Shipper Wars: Favorite And Least Favorite TV Couples

[amensisterfriend]

I've recently become addicted to Tumbly despite being about three decades too old for it, and it's revived some of my unpopular opinions re. best and worst couples! 

 

1) Gilmore Girls' Luke and Lorelai had NO chemistry as a romantic couple IMO, a depressing lack of compatibility and connection, and seemed utterly miserable through much of their relationship. (Actually, a lot of romances on that show qualified as 'worsts' for me!) 

 

2) Veronica Mars' Veronica/Logan is dysfunctional and even vaguely disturbing to me. I've honestly tried to like them and do see why many feel they have 'chemistry', but they all but ruined the show for me. 

 

But just to show how weirdly subjective this all is...

 

3) I should dislike Buffy/Angel for all sorts of wholly valid reasons, but I still have a huge soft spot for them.

 

4) I think Gilmore Girls' best couple is one that never materialized in reality---Paris and Jess. I think they would have been a wonderful blend of similarities and differences, their joint snark would have amused me to no end, and they both have an underlying sadness and vulnerability (stemming in part from neglectful parents) that I think would have connected them.  The admittedly very few scenes they had sparked for me.

 

As always, opinions vary...and I'm aware that many of mine are odd! :)  

[Vixenstud]

Dwayne and Whitley, A Different World

 

Total opposites who came together as friends, then lovers then man and wife.  Their wedding is an all time classic (love the ad-libbed "Baby PLEASE!").

 

Charlotte and Harry, Sex and the City

 

His proposal to her at the synogague even after the horrible way she treated him because of his looks was so beautiful and has me teary-eyed to this day.

[Silverglitter]

A pairing that should have been?

Laverne and Lenny (Laverne & Shirley).

 

It feels like the show just teased them to death and we never got any pay off!

 

Why, oh why, do I watch old shows and let myself fall in love with any pairings?: the aforementioned Laverne & Lenny, Gilligan & Mary Ann, the Professor & Ginger...

[roamyn]

Those I remember liking:

Doug / Carol ER

Howard / Bernadette TBBT

Castle / Beckett Castle

Justin / Julia PO5

Jack / Kate & Sun / Jin LOST

Rosanne / Dan Rosanne

George / Ouissy The Jeffersons (didn' know how to spell "wheezy")

Lucy / Desi I Love Lucy

Edith / Archie All In the Family

Sam / Diane Cheers

Clark / Lois The New Adventures of Superman

Mulder / Scully The X-Files

The Howells Gilligan's Island

Andy / Bailey WKRP

Brian / Justin Queer As Folk US

Rose / Bernard LOST

Ones I've disliked through the years:

Shannon / Sayid LOST (How intelligent, kind, serious Sayid forget his beloved Nadia and fall for vapid, whinny Shannon I'll never forgive the writers for.)

Rachel / Joey Friends

Lilith / Fraser Cheers (Lilith treated him like dirt.)

Starbuck / Casiopeia the REAL Battlestar Gallactica

all other Big Bang Theory couples

But the ultimate couple for me are STARSKY & HUTCH

Edited September 24, 2015 by roamyn

[proserpina65]

Starbuck / Casiopeia the REAL Battlestar Gallactica

 

Awww, I liked them.

[roamyn]

Awww, I liked them.

I didn't like any of the real BSG couples.

Apollo / Jane Seymour character was tolerable, but I hated him with Sheba.

[proserpina65]

I didn't like any of the real BSG couples.

Apollo / Jane Seymour character was tolerable, but I hated him with Sheba.

I am with you on the Apollo/Sheba pairing.  I just couldn't remember her name.

[Sweet Tee]

 

Starbuck / Casiopeia the REAL Battlestar Gallactica

 

I liked Starbuck with Athena.  Imagine my disappointment when not only did they not happen, but she vanished from the show halfway through.

[CabotCove]

Like:

Cordelia/Angel-Beautiful relationship, deserved better writing and execution in later seasons

Spike/Buffy- SPUFFY! OTP of BTVS hands down, SMG & JM chemistry is a 100. Did not expect to like this until I decided to finish the series recently. Maybe by accident but the built up from enemies, teammates,allies to lovers was amazing.

Xander/Anya (buffy). Initially disliked because I liked Xander/Cordy but on rewatch I find X/A even better than X/C, it was an adult relationship. Shocking to be such a stable couple in the buffyverse.

Fred/Gunn (Angel)- They worked so well together,drama free. 

