Movies and TV Shows You Should Watch If You Loved Conrad in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’

One thing that we all collectively came to love by the end of the series, The Summer I Turned Pretty, was Conrad’s yearning for Belly through the season. Conrad Fisher has always had all of us swooning over him, but his perspective that was presented in the third and last season touched a part of our hearts that wished to have someone yearn like that for us. From the first time that Belly’s face pops into his head when he describes his mom’s funeral to his therapist and talks about everybody who would be attending it to his voiceovers through the season expressing how he felt each time he saw Belly and then to his final confession before the wedding and after he meets Belly in Paris, Conrad has had the viewers vouching for him all through. 

While Conrad Fisher is a textbook example of the brooding, emotionally volatile lead who falls in love the hardest but keeps his pain private, he is not the only one whose pauses and silences say more than his words. If you love a character that yearns for his love, and embodies a different era of romance, and are looking for that same slow-burn ache beyond The Summer I Turned Pretty, these films and shows are just what you need.

Movies and Shows With Old School Yearning If You Loved Conrad

Bridgerton (2020)

An epitome of a slow-burning yearning, Bridgerton takes the glamour of the Regency era around a core of heartache and the weight of unsaid things. Conrad’s fans would love to see Simon’s restraint through the first seasonand even Anthony’s tortured duty in season 2, as the show thrives on things that often have to be left unsaid under the weight of family expectations-the restraint colliding with desire, gloved hands brushing past in ballrooms and longing looks shared across crowded rooms-everything that a Conrad fan would ask for in an old-school romance.

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Maxton Hall (2024)

Released in 2024, this series blends German teen romance with Conrad-style old-school yearning when Ruby and James are pulled together by circumstances but are divided by class, privilege and secrecy. The constant divide between James’s guarded exterior and his undeniable devotion towards his love makes every moment between the two characters an iconic one.

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Emma (2020)

A witty movie adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved comedy, Emma’s real power lies in the slow realisation between the female protagonist Emma and Mr Knightley. It is all about the slow-burning feelings wrapped in wit and friendship as their bond builds over years of missteps and social rituals. The yearning through the movie is disguised in quiet glances, playful teasing and familiarity as their love emerges in quiet recognition and that “finally noticing each other” moment. 

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One Day (2011)

A film later made into a TV series captures longing but stretched across decades as Emma and Dexter’s lives meet at one point year after year, circling romance but missing it each time because of timing and circumstances. It is the “almosts” throughout the film that make it the perfect choice for people who look for old-school yearning in their films. It serves as a sweet reminder that the slow-burn ache is not just about desire but about the weight of time and missed chances.

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Pride & Prejudice (2005)

You cannot miss this 2005 release if you really are a fan of the old-school ache and the slow-burning yearning. Mr Darcy’s proud and hard exterior and the meaning that small gestures carry is a masterclass in restrained, old-school longing. If you love your fictional men a little silent, who express their love through presence and painful self-control, this film is a must-watch.

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The Notebook (2004)

A Classic and a fan favourite of all time, this movie is all about romance and devotion across decades, where Noah’s single-minded dedication and the movie’s central emphasis on memory and promises hit the same chord as the one that Conrad’s “I’ll wait for you” did. Best suited for people who love an emotional payoff after a long tension, this movie is sure to make you want a love like this for yourself.

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Call Me By Your Name (2017)

A slow, tender and heart-aching romance, Call Me By Your Name follows Elio and Oliver’s connection as it builds over small moments- a look, a touch, a shared joke- and a longing that only grows with time. Based on a quiet, bittersweet yearning, this film will have you feeling all kinds of emotions as it taps into the characters’ desires simmering under the surface until it bursts into unforgettable moments. 

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Jane Eyre (2011)

This 2011 adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel is everything you love about Conrad. A brooding, dramatic and full of tension, Mr Rochester, who keeps his feelings hidden behind pride and secrets, while Jane's heart grows full of longing and patience in silence. It follows their love through every glance, every word as it makes its way through obstacles like social class and moral duty to make it feel monumental. Jane Eyre reflects old-school yearning at its finest with passion, restraint and unforgettable moments.

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