Top 10 TV Couples

I thought I'd take a stab at this meme that's been making the rounds. I saw it on Angieville, but who knows where it started...

Here are my Top 10 TV Couples:

10. Homer & Marge Simpson
The Simpsons (1989-present)

We've been watching them for 20 years now, and they're instantly recognizable as one of TV's most famous couples.

I can't say that I'd be as forgiving as Marge. She's put up with an awful lot over the years... from Homer's alcoholism to his ridiculous ineptitude that really should have nuked Springfield by now. But they still care for each other, even after being married all these years.



9. Sydney Bristow & Michael Vaughn
Alias (2001-2006)

I always wanted these two, a CIA agent and her handler, to get together. There was quite a bit of sexual tension between them... which, as it turned out, was far more interesting than their actual chemistry once they got together. Oh, well.












8. Cliff & Clair Huxtable
The Cosby Show (1984-1992)

I just loved this show, period. Cliff's interactions with his wife and kids were just fantastic. This is probably the sitcom I remember most fondly from my childhood. Cliff and Clair were great parents, teaching their kids valuable lessons without being too heavy-handed. And they loved each other, too. That much was obvious. Great show, great acting, great TV couple.










7. Hiro Nakamura & Charlie Andrews
Heroes (2006-present)

This was a short-lived coupling, but a very sweet one. Charlie is a waitress that Hiro meets at a diner in Texas. She has a power: memorization. Unfortunately, this ultimately cuts the friendship short when Charlie is murdered for her gift.








6. Rick Castle & Kate Beckett
Castle (2009-present)

This is a newer TV couple, but already one that I enjoy watching. I can't ever see these two getting together (without the show jumping the shark), but the interplay between them is interesting and entertaining. She's a no-nonsense police detective. He's a novelist who's shadowing her for research purposes. Even though he usually makes a nuisance of himself, the case ends up getting solved (and it's often thanks to Castle's insights, gleaned from years of thinking like a murderer while writing his books). They make a good team.

5. Niles Crane & Daphne Moon
Frasier (1993-2004)

If you were like me, you wanted to cry right along with Niles when Daphne got engaged to Donny. Right from the beginning, Niles was smitten with Daphne, and his feelings only grew as the seasons went on.

Niles and Daphne did eventually get together and, surprisingly, it worked. Whether it was the writing, the characters, or the actors, when these two finally got hitched, you were happy for them.

4. Mike Hannigan & Phoebe Buffay
Friends (1994-2004)

I know most people would probably pick Ross & Rachel or Monica & Chandler when they think of couples on Friends. But Phoebe and Mike were my favourite. I loved the unconventional way they met. And I loved how Mike liked Phoebe because of her weirdness... not in spite of it. It gives all of us less-than-normal people hope.







3. Juliet Burke & James "Sawyer" Ford
Lost (2004-2010)

Because I'm putting these two together, you might assume that I want Jack and Kate to get together, too. I guess so, but I don't find their on-again/off-again romance very interesting. The Juliet/Sawyer dynamic, on the other hand, feels much more real to me. I have no idea if this relationship is definitively kaput or not (with all the twists and turns in Lost, you never know)... but I sure hope that last season's finale didn't spell the end of "Suliet".




2. Beth Turner & Mick St. John
Moonlight (2007-2008)

This was one of my favourite shows of the 2007-2008 season. It was a pity this cheesy, campy (but fun) show didn't last longer. Mick St. John is a vampire (a relatively young one... I think he was in his 80s) who is also a private investigator. Beth is a human who works for an online news outlet. Their paths eventually cross because of a murder case. Beth doesn't find out about what Mick is until a few episodes into the series, and I loved her reaction. After getting over the initial shock, she was almost giddy with curiosity... and Mick was pretty willing to explain things to her (none of this "I'm so depressed about being a vampire that I'm going to be emo for the next 200 years" nonsense).

I think this relationship only would have gotten more interesting. Unfortunately, all we can do is speculate (unless some exec wants to give Moonlight another go; Alex O'Laughlin's new series sucks -- and not in a vampirey way -- so he'll probably be free for such a project soon).

1. Ned & Charlotte "Chuck" Charles
Pushing Daisies (2007-2009)

Yet another victim of network execs who don't know a good thing when they see it, Pushing Daisies introduced us to Ned (I don't think he has a last name... does he?) and his childhood sweetheart, Charlotte Charles (who goes by "Chuck"). These two managed to make a relationship work, even though they couldn't touch each other or Chuck would die... again.

Everything about this show was sweet... from the visuals to Ned's occupation as a piemaker to the romance. At least the two seasons are available on DVD so we can fall in love with one of TV's cutest couples all over again.