How are your tear ducts? As dry as the pages of David Nicholls' 2009 bestseller? Same. In case you've missed it, Netflix adapted One Day into a 14-part TV series, doing the tragic story of Dex and Em justice on every front.
The soundtrack – rippled with songs from Cat Power, Nick Drake, Karen Dalton, Cocteau Twins, and Elliott Smith – is the perfect period accompaniment as we pace through Edinburgh, London, Greece, and Paris from 1988 until 2007. The wardrobes, particularly Dexter's, are nostalgic without feeling too costume-y. The sets, whether it's a wood-panelled pied-à-terre in Paris or the cluttered, warm living room of Em's best friend Tilly, are inviting and lived-in. And best of all, the cast, in which Ambika Mod inhabits Emma Morley in every capacity, and Leo Woodall's Dexter Mayhew is more golden retriever than the rakish Hugh Grant-esque portrayal by Jim Sturgess. Between Mod and Woodall, the chemistry is palpable, and will leave you heaving with scrunched up tissues strewn along your couch. Good luck.
But if you've already churned and burned through One Day on Netflix – with episodes that run under 30 minutes, it's a possibility – here's what to watch next. Below, a list of TV shows and films like One Day.
One Day (2011)
The thinking here is that if you have read the book and watched the Netflix series, you'll probably want to consume all the One Day art you can get your hands on. But I'm warning you, this movie doesn't hold a candle to the book. Also, the cast is woefully white.
Normal People (2020)
There's a lot of will-they-won't-they romance happening in One Day, which reminds us of another on screen couple who were also famously bad at communicating. They also share similar endings, or at least one is more open-ended than the other. If you still haven't seen the adaptation of Sally Rooney's Normal People, take this as your final sign.
This is Going to Hurt (2022)
Curious about Ambika Mod and looking to check out what else she's acted in? Let me introduce you to This is Going to Hurt, which – yes, is another adaptation. But a brilliant one at that. Mod stars alongside Ben Whishaw, and the pair endeavour to bring Adam Kay's memoir about working for the National Health Service to life. Though, you might want to rifle through the house for another box of tissues, Mod is destined for another tragic ending here too.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
The Greatest Rom Com Of All Time. And also a great accompanying text to One Day in that it tracks two people across various years and decades, beginning with a chance meeting on the final days of university. They don't sleep together on their first encounter and start the relationship as friends. What could possibly go wrong?
Lovesick (2014)
Think High Fidelity if Rob was motivated by STIs instead of masochism and music. We actually prefer its original title – Scrotal Recall, which is good for a few laughs. In Lovesick, its protagonist Dylan Witter (Johnny Flynn) calls up his long list of exes and one night stands to inform them of his unfortunate diagnosis, and every episode is a flashback to a defining moment in each relationship. At least he has his friends Luke and Evie, played by Daniel Ings and Antonia Thomas, to keep him company. Even though the will-they-won't-they dynamic with Evie threatens to implode.
Everything I Know About Love (2022)
Everything I Know About Love (another book adaptation, I'm sorry) is what we imagine would happen if Emma and Tilly had a spin-off series. Share-house shenanigans, boy drama, dance routines in the living room, and London in the noughties. Chef's kiss.
Conversations with Friends (2022)
Sally Rooney's Conversations with Friends takes "it's complicated" to the nth degree. We're just including because we're mad that Dexter and Emma didn't talk it out and get together earlier, because maybe they'd have had more time.
High Fidelity (2020)
Of all the limited series on this list, we wish High Fidelity had gotten a second season – instead they dangled the carrot in our faces and abandoned us at the last minute. Ah well. We think the TV series with Zoe Kravitz is a great meditation on love and romance. Plus, it has a killer soundtrack like One Day.
It's A Sin (2021)
If one of the things you liked about One Day was the cosy friendships, then It's A Sin will speak to you. The show follows a young and hopeful group of queer 20-somethings in London in the 80s as they balance euphoria and tragedy in not always equal measure.
