Starstruck Cements Its Position as TV's Best Romantic Comedy

By now, everyone is fully attuned to the romantic comedy formula in which the central couple gets together by the end of the story and is left pondering, “What next?” The credits roll, leaving the duo in perpetual bliss without a worry in the world or a breakup in their future. Although, if you think about it, how many movie rom-com couples would last even a year after leaping over those initial obstacles? Television doesn’t have the luxury of fading to black after this phrase (or something similar) is uttered. Instead, what typically follows is a breakup-makeup cycle or falling into a settled rut that turns an electric will-they/won’t-they into a mundane pairing the longer a series goes on. Starstruck’s third season reveals there is another option without turning its back on its rom-com roots, and creator Rose Matafeo pays homage to the often maligned genre while also offering a fresh take on the next stage of a love story.

Starstruck’s third installment opens on a whiplash-inducing montage depicting Jessie (Matafeo) and movie star Tom’s (Nikesh Patel) journey from blissful makeouts to breaking up. Cracks begin to form when Jessie makes an offhand comment about not wanting kids, and the time she spends alone while her famous boyfriend is away shooting on location puts further strain on their creaking dynamic. It is a familiar pattern, and rather than repeat the previous season by stretching these events over six episodes, Matafeo sets her characters on a different path. A title card reveals two years have passed, smartly skipping the immediate aftermath of their second breakup and kicking off with a celebratory event that brings Tom back into Jessie’s orbit.

Kate (Emma Sidi) and Ian (Al Roberts) have two significant life events on the agenda: their wedding and birth of their daughter act as bookends. This couple met on New Year’s Eve at the same nightclub where Jessie went home with Tom, and their romance runs parallel but without the on-again, off-again pattern. Kate and Jessie’s friendship also faces its biggest challenge this year when Jessie keeps the second clandestine kiss she shares with Tom a secret from her best friend. The two women are at different points in their lives, and Kate’s fears about how impending motherhood will change their relationship bubble beneath the surface before exploding during a weekend away. The bestie fallout is another trope of a genre that is often as much about BFFs as it is about finding “the one.”

After a breakup, viewers are typically predisposed to dislike new love interests like Liam (Lorne MacFadyen) and Clem (Constance Labbé) as they stand in the way of our OTP (‘one true pairing’). However, Matafeo has done the unthinkable, introducing two charming figures worthy of the people who seemed destined to be together. With each fleeting interaction between Jessie and Tom, it becomes clear they will not get back together in the finale, and more importantly, they shouldn’t. It also helps that Matafeo and MacFadyen’s chemistry is off the charts from their first conversation and builds from there.

Liam begins as a kissing palate cleanser at Kate and Ian’s wedding, and not only is he willing to give Jessie his last cigarette, but he also offers advice about the “dodging her ex” dilemma. This first smooch is a strong indicator of how this duo could progress, shifting from slightly awkward to confident. Not quite time-stopping, but worthy of hanging out on the dance floor and swapping digits. Tom sees the flirty behavior, and when Jessie’s ex kisses her goodbye, it is hard not to think it is in response. It is only a peck on the mouth, but it still crosses a line — made even worse when Tom mentions his recent engagement.

Even two years after splitsville, it can be hard to move on, and both Jessie and Tom are still under each other’s spell when they are with other people. Jessie admits to Liam that she used their first date as a distraction from Tom’s engagement drinks. Rather than long for the exes to get back together, it becomes apparent that Liam could be more than a rebound fling, and much like Jesse, we are caught between longing for the past love and embracing a new one. Have cute banter and a Scottish accent turned our heads? Or rather, Matafeo has expertly plotted this shipping about turn, but it is still far too messy for Liam to become a long-term prospect while there is unresolved tension.

Through regretful tears during the inevitable Episode 4 breakup with Liam, Jessie says, “It feels like such a waste.” There is no animosity; instead, an overwhelming sadness at what could have been and an acknowledgment that Jessie has baggage to sort out dominate the scene. A long hug and a double-cheek kiss underscore the connection that is frayed rather than broken. However, it isn’t long before Jessie finds a reason to call Liam. All it takes is Kate going into labor.

