20 Best TV Couples of 2021

Roses are red, violets are blue, epic romance feeds me my daily dose of serotonin, how about you?

Television has, and always will be, a way to escape the harsh realities of the world. Action, adventure, horror — there is a myriad of genres to lose yourself in, but after surviving the trials and tribulations of the past few years, there’s nothing quite as therapeutic as a well-crafted, iconic TV romance.

Whether you’re single or happily attached, watching two people fall in love is the perfect escapism — it’s a way to live out your wildest fantasies, invest in captivating character journeys, and feel a specific kind of satisfaction when your favorite couple finally gets together for the first (or tenth) time.

This year certainly delivered its fair share of incredible romantic tropes — childhood friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, star crossed lovers, and more. Teenage, queer, interracial, polyamorous, superhero, and even the devil and a mortal, include just a slice of the diverse TV pairings of 2021. 

There are endless ways to tell the story of love, and this year gave us every single one of them. 

In no particular order, here are the Best TV Couples of 2021:

1. Devi and Paxton (Never Have I Ever)

A high school love triangle for the ages, Devi is torn between two boys in Never Have I Ever Season 2. While Ben — her once nemesis turned love interest — seems like the predictable choice, Devi ultimately finds herself surprised that her feelings for the popular Paxton Hall-Yoshida go deeper than expected. 

What starts off as pure physical attraction develops into a genuine relationship, helping both characters grow into better versions of themselves. Both are so much more than the other expected, and it’s captivating to watch each character surprise, deny, then ultimately give in to their romantic feelings. 

While there is poor judgment, mutual mistakes, and plenty of poor timing, the two ultimately realize what they have is special, and it all culminates in a perfect teen rom-com moment: Paxton showing up to the school dance in a tux, asking Devi to be his girlfriend. 

After he accidentally hits her with his car, of course. Swoon. 

2. Betty and Archie (Riverdale)

Being a fan of Betty and Archie has been a long, tiresome road. A handful of stolen kisses and an endless amount of bad timing gave the impression these two were destined to be ships passing in the night.

After a satisfying — and sexy — friends with benefits storyline at the beginning of Riverdale Season 5, these childhood friends seemed to be turning a corner before ultimately deciding to back away from a full-blown relationship. 

It took until the finale of the show’s fifth season for Betty and Archie to finally realize their longstanding friendship, and incredible chemistry, was tailor-made for epic romance, and the two decided to give being together a real try.

Riverdale Season 6’s time jump has brought plenty of exciting moments for Barchie — balancing salacious bedroom fun with the fight to keep Riverdale protected — making them a new kind of power couple of the series.

While the current detour into Rivervale leads Betty to participate in Archie’s murder (hey, everyone else killed him, too!), the foreshadowing of their pregnancy (and possible engagement), is enough to believe they have a shot at a happy ending. 

3. Max and Helen (New Amsterdam)

There isn’t a single soul who didn’t want Max Goodwin and Helen Sharpe together from the pilot of New Amsterdam, but fans had to wait four seasons before that hope would become a reality. 

After losing his wife, battling cancer, and leading his hospital through a global pandemic, Max finally acts on his adoration for Helen Sharpe in the epic final moments of New Amsterdam Season 3. 

When we pick up with these lovebirds in Season 4, they are fully invested in crafting their future together. Leaving New Amsterdam for a new chapter in London, Max and Helen are in it for the long haul, making compromises in order to assure their place in each other’s lives.

From their incredible bedroom chemistry to the intimate rooftop discussions that solidified their mutual trust, Max and Helen aren’t just two people in love, they are a newfound family. 

4. Michael and Alex (Roswell, New Mexico)

Sometimes it’s all about a waiting game when it comes to romance, and that’s certainly the case for Michael and Alex in Roswell, New Mexico. 

The two had an explosive relationship in their high school years, torn apart by Michael’s immaturity, and Alex’s need to work through his own personal trauma. After Alex returns to Roswell years later, sparks fly, but the two are still can’t seem to get on the same page. 

