From Mulder and Scully to Marge and Homer: Your Favorite TV Couples | television

Miss Piggy and Kermit -Puppet show

The sign of true romance is that a couple is closer than anyone else in the world. As Emily Brontë said: “Whatever our souls are, they are our souls and souls.” This applies to Miss Piggy and Kermit. Their relationship has been longer than most TV couples (since 1976), although it has been turbulent. No matter the universe, from Dickens’ London to Treasure Island to their various TV shows and movies over the years, they find each other – even after their official breakup in 2015. Has Ross ever said to Rachel: “You don’t need the whole world to love you, you just need one person”? i don’t think so. Michelle, 19, Manchester

Mulder and Scully – The X-Files

I watched The X-Files avidly as a teenager. Although I loved the clever and scary stories, it was the character development that kept me hooked. These were the two detectives who broke the mold of television sex: Dana Scully as the grounded, scientific, skeptic, and Fox Mulder as an intuitive believer searching for the elusive truth. The on-screen chemistry between Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny was, and still is, amazing to watch. The show’s creators teased fans for years and denied it was anything more than a friendship, but when they finally got together, it upset us shippers (fans who wanted romance). Natalie, London

Rob and Sharon – disaster

The plot of “Disaster” (and indeed the title) suggests that the unconventional start to their relationship will lead to disaster, but all I’ve seen so far is a bunch of conversations and honesty about all the things, including sex, that we all wish we had in our relationships. Instead of destructive thoughts leading to destructive actions, it is all out in the open and immediately brings them closer. It helps that they’re both insanely charismatic! Anna, 42, London

Sam Tyler and Annie Cartwright – Life on Mars

My favorite TV romance is Sam Tyler and Annie Cartwright in the time travel detective drama Life on Mars. Sam has an accident in 2006 and wakes up in 1973. The subplot of the series follows his attempts to return home but we gradually see his resolve tested by his feelings for the kindly WPC Annie. It’s really moving and comes to a very tense final episode, and the final “will they do it or won’t they?” Tom Whelan, South Shields

Homer and Marge Simpson – The Simpsons

No rudeness. Just a strong, basic love for each other. Add a lot of the deliciousness, patience (not just from Marge!), respect, tenderness, humor, honesty and strength that is brought to all of life’s trials and tribulations – including alien abduction – and there you have it. The perfect TV, and frankly realistic couple. Michael, Bristol

Tim and Don – The Office

It’s very real. The secret longing, the circumstances that come her way, and then the joy of her return at the Christmas party. It made me cry when I saw her open Tim’s gift for the first time, and I smiled when I saw it repeated. They were so natural and it was a pleasure to see them come together. The Office was a masterpiece and this continuing story finished it off beautifully. Tony Murphy, 54, of Congressbury, Somerset

Sophie and the Staths offer apartments

Al and Sophie from Stath Lets Flats still bring a lump to my throat when I watch them. He nervously declares his love for her outside the downstairs bathroom. He says he doesn’t really have any characteristics as a person – he’s just a person he likes. She reminds him of his fondness for spicy food, and asks him, mid-jumping for joy, if it’s okay if she likes him too. Just how you write and act so flawlessly like this, I can’t begin to comprehend it. I suppose it helps a little that your sister is one of the actors? Al and Sophie are two beautiful souls who are ridiculous but completely believable. I hope it’s okay if I like them too. Wendy Kirkby, 52 years old Conwy, Wales

Kirk and Spock – Star Trek: The Original Series

If The Guardian’s list could include JD and Turk, it does He should Includes Kirk and Spock from Star Trek. Kirk and Spock’s friendship is legendary because the affection, devotion, and connection between them is so strong that it has its own word. “T’hy’la” is a Vulcan term coined by creator Gene Roddenberry in the novel Star Trek: The Motion Picture that means “friend, brother, lover.” Kirk and Spock are all these things to each other. Furthermore, fans have been envisioning a romantic relationship between them since Amok Time, the famous opening episode of Season 2, in which Spock succumbs to mating desires and mysteriously disappears after rolling in the sands of Vulcan with his captain. The people (mostly women) who started writing Star Trek fanfiction then essentially created fandom as we know it. Kirk/Spock is more than just a couple on a ship. It’s a legacy! Ollie Glessner, 35 years old, Colorado, USA

