In the world of TV there are many iconic couples that we can’t imagine our favorite shows without. There’s Lucy and Ricky from I Love Lucy, Corey and Topanga from Boy Meets World, and Jim and Pam from The Office, to name a few.
These shows just wouldn’t be the same without these pairings, but even when the chemistry is there, some of TV’s most popular “end game” couples simply make no sense. Sometimes, even when all the right ingredients seem to be there, two of our favorite characters getting together just doesn’t work. We end up wishing they had never gotten together in the first place, and that the writers just went another direction all together.
From the related couples in Game of Thrones to sitcom pairings that just straight-up annoyed us at the end of the series – some TV couples just never should have happened. Fans may think they want certain characters to end up together, but like they say, be careful what you wish for. It may seem like a good idea at first, but many of these relationships are simply impractical.
These are 20 Iconic TV Couples That Make No Sense.
Jackie + Fez - That ’70s Show
There are some couples that everyone can agree never should have been together. Jackie and Fez from That ’70s Show are definitely one of them. There was just something so weird about seeing them as a romantic pair, especially after knowing their dynamic in the show before.
Their relationship was too forced, and came at a terrible time in the grand scheme of the show.
Jackie already had relationships with Kelso and Hyde, and regardless of how you feel about them, they both made more sense with her than Fez. It’s unclear why the writers felt the need to stick Jackie with Fez when she easily could have been single. Instead of her next step being to hop right into a relationship with another friend in the group, Jackie could have evolved from a boy-crazy girl to a strong, independent woman.
Besides all of the logical reasons why these two make no sense, Jackie and Fez simply didn’t have the chemistry that her other relationships did. Their relationship seemed like more of a forced afterthought than anything, and it ultimately hurt the show in the process. Instead of focusing on her career, which was a blossoming storyline, Jackie got stuck worrying about a guy she shouldn’t have been with in the first place.
Ted + Robin - How I Met Your Mother
There was a time when Ted and Robin from How I Met Your Mother made sense and everyone was rooting for them. Sadly, their demise has less to do with them as characters, and more to do with the writers completely destroying the show in the series finale.
Ted and Robin always seemed to be those friends that were meant for more. That being said, the writers completely undid this and every narrative as the show progressed.
In particular, in the finale we find out that the mother isn’t even alive anymore, and the entire point of Ted’s story to his kids was to explain why he should be with Robin. His children after hearing this even say, “just call Aunt Robin,” and everyone was like, “really?”
The show is called How I Met Your Mother, and within minutes of meeting the “mother” she is ripped away from us and we’re back into the Robin storyline. Ending the series this way was a disservice to Ted’s late wife, painting her as a backstory to his true love who has been there all along - Robin.
How does this make the kids feel? They seem more than cool with it, but knowing your dad is going back to his first love after all this time definitely discredits their parents’ relationship. Did he ever love their mother as much as Robin? We may never know, and honestly we don’t want to.
Sookie + Bill - True Blood
Where to begin with Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton. Sookie is a simple small-town girl who turns out to be a fairy, and Bill is a thousand year old vampire – which is a fairy’s worst nightmare. Just like the infamous Bella and Edward, Bill’s love for Sookie stops him from ever hurting her, right? Wrong.
Bill not only almost takes Sookie’s life a couple times, but he had ulterior motives for meeting her from the very beginning of the show. He even basically becomes the devil for a while, threatening all of mankind. Once these truths about Bill unfold, you would think Sookie might run for the hills. Instead, against all logical sense, the chemistry and passion between the two keeps her coming back for more.
Not only is Bill a huge danger to Sookie, he’s also a depressed old vampire who can’t seem to make up his mind about anything.
At the end of the series he finally decides that he’s had enough (good, so have we) and he has Sookie put him in his grave for good.
Was this supposed to be some grand romantic gesture? For the most part it just made fans of True Blood even more angry than they already were with this doomed love story.
There’s something about vampires that make otherwise rational women throw all caution to the wind and destroy their lives in the process. Sookie’s story was no different, and she deserved better.
Aria + Ezra - Pretty Little Liars
Aria and Ezra of Pretty Little Liars are another one of those relationships that simply don’t make sense because it’s wrong on so many levels. Ezra is a teacher and Aria is a minor, for starters. If this were a real world relationship, you can bet someone would be losing a job and maybe even going to jail.