Even with endless obstacles (and various other relationships standing in their way), Michael and Alex continued to be the most epic star-crossed love on Roswell, New Mexico, delivering some of the show’s most romantic moments.

Season 4 brings about a matured Michael, and a newly well-adjusted Alex. Realizing they would always be each other’s home, the two dive into a relationship head first, with the promise to never let anything come between them again. 

It’s a moment the series has been building from the pilot, and Malex fully investing in one another has been well worth the wait. 

5. George and Nick (Nancy Drew)

Drama, angst, and love triangles are fun, but sometimes a show needs a healthy, stable romance to keep things balanced. 

Nancy Drew understands that assignment, and creates it in George and Nick; two opposites who are unavoidably drawn together, making each other better as they go along. 

George’s cynical heart is softened by Nick, and her presence in his life helps him believe in the longevity of love.

After co-investing in a restaurant together — and surviving some truly wild supernatural terrors — the two decide to take their love to the next level, with a stunning proposal sequence involving all of their friends, family, and heritage. 

They are constantly learning how to communicate effectively, and now that George’s lifespan is no longer shortened by a ghost staking claim in her soul, chances are, these two are in it for the long haul. 

6. Lucifer and Chloe (Lucifer)

Out of all the couples on this list, there is no one who has faced more challenges than Chloe and Lucifer. 

The entire six seasons of Lucifer are a journey towards figuring out how the Devil and a mortal can live happily ever after. 

The two are destined to be torn from one another, and the show’s last season features Lucifer departing earth, and returning to Hell to save souls. As the final moments of the series watch Chloe’s mortal life play out, it’s a bittersweet ending that doesn’t quite feel complete.

In the final moments of the series, Chloe — in the grandest romantic gesture of all time — shows up at Lucifers doorstep, sacrificing an eternity in heaven, to live by his side in Hell, forever. 

The two were born partners from the very beginning, so there is no more satisfying ending than Deckerstar ruling the underworld, hand in hand. 

7. Aki, Audrey and Max (Gossip Girl)

The Gossip Girl revival has taken many creative liberties from its source material in order to be more progressively diverse, but one of its biggest successes is the polyamorous relationship between Aki, Audrey, and Max. 

The thruple consists of three sexual identities — straight, bisexual, and pansexual — giving representation to communities who are routinely and severely forgotten on screen. Aki and Audrey have a relationship spanning years, but when their spark begins to dull, they decide to consider other ways of loving each other beyond the heterosexual norm. 

Their willingness to experiment and grow together is impressively healthy, and watching them recognize their missing puzzle piece in long-time best friend Max, makes for a  genuinely endearing story.

Max’s complex feelings and hesitancy to jump into a relationship with two people in a long-term relationship, add a beautiful complexity to the arc, and their newfound romance is one of Gossip Girl’s strongest narratives.

Imagine if Chuck, Blair, and Nate had given up on fighting and just decided to date each other, instead. Brilliant. 

8. Jamie and Lexi (Saved By The Bell)

What starts out as two best friends, becomes Saved By The Bell’s most adorable couple. 

Jamie and Lexi found each other with an epic kiss in the Saved by the Bell Season 1 finale, but Season 2 reveals they’ve stayed together throughout quarantine. The relationship starts out rocky thanks to the pressure surrounding their long-awaited second kiss but quickly becomes one of the teen comedy’s most healthy couples. 

Jamie’s purely good nature teaches Lexi to be less self-involved, and Lexi helps Jamie heal from his parent’s divorce.

Beyond the simple sweetness of their love, Saved By The Bell is one of the first shows where a transgender teen character exists in a healthy, happy, relationship. Even when conflict arises, it’s never about her gender identity, and Jamie knowing Lexi before she transitioned only makes their dynamic more meaningful. 

9. Emily and Sue (Dickinson) 

Complicated is an understatement to describe the relationship between Emily and Sue in Dickinson, but it doesn’t make their love any less fervent and compelling. 

Sue is not just the love of Emily’s life, she is her best friend and sister-in-law. When Season 3 picks up, the two of them have finally committed to a romantic relationship despite Sue still being married to Emily’s brother (and having an affair with another man).