Wade/Zoe - Spark flew from day one and never stopped.

Michael/ Maria- Most interesting Roswell relationship, so much chemistry

Barry/Iris (The flash) -WestAllen! Ship of the season (2015) hands down. Representing comic book ships better than Arrow and Smallville. 

Caitlin/Ronnie (The Flash)- Great ship from the same show. 

Ray/Felicity (Arrow)- Funny & Cute  "birds of a feather" ship, wasted potential.

Lauren/Bo (Lost girl) - What triangle,  this is a runaway endgame from day one.

 

 

Dislike

Buffy/Angel- Laughable seriously, dont understand what they were trying to do when the characters spend whole seasons apart.

Max/Liz (Roswell)- They were so boring and monotonous, skipped their scenes

Willow/Tara (BTVS)- They seemed way to different, were not interesting to me

Roy/Thea (Arrow)-Nothing really wrong with them except they were so boring and chemistryless

 

I thought I was the only one who couldn't stand Mindy and Danny on The Mindy Project.

 

 

Nope I stopped watching the show when that relationship took over.

Edited September 25, 2015 by WildcardC

[Ambrosefolly]

Like:

Cordelia/Angel-Beautiful relationship, deserved better writing and execution in later seasons

Spike Buffy- SPUFFY! OTP of BTVS hands down, SMG &JM chemistry is a 100. Did not expect to like this until I decided to finish the series recently.

Xander/Anya. Initially disliked because I liked Xander/Cordy but on rewatch I find X/A even better than X/C, it was an adult relationship.

Wade/Zoe - Spark flew from day one and never stopped.

Michael/ Maria- Most interesting Roswell relationship, so much chemistry

Barry/Iris (The flash) -Ship of the season (2015) hands down.

Caitlin/Ronnie (The Flash)- Great ship from the same show. 

Ray/Felicity (Arrow)- Funny & Cute  "birds of a feather" ship, wasted potential.

Lauren/Bo (Lost girl) - What triangle,  this is a runaway endgame from day one.

 

 

Dislike

Buffy/Angel- Laughable seriously, dont understand what they were trying to do when the characters spend whole seasons apart.

Max/Liz (Roswell)- They were so boring and monotonous, skipped their scenes

Willow/Tara (BTVS)- They seemed way to different, were not interesting to me

Roy/Thea (Arrow)-Nothing really wrong with them except they were so boring and chemistryless

 

Nope I stopped watching the show when that relationship took over.

I sort of agree about Cordelia and Angel. It really needed better writing and a whole lot less of that soul mate shit, but the basis of it was much stronger than most. 

 

Hated, haattttedd Buffy/Spike. I thought it was awful and often think love for the couple (namely by women) is a symptom why modern relationships, especially in America, are so fucked up. I think I hated that Spike was somehow the "good" soulless vampire when there like other vampires (like poor Drusilla) who were much better human beings. Never understood why Spike all of the sudden felt like he was in love when someone that regularly beat the shit out of him or that somehow Buffy fell in love with someone that she started fucking because of her own self hatred and someone that wanted to pull her into darkness (his words). 

 

I do have a special fondness Buffy and Angel, but I was fine that they ended. I thought Buffy mirrored the all consuming passion that a girl would have for her first love, but was glad that in the end they both saw that the relationship had its season.

[CabotCove]

Hated, haattttedd Buffy/Spike. I thought it was awful and often think love for the couple (namely by women) is a symptom why modern relationships, especially in America, are so fucked up. I think I hated that Spike was somehow the "good" soulless vampire when there like other vampires (like poor Drusilla) who were much better human beings.Never understood why Spike all of the sudden felt like he was in love when someone that regularly beat the shit out of him or that somehow Buffy fell in love with someone that she started fucking because of her own self hatred and someone that wanted to pull her into darkness (his words).

 

 In the context of the vampire mythology in Buffyverse, I accepted that Spuffy was not going to be a fairytale or go by the same rules as  normal tv couples.  It was a slayer with a souless vampire, they were destined to hate and kill one another. The show was not going to be black and white, demons were main characters, friends and lovers of main characters. I always felt there was a double standards in how Bangel and Spuffy are treated (not by you just generally), its like people forget that Angel was also a demon/vampire. Bangel is made to be this healthy and fluffy relationship when its far from that IMO. The reality is vampires are thieves, rapists, killers,abusers...they all had a dirty and shameful past including Angel.  I quite liked Dru/Spike, as a first love kind of thing. I dont see Dru as a better vampire/person, in one episode did she not slaughter the whole train when she arrived in sunnydale and caused a lot of chaos in Angel show. Dru to me was actually one of the deadliest vampires in buffyverse, she is unpredictable, being quiet and kind of crazy. She appeared harmless and used that to her advantage. 