When you’re in a relationship with a minor who also happens to be your student, you have to do things like take pictures with paper bags over your heads (yeah, that happened) and sneak awkward moments after class when nobody is looking.
Their relationship is not just wrong, it’s problematic for all of the young girls who are watching and idealizing a secret relationship between a high schooler and a teacher. It’s actually a miracle that they didn’t get caught, or more importantly, that nobody seems to care.
Aria even kissed Ezra’s brother at one point. Doesn’t Ezra realize that this girl he supposedly wants to spend his life with is just that: a girl? She clearly isn’t ready for long-term commitment if she’s making out with your family members.
Overall this is just a terrible pairing, and Pretty Little Liars should be ashamed that it glorified this kind of relationship for so long.
Jamie + Cersei - Game of Thrones
The love story between Cersei Lannister and Jamie Lannister on Game of Thrones is nothing less than problematic. Not only are these two siblings, but they’re also terrible people.
Sure, things were different back in the day, and in the fictional world of Westeros it’s clear that almost anything goes. But the fact that Cersei and Jamie have to hide their relationship even in an old fantasy world should tell us there’s nothing okay about this pairing.
Any time they are remotely romantic on screen it’s just cringe-worthy. The fact that they are family just can’t leave our minds, and to top it off they’re basically the whole reason everything has gone to hell in Westeros in the first place.
When Bran caught them together in the tower, they shoved him out of the window in an attempt to end him, so we can add that to the long list of things wrong with Jamie and Cersei. That evil act toward Bran spawned an entire chain of events that destroyed many of our favorite characters’ lives.
Brother and sister or not, these two are incredibly toxic people who do not need to be joining forces. Fans are sick of cringing every time they come on screen together.
Carrie + Mr. Big - Sex and the City
If it makes anyone feel better, even the creator of Sex and the City was not originally keen on having Carrie and Big end up together. Carrie ending up with Big in the end really doesn’t line up with the show’s theme, that women can be independent and “don’t ultimately find happiness from marriage.”
For whatever reason, the writers went with the “happy ending” anyway. The best parts of Sex and the City were always the disasters. When life and romance hit Carrie and the girls head on, it felt real. We can all relate to things not going our way, and not always getting that happy ending. It’s a huge reason why people loved the show.
Carrie always pined for Big, and it wasn’t until the end that he finally tells Carrie that he loves her. This conclusion pinned down the show as just another romantic comedy, which it had successfully avoided up until then.
Carrie’s independence and the morals of the show aside, Big was also a total jerk.
Big helped to perpetuate the idea that men who make you feel unwanted have the best chance of keeping your interest.
For a show that revolved for so long around the independence of women, this end game relationship was a huge let down.
Dan + Serena - Gossip Girl
Dan and Serena from Gossip Girl seemed like a pretty good couple to start with. They were endearing enough, finding common ground even though they were from different backgrounds. As the series went on, and especially after the Gossip Girl reveal, the show completely lost us.
The two break up and get together more than we can count, and we were all thinking the same thing: “enough!” When Serena confesses her love for him, Dan pretty much goes right to her best friend Blair and dates her instead. Serena then pursues Dan while he’s still with Blair, and even films it! What is even going on with these people? Is this the kind of thing that rich people do for fun?
Then we come to the Gossip Girl reveal. Dan’s entire motive was to basically write himself into this luxurious world that he was a total outsider from. He caused so much drama and heart ache, especially for Serena, but somehow everyone is totally cool with it.
Serena, who should be the most perturbed that Dan is Gossip Girl, acts like it’s romantic - and then they get married.
It was almost instant forgiveness for someone who has been lying to her for years. We can only imagine how successful their marriage will be.
Dawson + Joey - Dawson’s Creek
Any fan of Dawson’s Creek knows how much and how long Joey was pining for Dawson. As the show unfolds, and their relationship grows, we started to wonder what exactly it was about Dawson that Joey found so charming. He definitely isn’t “miss out on a trip to Paris” worthy, and here’s why.
Dawson was just all around the worst. Remember when he found out his girlfriend had been with someone before him, and he got irrationally angry about it? Or his general overreaction to everything? How about when he read Joey’s diary, or the minor incident of almost destroying his supposed best friend to get Joey back?
