New hit romance shows popular with Gen Z are increasingly featuring athletes, with sports and physicality taking center stage as a way to explore intimacy and connection, even as overt sexual content remains less prominent. This trend is exemplified by shows like 'Crew Girl,' 'Heated Rivalry,' and 'Off Campus,' which leverage the intensity and discipline of sports to build romantic tension and explore adolescent desires.
Netflix's 'Crew Girl,' currently the platform's No. 1 show, follows 16-year-old rowing champion Teagan Tao as she navigates a new school without a girls' crew team, forcing her to coxswain for the boys. The show incorporates classic teen romance tropes, including a love triangle, wealth disparities, and the challenges of being the new kid. It also features a storyline with a gay rower secretly involved with a rival team member. While 'Crew Girl' is not an adaptation, a novelization released alongside the show suggests it is intended to evoke the feel of popular young adult and new adult novel adaptations that have recently found success on streaming platforms.
This wave of teen romance programming, which gained momentum following a pandemic-era boom in romance novels, includes series like Amazon Prime Video's 'The Summer I Turned Pretty,' Netflix's 'My Life with the Walter Boys,' and 'XO, Kitty,' a spinoff of the 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' franchise. Queer romance, particularly gay male romance, has also transitioned from page to screen with shows like Netflix's 'Heartstopper' and HBO Max's 'Heated Rivalry.'
These shows often feature elaborate love triangles, class struggles, and outsider angst, tapping into timeless adolescent fantasies and fears. A recurring trope involves siblings competing for the same crush, seen in 'Every Year After,' 'Walter Boys,' and 'Finding Her Edge.' The representation of diverse characters reflects the demographic makeup of Gen Z, often featuring multiracial leads with vaguely defined backgrounds. This approach allows for the inclusion of mixed-race families and romances, catering to a broader audience while avoiding potentially divisive cultural specificity.
A striking element across these series is the pronounced physicality, particularly in response to a perceived disconnect from digital life. While explicit sexual content is often minimized, especially in shows geared toward a younger demographic, bodies are prominently featured. This emphasis on physical activity can be seen in the frequent inclusion of nature settings, as in 'Every Year After,' where lakefront summers serve as a backdrop for romantic rivalries, or 'Sterling Point,' which uses a Canadian lake region to explore a wealthy city girl's romance with a local boy.
Sports romances, in particular, heighten this sense of physicality. 'Off Campus' and 'Heated Rivalry' showcase athletes in action and in locker rooms, while 'Finding Her Edge,' centered on Olympic hopefuls, explores budding romances among ice dancers. Even in 'Heartstopper,' romance blossoms on the rugby field. 'Crew Girl' also focuses on the athletic physiques of its rowing team members. These narratives suggest that the ambition, passion, and competitive drive inherent in sports can serve as powerful romantic catalysts, fostering bonds through shared dedication.
The trend of emphasizing sports over explicit sex is particularly noteworthy in an era where shows like 'Euphoria' have pushed boundaries. Experts suggest this shift may reflect a growing modesty among Gen Z viewers, who are reportedly more hesitant about on-screen sex. This phenomenon has been linked to a broader societal discussion about a "sex recession" among young people, with factors like increased online engagement and the social isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic cited as potential contributors. For a generation experiencing anxieties around physical intimacy, sports and athletic endeavors can serve as a more comfortable entry point.
Ultimately, the appeal of these contemporary romance narratives may lie in their relatability. A 2025 UCLA report on young people's media consumption indicated that "people with lives like mine" is the most sought-after element in television. Despite aspirational settings like summer houses and prep schools, this season's teen romances reflect a generation more interested in grounded experiences. For adolescents raised in a digitally saturated world, the fantasy is less about superpowers and more about inhabiting physical space and engaging in tactile experiences with others. Sports, like crew, offer a powerful way to forge these embodied connections.