Antagonism is a bedrock of both mid-century screwball comedies and the more contemporary offerings, with Liam and Jessie’s dynamic fitting this mold. Yet, Matafeo’s fifth episode script with Nic Sampson and Alice Snedden doesn’t eschew sweet sentimentality as Liam admits he is mad at her for calling, but only because it is so nice to see her. He feels bad for being annoyed at her when she mentions it’s her birthday. Another effective choice is not showing Liam dropping the pair off at the hospital or escorting them. Instead, when they arrive, Ian and Tom are already there.

Another writer would leave Liam as an almost-was and use the miracle of newborn life as a backdrop for a Jessie-Tom reconciliation. By taking the road less traveled, Starstruck cements itself as TV’s best romantic comedy. Given that Matafeo has previously cited movies, including Sweet Charity, His Girl Friday, and When Harry Met Sally (and TV shows like Dawson’s Creek and The Simpsons) as inspiration, it makes sense that she has a firm grip on rom-com plotting and witty language. Over the last decade or so, other titles have played in this sandbox with varying results. Among the best is FX’s You’re the Worst, which has been positioned as an anti-rom-com but is more an actual romantic comedy with spiky tendencies that subvert the more saccharine and sentimental tropes. And like Jessie and Tom, the central couple sleeps together in the pilot, skipping the will-they/won’t-they plotting favored by sitcoms from Cheers to New Girl.

Maintaining tension and crackling chemistry after a physical line has been crossed is something a lot of sitcoms struggle with, and Starstruck isn’t wholly immune to the perils of the exploration of coupledom. The second season didn’t quite hit the magical highs of its debut outing, although, admittedly, that is an extremely high bar. Giving Jessie a different trajectory is one way it stays fresh; six-episode seasons also mean it can avoid spinning its wheels and the unnecessary obstacle perils faced by the likes of The Mindy Project and New Girl. More recently, Max’s Love Life showcased an enjoyable anthology approach to TV rom-coms, but again without quite the same memorable spark as Matafeo’s series.

While there is no word on whether there will be a fourth season, the finality of Jessie and Tom’s conversation in the hospital chapel suggests this romance is over: “I think you’re doing this with the wrong person and that we’ve always wanted different things. That’s not going to change. And even though we loved each other so much, I think we’re pretty stupid to think it can’t happen with someone else. Because it has, hasn’t it?” This declaration is made during fake wedding vows as Jessie describes how she pictured her wedding to Tom.

This is not an Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind situation, so rather than keep fighting for something that will fall apart a few months later (okay, there is also no memory erasing), they accept their time together for what it was and still is. After seeing the aftermath of their “what next?” moment, it is clear that not every rom-com setup is destined for forever status. Most scenes between Jessie and Tom have an emotionally fraught current this season, but they are finally on the same page. Matafeo and Patel beautifully sell the bittersweet swing between sorrow, happiness, and relief. Clem has seemingly forgiven Tom for his transgressions backstage at the theater and at the wedding, and unbeknown to Jessie at this point, Liam is still in the hospital parking lot.

When she does spot his van through the rain-soaked windows, a huge smile breaks out on her face. In another show, Liam would get out of his van into the downpour, and declarations would be made while they get soaked. Here, Jessie sensibly gets in his dry vehicle, which doesn’t lead to a hot and heavy kiss. Nevertheless, what unfolds even without physical touch is still electric as they edge toward their “what next?” Leaving it here fulfills a rom-com signature, and even without a word of Starstruck renewal, there is plenty of story left to tell: this new romance, Kate and Ian as parents, and whether Tom and Clem will make it down the aisle.

Liam asks Jessie, “So, where do you want to go?” Her reply is noncommital, but her “dunno” is as hopeful as any “what next?,” and this romantic comedy plays by the rules even after it has subverted them.

Emma Fraser has wanted to write about TV since she first watched My So-Called Life in the mid-90s, finally getting her wish over a decade later. Follow her on Twitter at @frazbelina.