21 TV Relationships That Actually Happened Because The Actors Had Such Undeniable Chemistry

Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson's chemistry as Lorelai and Luke on Gilmore Girls was too good to ignore.

There are some spoilers ahead!

1. Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson as Lorelai and Luke on Gilmore Girls.

Warner Bros.

Originally, Luke was supposed to be a female character named Daisy, but the network asked creator Amy Sherman-Palladino if she could add another male character to the series. So, Amy simply took Daisy and changed her name to Luke. After filming a few episodes, Amy explained that the chemistry between Lauren and Scott was too amazing to ignore, so they eventually decide to explore Lorelai and Luke's relationship. Speaking about their chemistry, Scott said, "I knew it from the moment we met, and I knew it was going to work on screen. We just had a rhythm." Meanwhile, Lauren loved how Luke and Lorelai were opposites and found their way to each other.

2. Naya Rivera and Heather Morris as Santana and Brittany on Glee.

Fox

Before Santana and Brittany became one of the most iconic LGBTQ TV couples, they started out as a pairing fans hoped would eventually happen on screen because of Naya and Heather's unmatchable chemistry. Well, it turns out the writers listened and that's why they ended up together. "[The fans] should take credit for that," Naya said in an interview right after Santana officially came out in 2011. She continued, saying, "Who knows if the writers would have taken that relationship so seriously if there hadn’t been such an outpouring for them to get together." Naya and Heather's chemistry took the couple far on Glee, and Naya consistently talked about how much she loved being a voice for the LGBTQ community.

3. Matthew Perry and Courteney Cox as Chandler and Monica on Friends.

NBC

In Friends: The Reunion, the creators reminisced on how the audience loving Matthew and Courteney's chemistry helped them realize they should pursue Chandler and Monica's relationship even more. Originally, Monica and Chandler were going to be a "brief thing," but the writers quickly decided to rethink their plan after seeing the reaction to the London episodes. When it was revealed that Monica and Chandler were in bed together, the audience went wild. Marta Kauffman explained, "The way the audience reacted, we realized there's more to this and we need to pay attention."

4. Candice King and Joseph Morgan as Caroline and Klaus on The Vampire Diaries.

The CW

Caroline and Klaus quickly became one of the most beloved pairings on The Vampire Diaries, and it's all thanks to Candice and Joseph's undeniable chemistry. In fact, their chemistry was so incredible that it "derailed" one of Caroline's other relationships. Creator Julie Plec revealed that Stefan and Caroline would've gotten together sooner, but they decided to explore Caroline and Klaus's mutual attraction to each other. According to Julie, the scene that "birthed the chemistry" between Caroline and Klaus was when Klaus heals Caroline after Tyler bites her. "Candice had chemistry with everybody, and Caroline, as a result, had chemistry with everybody," Julie said.

5. Kat Graham and Michael Malarkey as Bonnie and Enzo on The Vampire Diaries.

The CW

Kat and Michael's instant chemistry was so apparent that one small scene ended up changing the entire course of their relationship on the show. Creator Julie Plec explained that when the duo shared a scene at the front door of the Salvatore House, she started "quietly shipping" Bonnie and Enzo. So, when Season 7 rolled around, the writers decided to make Bonnie and Enzo a couple and gave fans a flash-forward where we saw them together. "I liked their chemistry and the fun potential of two characters who have every reason not to like each other," Julie explained. "As Kevin [Williamson] always says, 'Hate is just love turned inside out.'"

6. Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson as Joey and Pacey on Dawson's Creek.

Warner Bros.

Katie and Joshua's chemistry was something creator Kevin Williamson knew they wouldn't be able to ignore forever. For the show's 20th anniversary in 2018, Kevin revealed that Katie and Joshua had "instant chemistry," saying, "We all saw that and we were like, 'OK, uh, [do we pair them up in] Season 3? Season 2?!' We saw that chemistry between Katie and Josh and decided it would be the thing that breaks up Dawson and Joey and that it would come between Dawson and Pacey's friendship." In real life, Katie and Joshua dated as well.

7. Neil Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders as Barney and Robin on How I Met Your Mother.

CBS

During the early HIMYM seasons, Neil was "actively trying" to make Barney and Robin's relationship happen. "I [would] talk to the writers and I was pitching it," Neil began. "I'd try to do little things in our scenes together where I gave her an extra look and an extra glance." Between Seasons 5 and 6 is when the creators decided that Barney and Robin would eventually get married and the chemistry between the two characters couldn't keep being ignored. Of course, due to the nature of the series and the ending having been decided years before the series finale, Barney and Robin's relationship didn't last and Robin and Ted ended up together.

8. Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards as Oliver and Felicity on Arrow.

The CW

In the documentary episode Arrow: The Final Bow, the creators discussed how Emily was originally hired as a one-day guest star, but her chemistry with Stephen was so amazing, they kept having her come back for more episodes. Eventually, Emily was promoted to a series regular and it ultimately changed the course of the entire show. Like in the comics, the original idea for Arrow was to have Oliver and Laurel be the central relationship, until the creators pivoted to Oliver and Felicity because of Stephen and Emily's chemistry. Emily ended up departing the series ahead of the final season, and Stephen Amell said, "To me, the show, as we constructed, ended when Emily left."

9. Noel Fisher and Cameron Monaghan as Mickey and Ian on Shameless.

Showtime

Originally, Noel was only hired to do a few episodes of Shameless when it first premiered in 2011. Noel's unbelievable chemistry with Cameron was one of the main reasons the writers kept Mickey around, and eventually, he even began to dictate Ian's storylines. "Ian and Mickey’s storyline has really meant a lot to people for many different reasons," Noel explained when asked about why he thinks fans gravitated toward Mickey and Ian from day one. Speaking about his friendship with Cameron and how it comes across on screen, Noel said, "We joke a lot, we have similar senses of humor. And one of the things that’s been so cool about going through this 10-year swath of time is getting more and more comfortable and getting to see each other grow up."

10. Jennifer Morrison and Colin O'Donoghue as Emma and Hook on Once Upon a Time.

ABC

Jennifer and Colin's chemistry was apparent from the start, so much so that Colin was bumped up to a series regular before his first episode even aired. When Hook and Emma's first kiss finally happened, Colin said the pairing was something that was "always sort of in the background" after everyone realized the chemistry between Jennifer and himself. Emma and Hook became a fan-favorite couple from the minute they shared a scene together, and "Captain Swan" became one of the most popular couples on the show until it ended in 2018.

11. Sara Ramirez and Jessica Capshaw as Callie and Arizona on Grey's Anatomy.

ABC

When Jessica joined Grey's Anatomy in Season 5, she was originally only supposed to appear in three episodes. However, Shonda Rhimes decided to try and explore Callie and Arizona's romantic relationship after seeing Jessica and Sara's chemistry. "Shonda had this idea that my character could present a storyline for Callie," Jessica recalled. "It was an experiment to see what worked. It just kind of kept working." Of course, Callie and Arizona became not only one of the biggest Grey's couples, but an important LGBTQ relationship on TV in general.

12. Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz as Bones and Booth on Bones.

Fox

Creator Hart Hanson knew from Emily's first audition that she would be perfect to play Dr. Temperance Brennan, aka Bones, and her chemistry with David was instantaneous. "Chemistry is impossible to find," Hart explained. "When you see it in a scene, you are the luckiest people on the planet. Here we had this incredible chemistry between these two and bam — 12 seasons." Emily and David's natural chemistry led to the show going down the romantic route with the duo, which is something fans clamored for. "The idea was if we were going to get them together, we’d do it at the last possible moment," Hart recalled. The writers eventually pitched the idea to Emily, David, and the network, who were all on board.

13. Erika Alexander and T.C. Carson as Maxine and Kyle on Living Single.

Fox

Erika and T.C. knew they had chemistry from the start, so it came as no surprise when the writers started to put Max and Kyle together. "The first season, they paired Maxine up with going back and forth with Regine a lot," Erika explained. "But then, as it moved forward, they saw that the real foil and the back and forth, the real fire, was between [T.C.] and me as [Kyle and Max]. And then they had something." Erika loved working with T.C. because she knew that if the writers gave them scenes together they would know "how to hit it." She continued, saying, "The audience loves that, they love that we knew how to dance with each other. What they’re watching is very delicate, and again, it has nothing to do with even the words on paper. It’s about chemistry and it’s about luck."

14. Zooey Deschanel and Jake Johnson as Jess and Nick on New Girl.

Fox

When New Girl was being cast, the producers could tell Zooey and Jake had chemistry, not just romantic, but also that they had a great ability to riff off of each other. The writers originally "fought against" putting Jess and Nick together romantically, even though Zooey and Jake's chemistry was through the roof from Episode 1. Zooey joked that they would film scenes early on and the writers would be like, "Don't touch him. Don't look at him," because there was "too much chemistry." The writers pushing off a Jess and Nick relationship didn't last too long, considering their first kiss came in Season 2, Episode 15.

