I admit it – I’m a bit of a TV junkie. I love catching up on my favorite shows whether it’s the latest season of Modern Familyon Hulu or re-runs of Friends on DVD. And in every show, it seems, there’s always that one couple I’m rooting for to come through by the episode’s end (or, at least, the season finale). I’m sure I’m not alone in this when I say I cheered from my sofa when Ross and Rachel kissed outside of Central Perk, danced down the aisle alongside the Dunder Mifflin crew at Jim and Pam’s wedding, and yelled at the TV in frustration when Carrie Bradshaw, yet again, sabotaged her perfectly good relationship with Aidan for a rendezvous with Mr. Big.
I could talk about TV relationships like Ronnie and Sammi’s and their hook-up buddy system, any of the Desperate Housewivesand their partners, or the crazy up-and-down break-ups and make-ups of reality show couples from The Bachelor, but then we would be here for hours. So instead, I’ve rounded up just a few of our all-time favorite couples to show what you can take away from their ups and downs on the small-screen.
Cory and Topanga from Boy Meets World
For us collegiettes™ who grew up in the ‘90s, these two were like a match made in teen TV heaven. They were still high-schoolers when Cory first told Topanga he loved her and they’re a lot like that couple we all know with the freakishly, nauseatingly cute, long-standing relationship. No matter what happened or how many times they broke up, they always found their way back to each other in the end.
TV Love Tip #1: Call it a naive view on the dating scene, but true, long-lasting love is possible. It’s just that no one ever said it would be easy. Sometimes you have to work (a lot) at your relationship.
Jim and Pam from The Office
From cross-cubicle flirting to office pranks, Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly have never made the office romance look better. Who can get enough of the now-famous wedding scene? Two seasons of will-they-or-won't-they tension led up to Jim's heartfelt confession, and Pam broke his heart (and ours) when she didn’t buy into their romance right away. Bad luck in timing led to Pam breaking off her engagement to Roy, Jim’s transfer to Connecticut, and an eventual break-up between Jim and Karen. But eventually, these two coworker lovebirds found their way to each other showing that sparks can fly even in a lackluster workplace like Dunder-Mifflin.
TV Love Tip #2: From inside jokes to pranks, having a good sense of humor is key in keeping the fun in a relationship.
Ross and Rachel from Friends
Who wasn’t rooting for these two? She was a spoiled Daddy’s girl and he was the nerd who loved her since high school. But it was through a series of mishaps, their marriages (to others and one drunk night in Las Vegas with each other) and accidental parenthood that Ross Geller and Rachel Green realized they were meant to be more than just friends… even if it took them ten seasons to get there: I love you. Let’s be together. No, I think we need a break. Never mind, I made a mistake. No, we need to break up. Let’s get married in Vegas! Let’s get it annulled. Oh wait, I’m pregnant. Ugghh, there was nothing more frustrating about the show than Ross and Rachel’s on-again off-again relationship, but I couldn’t help but cheer them on. I just wanted to shake the TV and scream, “Oh my god, just get back togetheralready!”
TV Love Tip #3: If you love each other–that’s all that matters. If you find that your history is getting in the way–don’t let it! Sometimes you just have to stop complicating things for yourself.
