Top 10 TV Relationships No One Knew They Wanted Until They Happened

From the first season of the show, Dwight and Angela established themselves as two of the most unlikable employees at Dunder Mifflin. Despite their unpleasant personalities, it’s clear that they’re made for each other when they start a secret romance in the office. Even when Dwight kills her cat Sprinkles and ruins their relationship, they manage to carry on an affair during Angela’s engagements to Andy and Senator Robert Lipton, the latter of whom becomes her first husband. When Dwight and Angela are finally married by the end of the series, who thought we would be rooting for this hilariously unfriendly couple?

As mortal frenemies, Sam and Freddie’s relationship is largely based on teasing and taking revenge on each other. Especially with his long term crush on Carly, there didn’t seem to be any hint of romance between Freddie and tough, tomboyish Sam. After they agree to have their first kiss together “just to get it over with,” Sam struggles with her crush on Freddie, which causes their dynamic to change completely. Even though they still love each other when they decide to break up, this brief romance captured the confusing uncertainty of being in love as a teenager.

Like many other couples in this list, this pair’s first impression of each other wasn’t the best. When Rick and Michonne first meet in the third season, she’s covered in zombie guts while carrying supplies intended for his newborn baby. Rick’s decision to accept her into the group turns out to be one of the best decisions he makes. Over time, these two resilient and independent survivors develop a strong sense of care and trust for each other through the post-apocalypse. Even though this relationship wasn’t written in the comic book series, their growing friendship set the stage for a believable and natural romance on TV.

From the beginning, he had his eyes set on Elena, even rejecting Caroline’s advances in the first episode. Things start to change after this It Girl becomes a vampire, and through Stefan’s help and mentorship, her transformation causes her to become more mature and responsible. Interestingly, when Stefan loses his memory, Caroline is one of the only people he still trusts. Over time, they faithfully support each other through their relationship struggles, but eventually their platonic friendship grows into love. For eager Steroline fans, seeing this pair walk down the aisle in the penultimate episode of the series was a relief.

These two surprisingly have a lot in common: they’re both emotionally aloof, terrified of being tied down, and love a good scotch. Barney is a notorious womanizer, and career-driven Robin was never one to commit, so when they first got together, no one thought it would last. The timing was always a bit off for this couple, as they go through their rough patches and sadly watch each other date other love interests. Even though we find out they divorced in the controversial finale, they brought out the best in each other and helped each other grow as individuals.

At first, it seemed that the only thing that these two teens had in common was being friends with Zoey. For most of the show, their interactions were largely made up of insults. When Quinn is dumped by her longtime boyfriend Mark, her relationship with Logan takes a sudden romantic turn. Logan is the one that ends up comforting her about the breakup, which leads to a shockingly passionate kiss. Because they’re ashamed to be seen together, they agree to date in secret while pretending to hate each other in front of their friends. By the end of the series, they can’t hold it in anymore and announce their love at the prom.

Jackie and Kelso could be equally clueless and shallow, but that’s why they made sense as a couple. Hyde, however, disagrees with Jackie on every level and often finds her superficial and irritating. Over time, it’s obvious that Hyde develops a soft spot for her, and even acts as her source of protection and comfort. He even works hard to get Kelso caught in his cheating ways, without actually telling Jackie what’s been going on behind her back. When they finally get together, it’s heartwarming to see these two polar opposites help each other communicate and mature in their relationship. After a complicated love triangle with Kelso however, any hope of Jackie and Hyde getting back together is gone by the end of the series.

For the longest time, C.C. makes frequent appearances at the Sheffield house to hopelessly pine after her clueless business partner, Maxwell. She becomes the easy target of witty one-liners and quick insults from Niles, the butler. Interestingly, their long-lasting rivalry seems to conceal a deeper, passionate chemistry. Even Daniel Davis, the actor who played Niles, was caught off guard by the decision to bring this couple together. Following a surprising and intense kiss about halfway through the series after Niles humiliates C.C., their relationship changes from an antagonistic one to one in which Niles ends up proposing to her on multiple occasions. They ultimately marry and discover C.C. is pregnant in the series finale.

As a guest star in the first season, Chris Pratt’s goofy and lovable performance won audiences over and earned him a spot in the main cast. Played by the hilariously deadpan Aubrey Plaza, April the intern seems to dislike everything and everyone related to her job -- until Andy breaks her out of her shell. According to Plaza, that first spark of romance between April and Andy happened when she ad-libbed this line in the first season. The chemistry became real when the two were stuck together in the office while the rest of the department was on a hunting trip. These two opposites quickly became an essential couple on the show, as her dry sarcasm and his lighthearted silliness work in perfect harmony.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Jackson Avery & April Kepner
“Grey’s Anatomy” (2005-)

Clarke Griffin & Lexa
“The 100” (2014-20)

James "Sawyer" Ford & Dr. Juliet Burke
“Lost” (2004-10)

Schmidt & Cece Parikh
“New Girl” (2011-18)

For the show’s writers, the possibility of another romance within the group was too good to be true, especially after Ross and Rachel’s drama in the earlier seasons. It also didn’t seem believable to have Monica and Chandler get together in New York, but an accidental hook-up in London for Ross’ wedding was a surprise that definitely worked. This couple delivered the hilarious drama of the show’s fifth season, as the two tried to keep their relationship under wraps while the rest of the group gradually found out. With their engagement, marriage, and plans to have children, fans loved to see Monica and Chandler go the distance.