Even after all of that, Joey still had a hard time choosing between Pacey and Dawson.
Thankfully the writers saw the light, and got Pacey and Joey back together in the final moments of the show.
Show creator Kevin Williamson had some words about why Joey and Dawson didn’t end up together. When the series started, Williamson was convinced Joey would end up with Dawson, but things changed. He said, “I wanted it to be a twist on the teen genre but also wanted it to be surprising, honest and real and say something about soul mates and what soul mates can be.”
Klaus + Caroline - The Vampire Diaries / Originals
Klaus and Caroline probably have one of the strangest start to any relationship we’ve seen on TV. In the show The Vampire Diaries, Klaus is the entire reason that Caroline gets bitten in the first place. He then offers to heal her, and apparently we’re supposed to forget about how messed up it all is because he shows Caroline his compassionate side.
There seems to be a strange obsession with pairing up vampires and girls who see the good in everybody. This is just another unhealthy relationship where the glaring flaws of the man are ignored, and the girl is left to pick up the pieces.
There’s an undeniable chemistry between the two, but now that they’ve moved onto the The Originals, things are getting even messier. Both Caroline and Klaus have children, and it’s no longer the “make out in the woods” relationship they once had. Things are getting real, and we’re not sure if they should.
Caroline is no longer that love-struck girl, she’s a woman, and their relationship needs to be different because of it. She even called Klaus out on his bad parenting when they last saw each other, and we can only hope she’ll keep her level head when they meet again.
Ross + Rachel - Friends
Ross and Rachel from Friends may be one of TV’s most iconic couples to date. Whether you hate them or love them, you’ve definitely heard of them. Even if you’ve never seen the show, you’ve probably heard the iconic line “we were on a break!” more than once.
Why did America fall so in love with a couple that has almost no redeeming qualities?
For starters, in the grand scheme of the show, Ross and Rachel were only together for about one season. The back and forth when they weren’t together became one of the major points of drama in the show.
When they finally do get together, then go on their infamous “break,” Ross literally walks out of the door and has relations with another woman. “Break” or not, that was a messed up thing to do to someone you’ve supposedly loved since high school.
Ross isn’t the only one at fault - Rachel has her moments too. She is incredibly jealous and vindictive when it comes to Ross, resorting to ruining other women’s lives in the process. Remember when she made his girlfriend shave her head so Ross wouldn’t be attracted to her? Yep, that’s the couple we’ve been glorifying for all these years. It may have made for good TV, but it was not a good relationship.
Angel + Cordy - Angel
Angel and Cordy from the Buffy spin-off show Angel have been a subject of confusion for fans since they got together. Almost everyone can agree that they were better as friends. The worst part about their relationship is that is seems to almost exactly echo Angel’s relationship with Buffy, and he doesn’t seem to care.
Angel’s initial reasoning for not being with Buffy was because he couldn’t give her the life she wanted. They couldn’t be intimate, or have children and a normal family life like she wanted. Angel loved her enough to let her go, so why then is he repeating the same thing with Cordelia?
The same problems still exist, on top of the fact that Angel and Cordy don’t have the chemistry that Angel and Buffy did. In fact, the relationship between Angel and Cordy seemed way too contrived.
They made such great friends that the sudden leap into romantic territory seemed incredibly forced. Maybe it was for dramatics, or maybe the writers really thought this was a good idea. Let’s also not forget the history between Wesley and Cordy. After all they had been through, Cordy wrote him off pretty quickly, making it all the less believable.
Olivia Pope + Fitz - Scandal
For a woman who’s supposed to be one of the smartest, most cunning people in the political world, Olivia Pope has zero handle on her love life. On the hit TV show Scandal, it’s one woman’s job to stop government scandals in their tracks and, if she can, prevent them altogether.
In what world does it make sense that Olivia would actually let herself fall for the married President of the United States, Fitzgerald Grant? It doesn’t, but for shock and awe and scandal, she does it all the same. The two are in love, so who cares if their careers, or even the entire country depends on it?
Olivia, who is tough in all other aspects of her life, becomes a smitten girl who can barely make a rational decision whenever she’s around Fitz.