 

I normally would not have liked a human girl with a vampire (check TVD/Twilight), the power dynamic always seems to large. But Buffy was not a normal girl, she was the slayer with incredible power.  I also felt she had a strong assertiveness and self respect, so she was capable of standing up for herself in a relationship with a non human. Im ok with Spuffy because by the time it happens Buffy is not fully human (I think) and she was an adult woman by then. She also had been dead twice, seen a lot of dead things, deaths and adult responsibilities, she was no longer the innocent she used to be. Doing what she did and see, there was no way she could come out the other side without having some darkness in her. So I dont think Spike was wrong about that. 

 

Considering that BTVS set it up that Buffy was destined to fall in love with a vampire,  I take Spuffy over Bangel. I just feel they nailed it the second time, to me they always seemed to gloss over the nature of this type of relationship with Bangel. I did not like the age Buffy dated and  slept with angel and how they had very little time onscreen together, therefore little development. Interesting to have this discussion with you,  whatever one ships, I would think that one thing, we can all agree on is that Buffy/Angel were great shows. Romance was secondary there was always so much to like of the shows.

 

I sort of agree about Cordelia and Angel. It really needed better writing and a whole lot less of that soul mate shit, but the basis of it was much stronger than most.

 

Agree they had a strong foundation and then it just got wasted. Yeah they didnt need to do the soulmate thing, it wasnt needed.

Edited September 25, 2015 by WildcardC

[BizBuzz]

Having just finished Friday Night Lights as a binge watch a bit ago, I have to say that Eric and Tami Taylor have to be one of my favorite TV couples of all time (has that been mentioned?) ... also, also just rewatched Private Practice and I love Cooper and Charlotte ... they were awesome as a couple.

[Ambrosefolly]

 In the context of the vampire mythology in Buffyverse, I accepted that Spuffy was not going to be a fairytale or go by the same rules as  normal tv couples.  It was a slayer with a souless vampire, they were destined to hate and kill one another. The show was not going to be black and white, demons were main characters, friends and lovers of main characters. I always felt there was a double standards in how Bangel and Spuffy are treated (not by you just generally), its like people forget that Angel was also a demon/vampire. Bangel is made to be this healthy and fluffy relationship when its far from that IMO. The reality is vampires are thieves, rapists, killers,abusers...they all had a dirty and shameful past including Angel.  I quite liked Dru/Spike, as a first love kind of thing. I dont see Dru as a better vampire/person, in one episode did she not slaughter the whole train when she arrived in sunnydale and caused a lot of chaos in Angel show. Dru to me was actually one of the deadliest vampires in buffyverse, she is unpredictable, being quiet and kind of crazy. She appeared harmless and used that to her advantage. 

 

I normally would not have liked a human girl with a vampire (check TVD/Twilight), the power dynamic always seems to large. But Buffy was not a normal girl, she was the slayer with incredible power.  I also felt she had a strong assertiveness and self respect, so she was capable of standing up for herself in a relationship with a non human. Im ok with Spuffy because by the time it happens Buffy is not fully human (I think) and she was an adult woman by then. She also had been dead twice, seen a lot of dead things, deaths and adult responsibilities, she was no longer the innocent she used to be. Doing what she did and see, there was no way she could come out the other side without having some darkness in her. So I dont think Spike was wrong about that. 

 

Considering that BTVS set it up that Buffy was destined to fall in love with a vampire,  I take Spuffy over Bangel. I just feel they nailed it the second time, to me they always seemed to gloss over the nature of this type of relationship with Bangel. I did not like the age Buffy dated and  slept with angel and how they had very little time onscreen together, therefore little development. Interesting to have this discussion with you,  whatever one ships, I would think that one thing, we can all agree on is that Buffy/Angel were great shows. Romance was secondary there was always so much to like of the shows.

 

Agree they had a strong foundation and then it just got wasted. Yeah they didnt need to do the soulmate thing, it wasnt needed.

 

Dru was the better human, I never wrote about her as a vampire. She was targeted by Darla and Angel because she had the markings of sainthood and was devoted to God. Angel drove into her psychos. Yet Spike and Angel were the ones that got redemption and in the case of Spike was woobified in vampiredom.

