27 Fictional Couples That Will Restore Your Faith In Black Love

From Martin and Gina to Darius and Nina, here are some of the best couples in TV and film history.

1. Darius and Nina from Love Jones

New Line Cinema

I could say a lot, but the poetry in this film's script says it all: "This here, right now, at this very moment, is all that matters to me. I love you. That's urgent like a motherfucker." *snaps*

2. Whitley and Dwayne from A Different World

NBC

These two are fictional black love pioneers! It took forever for them to get it together, but when they were on their love was electric. And don't get me started about when Dwayne crashed Whitley's wedding and asked her to marry him instead. Pookie and Bunny forever.

3. Gina and Martin from Martin

FOX

There's something to be said about a couple that can laugh and be silly together and these two had that down pat. Martin was definitely a handful, but he never stepped out on Gina, and I love that about their particular portrayal of black love on TV.

4. Melanie and Derwin from The Game

BET

It had been a long time since I saw people root for a black couple the way we rooted for Melanie and Derwin when The Game entered our lives on the CW (and later on BET). These two went through everything from infidelity to infertility but their love always proved its resiliency.

5. Synclaire and Overton from Living Single

FOX

He was an endearing handyman and she was the spacey girl next door, but together they gave us one of the purest love stories ever told on TV. *insert Overton singing "shobedobedoo" to Synclaire here*

6. Rainbow and Dre from Blackish

ABC

Fictional love is often super romanticized but Bow and Dre show how great real day-to-day partnership can be. Romantic dates and flowers are nice, but building a life and family together – that's real love.

7. Monica and Quincy from Love & Basketball

New Line Cinema

It wasn't all fun and basketball games when Monica fell in love with the boy-next-door. They both had some growing up to do before they were ready for the kind of love they found in each other, but there wasn't a dry eye in the house when Monica played Q in a game of one-on-one for his heart.

8. Janie and Tea Cake from Their Eyes Were Watching God

Touchstone Television

In the words of the great Zora Neale Hurston (who wrote this love story), these two had the kind of love makes your "soul crawl out of its hiding place." After decades of looking for love, Janine finally found it in fine ass Tea Cake (should've known he was trouble with a nickname like that). Their love story was so passionate and electrifying, it stays with everyone who watches (or reads) it forever.

9. Mia and Lance from The Best Man

Universal Pictures

"Through sickness and health, till death do us part" 💔

10. Moesha and Q from Moesha

UPN

Q was the typical high school bad boy but he loved his "shorty" and she was willing to risk it all to be with him too, even if it meant disobeying her father's wishes. Peak teenage love affair.

11. Doctors Miranda Bailey and Ben Warren from Grey's Anatomy

ABC

It's rare that love gets to do its thing in Shondaland, but thankfully Grey-Sloan Hospital's hardest working doctor finally has the love life she deserves – a man who supports her passion for medicine, isn't intimidated by her drive, and knows when to make her put herself first. (Please let them be, Shonda; they're all we have left!)

12. Maxine and Kenny from Soul Food (the series)

Showtime

All the couples on Soul Food were great, but Kenny and Maxine's marriage stood apart from the pack. Fifteen-plus years of marriage, three children, and a business kept them more than busy but their fierce passion for each other never ceased.

13. Sydney and Dre from Brown Sugar

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Syd and Dre prove why people often say you should marry your best friend. They knew each other better than anyone else and had a bond no one could match.

14. Weezy and George from The Jeffersons

CBS

George was a handful and didn't like most people, but he always loved his Weezy, even if it was in his own way.

15. Mya and Darnell from Girlfriends

CW

When it comes to all the love stories on Girlfriends, Mya and Darnell reign supreme. The high school sweethearts dealt with all kind of obstacles, including divorce, but still found their way back to each other in the end.

16. Jay and Michael from My Wife and Kids

ABC

Another couple that proved laughter is key to a happy marriage.

17. Fancy and Jamie from The Jamie Foxx Show

WB

These two were a great example of how sometimes it takes the right woman to make you a better man. It took Jamie several seasons to win over Fancy and show her that there was more to him than his player exterior, but once he did there was no looking back. Also, who can forget when he sang her his vows at their wedding.

18. Lyric and Jason from Jason's Lyric

Metro Goldwyn Mayer

Lyric and Jason fell in love in a hopeless place and used that love to save each other from a hopeless future. It doesn't get much more beautiful than that. (They also had one of the most-talked about sex scenes of the 90s).

19. Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air

NBC

There was never a dull moment in the Banks household, but Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv always found time to keep their romance alive.

20. Stella and Winston from How Stella Got Her Groove Back

20th Century Fox

Stella and Winston may have started as a fling, but their love for each other grew into something stronger than all of their huge differences (and their haters). It also had everyone running to Jamaica to look for a husband.

21. Laura and Steve from Family Matters

ABC

Ok hear me out, I know Laura rejected Steve for majority of the show and that Steve kind of borderline stalked her, but who didn't cheer when these two FINALLY got together after the longest courtship of all time. True love endures.

22. Angie and Jesse from All My Children

ABC

One of soap opera's longest-running love stories, these two have truly stood the test of time.

23. Florida and James Evans from Good Times

CBS

If Good Times was black America's family, then Florida and James were all of our parents. It was nice to see them maintain a loving black marriage in the midst of their daily struggles.

24. Lisa and Will from Fresh Prince of Bel Air

NBC

Although these two decided not to say "I do" in the end, it was nice to see one of TV's most eligible bachelors fall in love, learn to commit, and give up his womanizing ways for a season. Fun Fact: Smth's now-wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, auditioned for the role of Lisa but didn't get it.

25. Sheila and Troy from Why Did I Get Married?

Lionsgate

After years of enduring an abusive, loveless marriage, it was great to see Sheila get the love she deserved from Troy. Her "I thought God had given up on me...." speech to her girls about the joy their marriage filled her heart with let us know not to settle for any feeling less than that.

26. Sabrina and Jason from Jumping The Broom

TriStar Pictures

It was hard to know if Sabrina and Jason truly had a real love connection after their whirlwind romance and quick engagement, but their love proved to be inspiring after they managed to make it down the aisle despite all the obstacles their families threw their way.

27. Carmen and Joe from Carmen Jones

20th Century Fox

Ok so sure it all ended in murder, but Carmen and Joe's story is still one of the most passionate representations of black love on screen to this day.