In the late autumn, I was exhausted after back-to-back-to-back travel, and I spent a few days hiding in bed with only my phone and the remote to my Fire stick. As I surfed Prime, Hulu and Netflix, I spied a promo for a show I’d been seeing for a while and decided to give it a shot.

Modern Love reminds me vaguely of the old Love, American Style show that I watched in the Dark Ages, except that this version is more serious, less fun and frolics than it is a study of the intricacies and pitfalls of love in the twenty-first century. There are eight episodes, each with a different couple and a different set of complications. The couples vary in ages and situations, but all of them live in New York City–which makes sense, as the show is based on the weekly column of the same name published by The New York Times.

I watched four episodes that first day, I think, and then I’ve enjoyed the rest of them over the past couple of weeks, finishing the last two today–and I’m not ashamed to say that I sniffled through the last one.

These romances are not painted with a rosy, unrealistic hue. The characters are real and flawed, and some of them are somewhat unlikable . . . and yet the stories themselves are all appealing and enduring. They are most of all real.

My favorites were episodes one, three, seven and eight–but I really loved them all. I recommend this series and suggest that if you can, watch all eight together. It will make the ending that much sweeter.

I’d love to hear what you think about Modern Love!