 

I never forgot that Angel was a bloodthirsty vampire and neither did Angel. That why I felt BAngel break up was nicely done in season 3 . He realized one of them needed to end the relationship because he realized there was a toxicity to it for Buffy. 

 

I think it was my dislike of Spuffy had a lot do what an unempathetic ass he became when he got a soul. Angel at least seem to feel bad about everything he did as vampire, but Spike almost felt entitled to Buffy when he got a soul too. To me, the show tried to equally sell Buffy with Spike as a non fuck up couple in the seventh season.

 

As much as I rag on the final seasons (which I think had solid concepts, but poor executions) I kind of loved it that after Spike "died" (and got to be the ultimate hero), even though Buffy did tell him she loved him (never quite believed her), she didn't cry for her lost Spike, but got a big smile on her face realizing that a huge burden(being the sole slayer) was now lifted off her shoulders and she could look forward to her future. 

Edited September 26, 2015 by Ambrosefolly

[CabotCove]

Dru was the better human, I never wrote about her as a vampire. She was targeted by Darla and Angel because she had the markings of sainthood and was devoted to God. Angel drove into her psychos. Yet Spike and Angel were the ones that got redemption and in the case of Spike was woobified in vampiredom.

 

OK then, I did not see the episode she was a human then turned. 

[blueray]

 

Shannon / Sayid LOST (How intelligent, kind, serious Sayid forget his beloved Nadia and fall for vapid, whinny Shannon I'll never forgive the writers for.)

I never got this either. Sure they are stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere. But the two of them have nothing in common except being in the same plane crash. I feel like even if she hadn't died, the two of them wouldn't have lasted very long.

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

Worst: Cory and Topanga from Boy Meets World

Like any 90's kid I adored them when I was younger, but in retrospect they were such a dysfunctional couple. There were at least three seasons where Topanga dumped Cory because she doubted his devotion in some way, during which he pursued her with obsessive single mindedness, and she always took him back after receiving the exact same epiphany she'd had before. If my kid was in a relationship like that, I'd shut it down and put them in therapy. Which brings me to my next point: the mass delusion by the kids and adults of this show that Cory and Topanga dated from the age of two. Wtf?! If you wanna retcon the first season, it's your show, do you. But everyone agreeing that two year olds had a relationship? Come on. Amy justified her daughter Morgan dating at 12 (an age where Morgan knew what a date was and actively participated in one) by pointing out that Cory dated Topanga at two, and it's just one of hundreds of examples. That whole relationship was artless angst.

Best: Cory and Topanga from Girl Meets World. With all the drama foisted onto their daughter, they just have this sweet, funny, married best friends relationship that makes it almost impossible to reconcile them with the previous show's characters. And no one is pretending that Riley is entering into a lifelong relationship in middle school.

[Ambrosefolly]

I just never saw the point of retconning Topanga and Cory relationship. Them dating since they were two instead of 11/12 just made the entire thing super weird instead of epic. I thought it was great that Cory discovered his initial impression of Topanga was wrong, there was something wonderful about her weirdness and the completely natural reaction he had towards her blossoming womanhood as he moved out of the girl suck phase. Hopefully, the Girl Meets World people saw just how overly dramatic Cory/Topanga were and decided it all down. 

[TheGreenKnight]

I don’t generally watch any show for romance, so I don’t have "favorite" couples, tbh. But sorting through the shows I've watched, I came up with a "like" and "didn't like" list.

 

Like

- I actually thought most of the relationships in Desperate Housewives, while at times toxic and far from perfect, were at least realistic. At times you thought they were awful together (Lynette/Tom in season 1, 3, 5, 7; Carlos/Gabrielle in 1-3; Bree/Orson 6-8), but they also had plenty of shining moments together. I feel that's how real couples are, tbh, which is why I managed to enjoy them. Susan/Mike are the same as the others, but I didn't like either of those characters individually, much less combined.
- Sun/Jin from the second season onwards of Lost. I hated Jin to begin with, but they changed him pretty fast into a "perfect husband" prototype.

- All the couples on A Place to Call Home. I feel like they generally behave like real people would, and actually have conversations with each other--which is pretty rare for TV, for some reason.

- Marc/Cliff on Ugly Betty. I hated the way it ended and that Marc never got another relationship on the show, but Marc/Cliff was the only romantic relationship I really liked. Wilhelmina/Connor had great chemistry, but the way they entered it as an affair and how he basically gave her a love/job ultimatum before ruining her company kept it from being a favorite. Betty/Gio was my favorite of her relationships. They both had their own dreams and he always encouraged her to go after hers.

