10 romantic thriller shows on Netflix that combine the best of both worlds

EntertainmentMovie
19 Feb 2025 • 2:00 PM MYT
LifestyleAsia MY
LifestyleAsia MY

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Looking for some genre-blending content for your next binge-watching session? Well, you’ve come to the right place! We have curated a comprehensive list of the best romantic thriller shows on Netflix that combine the high stakes of thrillers with the mushiness of romance. 

Perfect to binge-watch over a chill weekend at home, these shows offer a medley of narratives and tropes. Thankfully, OTT giant Netflix has a wide variety of them. 

If a charming, obsessive stalker is your jam, then You (2018-2025) is the ideal pick for you. Starring Gossip Girl (2007-2012) alum Penn Badgley, the show makes a departure from typical rom-coms by subverting quintessential romance tropes and serving a deliciously thrilling tale. 

If you want to kick the romance up a notch, Deceitful Love (2024) is another title worth watching. An erotic romantic thriller miniseries, it is perfect for a binge-watch session. Fake Profile (2023- ) is another title in our list of romantic thriller shows on Netflix that crosses the language barrier. It is a Spanish-language telenovela with equal parts romance and plot twists.  

Not to forget our beloved K-dramas, which are widely known for their impeccable blending of these two genres. Flower of Evil (2020), Alchemy of Souls (2022-2023) and When the Phone Rings (2024-2025) are some of the best romantic thriller Korean shows of recent times on Netflix.

With sub-genres like fantasy, sci-fi and adventure, Alchemy of Souls is one of the highest-rated K-dramas in the romantic thriller category, whereas the MBC drama When the Phone Rings was a massive hit despite its messy finale. The gripping premise sure makes up for it.

Get ready to add these and more to your watchlist! 

10 romantic thriller shows on Netflix that are a must-watch 

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1 /10

Alchemy of Souls (2022-2023)

Creators: Hong Jung-eun, Hong Mi-ran, Park Joon-hwa 

Cast: Lee Jae-wook, Jung So-min, Go Youn-jung, Hwang Min-hyun, Oh Na-ra 

Episodes: 30 (2 seasons) 

IMDb rating: 8.7/10 

Plot: When Jang Uk (Jae-wook), the heir of a prestigious family, encounters Mu-deok (So-min), an assassin-cum-sorceress trapped inside the body of a frail woman, their lives get intertwined. As the two band together to fight a league of powerful sorcerers, they fall in love unexpectedly.  

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2 /10

Flower of Evil (2020)

Creators: Kim Cheol-kyu, Yoo Jung-hee  

Cast: Lee Joon-gi, Moon Chae-won, Jang Hee-jin, Seo Hyun-woo 

Episodes: 16  

IMDb rating: 8.5/10 

Plot: Baek Hee-sung (Joon-gi) and Cha Ji-won (Chae-won) live the ideal ‘picket fence’ life with their daughter. When Ji-won investigates a series of homicides, she begins suspecting that her seemingly perfect husband might be hiding sinister secrets. 

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3 /10

Vagabond (2019)

Creator: Yoo In-sik, Jang Yeong-cheol, Jeong Gyeong-sun 

Cast: Lee Seung-gi, Bae Suzy, Shin Sung-rok, Moon Jeong-Hee, Lee Si-yu 

Episodes: 16 

IMDb rating: 8.1/10 

Plot: As Cha Dal-gun (Seung-gi), a stuntman, teams up with a National Intelligence Service operative Go Hae-ri (Bae Suzy) to uncover the truth behind the plane crash that took his nephew’s life, they find themselves drawn deeper into a web of conspiracies.  

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4 /10

When the Camellia Blooms (2019)

Creators: Cha Young-hun, Lim Sang-choon 

Cast: Gong Hyo-jin, Kang Ha-neul, Kim Ji-seok, Ji Yi-soo, Oh-Jung-se 

Episodes: 40 

IMDb rating: 7.8/10 

Plot: Police officer Hwang Yong-sik (Hyo-jin) is smitten by Oh Dong-baek (Ha-neul), a single mother and bar owner. As he attempts to pursue her, Yong-sik must also uncover the identity of a serial killer whose next target seems to be Dong-baek.  

