets them on simultaneous searches for the other in a city of millions.

Will They Make It?: Per the film’s narrator (Jameela Jamil, The Good Place), it’s statistically unlikely they’ll find each other a second time. But don’t be too quick to bet against love, no matter the odds.

(Credit: Showtime)

Fellow Travelers (Sunday, October 29, 9/8c, Showtime)

The Lovers: Hawkins Fuller (Matt Bomer), a charismatic but emotionally unavailable 1950s political operative, and Tim Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey), an idealistic young man of faith discovering his sexuality.

How They Meet Cute: In this limited series, a chance encounter with Hawkins ignites both Tim’s career in government and a love that will span decades.

Challenge They Face: Beginning a gay relationship just as Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn declare their hate-fueled war on so-called “subversives and sexual deviants.”

Will They Make It?: Only if they can survive the dangers that confront them over the years, like McCarthyism, the Vietnam War, and the AIDS crisis.

This is an excerpt from TV Guide Magazine’s 2023 Fall Preview issue. For more first looks at fall’s new shows, pick up the issue, on newsstands now.