25 TV Couples Who Had Out Of This World Chemistry And 25 Who Totally Felt Flat

The magic's either there or it's not.

There's nothing like a good TV love story you can really sink your teeth into. You know, the ones that have you cheering for them from your couch and crying with them when things go south.

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Then there are your couples that are totally unbelievable. Whether it's a lack of chemistry or a flawed storyline, you're just patiently waiting until their entanglement is through.

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Here's the best of the best and the worst of the worst when it comes to TV couples.

1. Best: Patrick and David from Schitt's Creek

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David and Patrick are the definition of a couple who balances each other out. Their relationship development is so sweet, and they're a really joyful couple that you can feel good rooting for.

2. Worst: Izzie and George from Grey's Anatomy

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George and Izzie just didn't make sense, and it felt a lot like every character dating every character until a new OTP presented itself. It resulted in the end of his marriage, and it was just messy messy messy.

3. Best: Amy and Jake from Brooklyn Nine-Nine

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Jake and Amy could have been a super cringe pairing, but it was handled really well. The couple is believable, their chemistry and connection felt genuine, and their relationship is never too, too perfect. They support each other but aren't afraid to call each other out, and the result is super cute.

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4. Worst: Aria and Ezra from Pretty Little Liars

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PLL came out at a time when we were still entertaining teacher-student relationships as a romance trope. Those days are over, as this relationship should have been when he found out her age.

5. Best: Beth and Randall from This Is Us

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Life hands Beth and Randall a lot of ups and downs, but they handle them together and, to their credit, in a healthy manner. They can be totally themselves around each other and trust the other to love them for it.

6. Worst: Jackie and Fez from That '70s Show

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Making Jackie the girl who dates the whole crew totally shortchanged her character. She and Hyde were a stretch, but the relationship had its redeeming qualities. She and Fez had zero spark between them, however, and always seemed more like besties than anything else.

7. Best: Haley and Nathan from One Tree Hill

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Haley and Nathan were the couple that was cute from the jump. Their relationship saw its ups and downs, but once they sealed the deal, this couple brought the heat and the happiness.

8. Worst: Rachel and Joey from Friends

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This just felt so, so forced. Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc's chemistry was great platonically. Taking their characters there just didn't make any sense.

9. Best: Brienne and Jaime from Game of Thrones

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Jaime and Brienne were totally unexpected, which makes it even hotter. The two developed quite a connection and went through a bit before you sensed their relationship might go there. When it did, it felt right. They deserved better.

10. Worst: Carrie and Mr. Big from Sex and the City

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Carrie blazed past just about 3 billion red flags before coming to the conclusion Big was the one. It felt really gratifying when the timing finally worked and they got it right, but should your one great love take THAT much work? To each their own, I guess.

11. Best: Santana and Brittany from Glee

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Santana and Brittany started out as friends with benefits and ended up learning a lot about themselves and love through their relationship. It was sweet, but raw and real without feeling too cheesy, which is an accomplishment for Glee.

12. Worst: Barney and Robin from How I Met Your Mother

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It seemed a lot like Barney and Robin spent their whole ill-fated relationship keeping each other at arm's distance (or maybe high-five distance). Robin was constantly questioning whether she was doing the right thing, which is usually your gut trying to tell you something.

13. Best: Topanga and Cory from Boy Meets World

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Puppy love is overdone, and it's almost meant to not last. But for all the break-ups and make-ups, you always wanted Cory and Topanga to find their way back to each other. Their marriage may seem poorly timed and not entirely thought through, but it's sweet. Plus, Girl Meets World tells us it all worked out for the best, which is more vindication than most TV couples get.

14. Worst: Ray and Marnie from Girls

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Ray and Marnie took a series of bro-chats and tried to turn it into a relationship: a whole wreck.

15. Best: Omar and Ander from Elite

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Ander and Omar are one of the longest-standing couples on the show, but their road is in no way easy. They've definitely pushed each other away at times and clung to each other too much at others, but you can tell what's at the center of it is authentic.

