20) Roger Sterling and Joan Hollaway Harris (Mad Men)
Sometimes couples who are meant to be end up together at the end, and sometimes they just long to. Roger and Joan have- at least on the surface- a cliche relationship. He's the smug, married head of an ad agency he inherited, and she's his clever, beautiful secretary. Their relationship can best be described as both off-and-on, and usually unofficial. The show alludes that Joan initially began her relationship with Roger as a way to get ahead in the company, though her feelings ultimately grew into love. When Roger's wife Mona divorces him for his multiple infidelities, the time seems right for Joan and Roger to ride off into the sunset, but Mad Men isn't that kind of show. Joan is both too intelligent to believe that Roger would be faithful to her, and too protective of her own emotions to risk being hurt by him, and Roger, poor fool, is too easily charmed by younger, prettier women to truly settle down. They both marry other people- Joan an abusive young doctor and Roger a shallow young secretary- but always long for each other regardless. However, the feelings remain, and the two even end up having a child together, whom Roger never acknowledges out loud, but supports. Oh, what might have been. How easily love is thwarted by human fallacy.
19) Tommy and Cathy (Never Let Me Go)
At its core, "Never Let Me Go" is an exploration of potential humanity. Tommy and Cathy are considered not people at all, not really. They are clones, created to ultimately be harvested for their organs when those wealthy enough to afford the treatment require transplants. They are raised knowing that they will not be alive for long, and are taught not to afford themselves the frivolous luxury of dreams. However, as in this life, we never truly know when love will strike us, and Tommy and Cathy fall in love, and spend the rest of the novel trying to convince others around them that the love they share is both real, valid, and worth preserving. The tragic ending is unbearable, with some fine performances by Andrew Garfield and Carey Mulligan in the film version. As Cathy notes, “What I'm not sure about, is if our lives have been so different from the lives of the people we save. We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time.”
18) Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler (The Big Bang Theory)
After several seasons of strict asexuality and bachelorhood, arrogant super genious Sheldon Cooper met his match. Enter Amy Farrah Fowler, a brainiac scientist who is just as awkward and hyper-intelligent as he is. (She is, however, considerably randier.) Though Penny and Leonard could arguably be considered the show's main couple, Amy and Sheldon (or "Shamy," per the internet) have emerged as their own tour-de-force, constantly pitting their own mutual love of science and knowledge against their friends' more conventional interests. It took about 3 years for them to kiss and a few more years to move to "the coitus phase," but it has been one hilarious ride, and for my money, Sheldon and Amy lend a show that already has brains a beating, endearing heart.
17) Hannah Horvath and Adam Sackler (Girls)
As far as fictional couples go, I have pretty ridiculous standards. I have to be able to see what these people would love about each other, and in the case of Adam and Hannah, that litmus test both fails and succeeds. "Girls" has always been about awful people being awful, and occasionally decent, usually with the "decent" parts thrown in just as the audience is about to bail on the whole endeavor. In the first few episodes, Adam is manic, perverted, lazy, and bizarre. Hannah is needy, self-absorbed, childish, and clingy. BUT, despite all odds, these two weirdos become a truly likeable couple, and as they grow with each other, each becomes more understandable. Adam, particularly, grows from one of the weirdest creations on television to one of the only lovable characters on the series, and you end up rooting for his ambition, his attempts at love, and his own growth. (Not so much Hannah, but that's for another time.) Their relationship ultimately ends when Hannah goes away to graduate school in Iowa and Adam finds someone else, but it was fun while it lasted.
16) Nicky Nichols and Lorna Morello (Orange is the New Black)
Sometimes, love can be found in the strangest of places. Lorna and Nicky are in prison, and neither are particularly stable. Lorna is a habitual liar and obsessive stalker, the kind of girl who still believes "Twilight" is a good book even though she's 25. Nicky is a heroin junkie, the kind of girl who has a quip and snark for every situation, but can't seem to find enough peace in herself to stay sober. They are an unlikely pair, but Nicky's shameless love for Lorna, despite fully seeing her flaws, is truly inspiring. Lorna takes some time to come around to Nicky, because falling for Nicky would mean having to admit that her imagined fiance actually has a restraining order against her, but al love brings about truth, and these two crazy kids eventually end up finding love in each other. It's true what they say- real love will set you free (even if you're in prison.)
15) Barney Stinson and Robin Scherbatsky (How I Met Your Mother)
14) Mary and Matthew Crawley (Downton Abbey)
13) Harry Burns and Sally Albright (When Harry Met Sally)
12) Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark (The Hunger Games)
11) Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan (A Walk to Remember)
10) Chandler Bing and Monica Gellar (Friends)
9) Nick Dunne and Amy Dunne (Gone Girl)
8) Jack Dawson and Rose deWitt Bukater (Titanic)
7) Jack Twist and Ennis del Mar (Brokeback Mountain)
6) Belle and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast)
5) Clementine Kruczynski and Joel Barrish
4) Cory Mathews and Topanga Lawrence (Boy Meets World)
3) Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara
2) Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin (How I Met Your Mother)
1) Gomez and Morticia Addams
