TV shows have a delicate balancing act when it comes to romantic relationships. On the one hand, audiences love to root for the will-they-or-won’t-they couple at the center of a show. Girls the world over felt their knees go weak when Ross told Rachel that she was his lobster and just as many sobbed when Cori and Topanga broke up in Boy Meets World (knowing that they are meant to be did not make it any less sad at the time). The problem is that when these couples get together, the show has to figure out what to do next.
As much as viewers want a couple to get together, happiness is kind of…boring to watch. It isn’t fun to watch a beloved couple continually fight, but the bliss that comes from watching a couple that’s found happily ever after isn’t all that dramatic. Some shows manage to navigate these issues, providing real struggles for the couple to overcome without the couple feeling too at odds. Others become infinitely more boring or frustrating, as the audience is forced to wonder why they ever wanted this couple together in the first place.
My favorite TV couples:
Castle and Beckett (Castle)–
Part of what makes for a good TV couple is seeing the characters bring out something better in each other. Castle‘s Richard Castle and Kate Beckett are just such a balancing act. Beckett makes Castle want to be more responsible and reliable (not that he wasn’t reliable as a father to his daughter Alexis, but as a man dating a woman, not so much). We’ve seen him grown up from a man-child to a whimsical adult. He still has an overactive imagination and a love for adventure, but he acts like a true grown up now when it counts. Meanwhile, Castle brings out the loving, more carefree side of Kate. He never coddles or babies her, he admires the strong, capable woman she is, but he helps her see the lighter side in life, something that is sorely needed after the murder of her mother many years before. Finally a couple after many years of dancing around each other, the couple still has issues and arguments and disagreements, but they also use the relationship they have built on over the years to overcome these obstacles.
Jane and Brad (Happy Endings)–
This is a little bit different than most instances because Jane and Brad have been married since before we knew them and yet this is not a family sitcom. Although this show ended a year ago, I still find myself missing their cooky antics and their obvious love and support of each other. Jane is competitive and bossy. She is the perfectionist who can’t help but involve herself in anything and everything, if only to prove that she knows best. Brad is just the right level of quirky and competitive to keep up with his wife while keeping her from going totally over the edge. And for all of Jane’s need to beat everyone else, she’s always willing to step back and support Blane when he needs it (such as when he lost his job).
Leslie and Ben (Parks and Recreation)–
Despite trying to resist their obvious attraction, Leslie and Ben eventually gave in to their feelings. (This has more to do with the fact that Leslie is an obsessive rule-follower and dating a co-worker was against the rules than anything else.) The two are always willing to go above and beyond to make each other happy, give a confidence boost, or give the perfect gift. The two have had many struggles, but the truth is, their problems have never really been with each other but with the obstacles they face in life. They always face these obstacles head on, together. They talk out their issues and resolve them in a way that is both believable and fair. They are the sort of couple people should be aspiring to emulate.
NEXT: TV’s Worst Couples
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