Olivia and Fitz are the definition of the “will they or won’t they” couple. A better question might be: should they?
Fitz was married, for starters. A relationship built on infidelity is already off to a bad start. Portraying Fitz’s wife Mellie as an annoying shrew doesn’t sit well either, as if it’s giving the “okay” for Fitz to be unfaithful. Even fans who started out rooting for Olivia and Fitz were starting to be over it by the end of the series.
Ryan + Marissa - The OC
Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper mainly don’t work because they make a mess of everything they encounter. More specifically, Marissa made a mess of Ryan, who was just trying to stay on the straight and narrow.
Ryan originally moves to Orange County for a fresh start. After his “bad boy” days, he was looking for stability, and he almost found it with the well-to-do Cohen family. Sure, the Cohens had their family issues, but they were good for Ryan. Things are looking up for him, until Marissa comes along, and Ryan is sucked back into his old ways.
This supposed sweet girl next door turns out to be a nightmare. Marissa caused trouble for Ryan from the start, with him foolishly putting himself in danger to protect her. Nevertheless, Ryan keeps fighting for her, literally and figuratively. He even burns a house down at one point, but apparently that wasn’t enough.
Marissa is an addict, a thief, and consistently makes bad choices and falls in with the wrong people. When Ryan tries to steer her away from her vices, she treats him poorly and befriends people who enable her crazy behavior.
She was never good for Ryan, and when Marissa finally left the show we found ourselves wishing she was never there to begin with.
Jon + Daenerys - Game of Thrones
In yet another instance of Game of Thrones not caring if the couples are related, we have Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen. Both young, powerful, and attractive, and oh yeah, they’re also distant relatives. This may not be as cringeworthy as the Jamie and Cersei pairing, but it makes no sense all the same.
Game of Thrones is based on a series of novels called A Song of Ice and Fire. It has been speculated by fans for a while now that the “fire” and “ice” is a nod to House Targaryen and House Stark. Even more importantly, Jon Snow himself is a “song of ice and fire,” having both Targaryen and Stark blood in him. Whatever the end game of the series is, Jon and Daenerys seem to be at the center of it.
That’s all well and good, but couldn’t they have just become good friends, or allies? Instead, thanks to the twisted mind of HBO, we have yet another couple that is awkward to watch on screen. The show seems to glorify this relationship – as do many fans – while the rest of us are sitting here contemplating why we’re watching two family members roll around in bed together.
It’s disturbing, it’s wrong, and it’s anything but romantic. We love both Jon and Dany separately, but as a couple, they never should have happened.
Jackson + April - Grey’s Anatomy
April Kepner and Jackson Avery are one of those cautionary tales that we hope never gets repeated on Grey’s Anatomy. While many fans were happy with the pairing originally, it quickly became clear that these two were completely toxic for each other from the start.
Jackson and April have an on-again, off-again relationship for quite a while, and the writers try to get us to believe that even when April is about to get married, there is still an intense love between the two. Jackson interrupts the wedding and they run off into the sunset together, but unfortunately, by then, most of us were already over it - and it was only the beginning.
April has always been a difficult character to like, and Jackson, while gorgeous, isn’t exactly the most charismatic of the bunch.
Basically, he’s way too chill for high-strung, perfectionist April. This becomes clear after the two suffer a tragedy together involving their baby. We can’t blame April for spinning out of control, but she treats Jackson horribly, and almost never has a handle on her emotions.
The writers ultimately made a good descision by separating the two for good, because by then they were too far gone to ever get back together. And frankly, nobody wanted to see it happen anyways.
Ian + Trevor - Shameless
Most fans can agree that Ian and Trevor from Shameless are simply not healthy for each other. In fact, most fans also agree that Trevor is just kind of the worst and Ian would be much better without him.
A few things come to mind, like how Trevor pressures Ian to drink at a party while he’s on meds, and Trevor’s overall attitude toward Ian’s ignorance about parts of the LGBTQ community. He genuinely makes Ian feel bad about situations that could have been approached more carefully. His overall arrogance turns people off to him almost instantly.
Ian is a character who really needed someone to support him in a time of need. After losing one of his parents right before his eyes, the last thing Ian needed was someone to pressure him into a romantic relationship that he wasn’t ready for. But along came Trevor, and that’s exactly what he did.
