Over the years, we have gotten plenty of iconic endgame TV show couples and we just can’t get over their will-they-won’t-they shenanigans. But sometimes, a happy ending is not what the story needs.
Because some characters are better far apart. Still, TV shows will often miss the mark and give us a conventional happy ending instead, leaving us screaming at our screens in frustration. Here are the top 10 such TV couples whose happy endings were difficult to celebrate.
10. Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass in ‘Gossip Girl’
Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick definitely had chemistry, but that alone cannot justify Chuck and Blair’s messy relationship. Their love was intense, obsessive and so damaging.
Chuck’s decision to trade Blair for his hotel was the last straw. The idea that they could still be each other’s inevitable happy ending after all that was too hard to accept. It felt like Blair had a future written for her where she is more independent and respected, and this ending ruined all of that.
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9. Lucas Scott and Peyton Sawyer in ‘One Tree Hill’
‘One Tree Hill’ was really determined to make Lucas and Peyton endgame right from the pilot episode. But then the entire show was spent showing how destructive their relationship actually is.
Poor communication, questionable choices, and repeated betrayals were the markers of their relationship. And it was other people who were usually hurt in all this drama. They just didn’t have the care and stability that makes for a long-lasting partnership. Their ending felt less like a happy ending and more like another cycle of this drama beginning.
8. Rachel Green and Ross Geller in ‘Friends’
Another big endgame TV couple is Rachel and Ross in ‘Friends’, but their ending also doesn’t feel that rewarding. Ross’s jealousy and possessiveness is something that has repeatedly affected Rachel’s personal and professional life throughout the series.
Having her abandon the opportunity in Paris to come back to him just felt like a repeat of that only. It undercut years of her growth as an independent woman, and also ruined any chance for Ross to take accountability for his actions. That entire sequence was something straight out of a rom-com, but Rachel getting on that plane would have been a far more satisfying ending.
7. Carrie Bradshaw and Mr Big in ‘Sex and the City’
Carrie and Big were the inevitable in ‘Sex and the City’, but did we truly find satisfaction at their eventual ending? It hardly erased all the disappointment that came before. Theirs was another relationship so toxic that it felt exhausting to watch.
If the show had ended with both of them separating, at least there would have been some open room for meaningful growth for both of them. But instead, we got yet another familiar and anti-climactic romantic happy ending that we didn’t want.
6. Haley Dunphy and Dylan Marshall in ‘Modern Family’
Haley deserved so much more, and returning to Dylan felt like a step backwards. Her story was moving towards something so special, but it felt like she had to circle back and give up everything for the ending ‘Modern Family’ intended for her.
And when there was a far better romantic partner in Andy, Dylan just doesn’t feel like her right match. With Andy, Hailey showed how much she could mature when she found encouragement and relatability. Plus, Dylan’s resemblance to Phil is kind of unsettling.
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5. Cersei and Jaime Lannister in ‘Game of Thrones’
Jaime did get a pretty interesting character arc in ‘Game of Thrones’. And his return to Cersei in the final moment did make all that development feel completely undone.
But more than that, Cersei and Jaime were two of the most formidable and complicated characters in the entire show. Their death together beneath the Red Keep’s rubble was too underwhelming. They deserved a far better storyline, one that had much more emotional weight than Jaime just returning to Cersei.
4. Ted Mosby and Robin Scherbatsky in ‘How I Met Your Mother’
‘How I Met Your Mother’ is another show that spent its entire course to actually show why Ted and Robin wanted different things and were completely incompatible with each other. Only to turn back in the end and conclude with a frustrating romantic ending.
Killing off Tracy was probably the worst decision the show made. Ted and Robin coming back to each other killed any character growth they had achieved, and that’s why the series ending just doesn’t feel like a proper resolution.
3. Serena van der Woodsen and Dan Humphrey in ‘Gossip Girl’
Serena’s happy ending with Dan requires both her and us to overlook much of ‘Gossip Girl’s history, and that still doesn’t justify it. The revelation that Dan was ‘Gossip Girl’ reframed everything that we saw and how it affected Serena.
Whatever chemistry they shared could not make that history disappear. Serena deserved an ending that didn’t reward the person who repeatedly targeted her. Their marriage was completely and unbelievably absurd.
2. Jackie Burkhart and Fez in ‘That ‘70s Show‘
Jackie and Fez pairing at the end of ‘That ‘70s Show’ felt too rushed and abrupt. Both characters had developed way beyond that. Fez did have a longstanding crush on her, but Jackie’s sudden reciprocation of it just didn’t feel convincing.
In fact, her relationship with Kelso and Hyde was far more compelling. Fortunately, this time we did get to see a different ending when, in ‘That ‘90s Show’, Jackie reunites with Kelso.
1. Aria Montgomery and Ezra Fitz in ‘Pretty Little Liars’
The fact that the show did not even acknowledged the inappropriate relationship between Aria and Ezra, and even made them get married, was just deeply disappointing. Ezra dated Alison when she was just fifteen years old. That might have been even ignored since Alison lied to him about her age. But then Ezra again chose to do the same consciously with Aria.
The series had every opportunity to confront this as exploitation. There was no need to frame it all as romantic and have them have a happy ending together. The actual happy ending would have been with him ending up in jail.
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