Top 10 Most Tragic TV Couples With Happy Endings

“Alias” (2001-06)
In this espionage thriller series from the early 2000s, Jennifer Garner stars as a double agent caught between her job and her budding romance with her handler, Michael Vaughn. Their push and pull is complicated by international supervillains and Vaughn’s eventual marriage to another woman who turns out to be a double agent herself. It’s hard to expect a happy ending when your relationship is directly correlated to the fate of the world. Through all the assassination attempts, near-death experiences, and faked deaths, Sydney and Vaughn manage to find their place in the sun at series end. You can’t say they don’t earn it.

“The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” (2024)
You never know who is going to live and die on AMC’s sprawling zombie franchise. No one is ever safe. Rick Grimes and Michonne lose so many people over the show’s run that it almost stretches believability for them to end up happy and at peace. When Rick actor Andrew Lincoln exited the flagship “The Walking Dead” series, viewers weren’t sure if these two would ever make it. Michonne spends her last while on the original show searching for him. The six-episode miniseries, “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” is dedicated to how they find their way back together and reform their family. Their story ends about as happily as it can given that this is a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies.

“Jane the Virgin” (2014-19)
This CW soap never strayed far from its telenovela inspirations. No happy ending was just handed to anyone. Jane and Rafael’s relationship starts with a child in a very unexpected way, and they work their way backwards from there. But other loves, crime syndicates, and melodramatic subplots constantly get in their way. Ultimately, the thing that makes the show work is how much these two strangers become each other’s biggest supporters. Rafael is endlessly supportive of Jane’s writing career, and she is equally determined to see him end his family’s cycle of violence and toxicity. They end the series married and parenting their happy little accident, Mateo.

“ER” (1994-2009)
The first episode of the long-running medical drama saw troubled emergency department nurse Carol Hathaway trying to take her own life, and ending up being saved by her colleagues. Her ex, Dr. Doug Ross, would spend most of his time on the series trying to figure her out. But they work in the ER. Death and drama is their entire life. Their love affair appears to end when George Clooney leaves the show. However, when Julianna Margulies also departs, they bring him back for a cameo to make sure we know their years-long on-again off-again romance is finally on for good.

“Black-ish” (2014-22)
These two have a lot to juggle, but their shared sense of humor and approach to parenting made their marriage seem solid as a rock for the longest time. In season 4, though, Dre and Bow make the brutal decision to split up. But the one-two punch of their separation and the death of Bow’s father sees them end their split and come back together mercifully fast. Yes, it may not be as dramatic or as some of the other stories on this list, but for a sitcom couple, these two had us in our feelings in the worst way.

“Dawson's Creek” (1998-2003)
Sometimes, timing is everything. Joey Potter and Pacey Witter had a lot going against them over six seasons of “Dawson’s Creek.” From initially having to hide their feelings to never finding the right rhythm as friends, the yearning and teen angst was always dialed up to eleven where they were concerned. Despite them finally getting their happy ending in the series finale, creator Kevin Williamson would later kick the hornet’s nest by suggesting they would be divorced by now – though even he implies it would likely be a temporary rift. Well, we don’t care what Williamson says. These two are together forever in our hearts.

“Glee” (2009-15)
If he had never been tormented at McKinley High, Kurt never would have gone to Dalton Academy, and he never would have met the dreamy, almost impossibly perfect Blaine Anderson. That’s not to say the rest of their relationship was smooth sailing. For every song and dance routine, the ship affectionately known as Klaine had its own brushes with tragedy, homophobia, and infidelity. However, the series finale sees them having overcome these challenges. They are happily married with a child on the way via surrogacy, and they make their living performing, while also giving talks to motivate little ones to go after what they want.

“This Is Us” (2016-22)
The thing about this drama is that it never shies away from the highest highs and the lowest lows of life. On “This Is Us,” Randall and Beth consistently show us what it means to have your partner’s back. Randall’s past sees him abandoned by his biological father, which haunts him even though he lucked out with his loving adoptive family, the Pearsons. The marriage is especially tested in the third season, giving way to some vicious fighting. Through it all, though, they remain together, even as their separate passions and callings threaten their union. They pull through, and there’s even a suggestion in the series finale that the two may make it to the White House together.

“Shameless” (2011-21)
Few of the couples on this Showtime dramedy ever did things the traditional way. Ian Gallagher and Mickey Milkovich were mid-fight when they understood they were into each other. They could be callous and emotionally distant with other people, but together there was always an undeniable chemistry. Through the years, with all the substances, mental illness, and violence that came with their rough upbringings on Chicago’s south side, Ian and Mickey hardly ever wavered. Who else would pull a gun on their own dad to defend their relationship? Well, actually either of them probably would do that for any reason. But that’s why they’re perfect for each other.

“Friends” (1994-2004)
Yeah, they kept us laughing for 10 seasons. But while Ross and Rachel took all that time to finally commit, Chandler and Monica were dealing with the heavy stuff. Their seemingly random hookup at Ross’ London wedding in season 4 saw the creation of the show’s most stable couple. These two experienced more heartache than was ever fair. Fans still wipe tears away over the scene where they find out they probably can’t have biological children. We also get to watch as they come to the conclusion that adoption is right for them. In the series finale, Chandler and Monica are happy, married, and the new parents of infant twins.

What TV couple didn’t get the happy ending they deserved? Let us know in the comments.