The Best TV Shows About Love

Love is in the air and in TV land that usually means high ratings. Just about every television show eventually dabbles in romantic storylines or the dreaded love triangle, but few shows are centered around the central theme of love. In honor of Valentine's Day, we count down the best television shows about love. And no, we don't mean Joanie Loves Chachi.

The Bachelor (2002-present). Critics say this ABC reality show seems a tad staged, but you can't deny they pull out all the stops when it comes to making the show as glossy and romantic as possible. Where else can you find romantic dream dates like helicopter rides, magazine photo shoots and private concerts by classic rock bands? As far as dating shows go, no one touches The Bachelor when it comes to classy dates. Now if only the contestants were as classy.

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959- 1963). This show about a lovelorn teen starred Bob Denver (Gilligan's Island). It revolved around a daydreaming, average joe looking for love, usually in the wrong places. The show was smart and innovative at the time, eventually becoming a cult classic.

How I Met Your Mother (2005-present). In an interesting premise, this show fast forwards us to the year 2030, where Ted Mosby (voice of Bob Saget) tells his son and daughter the long story of how he met their mother. The show consists of flashbacks starting back to the year 2005, where the marriage-minded Ted is in search of his soul mate.

I Love Lucy (1951-1957). This classic sitcom centered around the zany antics of a New York housewife (Lucille Ball) and her frustrated bandleader husband, Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz). But while Lucy's schemes drove Ricky crazy, the show always wrapped up happily, with a loving kiss or some sort of affection. It was the epitome of love conquering all, because Ricky always forgave Lucy for her stunts. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were a real life married couple at the time, making the affection between their characters all the more believable.

Beauty and the Beast (1987-1990). Based on the classic fairy tale of the same name, this modern day version of the story detailed the unlikely love affair between a beautiful attorney (Linda Hamilton) and a lion-faced man-beast (Ron Perlman). Fans of the show always believed in Vincent the Beast's inner beauty.

Love, American Style (1969-1974). This show started off with a catchy theme song and hearts and fireworks-and that was just the beginning. The show was comprised of short comedy vignettes about love, romance and relationships. Most episodes contained 4 unrelated, mini story lines. The ensemble cast changed each week with some guest stars appearing more frequently. Carol Wayne, Henry Gibson, Michele Lee, Dick Van Patten and Bill Bixby were just some of the actors who appeared on Love, American Style.

Bridget Loves Bernie (1972-1973). Meredith Baxter and David Birney starred as Bridget and Bernie Steinberg in this short-lived romantic comedy. But the character of Bridget was Irish Catholic and Bernie was Jewish, which prompted an angry response from viewers who did not approve of the interfaith marriage portrayed on the show (my, how times have changed!). You couldn't deny the chemistry between Baxter and Birney, though. The two were married in real life shortly after the series ended.

The Love Boat (1977-1986). The ultimate show about love, this Aaron Spelling creation took place on a cruise ship and featured several love-themed storylines on each episode. The ship's crew members were the series regulars: Gavin MacLeod (Captain Stubing), Lauren Tewes (Cruise Director, Julie McCoy), Bernie Kopell (Dr. Adam Bricker), Ted Langley (Bartender Isaac Washington) and Fred Grandy (Yeoman-Purser Gopher Smith). Just about every popular actor and actress of the time made at least one guest appearance on The Love Boat, including Scott Baio, Melissa Gilbert, David Hasselhoff, Jaclyn Smith and Linda Evans.

Sources:

The Bachelor, ABC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast_(TV_series)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Many_Loves_of_Dobie_Gillis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_I_Met_Your_Mother

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043208/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063925/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridget_Loves_Bernie

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075529/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Love_Boat_guest_stars