16. Worst: Blair and Chuck from Gossip Girl

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I lived and died by Chair as much as the next late '00s high schooler, but they were bad bad bad in retrospect. There were so many instances of ignoring each other's boundaries, endless manipulation, and he tried to trade her for a hotel deed once. A lesser girl than Blair Waldorf would have run for the hills, and she would have been smart to do so.

17. Best: Connor and Oliver from How to Get Away with Murder

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Connor and Oliver were the best relationships on the whole show, arguably. There aren't a lot of terribly healthy relationships in Shondaland, but the messy complexity of their bond kept fans wanting more.  

18. Worst: Drew and Becky from Degrassi: The Next Generation

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Hook up with your dead ex's brother/your dead brother's ex, what could go wrong?!

19. Best: Chandler and Monica from Friends

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At first, Chandler and Monica didn't make a lot of sense to some folks. They grew on everyone and really brought out interesting sides of each other. 

20. Worst: Lane and Zack from Gilmore Girls

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Lane deserved more, and I will die on this hill. Sure, Zack tried to be worthy at the end, which was the least he could do after tanking this girl's endless potential.

21. Best: Issa and Lawrence from Insecure

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Sometimes, there's that one person that you can't get off your mind. For better or worse, Lawrence was that person for Issa. They come a long way from the disjointed place we meet them in, and you can be happy for their chaotic but happy ending.

22. Worst: Marissa and Volchok from The O.C.

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If it weren't for Volchok, Marissa probably wouldn't have died, sooooo...

23. Best: Fitz and Simmons from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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The world keeps trying to rip them apart, but there's no keeping Fitz and Simmons away from each other. Their relationship is totally screwed up and had more downs than ups, but they can't deny how they feel about each other at every twist and turn.

24. Worst: Eleanor and Chidi from The Good Place

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Your relationship starting out as what you perceive to be a cosmic joke doesn't bode well, tbh. Eleanor and Chidi lacked chemistry, instead leaning on the idea that their relationship was supposed to speak to something bigger.

25. Best: Mindy and Danny from The Mindy Project

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Mindy and Danny have cute moments everywhere, from planes to at home, and it's all really sweet. They have a baffling breakup, but their path is righted as they realize the small differences between them pale in comparison to their feelings for each other.

26. Worst: Joan and William from Girlfriends

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Not every male-female friendship has to explore the possibility of a relationship, physically or emotionally. It was disappointing to see Girlfriends put these two besties in this position, and it felt wrong wrong wrong.

27. Best: Leslie and Ben from Parks and Recreation

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Leslie and Ben are both driven people who want big things, but they know when to choose their personal ambitions and when to choose their relationship. They don't fall into the trope of the couple who suddenly spends time with no one else but each other, but they never neglect their relationship either.

28. Worst: Lex and Lana from Smallville

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The relationship changed both characters to the ire of many fans. Lex trapping Lana in the relationship by injecting her with hormones to make her think she was pregnant is gross, even for a villain-in-training.

29. Best: Sutton and Richard from The Bold Type

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Sutton and Richard's relationship is tested throughout the series, but they keep coming out on top. They grow during their time together, and it's clear they never leave each other's hearts. They can put their own feelings aside when the other is really in need, and it's beautiful.

30. Worst: Dexter and Deb from Dexter

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They are adopted siblings, and next thing you know, there's an unrequited love thing going on. They don't go full couple, but just the exploration of the idea turned a lot of fans off.

31. Best: Magnus and Alec from Shadowhunters

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Magnus and Alec have an undeniable connection from the very start. Both of them help each other realize changes they need to make in life so that they don't hold themselves back. As they let themselves grow, so, too, does their relationship.

32. Worst: Kate and Sawyer from Lost

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Kate and Sawyer were better off as friends. Instead, fans were dragged through an underwhelming cycle of "will they or won't they" with the two.

33. Best: Clarke and Bellamy from The 100

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Clarke and Bellamy turn an antagonistic relationship into a friendship and love. The couple stays platonic, but the intensity of their relationship puts the romantic ones on the show to shame. The chemistry has good reason, as actors Eliza Taylor and Bob Morley are married IRL.

