Valentine’s Day is upon us, and your WTIU PBS Passport member benefit has no shortage of stories celebrating love, marriage, and romance. Who can’t help but fall for the sweet, true-to-life love of James and Helen Herriot of All Creatures Great and Small, the feisty “will they, won’t they” dynamic between Eliza and William of Miss Scarlet & the Duke, and the many twists and turns that twine through the relationships of Charlotte and the rest of the Sanditon characters?
You can see all these love stories and more with your WTIU PBS Passport benefit! Ranging from Shakespearean tragedy to modern-day rom coms, here are 7 shows you will fall in love with at first sight.
Romeo and Juliet
Experience a ballet of Shakespeare’s classic love story on this episode of Great Performances. From choreographer Kenneth MacMillan, this performance by dancers from The Royal Ballet is set to a score by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev and filmed in atmospheric locations throughout Budapest.
Romeo and Juliet
For a very different take on the same tragedy, Great Performances presents a stylized film from the National Theatre. In this contemporary re-telling of Shakespeare’s story of star-crossed lovers, a company of actors in a shuttered theater bring to life the tale of two young people who strive to transcend a world of violence and hate.
Black Lucy and the Bard
Explore the bard’s own love life—or at least a poetic (and sexy!) version of it—through the perspective of the “Dark Lady” in this performance from the Nashville Ballet. Author and performer Caroline Randall Williams narrates the ballet with her own spoken word poetry from her book, Lucy Negro, Redux, on which the show is based. Featuring an original score and performance by Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens, this episode of Great Performances is a must-see!
A Very British Romance with Lucy Worsley
Travel back to the Victorian era with Lucy Worsley as she delves into the steamy history of British romance, uncovering the social, political, and cultural forces that shaped ideals of romantic love during Victoria’s reign.
Victoria
For more love and intrigue in the age of Victoria, immerse yourself in the drama surrounding the candid and spirited monarch. Season One features the diminutive, neglected teenager who is crowned Queen Victoria and finds devoted love in her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert. Binge all three seasons of the beloved Masterpiece series with your WTIU PBS Passport benefit!
Us
In a drama tinged with humor and heartbreak, Tom Hollander and Saskia Reeves play a couple who embark on a long-planned grand tour of Europe with their rebellious teenage son—despite the wife’s wrenching proclamation that she wants to leave the marriage. Based on the novel by best-selling author David Nicholls, The Daily Telegraph calls this two-part Masterpiece miniseries a “brilliantly witty and heartfelt drama about a family on the edge.”
Love, Inevitably
A romance featuring laughs, tender moments, and European locations, Love, Inevitably tells the story of an incredible and sudden love, made up of reality and imagination. When Candela, a Flamenco dancer from Seville, and Massimo, an entrepreneur from Rome, accidentally bump into each other at the Prague Airport, they can't stop having visions of one another. This 10-episode series is not available on broadcast television, but you can easily stream it with your WTIU PBS Passport Member Benefit. From Walter Presents, in Spanish and Italian with English subtitles.