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27 Times TV Forced Relationships With No Chemistry

Did we really need to see Jackie and Fez together?

Kelly Martinez
by Kelly Martinez

BuzzFeed Staff

We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which TV couples felt super forced. Here are some of their responses.

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

1. Rachel and Joey from Friends:

Joey tells Rachel he's falling in love with her, Rachel replies, "What?"
NBC

"It was so random and felt like the writers just ran out of ideas. They were great as friends."

—KAL63

2. Izzie and George from Grey's Anatomy:

Izzie says their relationship will work, they just need to take the pressure off
ABC

"They made absolutely no sense. Nothing came out of the relationship except their ruined friendship."

—emi_esc

3. Zack and Lane from Gilmore Girls:

Lane pregnant with twins, lying in bed next to Zack
The WB

"The actors had no chemistry at all, and everything about them seemed forced. The show did Lane dirty."

—leahmaries2

4. Robin and Ted from How I Met Your Mother:

Robin asks where they stand and Ted says they can either stay together and pretend their differences don't matter or give back the blue French horn
CBS

"They were romantically incompatible, yet they were forced together time and time again over nine seasons. There was a very good reason people hated the finale."

—benevolentspirit

5. Otis and Ola from Sex Education:

Otis asks if their hookup was good, Ola replies, "It was...so nice"
Netflix

"I didn’t really get the vibe that they liked each other. It felt like there was very little chemistry."

—stephanie

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

Jackie and Fez kiss under the water tower
Fox

"They had no chemistry. Jackie wasn't interested in Fez romantically for the entire series, then just suddenly changed her mind in the end. She and Hyde should have ended up together instead."

—AJPanda

7. Maggie and Jackson from Grey's Anatomy:

ABC

"They had absolutely no chemistry. Everything about them felt so forced and wrong. Somehow, the whole messy stepsiblings storyline wasn't even the most uncomfortable and problematic thing about their relationship."

—tariro

8. Daenerys and Jon from Game of Thrones:

HBO

"I know they got together for thematic reasons, but the actors had absolutely no onscreen chemistry. I also found it laughably unbelievable that Jon would fall for a power-hungry tyrant who enjoyed watching people burn alive, especially since he risked his own life to prevent Mance from meeting that fate."

—passivesloth

9. Silver and Liam from 90210:

Liam and Silver kiss
The CW

"Their relationship literally came out of nowhere. They had zero chemistry with each other."

—aaronweeks101

10. Rachel and Ross from Friends:

NBC

"I know they were supposed to be 'meant to be,' but their relationship never seemed natural to me. They had the best chemistry as friends."

—marissaa4ce2b3666

11. Tristan and Miles from Degrassi: Next Class:

Miles beside Tristan in a coma: "I'm trapped and it's killing me, I don't wanna leave you but I don't know how I can stay, come back to me Tristan"
Netflix

"I feel like everyone overlooked how toxic their relationship was. Once Tristan was in a coma, the show suddenly acted as if the two had always been really close, even though they'd never shown it before. It was super forced."

—stacethespacecase

12. Mercedes and Sam from Glee:

Mercedes tells Sam their affair was wrong
Fox

"I did love the idea of them and wanted to see them end up together, but the way they first got together felt forced."

—evadanielle326

13. Spencer and Caleb from Pretty Little Liars:

Spencer says the problem is that Caleb just likes her while she actually loves him
Freeform

"Spencer got mad at Hanna for not being honest about still having feelings for Caleb, but Spencer never should have dated Caleb in the first place."

—brip477d912f8

14. Bellamy and Echo from The 100:

Echo says what they have isn't real but then Bellamy kisses Echo
The CW

"I wasn’t even a Bellarke shipper, but I was pretty pissed when Bellamy and Echo were suddenly magically together and 'devoted to each other' because of six years in space. Realistically, Bellamy would not have forgiven Echo for almost murdering his sister twice."

—emi_esc

15. Kelly and Darryl from The Office:

Darryl tells Kelly to access her "un-crazy" side and Kelly calls him "the most selfish person she's ever met"
NBC

"They were just annoying together."

—kc071314

16. Spinner and Emma from Degrassi: The Next Generation:

CTV

"They tried to wrap up the characters' storylines by randomly having them get married. It just made no sense to me."

—meeks34

17. Dan and Blair from Gossip Girl:

Dan says they should kiss just once to prove there's nothing between them
The CW

"I know some people love Dan and Blair's relationship, but I hate them together. They were complete opposites and hated each other, then they went to the same college and suddenly had feelings for each other? Not buying it!"

—Janice O

18. Scott and Malia from Teen Wolf:

MTV

"Their relationship made no sense. They worked better as friends — seeing them as a couple felt so forced. It’s been years and I’m still not over it."

—marianao457fb4598

19. Dylan and Haley from Modern Family:

Haley and Dylan get married
ABC

"Don't get me wrong, they're cute, but it felt so wrong for them to end up together after they had both changed so much. It felt forced and cliché for the writers to have Haley's high school boyfriend be her 'soulmate' all along."

—slytherinf

20. Anna and Seth from The O.C.:

Fox

"I loved both characters, but I hated Seth and Anna together. I know they broke up because Seth loved Summer, but the two of them being together in the first place seemed like such a silly ploy."

—kminfl

21. Veronica and Piz from Veronica Mars:

Warner Bros. / Everett Collection

"Their relationship felt like it was only manufactured as a way to keep the drama between Logan and Veronica going. Veronica never showed any interest in Piz until it was convenient to the plot."

—Fabgay

22. Stefan and Caroline from The Vampire Diaries:

Stefan asks Caroline why she has a thing for him, Caroline denies it
The CW

"It was as if the characters only got together because they were the only two single people left on the show."

—radhikaanantha08

23. Joey and Dawson from Dawson's Creek:

Dawson and Joey lying on his bed together
Warner Bros. / Everett Collection

"They always seemed like brother and sister. After we saw the chemistry between Joey and Pacey, Dawson and Joey just felt forced."

—janeaustinismyhomegrl

24. Lola and Saad from Degrassi: Next Class:

Saad: "There's nothing for me here," Lola kisses him
Netflix

"It felt like they were trying to re-create the dynamic from Miles and Lola's relationship, but it was really just Lola supporting Saad, not going both ways. Their romance just seems a little forced now, since we don't really know what a real relationship between them would have been like in the long run. They were cute as friends, but the last thing Saad needed at the time was a romance."

—Anonymous

25. Donna and Randy from That '70s Show:

Fox

"Their relationship was awful, and Randy's character was a terrible addition to the show."

—Dracula Pants

26. Xander and Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

Willow and Xander as vamires
The WB

"The only time they had chemistry was when they were vampires."

—Chrissie_k

27. And finally, Ann and Tom from Parks and Recreation:

NBC

"Do I really need to explain?"

—BarbaricYawp

Reminder that I, Kelly Martinez, do not necessarily endorse these submissions! I personally like Dan and Blair together.

Got a TV pairing that didn't make this list? Tell us in the comments!

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.