Gavin and Stacey – Gavin and Stacey

Gavin and Stacey begin fantasizing about each other, which grows into a true and long-lasting love, despite their idiotic families. They accept each other’s friends as they are. It’s nice to see two people brave enough to be vulnerable. Neither of them wants the upper hand; They only want each other. I still have Stacey’s voice in my head saying, “Gavinnnnnn.” Sadism, 57, London

Shane Hollander and Elijah Rozanov – intense rivalry

Maybe it’s recency bias, but Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov absolutely take the cake for me. The heated rivalry is steamy, yes, but it’s downright serious in its depiction of these two men who clearly yearn for each other even as they lie naked in bed together. The social constructs and professional expectations that Elijah and Shane experience create an idealized forbidden love. The romance is heightened by the extraordinary chemistry between the two leads and a production that sincerely and carefully makes up for what it lacks in budget. Furthermore, its cultural impact has been astonishing for the gay community as well as the worlds of sports and media. Beth Anthony, 27, Norfolk

Willow and Tara – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I can’t express how important this couple was to me growing up. This was the first time I had seen two women represented in mainstream media as being in a loving, romantic relationship. From moving the vending machine to some obviously steampunk flying, I was blown away by their relationship. I knew I loved them well before I knew I loved like them. They showed me that it is possible and okay to exist in a queer space. Plus, they were beautiful women and were great together. Robbie Grant, 38, York

Fleabag and the Hot Priest – Fleabag

The love story between Fleabag and Hot Priest is short but unforgettable. Both are damaged: he grapples with alcoholism and the demands of his Catholic vocation, while she masks grief and guilt with a fragile wit. Despite his faith and her atheism, they fall deeply in love, bound by a rare emotional honesty. Their connection strips away cynicism and defensiveness, exposing raw vulnerability. But it can’t continue. I whispered to her, “It’s God, isn’t it?” And his sweet and heartbreaking answer, “It will pass,” depicts the tragedy of choosing faith over love, even as they quietly heal each other. Ash Coral, Buckinghamshire

Chidi and Eleanor – The Good Place

My favorite TV duo. They’re such opposites, they’re both intelligent in different ways, but they’re great together. I’ve never rooted for a fantasy couple so hard. James Gosnell, 57, Seattle, USA

Cathy and Michael – Mom

The most poignant television romance is between Cathy and Michael in Stefan Golaszewski’s Mum. There is the pain of Michael’s love for Cathy that conflicts with our understanding of Cathy’s feelings. Not only is she dealing with widowhood, she’s actually the person her family depends on. Michael sees all this. He waits. Oh my word, silence… the weight of knowledge. What beautiful writing and outstanding performances from Lesley Manville and Peter Mullan. It’s local ‘real life’, certainly and ideally. Bronnie Mayhew, Hertfordshire

Steed Bonnet and Blackbeard – our flag means death

My favorite TV duo is Stede Bonnet and Ed/Blackbeard in Our Flag Means Death. They are both very different, but they complement each other. Their relationship is messy, but they realize that they are happier with each other than without each other and do their best to be together. Best of all, they depict love and joy in a way that uplifts viewers. There is an importance in talking about emotions and personal struggles rather than trying to “rise up” and be strong and accept people as they are. Whenever I feel sad about all the anti-LGBTQ+ hate in my country, I watch an episode or two to remind myself that David Jenkins gave us something beautiful, respectful, and loving, even if it was only for two seasons. Sylvia Rowe, 58, Jackson, Tennessee, USA

Jerry and Margo Ledbetter – The Good Life

One of the most quietly perfect marriages on British television is Gerry and Margo Leadbetter from The Good Life. Their relationship is built on rhythm, contrast, and sharp comic timing. What makes it so compelling is that Margot is the dominant force in the marriage. She is socially ambitious, privileged, proud of her status, and certain that standards must be maintained. On another show, that might make her unlikable. But Margo is written and played with so much conviction that it’s brilliant. Her control is not rooted in cruelty. It is rooted in anxiety about sliding down the social ladder. Her obsession with appearances, dinner parties, and proper behavior is her armor. Meanwhile, Jeri is not threatened by her power. He is kind, friendly, sometimes arrogant in a small way, but basically good-natured. Instead of competing with Margo, he softens her up. That dynamic—strong heroine, obedient but not weak husband—was particularly refreshing for 1970s television. Mark Hardy, Leamington Spa