34. Worst: Blaine and Karofsky from Glee

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Dating your ex's highly abusive bully? And he bullied said ex because he was gay, as is everyone in this tired love triangle that should have never been. It was awful for everyone.

35. Best: Daphne and Simon from Bridgerton

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The sexual chemistry between these two is off-the-charts, but the story behind it is pretty sweet, too. The Duke certainly leads a twisted life, but Daphne isn't afraid of getting her hands dirty as a part of it, making them a unique pairing.

36. Worst: Willow and Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

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Willow had a thing for Xander forever, but of course, he only notices her when they're both taken. She goes with it though, and then, as is bound to happen, they get caught. Wasn't worth it for them or for fans of the show.

37. Best: Casey and Izzie from Atypical

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There's nothing quite like the wholesome love between Casey and Izzie. They come together after both becoming comfortable with their own queerness, so the relationship is less exploration and more affirmation. 

38. Worst: Nick and Jess from New Girl

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Nick and Jess have occasional physical chemistry, but that's about it. They want different things, fight constantly, and both are pretty set in their non-complementary ways. The relationship fizzles out and makes you wish both characters would just grow up a little.

39. Best: Grace and Judd from 9-1-1: Lone Star

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Grace and Judd prove that a married couple doesn't have to be boring or resentful of their relationship. The two are just as in love as any new couple, and the fact that they fell in love with each other before seeing what the other looked like is kind of adorable.

40. Worst: Jane and Rafael from Jane the Virgin

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The on-again, off-again romance between the two just felt like it was wrong, even when things were going well. It's another relationship that feels like a little too much work for what the payout is.

41. Best: Jonah and Amy from Superstore

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Amy and Jonah's slow-burn was well worth the wait. Their relationship was as many parts funny and hopeful as it was heartbreaking, and in the end, you're so happy they get the life they dreamed of.

42. Worst: Tom and Ann from Parks and Recreation

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Tom was after Ann from the beginning, and relenting and giving a relationship a shot is not exactly a great starting point. Still, Ann thought she could make it work with some boundaries. Tom just didn't care they existed at all, however, leading to them breaking up and making up a trillion times.

43. Best: Helen and Max from New Amsterdam

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When we finally got the relationship between Max and Helen, we got it alllll. They are a couple who shares it all, who feels for each other deeply, and who manage to stay a team despite everything life throws at them. They are best friends in every sense of the word.

44. Worst: Ray and Debra from Everybody Loves Raymond

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Letting your mother have that much pull in your marriage is a recipe for disaster. Family drama aside, Debra and Ray low-key hated each other. They had little in common, and their chemistry was spotty at best.

45. Best: Louis and Jessica from Fresh Off the Boat

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Louis and Jessica both have their own lanes, but you can totally see how they love each other and how that love has grown throughout the years. They face their biggest problems together and have a friendship that makes their day-to-day more interesting and exciting.

46. Worst: Stefan and Elena from The Vampire Diaries

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Stefan's attachment to Elena was unhealthy. He kidnapped her, but his devotion didn't stop him from lying to and deceiving her. On her end, she entertained feelings for Damon, which made the pairing feel like a roadblock more than a goal.

47. Best: Elena And Syd from One Day at a Time

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Elena is exploring all the facets of her sexuality when she meets Syd. Dating a nonbinary person is a learning experience, but the two navigate their relationship with a healthy amount of communication and a lot of fun, something a lot of adult relationships on TV never manage.

48. Worst: Matt and Gabby from Chicago Fire

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Matt and Gabby's relationship was drawn way too far out. The couple always seemed an awkward match, but when they worked, they were great. It was the rest of the time that was hard to watch.

49. Best: Bob and Linda from Bob's Burgers

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Bob is always on board with Linda's shenanigans, even if he's mortified deep down inside. They're a couple who genuinely loves each other and likes each other, too, and those couples are becoming increasingly rare across TV.

50. Worst: Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter from BoJack Horseman

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Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane's relationship had to go on for their characters to develop, but wow, was it long for everyone watching. The two seemed doomed from the start, and yet, we have to watch their unhealthy relationship crash and burn in slow motion.

Who made you love love? Who did you hate with the fire of a thousand suns? Fill us in!