It’s not that mind-boggling that Raj was the only character to end up alone in the finale of The Big Bang Theory, especially after Emily was on the scene. Sure, she was a little eccentric, but isn’t Raj equally odd?
It's obvious that the arranged match with Anu near the end of the series wasn’t going to work out, but it’s a shame that Raj had to mess it up with Emily so terribly by repeatedly leaving and cheating on her. We’re not sure that he even deserves her. Good for Emily!
The relationship of Sam and Diane, the central romance of the hit ‘80s sitcom Cheers, has received mixed feedback since its first run on NBC. One camp of viewers loves the Sam and Diane dynamic while others deem the pairing a complete mismatch. Even in the series finale, they both admit that they were never meant to be together.
Frasier, on the other hand, was the intellectual rebound for Diane after a split from Sam. The writers loved him so much that they kept him around and even produced a spin-off series with Frasier as the titular character. So why did he and Diane ever split if he was so great? Oh, right, Sam’s meddling! Janet’s lucky she got out of that mess of a love triangle.
Beverly Hills, 90210 featured two love triangles centered around the Walsh twins. Of the numerous and complicated Dylan/Brandon/Brenda/Kelly relationships, Dylan and Kelly’s pairing was the most incompatible. So why did Kelly call off her wedding to Brandon and choose a doomed romance with Dylan?
Dylan and Kelly were a little too obvious and merely the convenient choice. Kelly harbored this crush for him since childhood, so why not force them together? We all know that Brenda was more interesting with Dylan, creating a dynamic that pushed each other in unique ways given their different personalities and perspectives. Kelly needed someone like Brandon to—at the very least—meet her halfway on her needs.
The most solid couple to result from the six-strong Friends crew wasn’t the Rachel and Ross trainwreck, but Monica and Chandler. The pairing first popped up in the last episode of Season 4, but the duo seemed more like a ploy to make the show longer than a true romance. Plus, it’s heartbreaking to see the best-bros dynamic between Chandler and Joey fizzle out once Chandler moved, regrettably pushing Rachel and Joey together when displaced from their besties.
Because the infuriatingly entertaining Rachel/Ross romance was enough of a relationship to handle within the core friend group, Monica should have ended up with Richard. We just can’t forget his kind heart, if only the relationship hadn’t been tainted by their stubbornness and the awkwardness of Richard’s prior friendship with Monica’s parents.
One Tree Hill’s Lucas Scott and Peyton Sawyer were the central romance of the nine-season series, but they never should have ended up together. Their relationship was so problematic we can’t even begin to list all of the reasons without filling the page.
The Brooke-Lucas dynamic, while short-lived, had an addicting chemistry. Peyton and Lucas end up married, but Lucas honestly doesn’t deserve either woman. Peyton, especially, deserved so much better.
What do you call a man who leads you on, dumps you, marries someone else but still has an affair with you, and begs you to be gentle with his feelings while never treading lightly in regard to yours? Sounds like a hypocritical jerk to us!
Yep, we’re talking about SATC’s Mr. Big. This shmuck pales in comparison to Aidan Shaw, a gentle, dog-loving sweetheart. He continually tried to push Carrie to be her best self and any of his flaws are overshadowed by his unproblematic aura. Mr. Big could NEVER.
Soon after Season 1 of Lost, it became clear that the defacto leader of the plane-crash survivors Jack was far too petty and jealous to be with Kate. His lack of character development and Kate’s own set of problems led to a complete personality clash that many fans detested. So why did they end up together in that mind-boggling finale?
Sawyer, once the selfish loner, proved he could change in order to win Kate’s love. Their chemistry was electric given their shared knowledge of what it’s like to be an outsider in their community. And how many times did Sawyer sacrifice potential freedom for Kate? That selflessness is an obvious sign of Sawyer’s unconditional love.
Robin and Barney forever! There’s really no argument here. Did anyone actually like HIMYM signature character moping Ted Mosby? This self-proclaimed “nice guy” makes Robin get rid of her dogs and then breaks up with her anyway?
Robin and Barney’s 2016 divorce was one of the many unappealing aspects of the series finale, which was all just a giant scheme to shrug off the titular “mother” character and shoehorn Robin and Ted as the endgame couple. Um, no thanks! No amount of alternate endings will erase our memories of the original.
Nearly everyone agrees that Rory was at her best in the first four seasons. What character wasn’t present then? That’s right, Logan. While the Jess versus Dean debate is much more intense (Jess treated her terribly. There, we said it.), Logan is the bottom of the barrel.
Entitled, materialistic, and vain—traits Rory used to resist quickly became key characteristics of her personality while Logan was in the picture.
Buffy, our independent vampire-slaying queen, actually made the right decision by following the course of her comic-book persona’s decision to remain single by the end of the series. But if she were to end up with anyone, who would it be?
