Romance drives so much of film and television. First loves, new relationships, and old flames rekindled are all part of the reason many people watch movies and TV shows. Some romances are fast and furious, but others take some time to develop into full-blown relationships.
Slow-burn romances are sometimes predictable, but they often leave viewers in suspense, wondering if the love interests will actually get together. When the characters finally realize they're meant to be, all that waiting is worth it.
Rory & Jess (Gilmore Girls)
Rory (Alexis Bledel) and Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) on Gilmore Girls are attracted to one another soon after they meet, but it takes them a whole season's worth of episodes to finally get together. Rory is dating Dean (Jared Padalecki) as Jess arrives in Stars Hollow.
It doesn't take Dean long to figure out that he can't stand Jess because Jess is interested in Rory. To his dismay, Dean realizes that Rory is interested in Jess, too. All the literary references, molten stares, and close encounters eventually bring Rory and Jess together, even if not forever. This slow-burn easily rivals Luke and Lorelai's complicated relationship.
Donna & Josh (The West Wing)
Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) and Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) banter with each other right from the start on The West Wing, but it takes years for them to get together as a couple. Donna works for Josh and has to put up with his misogynistic tendencies; he frequently makes fun of her and her love life. Over time, the characters show that they truly care for one another. A good example is when Donna is extremely attentive and visits Josh all the time after he is shot. All the little steps the two take eventually lead them to each other.
Andie & Ben (How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days)
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days puts the love interests in a fake dating situation for much of the movie. Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) is a journalist who meets Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConaughey) and purposefully tries to get him to break up with her so that she can write about it in her article. Ben is an ad executive who is doing the opposite--he places a bet that he can get a woman to fall in love with him in just ten days. As expected, Ben and Andie start to actually love one another, but they go through a lot of heartache to reach each other by the end of the movie.
Hitch & Sara (Hitch)
Kind of like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Hitch involves a few white lies in a dating relationship. Sara Melas (Eva Mendes) is a reporter who needs information on the love life of celebrity Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta). Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Will Smith) coaches other men on how to date and form relationships with women. His biggest project is Albert Brennamen (Kevin James), the very man who wants to date Allegra Cole.
Hitch and Sara aren't entirely truthful with each other about what they're working on, and it all blows up and ruins their relationship temporarily. It takes a long time for them to get together in the first place, but finding their footing with no lies feels like an even longer road, and fans still love reliving it to this day.
Sam & Diane (Cheers)
Cheers is famous for its slow-burn romance between Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and Diane Chambers (Shelley Long). Diane walks into Sam's bar on her way to be wed, only to have her would-be husband run off. Sam takes pity on Diane by allowing her to work at the bar, but he isn't the best boss with all his toxic masculinity and jokes about women. Despite Sam's flaws, viewers of the past and present have been enamored with Sam and Diane's long "will they or won't they?" romance. The tension is palpable while waiting on these two to give a relationship a go.
Brittany & Santana (Glee)
Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris) and Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera) are both cheerleaders on Glee. They are attracted to one another fairly early in the series and have several romantic encounters, but they don't officially call themselves a couple until the third season. They take a break due to the pressures of a long-distance relationship after trying it while Santana is at college. It's not until season six that Santana proposes to Brittany and the two are married, which means that their slow-burn pretty much spans the entire series.
Kathleen & Joe (You've Got Mail)
One of the most unique slow-burns is in You've Got Mail between Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan), the owner of a small bookstore, and Joe Fox (Tom Hanks), a member of the Fox Books giant. Kathleen and Joe meet online and are initially good friends, but there's always a hint of something more. Both adults are unhappy in their real-life relationships. Once again, hiding the truth draws out the possibility of a real relationship. Kathleen and Joe agree to meet in person, but Joe decides he can't let Kathleen know who he really is since he's her archenemy. It is not until the end of the film that Joe's online identity fully comes to light when he tells Kathleen about it in person.
Steve and Laura (Family Matters)
Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) is in love with Laura Winslow (Kelly Shanygne Williams) from day one on Family Matters, but Laura detests Steve. Like the rest of her family, she chooses to focus on his more annoying attributes and fails to see his real merits. When the show starts to take a more fantastical turn, Steve is able to change himself into a "cool" alter-ego named Stefan Urquelle. Laura is physically attracted to Stefan, but it takes her years to realize that she is in love with Steve. Steve readily accepts Laura and can't wait to marry her by the end of the series.
Charles & Liza (Younger)
Liza Miller (Sutton Foster) needs a new path in life after her divorce on Younger. After struggling to find a place as a forty-year-old woman, she takes her best friend's advice and ages herself down. Masquerading as a twenty-something gets Liza a job at a top New York publishing house, where she soon falls for her boss, Charles Brooks (Peter Hermann).
Charles is under the impression that he's much older than Liza, but he still falls for her. Once Liza's lie escapes and Charles finds out, he is furious and wants nothing to do with her. However, he comes around and works to develop a transparent relationship with Liza. Fans await the final season of the show to see if these two are together forever.
Maria & Captain Von Trapp (The Sound Of Music)
The Sound of Music is famous for its songs and its story, but it's also a well-known slow-burn romance. Maria (Julie Andrews) has to deal with the ever-serious Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) when she becomes the governess of his children. Captain Von Trapp and Maria are gradually drawn together despite the Captain's relationship with the Baroness. Maria fits right into the Von Trapp family and marries the Captain in an exquisite wedding scene.