- Dan/Roseanne from Roseanne, before the lottery of course.
- Tara/Max from The United States of Tara ...to begin with. The whole show really crashed after the first season--but the third season made me wonder how I could've ever liked any of them.
- Will/Vince and Grace/Nathan from Will and Grace. Both were the only love interests for them that worked for me on the show. Nathan worked just as well as a friend to Will, Jack, and Karen as he did as a boyfriend to Grace.
- Red/Kitty from That 70's Show. I've always enjoyed the fact that the show gave the parents so much life. Even though Red gets on my nerves sometimes in relation to the kids, he and Kitty were always great together.

- Finn/Rachel from Glee. For the most part. I feel like he brought her down out of the clouds and she helped him to be more brave. The scene where they break up so she can go to New York and live her dream was really well-done.

 

Don't Like
- Grace/Leo from Will and Grace. I hate Leo with a thousand suns. Hated it even more that they ended up together as a "happy" ending.
- Blaine/Kurt from Glee. I liked both characters individually, but they never had any romantic chemistry together. The same for Mercedes/Sam. That was such a WTF moment.
- Bree/Rex from Desperate Housewives. He was such an awful husband to her, even though she was far from perfect. Still, it was sad when he died at the end of the first season after they had both come so far.
- Betty/Henry from Ugly Betty. Out of all Betty's matchups, this was the worst, mostly because of the melodrama and the fact that they both were forcing it so much. I didn't like any of Hilda's relationships. Same for Daniel. Daniel/Amanda was probably the only one that had any chemistry, and he treated her pretty badly.
- Mary/Matthew, Sibyl/Tom, and Robert/Cora on Downton Abbey. Poor Matthew being saddled with a selfish, domineering person like Mary. Sibyl/Tom just never worked for me, partly because it felt like angry daughter trying to be rebellious/revolutionary and less like a romance. Plus their scenes after they were married always creeped me out, because Tom had turned Sibyl into such a passive housewife character and always made comments to her about her behavior. I don't fully hate Robert/Cora, but I just feel like Robert only married Cora for money and they never seem like they love one another--there's no passion. I believe the most I liked them was after Sibyl's death. Anna/Bates are excruciating to watch, but I do think they love each other at least, although Bates sometimes makes comments to Anna (like Tom with Sibyl) that bother me, but less often.
- Katara/Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Very forced to me. I would've rather they ended the series solo like Toph. Even though I hate Sokka, I think Suki was really good for him.
- Bernadette/Howard from TBBT. Leonard's treatment of Penny can get on my nerves, but usually he comes around at the end and makes up for acting superior to her. Howard, on the other hand, has always been my least favorite character on the show. Pre-Bernadette, he was such a creepy, sexist slimeball that I still don't find it believable that someone pretty, smart, and likable like Bernadette would ever give him a second date.
-Any couple from Scandal, Grey's Anatomy, or Designing Women. What a-holes those guys were on the trip episodes of DW, ugh; Charlene and her husband were probably the closest to good. I loved Christina, Callie, Bailey, Lizzie, Mellie, and Olivia--hated who they were saddled with. Abby/David don't bother me, I suppose, but I've never been excited about them either... Cyrus/James were both such awful characters--although I think Cyrus is at least well-acted.
- Regina/Robin and Rumpelstiltskin/Belle from OUAT. Regina/Robin started okay, with a little back-and-forth, but quickly died when it became the typical affair will-he-won't-he plot about leaving his wife. I've never liked Rumpel and Belle. They are supposed to be playing Beauty and the Beast, but Belle is way too passive and Rumpel too irredeemable to fit those roles.
- Daphne/Niles from Frasier. I found the way Niles was obsessed with her the first half of the series really skeezy. Then they tried to make them a "star-crossed couple" with full-on romantic melodrama, and it's just my least favorite parts of the later years.

Edited September 28, 2015 by TheGreenKnight

[roamyn]

I forgot abt Kitty/Red, Greenmile. They were the only couple I liked on that show. Though Don/Midge were ok.

But I have to say, Howard Joel Wolowitz has matured and grown up more than any other character on TBBT . And while on occassion he does treat Bernadette like she was his mom, she treats him like he was her kid. If ut works for them, then I have no problem with it.

[MyAimIsTrue]

- Sun/Jin from the second season onwards of Lost. I hated Jin to begin with, but they changed him pretty fast into a "perfect husband" prototype.