Of course, we’re deciding between Angel and Spike, the notorious love triangle present throughout seven seasons. Spike, exceedingly self-serving and dangerous, was never as dangerous as Angel. If a relationship with Angel had been possible—physically and emotionally—without the threat of his bloodthirsty, soulless alternative Angelus showing up, he’d have a fighting chance.
Jeff and Annie's primary issue is the age difference, reminiscent of Richard and Monica but far creepier. Annie was freshly 18 when she met the mid-thirties adult Jeff.
Britta, both age-appropriate and open about her feelings, was a perfect match for Jeff, even down to their similar personalities. Sure, he bickered less with Annie, but she had so much more planned with her life that indicated she wasn’t ready to settle with Jeff. Jeff ended up alone by the end of the series, but we wonder what could have been if he’d stuck by Britta.
Haley and Dylan’s relationship was established since the show’s beginning, which makes it hard to write off their history. But Andy, with all of his kindness and career motivations, stole the hearts of more people than just Haley. It helped that he first proved his dedication to Haley through a loving friendship and worked their way to romance.
Andy wasn’t Haley’s usual bad-boy type, making him the less-obvious match. If he never had to choose between his dream real estate job and Haley, we’re sure they would’ve worked out perfectly. As for Dylan… settling is probably the right word. Andy was always the boy who brought out the best in Haley while Dylan represented her less-mature self.
Damon never should've ended up with Elena no matter how much he tried to straighten up his moral compass. If the doppelganger plot shows us anything, it’s that Stefan and Elena were destined for each other.
Not only is Stefan pure of heart, he’s not a pushover, possessing a “bad boy” side that Elena obviously craved. Plus, Caroline and Klaus were exceedingly more interesting than her and Stefan together.
Littered by lies, foul treatment, and selfishness, Serena and Dan’s relationship was a trainwreck from first meeting to their wedding.
So what about poor, lonely, dejected Nate? Open to meeting others rather than judging them and comes from the same world as Serena, with all of its glitz and gossip. Nate understands her, rarely schemes like his peers, and doesn’t continually slander her on the internet.
That '70s Show really did us dirty when Jackie decided that Fez was her perfect man. Girl, just because he’s materialistic and gossipy doesn’t make him your soulmate...
Hyde and Jackie’s relationship had various issues, especially at the beginning, due to Kelso’s meddling and confrontations with jealousy. Their growing pains ultimately allowed each other to become better individuals and, ultimately, a great match. Unfortunately for the couple, the Season 8 writers, who apparently “never liked” the Jackie/Hyde match, made sure that the last season featured a complete regression of their relationship that dismantled their entire seven-season history.
The O.C. features the love triangle to end all love triangles, with both Summer and Anna worthy characters for Seth’s love. While many watchers went from Team Anna to Team Summer, Anna’s lack of attitude toward Summer as the “other woman” on top of her genuine kindness solidified her as a fan favorite up until her departure.
But we think that Seth and Summer were just too obvious. Seth crushed on popular-girl Summer for years and ended up marrying her. What’s wrong with letting geeky guys end up with geeky girls? More nerdy couple representation, please!
Quite How I Met Your Mother-esque, Jane’s one true love Michael was repeatedly put in life-or-death situations, eventually suffering the fatal cut from show writers so that Rafael could finally get his moment with the titular character.
Unfortunately, his moment lasted much longer than we’ve implied, as he marries Jane after Michael’s death! Fortunately, Jane the Virgin’s series finale is worlds better than the HIMYM ending, but the disappointing resolution of the Jane-Raf-Michael love-triangle still stings...
Emma and Hook have the classic hate-to-love, bad boy dynamic that fans just eat up. Hook might be interesting and create an entertaining dynamic with the show’s “Savior,” but Neal is the Christopher to Emma’s Lorelai (another controversial Gilmore Girls pairing)—they have an undeniable connection as each other’s first love and parents to Henry.
But for Once Upon a Time, the love triangle isn’t so cut-and-dry. Neal only abandoned Emma because August convinced him that he was preventing her from fulfilling her “Savior” destiny; it was a terrible thing to do, yes, but he obviously still cares for her. All we’re saying is that if Neal hadn’t sacrificed himself to save his father, Emma and Hook likely wouldn’t have happened...
Anyone who watched iCarly witnessed seasons upon seasons of Freddie pining for Carly while bickering with Sam, who’s basically his polar opposite.
Everyone loves a hate-to-love romance, and their first kiss is one of the most memorable moments from the show. But when speaking practically, they were never going to last. There had to be some Carly-resembling girl out there that complemented Freddie without acting as his antithesis.
Katara and Aang have always been better as friends and their final kiss scene in the series finale sends shivers down our spine. It’s just too weird!
Zuko developed enormously as a character throughout the three seasons, redeeming himself to the point of becoming one of the most beloved characters of the show. And can you deny their chemistry while trapped in the “Crossroads of Destiny” cave? Yeah, we didn’t think so.
