Hey, everyone! How’s it going? Today I’m here to review the drama Everything I Know About Love, which brings Dolly Alderton’s beloved memoir to life with all the messy, beautiful chaos of female friendship in your twenties.
Everything I Know About Love premiered on BBC One on June 7, 2022, delivering seven episodes with an average runtime of 42 minutes each. This comedy-drama series later made its way to Peacock in the US on August 25, 2022. Based on Dolly Alderton’s bestselling memoir of the same name, the series stars Emma Appleton as Maggie and Bel Powley as Birdy, two childhood best friends navigating their early twenties in London while dealing with bad dates, heartaches, and the inevitable growing pains of adulthood.
The series captures that authentic millennial experience with refreshing honesty, exploring themes of friendship, love, career struggles, and self-discovery. Everything I Know About Love doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable truths about growing up, instead embracing the awkwardness and uncertainty that comes with trying to figure out who you are while maintaining the relationships that matter most.
Maggie’s Journey: Dreams vs Reality in London
Emma Appleton delivers a compelling performance as Maggie, a wannabe journalist with big dreams and bigger anxieties about her future. Maggie’s character arc throughout the series showcases the gap between what we expect our twenties to be and what they actually are. Her struggles with career disappointment, romantic disasters, and the pressure to have it all figured out feel painfully relatable for anyone who’s ever felt lost in their early adulthood.
The series follows Maggie as she navigates the London dating scene, deals with professional setbacks, and learns that sometimes the most important relationship you can have is with yourself. Her journey isn’t about finding the perfect job or the perfect man, but about learning to be comfortable with uncertainty and finding strength in vulnerability.
Birdy’s Evolution: When Best Friends Grow Apart
Bel Powley shines as Birdy, Maggie’s best friend whose unexpected relationship with her boyfriend threatens to disrupt their dynamic duo. Birdy’s storyline explores one of the most difficult aspects of adult friendship: what happens when your person finds their person, and suddenly you’re not the most important relationship in their life anymore. The series handles this delicate subject with nuance, showing how love can both strengthen and strain friendships.
Birdy’s character development throughout Everything I Know About Love demonstrates the complexity of growing up alongside someone you’ve known forever. Her relationship forces both friends to confront their codependency and learn how to love each other while also loving other people.
The Ultimate Test: Can Friendship Survive Real Life?
The series builds to its emotional climax as Maggie and Birdy face their biggest challenge yet: learning how to be best friends when life pulls them in different directions. The tension reaches its peak when romantic relationships, career pressures, and personal growth threaten to tear apart the friendship that has always been their constant. This pivotal moment tests everything they think they know about love, loyalty, and growing up.
The show doesn’t offer easy solutions or fairy-tale endings, instead presenting the messy reality of how relationships evolve when people change. It’s in these moments of conflict that Everything I Know About Love truly shines, showing that sometimes the hardest part of loving someone is letting them grow.
Nell and Amara’s Friendship Dynamics
Marli Siu and Aliyah Odoffin bring depth to the supporting cast as Nell and Amara, the other members of their London house-share who provide different perspectives on love, ambition, and friendship. Their storylines add layers to the show’s exploration of how different people approach relationships and life choices in their twenties.
The four-way friendship dynamic creates a rich tapestry of personalities and viewpoints, showing how friend groups can serve as chosen family while also being sources of drama and growth. Each character brings their own baggage and dreams to the mix, creating authentic conflict and genuine moments of connection.
Success on BBC and Peacock
Everything I Know About Love earned a 7.5 rating on IMDb and resonated strongly with audiences who saw their own experiences reflected in the characters’ struggles. The seven-episode format allowed for deep character development while maintaining narrative momentum, with each installment focusing on different aspects of the friends’ evolving relationships. The series found particular success among millennial viewers who appreciated its honest portrayal of the quarter-life crisis and the challenges of maintaining friendships during major life transitions.
A Must-Watch for Anyone Who’s Ever Been Twenty-Something
If you love stories about female friendship, coming-of-age struggles, and the messy reality of your twenties, Everything I Know About Love is the perfect series to binge on BBC iPlayer or Peacock. The show proves that sometimes the most important love story isn’t about finding “the one” but about learning to love yourself and the people who’ve been there all along.
Why Everything I Know About Love Deserves Your Attention
Everything I Know About Love stands out as one of the most authentic portrayals of female friendship and millennial anxiety in recent television. With its honest writing, stellar performances, and genuine emotional depth, the series offers both comfort and insight for anyone who’s ever wondered if they’re doing this whole adult thing right.
Series Details
Number of Episodes: 7 (completed series)
Platform: BBC One/BBC iPlayer, Peacock
Release/End Year: 2022
Current IMDb Rating: 7.5
Genre: Comedy-Drama, Romance
Status: Completed after one season
Protagonists: Emma Appleton (Maggie), Bel Powley (Birdy), Marli Siu (Nell), Aliyah Odoffin (Amara)
Key Supporting Cast: Connor Finch (Street), Ryan Bown (Nathan), Jordan Peters (Neil)