5 TV Couples Who Should Have Ended Up Together
I can’t help but have some strong opinions about the television shows I have watched over the years. From universally hated finales to unhealthy relationship pairings, even our favorite TV shows will disappoint us from time to time.
This week, we’ll talk about the ones that got away – the TV couples who should have been together when the series ended.
5 TV Couples Who Should Have Ended Up Together
1. Dan and Blair (Gossip Girl)
At the start of the series, Dan and Blair come from very different worlds and have nothing but disdain for one another. As the seasons wear on, we learn that the two actually have a lot of common interests and chemistry of their own. They form a very close friendship that eventually evolves into a brief relationship, but the writers quickly force a breakup. Blair ends up with the emotionally and physically abusive Chuck (who once traded her for a hotel), while Dan ends up with the aimless Serena. Moral of the show? Shared interests and the ability to have real conversations are nothing compared to rocky relationships with emotionally unavailable people! (“Dair” was pretty great while it lasted, though, and it definitely made the show a lot more interesting.)
2. Shawn and Angela (Boy Meets World)
Many of us grew up watching Boy Meets World and wanting the idyllic Cory/Topanga relationship. To me, the more interesting couple was always Shawn and Angela. Shawn, Cory’s best friend, had a rough family life and difficulty staying in a relationship longer than two weeks. Angela was the first girl he really committed to, and his character grew a lot during that relationship. They part ways when she leaves for Europe, but the couple never really gets closure.
3. Rory and Jess (Gilmore Girls)
First of all, I hated Rory’s Yale boyfriend, Logan. I was happy to see that she breaks things off at the end of the series and leaves for her dream job (a positive portrayal of a young woman who temporarily chooses career over relationship). If Rory was meant to be with anyone, it was always Jess. Although a troublemaker who doesn’t always know how to be the best boyfriend, Jess grows in his relationship with Rory. Much like Dan and Blair of Gossip Girl, the two have some very real shared interests.
Jess ultimately grows up, achieves some of his goals and becomes a better version of himself. In some ways, he and Rory are at a much more similar point in their lives by the end of the series. I’d like to think that after Rory fulfills her dream to work with Christiane Amanpour and Jess publishes his next novel, the two settle down and live a happy, drama-free life together.
4. Jackie and Hyde (That 70’s Show)
I know that everyone is looking back nostalgically at Jackie (Mila Kunis) and Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) because of the actors’ IRL relationship, but I always preferred the coupling of Jackie and Hyde. Although an unlikely pair, the two characters work well together and develop considerably throughout the relationship. Things go downhill when Jackie demands an engagement and Hyde marries a stripper. With the way the show was written, it all felt like a wild misunderstanding that would eventually be resolved. However, the writers never seemed to explore the relationship again, instead bringing Jackie and Fez together in a final season that felt a lot more like fanfiction.
5. Ted and Tracy (How I Met Your Mother)
Yes, readers, I am still mourning this devastating loss! The show opens with the story of how Ted met Robin, a woman he immediately thought was the love of his life. We quickly learn that she is not the Mother. Ted and Robin date for a few seasons, but have some fundamental differences and eventually split. Over time, we realize Robin truly is not The One for Ted. He finally lets her go right before she marries his close friend, Barney. At the wedding, Ted meets the bass player, Tracy, and immediately falls for her. During their conversations, we quickly see how perfect they are for one another – their pronunciations of “Renaissance,” their dorky shared interests, the many ways they unknowingly crossed paths over the years.
The writers do a great job of convincing us that Tracy is Ted’s soul mate, the one who made nine seasons of heartbreak all worth it. Then, after the characters meet, Future Ted reveals that Tracy died and that he’s in love with Robin again. The entire episode felt like a slap in the face and like complete regression of his character. But the writers stuck to the ending they had planned years earlier, ultimately disappointing fans. After all Ted has been through, he deserves his happy ending with Tracy!
I kind of skipped out on the last few seasons of How I Met Your Mother, so when Ted was back with Robin for the finale, I actually really liked the end! But all the fans that did watch all the episodes were upset. I think they wrote a too-good of a mother and got tangled up in the storyline. I’m one of the few that thought the ending was perfect, but then I never fell in love with the mother.
That’s what I’ve heard from a few people who either watched the whole show in a shorter amount of time (so that Ted’s relationship with Robin was still fresh) or those who skipped seasons or didn’t get to know the Mother. I had actually really wanted it to be Victoria the entire time, but I felt like the show had done such a good job of pairing Robin/Barney that I couldn’t really see her with anyone else (and I thought the Mother was great for Ted). I’m glad you enjoyed the ending though! I actually really loved most of the finale – just not the last couple of minutes. 🙂
Jackie&Hyde!!! I don’t care real life relationships there should be a reunion show where we learn these two ended up together ultimately:) About HIMYM I simply see “alternatee ending” as the canon ending and the original one as a April Fools joke:) (we can think season 8 of that 70s show as a fanfic really, everyone is that much out of character-a really bad fanfic) and Dan&Blair they made me fall in love with them even though i was a hardcore dan&serena chuck&blair shipper and i am not kidding i wrote very angry things about possible “dair” before they become closer and closer and the relationship became adorable especially Dan’s love for her. So the ending is like a really bad sequel ending to Dan’s book(which Dan was forced to write that way by the publishers or sth) headcanon is good for your health!
Wow! I don’t know how I could have possibly forgotten Jackie & Hyde. I loved them so much… her ending up with Fez also felt like awful fanfiction!
I still haven’t seen the alternate HIMYM ending but the original one really does feel like an April Fool’s joke… I felt personally betrayed by the writers! 😛
Thank you for your comment – glad to see we are likeminded on this!
Dan and Blair are my favorite tv couple. Welp stupid writers
I felt the same way! I still feel betrayed by the writers’ choice to put Chuck and Blair back together (AND Serena and Dan, who – by the way – share a sibling). Dan and Blair made so much sense!