Slowly but surely, I am making my way through this list. In part three, we are still in the lower tier as all pairings mentioned have something which draws me to them but also possesses something that puts me off. It’s a fairly mixed bag but relationships, real or fictional, are never easy. Let’s continue ranking!
124. Jenna/Alaric (The Vampire Diaries)
Alaric absolutely doesn’t have the best romantic luck on this show. I personally wasn’t a fan of any of his other relationships and even with this one, there was always a layer of secrecy because of the vampire stuff, albeit that was to protect Jenna. Regardless, they were cute and had potential, but then again, the characters on this series just can’t be happy for longer than two minutes.
123. Claude/Leith (Reign)
These two have a tragic element to them of sorts as they never seem to be in sync with one another; first Claude thinks Leith is dead and gets married to someone else, then the weird love triangle storyline ensues which ends up with Leith getting with somebody else… It’s quite messy and yet there’s something about them that’s worth rooting for.
122. Lip/Karen (Shameless)
Honestly, I feel like this is one of the most messed up dynamics I’ve ever liked. I don’t think that after a certain point Karen had actual feelings for Lip left, but rather enjoyed the hold she had over him, which she definitely took advantage of. As much as Karen messing him about was hard to watch, Lip wasn’t a saint, either. Karen raping Frank though was a permanent taint on their relationship which could never really be forgotten even if they did work things out. There was a time in season one, however, when they did have potential to become something quite beautiful, and it’s a shame they didn’t (get it?).
121. Cinderella/Prince Charming (Once Upon a Time)
They only had a handful of episodes together, only one of which they were the focus of. Regardless, they were an adorable spin of the fairytale dynamic and easy to root for.
120. JD/Elliot (Scrubs)
These two are honestly kind of a trainwreck. JD only seems to want her when she’s with someone else (and even acknowledges it) and it’s shown multiple times that they work better as friends. Although, it seems that what they needed was time to emotionally mature in order for both of them to be ready for each other because when they do end up together, it works beautifully (to everyone’s surprise, really).
119. James/Alyssa (The End of the F***ing World)
They definitely had a weird start what with James planning to kill her, but the pair genuinely connecting and developing feelings for each other was a nice twist. I found myself rooting for the two and I know I wasn’t alone in it.
118. Fiona/Jimmy (Shameless)
Again, another messy pairing. While I honestly believe that Jimmy was the only guy Fiona genuinely loved throughout the show (albeit in her self-destructive ways), it would’ve never worked between them in the long run considering how emotionally messed up they both were. Also, Jimmy didn’t do himself any favours in season three by acting like a jerk once he finally got with Fiona and realised he wasn’t on board with all the Gallagher shenanigans. One thing’s for sure - his sudden departure definitely contributed to Fiona’s infamous downward spiral the following season.
117. Max/Liz (Roswell)
I barely remember anything from this show but who didn’t love this pairing? From the first scene it was obvious they would be the main couple of the show and I think they delivered accordingly. As for a more in-depth opinion, that’s for rewatches.
116. Rosa/Pimento (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
The raw chemistry and sexual tension between them was definitely something that had to be toned down for network purposes, but considering how they developed (or didn’t) and ended, there was never that much ground for a stable relationship. They almost jumped into marriage twice, Pimento disappeared, then Rosa went to jail… All in all, I definitely think Rosa needs someone a bit more grounded and balanced to bring out her own softer side.
115. Ross/Rachel (Friends)
It’s both surprising and not that these two are so low on my list. Back in the day, they were one of the most popular ships of all time but now because of intense Ross hatred it’s all about how Rachel deserved better. Honestly, I think both of them were acting like petty idiots towards each other a lot of the time, not allowing the other one to move on after the break up. Yes, Ross was definitely in the wrong during their fighting and split in season three but then it was Rachel who sabotaged his relationships because she still loved him but couldn’t get past her own principles. Anyway, this is turning into an essay but let’s just say despite all their shortcomings the narrative did sell their love story, not to mention their chemistry, which is one of the best I’ve seen on TV.
114. Sid/Cassie (Skins)
It definitely took a while for Sid to realise he wants Cassie as it always seemed she would come second to Michelle. Again, Skins seems the type of show where healthy relationships are almost non-existent so there’s not much to analyse in terms of their love story as it’s a bit of a mess but the fact they’re the main cliffhanger of the first generation shows their relationship was quite popular and interesting to watch, which earns them a spot on the list.
113. Carla/Turk (Scrubs)
Just like JD and Elliot were Ross and Rachel of Scrubs, these two are more Monica and Chandler. However, the pair do have some problematic moments as Carla has quite a controlling streak while Turk can be a bit of a man-child on occasion (also, secretly feeding Carla birth control pills was wrong on so many levels). Nevertheless, the couple endure throughout the show’s run and clearly love each other so that can’t be discredited.
112. Jane/Rafael (Jane the Virgin)
It’s been a while since I watched this show but I do remember wanting them to get together as I liked both characters and thought the relationship had potential. I did like them once they became a couple as well, but can’t contribute much more than that at the moment.
111. Karen/Keith (One Tree Hill)
Another tragic pair. They spent so much time around each other, and yet so little after they finally admitted their feelings for one another. At least Karen had a piece of him left in the form of their daughter. I do wonder where their relationship would’ve gone had Keith lived, a missed opportunity for a ‘What If’ OTH episode, perhaps?
110. Kane/Abby (The 100)
A fairly straightforward enemies-to-lovers story as Kane starts the show as a major asshole, but the two somehow manage to work and become one of the more stable relationships on the show for a while. Then again, the ruining of Abby’s character kind of makes it hard to root for them in the later seasons.
109. Winston/Ali (New Girl)
In a traditional sitcom fashion, all the other characters paired up leaving Winston the odd one out. He and Ali get together fairly late in the show and there’s not that much to say about them apart from that they’re really cute and seem happy together.