Jim and Pam in "The Office." Ross and Rachel in "Friends." Ted and Robin in "How I Met Your Mother." The will-they-won't-they relationships between these characters are a foundation for their respective shows. A force that had us rooting for them as characters. That had us tuning in week after week to see if they came closer to finding a happily ever after in each other's arms. Eventually, they did find it. And viewers all over the world rejoiced. At least, that's what the showrunners intended. Some people found these much-ballyhooed ever-afters to be anything but happy, instead naming them the worst TV couples of all time.
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On the subreddit Fauxmoxi, which touts itself as "The Reddit gossip sub," users shared the TV couples they believe had no business ending up together. A lot of hot takes were meted out, and some strong cases were made for beloved TV relationships actually being toxic and gross. There's a good chance that if you scroll through these takedowns of sitcom twosomes, you'll never be able to look at your favorite comfort television show the same way again—so proceed with caution.
Without further ado, here they are: Cherished TV couples that, upon closer examination, had absolutely no business ending up together.
Warning: major spoilers ahead
ABC Family
Aria and Ezra in 'Pretty Little Liars'
"Number one has to be Aria and Ezra. He was a teacher dating his underaged student and the fact that he ended up marrying her is insane. The PLL writers need to look up the term 'grooming' ASAP." — u/EducationalNail6663
Aria Montgomery and Ezra Fitz's relationship in the TV series "Pretty Little Liars" is a central and controversial aspect of the show. Aria, portrayed by Lucy Hale, and Ezra, played by Ian Harding, initially meet in a bar before Aria discovers that Ezra is her new English teacher at Rosewood High School. Their relationship is characterized by a significant age difference, with Aria being a high school student and Ezra being an adult teacher.
One of the most polarizing aspects of Aria and Ezra's relationship is the moral ambiguity surrounding it. Some viewers criticized the show for romanticizing a relationship between a minor and an adult.
The CW
Blair and Chuck in 'Gossip Girl'
"Prepared for the downvotes but: Blair and Chuck." — u/youarelosingme
Blair and Chuck's relationship in "Gossip Girl" was often viewed as problematic due to its toxic dynamics. Chuck's manipulative and controlling behavior, along with Blair's willingness to compromise her principles for him, made their connection unhealthy. His history of deceit and emotional manipulation created a turbulent atmosphere, with constant breakups and betrayals. Their relationship glamorized unhealthy power imbalances, possessiveness, and emotional abuse. While they had undeniable chemistry, their on-again, off-again saga became a symbol of dysfunction. Some viewers were uncomfortable with the normalization of such behavior, and it served as a cautionary tale about the dangers of romanticizing toxic relationships.
NBC
Ross and Rachel in 'Friends'
"I hate Ross and Rachel together to this day." — u/Jedlgal
Ross and Rachel's relationship in "Friends" was marred by continuous miscommunication and bad timing. Ross's jealousy and insecurity, notably regarding Rachel's coworker Mark, caused friction. Rachel's ambitious career goals, like moving to Paris, clashed with Ross's desire to have her close. One of the most contentious moments was the "we were on a break" argument, which epitomized their inability to understand each other's perspectives.
Fans also cited Ross's unhealthy obsession with Rachel. He exhibited some startlingly problematic behavior that shoots beyond bad-match-for-Rachel territory and straight into I-can't-believe-writers-went-there territory. He helmed a "We Hate Rachel Club" in high school and started a rumor she was intersex when she didn't notice him (big yikes!). He also tried to kiss her while she was passed out at a party—but it turned out to be his sister (big yikes number two!).
FOX
Ted and Robin in 'How I Met Your Mother'
"Ted and Robin in himym. She was never in love with him." — u/Glittering_Mix818
Ted and Robin's relationship in "How I Met Your Mother" faced multiple challenges that ultimately made it a poor fit. Their differing long-term goals were evident from the beginning. Ted wanted to settle down, get married, and have a family, while Robin's career and independence were her priorities. Their misalignment in life ambitions created constant tension and led to Ted's desperation to make Robin fit into his mold.
Furthermore, Ted's lingering feelings for Robin hindered his ability to move on, affecting his relationships with other women. This emotional baggage created unnecessary drama and heartache, making their relationship unhealthy and unfulfilling for both of them.