 

While I also liked Sun and Jin my favorite couple from "Lost" was Rose and Bernard.  Sure, after the second or so season they weren't on that much (I believe both actors had other commitments, plus L. Scott Caldwell/Rose was dealing with her real life husband's illness and death) but they were so sweet and so believable, at least to me, as a later in life couple.

[amensisterfriend]

I'm so with the people who mentioned Leonard/Penny, especially in recent seasons. To be fair, I don't usually like 'opposites attract' couples anyway----always bickering (which in TV land is supposed to pass as "chemistry!"), never getting each other and with a depressing lack of connection and compatibility. (Gilmore Girls' Luke and Lorelai, I know many fans adored you, but I'm looking at you here!)

 

I tend to root for couples who have at least a few personality traits, basic outlooks and/or interests in common. But even as far as those trope-laden 'opposites attract' TV couples go, Leonard and Penny have become particularly hard to watch. They almost never have fun together or make each other happy. They each tend to have contempt for everything the other person cares about. They can't communicate on even the most basic level and resort to embarrassing passive aggression instead. They don't get or often even LIKE each other much at all. They've all but admitted that he likes her purely because of her physical beauty (ironically, I've never found the actress all that attractive!), while she's with such a 'nerdy' guy because she's been hurt by good looking alpha types in the past and feels he's less likely to hurt her. Not exactly the stuff of which great romances are made :) This pairing isn't even amusing to me in a typical sitcom-y 'they're so awful that they're actually funny!" kind of way---it's just more or less joyless dysfunction between two people who increasingly bring out the worst in each other but are too pathetically needy to be alone.

 

...And don't get me started on Amy/Sheldon, who at least initially had stuff in common and a connection I kind of understood but have since devolved into such a character-assassinating mess that they almost make Penny/Leonard look like a healthy, loving duo by contrast. ALMOST. :) 

[bmasters9]

Charming & Snow- married yet still madly in love with each other.

That was Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, too, and that was the main reason why I enjoyed that 1979-84 ABC series called Hart to Hart (despite there being a few weak fifth-and-final-season outings).

[SparedTurkey]

 

- Finn/Rachel from Glee. For the most part. I feel like he brought her down out of the clouds and she helped him to be more brave. The scene where they break up so she can go to New York and live her dream was really well-done.

I hated this couple. Finn was always terrible to Rachel. He was cruel, mean and I wish Rachel had walked away. Just a gross relationship.

[Janet Snakehole]

I loved Jim and Pam at first, but looking back at the episodes I felt like I was also rooting for one of them over the other. It felt like the fandom was often arguing over which one was "right" in the end, and it made me start to dislike them.

It also bugged me that Jim got to achieve his ambitions when Pam who was into art just kind of gave up careerwise. They are harder for me to root for now, especially after watching the sister show Parks and Rec where Leslie and Ben spent their relationship going back and forth supporting each other. Not saying this was Jim's fault at all,because he did support her with art school, but it was kind of demoralizing to see her just have it be a hobby when he got to create a business.

Edited October 25, 2015 by Janet Snakehole

[Spartan Girl]

Do couples from kids shows count? Because I'd like to add Aladdin and Jasmine from Aladdin: The Animated Series. Please tell me I'm not the only one that remembers the show...

Anyway, I really liked how the relationship was done on the show. For everyone that complains about the "instant love" Disney trope, the show deserves credit for making it clear that they waited a while and got to know each other more before actually getting married. And throughout the show, they had tons of petty arguments and upheavals, but nothing as drastic as some of the many breakup plots and dramas we've seen on countless other shows.

One of the episodes that was huge as far as their relationship was concerned was when Jasmine got turned into a snake woman because of a cursed lotion she got tricked into using. And throughout the whole episode, she gets more and more insecure that that Aladdin wouldn't love her anymore because she was turning into a poisonous monster. When it seems like they won't be able to cure her, she's so distraught that she tries to drive him away. Instead, he uses the last bit of lotion on himself, reasoning that he'd rather be a snake with her than a human without her.

Both of them get changed back to normal at the end, but still that was some pretty powerful stuff for a Disney show.

[Rick Kitchen]

I hate Castle and Beckett from Castle, mainly because I blame Beckett for it.  Castle has to repeatedly prove himself to her, over and over again, it go so bad, I stopped watching the show, and all because of that toxic relationship.

