TV Picks: Favourite TV Couples

In celebration of Valentines Day, some of our writers have selected their favourite TV couples and the reasons why their love is some endearing to viewers.

Eleanor and Chidi (The Good Place) – Mufaro Kapfunde 

Existing on two entirely separate ethical spectrums, at first glance Eleanor and Chidi from The Good Place do not seem like they would make for as entertaining and romantically fulfilling a couple as they do. Both are dead and have entered Heaven, however, Eleanor does not belong there because of the way she lived on Earth. Fearing detection, she enlists Chidi’s help to teach her ethics and moral philosophy. But their relationship is not one-sided, as Eleanor is able to help Chidi overcome his inability to commit to a decision. Although they enter The Good Place as soulmates, it takes a full two seasons to see their relationship flourish and that slow burn where every episode they learn something new from one another, learning how to be better people, learning how to relate better with other people. They improve one another and those are always the best relationships.

Sam and Diane (Cheers) – Reece Goodall 

He was a standard-issue jock, a former baseball player now running a bar and flirting with all his female customers. She was an incompetent cocktail waitress who couldn’t pass up a chance to demonstrate her superior intellect and feeling that she was too good for Cheers. Theirs was a coupling that should never have worked but, for five years, audiences were captivated by the love-hate relationship between Sam and Diane. This was in part down to the incredible chemistry between their actors, Ted Danson and Shelley Long, and in part because their relationship felt real. It was not a perfect match in any sense, and they spent about as much time snarking at each other as they did being affectionate. Eventually, the relationship broke down – Diane went off with Frasier (for a bit, at least), and Sam had pretty much the same partnership with Rebecca but, for five years, this unlikely couple was one of the most amusing and most genuine on the box.

Uncle Jesse and Becky (Full House) – Claudia Benitez 

The first couple that springs to mind when you say ‘best TV couple’ to me has to be Uncle Jesse and Becky from Full House. A show that’s a little old, but so gold it’s hard not to love its best pairing. Uncle Jesse initially introduced as a bad boy with an iconic leather jacket and mullet hairstyle. Rebecca Donaldson, his brother-in-law’s co-presenter on a morning TV show, seems almost the complete opposite of him: traditional and professional. It’s hard to not love them and their quirks, and the back and forth one-liners are nothing short of entertaining. Uncle Jesse slowly but surely becomes almost everyone’s favourite character; romantic yet not soppy. For me, there is hardly a better happy-crying scene on TV than that of Uncle Jesse singing his own original song, ‘Forever’ to Becky, it’s a must watch scene. A passionate yet adorable romance, who wouldn’t love it?

Jon Snow and Ygritte (Game of Thrones) – Dan Furn 

First things first, let’s get this straight: I am admittedly not the biggest romance fan, and the internet craze of shipping and the like has largely gone over my head. Yet, in the ultra-harsh world of Game of Thrones the unlikely pairing of bastard Jon Snow and his wildling enemy Ygritte caught my attention. Seeing young, inexperienced Jon Snow tackle his first relationship – as well as question his loyalty to the Night’s Watch – with a tough-yet-vulnerable Ygritte was a surprisingly tender and human arc in a show usually more concerned with political intrigue and gory deaths. Their first time together in a cave also had the rare honour of being one of the few sex scenes in the show that could be described as a love scene, affectionate and necessary. In the sprawling world of Game of Thrones Jon Snow and Ygritte’s relationship was of many doomed romances, but one that clearly stood out for me.