15. Julianna Margulies and George Clooney as Carol and Doug on ER.

NBC

While Carol and Doug became one of the most iconic TV couples and helped propel Julianna and George to stardom, the plan wasn't always to have these two get together. In fact, Carol was originally supposed to die. Julianna's work opposite George in the first episode of ER ended up being so well-received that she was brought back. "I owe my career to George Clooney," Julianna explained. "My character died in the pilot of ER, and I was about to sign on to a very not good sitcom because I came back to New York and I needed a job. He called me out of the blue, kind of put his neck out on the line for me, and said, 'I overheard that your character tested well and if I were you, I wouldn't take another job because I think they're gonna bring you back to life.'"

16. Danielle Savre and Stefania Spampinato as Maya and Carina on Station 19.

ABC

Maya and Carina quickly became an unexpected and fan-favorite couple when they first shared a scene in Season 3 of Station 19. At the time, showrunner Krista Vernoff had Stefania guest star on Station 19 as a way to "better connect the two Shonda Rhimes-produced dramas" and the writers quickly realized how electric Danielle and Stefania's chemistry was. Stefania is now a series regular on Station 19 and Maya and Carina tied the knot in the Season 4 finale. Danielle and Stefania's chemistry has been remarked by fans as one of the best in the Grey's Anatomy universe. 

17. Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira as Rick and Michonne on The Walking Dead.

AMC

Andrew and Danai's natural chemistry could be seen by anyone who tuned into an episode of The Walking Dead, so it's no surprise fans began to ship the two characters right away. Although Andrew and Danai often brushed off questions about Rick and Michonne dating, they eventually shared their first kiss in Season 6. "We wanted it to be these two grownups and warriors who love and respect each other. That's a given," Andrew began. "Then they get completely surprised in this moment. And then they look at each other and say, 'Of course.'" The romance between Rick and Michonne is one of the biggest departures the series has taken from the comics over the course of its run. In the comics, Rick actually ends up with Andrea. 

18. Kieran Culkin and J. Smith-Cameron as Roman and Gerri on Succession.

HBO

Roman and Gerri's playful will-they-won't-they romance on Succession started to happen because Kieran and J. would riff with each other while filming and the writers saw their chemistry. "I would flirt with J. in the most obnoxious way, just to fuck around," Kieran said. Meanwhile, J. recalled filming a moment in the Season 1 finale when Roman and Gerri check out each other's butts at Shiv's wedding. "I remember the writers all laughing," J. hilariously said. "It never occurred to me that it would inform anything they wrote."

19. Madelaine Petsch and Vanessa Morgan as Cheryl and Toni on Riverdale.

The CW

Madelaine and Vanessa actually became friends before Vanessa was cast on Riverdale, so they already had a great dynamic together. As soon as fans found out, they started hoping Cheryl and Toni could become a couple. In fact, Madelaine sent a comment to creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa that read, "Vanessa and Madelaine are best friends in real life. Like, it’d be crazy if they, you know, got together on the show." Roberto responded with, "Lady, you never know," and it eventually became a reality. Talking about Vanessa joining the cast, Madelaine said, "I think the minute that [Roberto] put her on the show he knew — he decided what Cheryl’s sexuality would be. I had been really pushing for it. He had been pushing for it. So, from the minute she came on, we both knew that it was happening."

20. Troian Bellisario and Keegan Allen as Spencer and Toby on Pretty Little Liars.

Freeform

Pretty Little Liars had so many memorable relationships during its seven season run, one of which was Spencer and Toby. According to series creator I. Marlene King, the writers simply had an idea for Spencer to tutor Toby in French in order to get information. Once Troian and Keegan filmed the scene, everyone realized they had incredible chemistry. "The chemistry they had was so interesting," she said. "We wanted to push it toward a romantic place." Spencer and Toby ended up dating off and on throughout the show and eventually ended up together in the series finale.

21. And finally, Dylan O'Brien and Holland Roden as Stiles and Lydia on Teen Wolf.

MTV

Dylan and Holland's chemistry as Stiles and Lydia was undeniable since the dup started sharing scenes on Teen Wolf, so it's not surprise that they became a fan favorite pairing. Dylan explained that he loved how different Stiles and Lydia were and it made their chemistry all the more exciting. Meanwhile, Holland loved getting to play around with Dylan and explore Stiles and Lydia's chemistry, even before their relationship became more romantic. Creator Jeff Davis always called Stiles and Lydia "our David and Maddie from Moonlighting, basically, and it's nice to see that relationship growing and to see these scenes." He also said, "[Dylan and Holland] are really fun together, they’ve such good chemistry on screen together."

We can't fit everyone into one post, so tell us what other TV couples became canon because the actors had amazing chemistry in the comments below!