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5 /10

Memories of the Alhambra (2018-2019)

Creators: Song Jae-jung, An Gil-ho 

Cast: Park Shin-hye, Hyun Bin, Min Jin-woong, Park Hoon, Lee Seung-joon, Kim Eui-sung, Park Chan-yeol 

Episodes: 16 

IMDb rating: 7.7/10 

Plot: Successful CEO Yoo Jin-woo (Bin) travels to Spain to meet an AR game developer Jung Se-joo (Chan-yeol), only to find out he has gone missing. Encountering the missing developer’s sister Jung Hee-joo (Shin-hye), who runs a hostel, Jin-woo gets entangled in a situation that blurs the line between real life and virtual reality. 

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6 /10

You (2018-2025)

Creators: Greg Berlanti, Sera Gamble 

Cast: Penn Badgley, Elizabeth Lail, Victoria Pedretti, Jenna Ortega 

IMDb rating: 7.7/10 

Episodes: 50 (5 seasons) 

Plot: Joe Goldberg (Badgley) is a charming man with homicidal tendencies who gets obsessed with women, and pursues romantic relationships with them. However, none of these relationships come to fruition as he gets more and more entangled in a vicious cycle of violence with dead bodies piling up. 

About the show: The latest and final season of You is set to premiere on Netflix on 24 April 2025.  

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7 /10

Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein (2022- )

Creator: Sidharth Sengupta 

Cast: Tahir Raj Bhasin, Shweta Tripathi, Aanchal G. Singgh, Arunoday Singh, Gurmeet Choudhary, Saurabh Shukla 

Episodes: 14 (2 seasons)

IMDb rating: 7/10 

Plot: When a small-town guy Vikrant (Bhasin) is obsessively pursued by a powerful politician’s daughter, Purva (Singgh), he must do whatever it takes to get out of her clutches.  

About the show: Netflix recently renewed the series for a third season. 

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8 /10

Deceitful Love (2024)

Creator: Teresa Ciabatti, Eleonora Cimpanelli, Flaminia Gressi, Michela Straniero 

Cast: Giacomo Gianniotti, Monica Guerritore, Emanuel Caserio, Dharma Mangia Woods, Francesco Del Gaudio 

Episodes: 6 

IMDb rating: 5.7/10 

Plot: Gabriella (Guerritore), a 60-year-old hotel owner gets intertwined in an erotic whirlwind romance with Elia (Gianniotti), a man considerably younger than her. Despite her children warning her about his intentions, Gabriella falls deeper for Elia, unaware of the lurking danger.  

About the show: Deceitful Love (2024) is an Italian-language remake of the 2019 miniseries Gold Digger starring Narnia actor Ben Barnes.  

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9 /10

Fake Profile (2023- )

Creator: Pablo Illanes 

Cast: Carolina Miranda, Rodolfo Salas, Manuela González, Julián Cerati 

Episodes: 20 (2 seasons)  

IMDb rating: 5.7/10 

Plot: Camila Román (Miranda), a Las Vegas dancer meets Fernando Castell (Salas), a plastic surgeon from Columbia on a dating app. However, after a four-month romance, Camila begins to question Fernando’s identity.  

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10 /10

When the Phone Rings (2024-2025)

Creator: Park Sang-woo, Kim Ji-un 

Cast: Yoo Yeon-seok, Chae Soo-bin, Heo Nam-jun, Jang Gyu-ri 

Episodes: 12 

IMDb rating: 5.6/10 

Plot: Trapped in a loveless arranged marriage, Baek Sa-eon (Yeon-seok) and Hong Hee-joo (Soo-bin) rarely speak. However, things take a turn when Hee-joo is kidnapped and Sa-eon must do everything in his power to bring his wife back.  

About the show: When the Phone Rings is based on the novel The Number You Have Dialed by Geon Eomul Nyeo.  

Also read: Find out what happens to Sa-eon and Hee-joo in the end of When the Phone Rings 

Hero and Featured Image Courtesy: IMDb/Alchemy of Souls (2022), Flower of Evil (2020), You (2018) 

Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.