Let’s not forget how Trevor seems to be completely unaware of Ian’s bipolar issues. We had a moment where Ian and Trevor seemed to just be friends, and it would have been the perfect opportunity to end the relationship. Unfortunately Trevor convinced Ian that what he really wanted was a romantic relationship, and here we are.
Sara + Grissom - CSI
Often the success of a TV couple all starts with how their characters are set up before they get together. On CSI, Grissom was more like a father figure to Sara than anything else, so when the romantic relationship started to blossom it was almost awkward.
Sara was always interested in Grissom, but it was always harder to tell where he stood. In fact, he denied wanting to get intimate with her for 3 whole seasons.
Even if they had started differently, Grissom doesn’t treat Sara very well when it comes to being together. He plays with her emotions for years, bringing her close and getting her hopes up only to push her away again. When they finally do get together all the way in season 6, it was hard to tell if anyone cared anymore.
Not only did it take forever, but the show revealed that they actually been together two years prior. What? How did we miss this? Apparently none of it mattered because Sara shipped off not long after, leaving both of them to deal with an unsatisfying long-distance marriage.
They sailed off into the sunset at the end - literally - and it all just felt too corny and neatly wrapped up in comparison to how the rest of the relationship had gone.
Alex + Piper - Orange Is The New Black
If there ever were a toxic couple, it was Alex Vause and Piper Chapman from Orange Is The New Black. From getting themselves thrown in jail to causing problems once they’re inside, there’s almost never a moment of peace for these two doomed lovers.
For starters, Alex and Piper are two very different sides of the same coin. They may both be self-involved, but for some reason it’s much easier to hate Piper and understand Alex. Alex’s selfishness comes more from a place of survival than of privilege, and it makes us wonder what attracted her to Piper in the first place.
Beside their differing personalities, Piper treats Alex like garbage. While Alex is originally painted as the villain and Piper as the innocent good girl, we soon come to find out that Piper is really the more manipulative one. We can never forgive her with her stint with Stella and how much she hurt Alex in the process.
For fans, the relationship between Alex and Piper, which was once a love-hate, has become almost all hate and no love. It’s hard to root for two people who leave disaster in their path every time they’re together. Besides, Piper is a highly unlikable character, and we want better for Alex.
Jack + Kate - Lost
Usually when three characters are caught up in a love triangle, it’s the job of the person stuck in the middle to make a decision about who they would rather be with. In the case of Kate, Jack, and Sawyer, things are a little different.
In the show Lost, we ultimately end up with Jack and Kate together because Sawyer was smart enough to exit stage left. Kate didn’t seem like she was going to choose. In fact, she seemed more than happy stringing both of them along. To every fan’s relief, Sawyer took it upon himself to realize he deserved better.
Honestly, we feel bad for Jake, because he just felt like Kate’s fall-back when Sawyer was no longer an option. She suddenly loved Jack and wanted only him - a bit suspect, if you ask us. Especially considering how upset she was to see Sawyer and Juliet together. If she really loved Jack, why would she care?
The love triangle was stretched out for far too long, and by the time the show came to an end fans were more frustrated than anything. Each relationship had been so watered down by then that it was hard to root for anyone.
Penny + Leonard - The Big Bang Theory
There’s something off about the relationship between Penny and Leonard on The Big Bang Theory, and a lot of it has to do with how forced it feels. Sure, it’s a fun idea that the awkward nerd finally scores the beautiful blonde he’s been pining over for so long, but that’s exactly what makes it strange.
There is little to no chemistry between Penny and Leonard on screen. It seems as though the main reason Penny goes for Leonard is because he already loves her so much. She has gotten sick of all the air-headed men she usually dates, and decides to be with Leonard less out of love and more out of comfort.
This problem spills over into the relationship. It’s easy to tell that Leonard will do anything for Penny, and she knows it. There’s no real balance, and Penny even suggests that it is Leonard’s sole purpose to make her happy, with minimal effort on her part in return.
It may seem like an “opposites attract” type of situation, but in reality this only works if the relationship is solid. Their personas are too cliche and clash far too often for us to enjoy them together.
What iconic TV couples do you think made absolutely no sense? Let us know in the comments!
