So close, you guys. Here we are with part X of the master list (I will be honest, I never could've imagined it would take me this long to finish this project) and we are finally reaching that top 25! Let's keep diving in.
38. Seth/Summer (The OC)
Let’s preface this by saying that Seth could be a massive dumbass when it came to their relationship. Like Summer pointed out, he liked the chase and did take a bit of an advantage of being in control with the whole Anna love triangle debacle. However, a lot of that can be appointed to them being young and stupid rather than genuine malicious intent, especially as they did grow and mature separately before reuniting and getting married so what’s not to root for here?
37. Gabrielle/Carlos (Desperate Housewives)
I know, I know, at first glance they’re the opposite of relationship goals. Cheating, messing with birth control, manipulation, some physical abuse even - they were a mess in the early seasons. Regardless, the show made it clear there was some sort of reason they stayed together and kept coming back to each other and once the time jump happened, they definitely became a lot healthier and easy to root for. Truly a match for one another in the end.
36. Cook/Effy (Skins)
A truly dysfunctional mess of a couple most of the time because of Cook’s family history and Effy’s mental health issues. It’s easy to see why they would never work as teenagers since they do seem to bring out some of each other’s worst qualities. However, one can’t deny their explosive chemistry and if they ever met again as adults after they have sorted their shit out, there was a chance of something good happening.
35. Brooke/Julian (One Tree Hill)
It’s tricky to introduce a love interest to the so-called ‘loser’ of a major love triangle, especially when it’s six seasons into the show. No one can argue though that Julian was the perfect man for Brooke as he communicated and understood her in a way no other love interests of hers ever did. Granted, they did have some hiccups but that was more due to the writers rehashing old storylines than genuine incompatibility of the pairing. After so many seasons of heartbreak and doubt, it was good to see Brooke get everything she desired and someone who chose her and kept choosing her. Definitely one of the highlights of the later seasons.
34. Prue/Andy (Charmed)
Their screen time was short-lived but every second we got was precious. Even after so many years, it was obvious the feelings between the two were still there and it was more the outside circumstances rather than anything else that kept them apart. If not for Andy’s death, they definitely would’ve found their way back to each other at some point.
33. Andy/April (Parks and Recreation)
Slytherin and Hupplepuff in a relationship, basically. They’re both two goons in their own special way but it works so well and though some stuff they do is not very conventional (like getting married in their house during what they said was a dinner party), it feels so authentic to who they are that you can’t help but love them. While the whole Ann thing in the beginning was a bit on the ‘eh’ side of things, that got cleared up pretty quickly (let’s be real - season one of Parks is just not it).
32. Jim/Lee (Gotham)
What chemistry. They were honestly so sweet in the first season or so of the show and provided a bit of gentleness to an otherwise fairly heavy story. Obviously, the Gotham universe couldn’t have that and they were soon butchered pretty swiftly. Of course, it was obvious the feelings were still there and they did get back together eventually but people argued it was more due to the actors being together in real life, not cause it made sense for the characters. Me? I don’t know what to think about that to be honest.
32. Holt/Kevin (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
I don’t think there is a single person who watches this show who doesn’t like them. There are few couples more meant for each other and more compatible. Besides, the way they parent Cheddar together is one of the most precious things ever. Still can’t believe the show tried to mess with that! Good thing they knew better than to tease their reunion for too long.
31. Rufus/Lily (Gossip Girl)
One of the biggest travesties of this show is that these two didn’t end up together. Although one can kind of (speaking very lightly here) understand the narrative they were going for - that in the end both of them were too set in their way of thinking to ever truly merge their worlds. However, it wasn’t too late for their kids, hence Derena endgame. Regardless, it’s just such a waste as they truly felt like soulmate material. Damn the writers, honestly.
30. Damon/Katherine (The Vampire Diaries)
These two are more of a guilty pleasure pairing as whatever Katherine felt for Damon, it had a massive detrimental effect on him. Yet somehow, they seemed to be able to get under each other’s skin the way no one else could and their bickering was hilarious to watch. Not to mention that sexual tension in the first few seasons, damn (although it should be noted that disappeared once he got together with Elena).
29. Hanna/Caleb (Pretty Little Liars)
This one is a little tricky because I truly loved and rooted for them in the early seasons. While I wasn’t a fan of Caleb leaving for the whole Ravenswood storyline (what was up with that?), I kind of understood it. However, after the time jump, I just didn’t really feel it for them anymore (but I think that’s more of a writing issue as they still had chemistry). While I’m glad they ended up together, it’s safe to say they’re at their prime in the first half of the show.
28. Xander/Cordelia (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
If they didn’t invent enemies to lovers, they sure perfected it. While you didn’t expect for them to get together at all, once they do it just made sense and it allowed for both characters to grow without losing who they were at the core. It’s a shame they had to end the way they did but I think if they had a chance as adults, it might’ve worked out better, especially after Cordelia’s development on ATS.