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    15 Reasons Why HBO Max's "Starstruck" Should Be At The Top Of Your Queue

    Give Rose Matafeo all the awards!

    Stacey Nguyen
    by Stacey Nguyen

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Lately, you might be hearing some buzz about an utterly charming English rom-com series on HBO Max called Starstruck.

    BBC Three / Via giphy.com

    The sweet series first dropped in the UK in April, but it's now made its way to HBO Max, where it's receiving a lot of love across the pond! The show stars creator Rose Matafeo as Jessie, a young woman who unexpectedly finds herself crossing paths with a famous movie star named Tom (Nikesh Patel). 

    If you love love, Starstruck is definitely worth checking out. Need some more convincing? We've gathered all the reasons why you should definitely add this witty series to the top of your queue!

    BBC Three / Via giphy.com

    1. There are rom-com references everywhere!

    BBC Three / Via giphy.com

    If you adore Richard Curtis rom-coms, you'll find Starstruck incredibly warm and sweet. The most obvious rom-com influence here is Notting Hill — Matafeo plays an ordinary person who starts falling for a very famous guy, so unfortunate misunderstandings unfold! 

    2. More specifically, we've got holiday rom-com vibes!

    HBO Max / Via media.giphy.com

    The first season starts with New Year's Eve and ends with Christmas...so if you're keen on holiday rom-coms such as Love, Actually, Bridget Jones's Diary, and The Holiday, you'll get some of that, too!

    3. With six 20-minute episodes, the series is actually super bingeable.

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    Seriously, you can finish it in less time than a Marvel movie. 

    4. It gives us a delightful mix of dry, witty, and goofy humor.

    HBO Max / Via media.giphy.com

    The comedy can be very sharp and understated, but we've also got moments like Jessie flat-out dancing because she just had sex. 

    5. Matafeo is *chef's kiss* as the lead.

    BBC Three / Via giphy.com

    Jessie, who's portrayed by the creator and writer, is a truly excellent character. She doesn't need a significant other or a powerhouse job to validate her self-worth. And while weary from making ends meet, she's still funny, charming, and confident through it all. 

    6. All of Jessie's victory dances.

    HBO Max / Via media.giphy.com

    They're just friendly reminders to not take life too seriously! Even during tough times, Jessie can find the humor in everything and pull through (even if it's not always super graciously). 

    7. Patel is also an absolutely charming co-lead.

    BBC Three / Via giphy.com

    Patel portrays Tom Kapoor, Jessie's dreamy, famous, and very complicated actor love interest who's more or less the equivalent of Julia Roberts in Notting Hill. (PS: He's also very charming as the romantic lead in Mindy Kaling's adaptation of Four Weddings and a Funeral!)

    8. And obviously, the chemistry that happens when you put him and Matafeo together!

    BBC Three / Via giphy.com

    Jessie and Tom have an incredible and easy chemistry, even if wrong timing almost always pulls them apart. 

    9. And, of course, Starstruck features a healthy dose of makeout sessions, if you've been a little love-deprived during quarantine.

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    We love seeing hot people kiss! Vicarious smoochies for the win! 

    10. Speaking of hotness, Starstruck takes advantage of the female gaze for a refreshing take on the rom-com.

    BBC Three / Via giphy.com

    On writing her own love interest, Matafeo told Vanity Fair, “I’m dressing this man up in the things I think are attractive, and he says something attractive to me, which is so weirdly uncomfortable. And then I realized, Oh my god, men have done this throughout the history of cinema. … Every time I felt like a prick for being in a rom-com that I wrote, I was like, Oh, Steve Martin did it; Albert Brooks did it; oh, he who shall not be named, Woody Allen, did it.”

    11. Despite being influenced by classic rom-coms, Starstruck has a modern and chill sensibility to it.

    BBC Three / Via media.giphy.com

    You know how, in classic rom-coms, people pull out all the grand gestures for love? The chemistry definitely crackles between Jessie and Tom, but their relationship is very natural and understated (even if he is a bit of a famous actor). 

    12. Jessie and Kate (Emma Sidi) have a realistic and funny friendship!

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    They are somewhat (and perhaps realistically) a little mean to each other from time to time, but they still support each other at the end of the day. 

    13. Jessie's super-fabulous wardrobe.

    HBO Max / Via media.giphy.com

    From sparkly dresses to animal-print outerwear, Jessie has a fabulous and bold fashion sense, and she knows it — so much so that she demands that her donated clothes be put on display at a thrift shop. 

    14. We've got people of color in meaningful lead roles!

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    “Let’s normalize people who aren’t white just being in love, but also not having to talk about the fact that they’re not white,” Matafeo told Vanity Fair. “It’s almost a shame that it’s, like, a refreshing thing to see.”  

    15. There's a second season in the works!

    BBC Three / Via giphy.com

    It's so good that it's already been renewed for a second season. Stream it before Season 2 drops!

    You can stream Starstruck on HBO Max right now!