[Janet Snakehole]

Do couples from kids shows count? Because I'd like to add Aladdin and Jasmine from Aladdin: The Animated Series. Please tell me I'm not the only one that remembers the show...

Anyway, I really liked how the relationship was done on the show. For everyone that complains about the "instant love" Disney trope, the show deserves credit for making it clear that they waited a while and got to know each other more before actually getting married. And throughout the show, they had tons of petty arguments and upheavals, but nothing as drastic as some of the many breakup plots and dramas we've seen on countless other shows.

One of the episodes that was huge as far as their relationship was concerned was when Jasmine got turned into a snake woman because of a cursed lotion she got tricked into using. And throughout the whole episode, she gets more and more insecure that that Aladdin wouldn't love her anymore because she was turning into a poisonous monster. When it seems like they won't be able to cure her, she's so distraught that she tries to drive him away. Instead, he uses the last bit of lotion on himself, reasoning that he'd rather be a snake with her than a human without her.

Both of them get changed back to normal at the end, but still that was some pretty powerful stuff for a Disney show.

Whoa, I totally remember that ep! It was surprisingly deep for a kids' show, especially as someone with some body image issues. Edited October 25, 2015 by Janet Snakehole

[callie lee 29]

Like/Love:

 

Angel and Cordelia are probably one of my favorite couples of all time. Weirdly, I didn't mind the Buffy/Angel couplehood, even though Charisma Carpenter and David Boreanz had hella chemistry from the jump.

 

Dawson and Joey. Yes, I know, I'm alone. I hated Pacey. HATED!!

 

Pretty much every couple on Modern Family, especially Jay/Gloria and Phil/Claire. Cam and Mitchell a little less so (Cam gets on my nerves).

 

 

[Demented Daisy]

In my mind, there has been no greater couple than Gomez and Morticia Addams.

[Shannon L.]

My son and I just started watching That 70s Show and I'm really liking Red and Kitty as a couple and as parents (so far, anyway--we're only half way through the first season).

[Danny Franks]

I hate Castle and Beckett from Castle, mainly because I blame Beckett for it.  Castle has to repeatedly prove himself to her, over and over again, it go so bad, I stopped watching the show, and all because of that toxic relationship.

 

Yeah, that relationship was so unbalanced, that it pretty much ruined the show. By the time they got together, there was just no sense of reciprocity at all. I've read so, so many defences of Beckett's behaviour and explanations of why Castle had to keep doing all of the leg work, for so many episodes. It didn't hold water.

 

But Beckett had long since transmogrified from the cool, interesting character she started off as to the embodiment of all Andrew Marlow's fantasies anyway. It's not like there was anything left about her that I'd liked in the first season, by that point.

[Spartan Girl]

Since we have a thread in the Movies section about all the terrible love interest characters, I thought I'd start one for TV, because God knows that there are tons of characters we despise that somehow manage to have millions of guys/girls throwing themselves over to be with them.

I'll start with the obvious: Lana Lang from Smallville.  I think we're past the point of explanation for this one, don't you?  ;)

Edited August 5, 2016 by Spartan Girl

[Princess Sparkle]

I'm sure I'll think of others, but Damon fucking Salvatore.  I hate, hate, HATE how we were supposed to find him all "bad boy with feelings" charming.  Barf.  Same goes for Spike after they had him lusting after Buffy - he was a much better character before all of that.  

And while I liked the characters of Ross and Rachel separately on Friends, I hated them together.  When they dated other people, I liked them a thousand times better. 

[cpcathy]

I hated Ross and Rachel together too, just no chemistry, certainly not enough to keep them on and off for nine years.

[roamyn]

1 hour ago, cpcathy said:

I hated Ross and Rachel together too, just no chemistry, certainly not enough to keep them on and off for nine years.

I disagree.  Certainly not as much as Chandler /Monica, but definitely more than Joey/Rachel.

The two I currently can't stand is Walter/Ralph's mother  (can't be bothered to learn her name), on Scorpions. 

I also disliked Foreman/Thirteen (House), Penny/Leonard (TBBT), Miss Ellie/FAKEJim (Dallas), Diana Prince/anyone other than Lionel (Wonder Woman), Jack/Sam (Stargate).

I'm sure there's more.

[Bastet]

Quote

And while I liked the characters of Ross and Rachel separately on Friends, I hated them together.  When they dated other people, I liked them a thousand times better. 

Yeah, when I saw this thread my first thought was, "Ross Geller."  But then I realized that while he was a truly awful boyfriend to Rachel, he wasn't with other girlfriends (from what I remember; I lost interest in that show for a variety of reasons).

