TV shows with unexpected romantic elements that romance novel lovers will adore

Overall, I find TV to be a huge disappointment these days. There's so many reboots and shows that get cancelled before they even have a chance to shine that I prefer to read a book rather than turn on the TV 98% of the time. But sometimes, when my brain gets tired, it's good to grab that remote and dig into a bingeable series. And lately, I've found a few good ones that aren't technically romances, but they have some surprise romantic elements that I think all you romance novels will adore. For lack of a better term, I call these horny tv shows. But the horny levels are completely unexpected, which makes them all the better. So, without further ado, here are the awesome horny, non-romance tv shows that I think all romance readers should check out:   

Reacher

As I mentioned, I'm well aware that the Amazon original Reacher series is not a romance. BUT, there is a lovely romantic relationship between Reacher and a tough, smart, and gorgeous detective named Roscoe that was so much fun to watch play out. These two don't get a happily ever after because Reacher is a drifter, but they part on such good terms that in my mind, Reacher will be back one day to marry Roscoe. Plus, the actor who plays Reacher is VERY muscle-y and there are several shirtless scenes to look forward to. You know, if you're into that kind of thing. It will definitely up the horny factor for some viewers. (It's me. I'm some viewers.)  

The Three Musketeers

The BBC's adaptation of The Three Musketeers has a lot going for it. Like, a lot. There's tons of swashbuckling adventure  and intrigue, and musketeers who have the best hair I've ever seen. (Seriously. I considered taking a photo of the actor who played D'Artagnan to my salon to see if they could give me his color, style, and highlights.) But above all that, by the time the series ends, all the musketeers are in love and get their happily ever afters. I was most invested in the forbidden affair between Aramis and Queen Anne, but D'Artagnan's relationship with Constance was also a high drama storyline that played out beautifully. Sadly, my other favorite couple, Athos and the murderous Milady D'Winter, didn't work out. Bummer. But, hey, you can't win 'em all, right? 

Good Girls

Anyone who has seen the show, don't @ me on this one. Yes, I realize this dark dramedy is not a romance. Yes, I realize that Beth and Rio are about as toxic as a couple can get. But...every time Rio looks at Beth, an angel gets it's wings. Or someone gets pregnant. Either way...they're hot together. 

Note: Good Girls is an AMAZING show. It's smart and funny and tense and it'll have you on the edge of your seat in every episode. In typical NBC fashion, they didn't pay the actor who plays Rio fairly, he quit, and the show was cancelled. Why they didn't give that man the NBC checkbook, I'll never know. He earned every penny and then some. So did the wonderful actresses he starred with, who were also expected to take a lower salary to finish the last season. So, the show ends in season 4. There will be no happily ever afters. Thanks a lot, NBC. :( 

The Cleaning Lady

I saved the horniest for last. The Cleaning Lady is the best thing I've seen from the FOX network in a long, long time, and if it doesn't get renewed for season 2, I hereby swear that I will FOREVER boycott FOX and I will devote my life to getting others to do the same. This show is about a whip-smart Cambodian doctor named Thony who comes to the US illegally to get her son lifesaving treatment. She works as a cleaning lady (duh) and ends up witnessing a mafia-related hit. She THEN ends up working as the mob's cleaning lady for a ridiculously hot mafia man named Arman in exchange for her life and protection.

Arman is what I'd call a PERFECT morally grey character. Does he kill people? Yeah, some. (No innocents, no women, no kids...just other mafia folks.) But he also saves Thony's life and her kid's life more than once at great personal cost, and he wants out of the "bad guy" life. He's a mobster with an intense moral code, and I DIG HIM as a character so much. And to say that he has hot sexual tension with Thony would be a HUGE understatement. Their relationship is the stuff of the BEST mafia romances out there. And frankly, if this show isn't renewed, I'm going to need a mafia romance author to finish their story for me. Please and thanks on that one. :)

Don't think this show is just about sexual chemistry, though. It's SO much more than that. Thony's relationship with her kids and her sister-in-law Fiona is amazing to watch, and the overall plot is so full of twists and turns that even my husband (who falls firmly into the "blech, romance" crowd) watches with me and doesn't ever complain. That's saying a lot, folks. Give this one a watch. You won't regret it. THEN TWEET AT FOX TO RENEW IT.     

But that's just my list. What about you? Any horny TV shows I should add to my "to watch" list?