HBO
Cersei and Jamie in 'Game of Thrones'
"All of Jaime's character development went down the gutter with this one decision." — s4bb472acb
When BuzzFeed posed a similar question to their community, user s4bb472acb responded with their disappointment over Jamie and Cersei ending up together in HBO's epic fantasy series "Game of Thrones." Lots of reasons this one was a bummer. For starters, they're literally brother and sister. Second, it's not the redemption arc we wanted from Jamie, who almost wound up with Brienne of Tarth. His relationship with Brienne—though it lasted all of one episode—was pure and wholesome. But ultimately he strayed from the light and returned to the dark and twisted grasp of Cersei.
ABC
Hailey and Dylan in 'Modern Family'
"I'm surprised no one has said Hailey and Dylan from modern family." - u/DimensionStrange77
Hailey and Dylan's relationship in "Modern Family" was plagued by numerous issues. Mainly, their significant age gap created a notable maturity difference. Hailey was still discovering herself, while Dylan seemed stuck in a perpetual state of adolescence.
Ultimately, fans argued that Dylan dragged Hailey down to her level. Instead of her going on to become a successful career woman, she became the spitting image of her own mother. Many had higher hopes for her.
NBC
Jim and Pam in 'The Office'
"Jim and Pam. Their relationship started with her emotionally cheating on her fiancé and the only thing that really tied them together is the bullying of coworkers. They bring out the worst in each other because they think they're cute." - u/sI4gath0r
Some fans said a relationship built off emotional infidelity and bullying were problematic. Pam was already engaged to warehouse worker Roy when things with Jim began to get serious. And they bonded by picking on their coworker, Dwight.
Others thought Jim did Karen dirty. He convinced her to move to Scranton and be with him even though he was still in love with Pam. Further, he was unwilling to talk about their problems, instead cutting things off without a second thought.
Paramount Network
Kayce and Monica in 'Yellowstone'
Kayce-Monica hate is sure to ring controversial for many people reading this website. We personally love them together. But some viewers took to the "Yellowstone" subreddit r/YellowstonePN to express distaste for this "Yellowstone" couple.
"Kayce and Monica.... Normally I tend to fall hard for TV show couples but man she really annoys me with her moody pouty attitude will they break up for good?" asked u/MakeupLover32.
Others agreed, adding that Monica meeting an untimely demise would improve both the plot and Kayce as a character.
"They missed the opportunity to kill her off during the ranch attacks," said u/Icy-Sun1216. "Her dying would have given Kayce some great character development and would have made the attacks a better plot device."
The WB
Lane and Zack in 'Gilmore Girls'
"Justice for Lane Kim." - u/CassieNicoles
Viewers argued that this was another case of a fan favorite foregoing a potential rockstar life to have children with a mediocre man. She had heaps of potential but was suddenly stuck in a small town with triplets, who came about after the very first time she—ahem—did the deed. Commenter u/SnausageFest wrote that Lane was "scrappy and passionate" and Zach was "almost like a sentient representation of that wasted potential."
HBO
Mr. Big and Carrie in 'Sex and the City'
"Aidan was better end game for her. Aidan was willing to give her everything she wanted and even went back to her after she cheated." - broolprop3
Some fans thought Aidan was a better fit for Carrie than Mr. Big. But user u/candycanestatus retorted that they were "horribly mismatched," adding, "people who want them together mostly seem like fans of Aiden, not fans of the relationship."
Others say Carrie's materialism and self-absorption made her incompatible with anyone but herself. User u/thebetterbad went so far as to question whether Carrie was "capable of love."
Warner Bros.
Ron and Hermione in the 'Harry Potter' series
"RON AND HERMIONE FOR THE LOVE OF GAWD" - u/CollectionFull5254
"JKR imagining literally no one would move on from their highschool sweetheart was so funny to me. IDK how it took people so long to realize she's not that great of a writer." - CemeteryHounds
The subreddit was buzzing with people who found Ron and Hermione's relationship anything but magical. Even author JK Rowling went on to regret her decision in pairing the two of them together. She later confessed that Hermione should have ended up with Harry.
"I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfillment," she says. "That's how it was conceived, really. For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione ended up with Ron."
The CW
Damon and Elena in 'The Vampire Diaries'
"It's like people just pretend he didn't kill her brother in front of her." -- dogerswschamps_2020
Damon's dark and impulsive nature often put Elena and her loved ones in danger. He struggled to control his violent tendencies, leading to several instances of harm and chaos, such as attacking Jeremy and snapping Vicki's neck.
Their love triangle with Stefan created constant tension, with Elena's feelings for both brothers causing emotional turmoil for all involved. Damon's history of manipulative behavior and selfish decisions, like turning Vicki into a vampire against her will, further eroded trust. While they had moments of passion, their relationship was marred by a series of destructive actions and moral dilemmas, making it a problematic pairing.