Gregory House (House M.D.).  Unlikable as he was, there was much about the character I enjoyed watching.  But the idea anyone who knew him would want to get involved with him was something I just couldn't wrap my mind around.

[cpcathy]

Totally forgot about Leonard and Penny! Horrible love interests! Why is he interested in her, because she's pretty. Why is she interested in him, because he's interested in her. That's all they have. Now that they're married, the writers gave up on giving them anything interesting to do.

[roamyn]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

Gregory House (House M.D.).  Unlikable as he was, there was much about the character I enjoyed watching.  But the idea anyone who knew him would want to get involved with him was something I just couldn't wrap my mind around.

I would agree with House, but I guess if we're talking chemistry, his Russian wife was cute and I think he honestly really liked her.

[Sandman87]

8 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I'll start with the obvious: Lana Lang from Smallville.  I think we're past the point of explanation for this one, don't you?  ;)

Oh sure, take the one that instantly springs to mind. Of course, Clark was no prize either; so dumb that the fence that he was always working on had a higher IQ then he did, self-righteous enough to make us root for the Luthors, and dishonest enough to give Lana excuses to whine about the lying.

[vibeology]

Dawson Leary. Spent his high school years playing Jen and Joey off each other treating both of them like crap and when Joey dared to move on, Dawson through a fit. He's horrid with every single love interest so clearly the problem was him and not all the different women. 

[Luckylyn]

Don Draper lied, disappeared when he felt like it, and cheated on every woman who loved  him.

[janie jones]

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

Yeah, when I saw this thread my first thought was, "Ross Geller."  But then I realized that while he was a truly awful boyfriend to Rachel, he wasn't with other girlfriends (from what I remember; I lost interest in that show for a variety of reasons).

Ha, same here.  "Ross and Rachel" is what I was thinking.

[Spartan Girl]

2 hours ago, vibeology said:

Dawson Leary. Spent his high school years playing Jen and Joey off each other treating both of them like crap and when Joey dared to move on, Dawson through a fit. He's horrid with every single love interest so clearly the problem was him and not all the different women. 

I loathe Dawson, but Joey was awful too. Merely the sound of her whiny nasally voice was enough to question the sanity of every single guy that was ever into her on that show. She and Dawson deserved each other because they were both self-righteous brats.

Edited August 6, 2016 by Spartan Girl

[Winter Rose]

Ugh! Joey Potter! One of my most loathed characters ever! I don't even care what the stakes were for Dawson/Joey vs. Pacey/Joey (they both suck as far as I'm concerned), I hated how the world went to revolve around who Joey would choose. Not to mention just about every guest star character falling down at her feet.

I also hated Jackass Shephard! I didn't even like Juliet but I hated that he used her to make Kate jealous. And that Kate was actually torn over him reflected just as badly on her. I think the epic saga of Jack/Kate can be summed up by: Jack yells, Kate cries, the end.

[Sparger Springs]

Urkel stalked Laura. When the show finally goes off the air they are together.  Ugh.

[caci]

Going way back,  Odo and Major Kira on Deep Space Nine.  I never felt the chemistry.  More recently, Longmire and Vic on Longmire.  I didn't even buy them as friends much less a romantic attraction.  It led me to give up on the show.

[Spartan Girl]

3 hours ago, Sparger Springs said:

Urkel stalked Laura. When the show finally goes off the air they are together.  Ugh.

 God, I HATED how the writers shoehorned that in the final season.

[Blergh]

Can I vote that any and ALL of the "Friends" were bad love interests to each other and to anyone else who made the mistake in getting interested in them? The only vaguely likable or interesting one of them was Phoebe but even SHE was a terrible love interest.  But what do I know? I just wish I hadn't wasted the last four years of the show watching it and never want to see another rerun of it again as long as I live.

[tribeca]

Tony and Ziva.  Just no   She brought out all his worse qualities.  Plus I just can't stand her.  

[AndySmith]

Hmmmm. Off the top of my head...

Jack and Kate on Lost.

Kurt and Blaine on Glee (they started out nice but man did they end up being a horrible toxic couple in the end).

Rory and Jess on Gilmore Girls.

Aria and Ezra on Pretty Little Liars.

Ted Mosby and anyone on How I Met Your Mother.

Not a real couple, but Buffy and Spike were all sorts of gross.

I liked Friends, and all the various couplings on that show, but Ross and Rachel were more entertaining post break-up than they were as a couple.