Things turn arduous when Emily begins sharing poems with someone other than Sue, and the two once again find themselves at odds.

Despite the complexities of their love constantly getting in the way of true happiness, Emily and Sue are two of the most passionate, beautifully written star-crossed lovers on television — not to mention one of the best queer female dynamics. 

With the series finale looming, fans hope Dickinson will stray from real-life Emily’s recluse existence, allowing these two to run off into the sunset together. 

10. Nia and Brainy (Supergirl

Supergirl lucked out when it brought Nicole Maines and Jesse Rath into its world as Nia Nal and Brainy. The two always delivered next-level performances that organically grounded the material. Pairing them up, however, created an environment where fireworks could prosper.

Brainy and Nia’s trajectories as characters were exceptional, with expertly defined personal arcs that lasted them the entire series. Their romantic relationship doubled down on what made them great as individuals and heroes but still left plenty of room to make each other better.

Their love is one of Supergirl’s greatest mainstays, and Maines and Rath’s chemistry is something to remember.

More often than not, their scenes felt like they transcended the episodes they existed in because of how the dynamic pair could carve out space for Brainy and Nia. It was a delight to watch their relationship evolve and their pure love grow over the years, especially in Supergirl‘s final season.

Brainy came back from the future to create a new one with Nia because she was the love of his life. It doesn’t get more fantastically romantic than that! Brainia is a (Super) friends-to-lovers ship that will ultimately go down in the Arrowverse’s Hall of Fame as one of the greats. 

11. Gina and EJ (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

Friends to lovers is great, but there’s something special about enemies to lovers when done right. 

HSMTMTS hits all the right notes with EJ and Gina, who start off as enemies with a common goal, but find friendship, and eventually an unlikely romance, in that commonality. 

EJ and Gina share similar motives, even when they’re meant to be antagonists.

As they grow as individuals, their journeys parallel, turning flaws into strengths. The faith they have in one another helps both characters take chances, and as they heal their hearts, they realize a second chance at love may not be so far off, after all.

12. Wanda and Vision (Wandavision)

When you love someone so much you’ll create an entire alternate reality for them, you’ve definitely found the one. 

Wanda and Vision were an unlikely love story spanning multiple Marvel movies, but managed to grow stronger with time, despite the many life-threatening challenges both of them faced along the way. 

It wasn’t until Avengers: Endgame that Wanda finally lost Vision, and her grief and love for him forced her to subconsciously manifest an entirely different reality in order to keep them together, and Vision alive. 

Wandavision is an incredible pioneer series for many reasons, but Wanda and Vision existing in a relationship without having to save the world is one of its most precious aspects. With each episode set to a different TV show time period, Wandavision showcases how the two Avengers would thrive and exist in every decade, and every reality. 

While Wanda loses Vision in the end, it’s an incredible opportunity to see them marry, have children, and form a loving family. It’s what could have been if circumstances were only different, and hopefully, the two will find each other again. 

13. Waverly and Nicole (Wynonna Earp)

For four seasons, Waverly and Nicole have presented a tender and careful queer love story that fans cheered for.

Wynonna Earp’s final season concluded with their wedding, but not before Waverly squared off against Jolene one more time and almost returned to the Garden. In the end, Nicole saved Waverly agreeing to tie herself to the Ghost River Triangle in a permanent staycation with her future wife.

The final episode gave fans a fairytale wedding fit for a couple that’s always by each other’s side.  As the sun set on the homestead and Purgatory, fans could rest assured that these two iconic characters would forever keep the home fires burning.

14. Zoey and Max (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist)

Everybody loves an underdog. 

Lovestruck Max didn’t exactly have the easiest go when it came to falling for his best friend Zoey. His feelings came out through a heart song before he was ready, and he quickly found himself vying for her attention.

The two couldn’t quite find a groove between friendship and romance, but after venturing on their own and experiencing different romances, Max and Zoey finally realize the answer has always been each other.

The finale of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist not only ends with a mutual love confession, but a transference of power; Max takes on Zoey’s ability to hear songs inside people’s hearts.

When Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas premiered as a follow-up film for the series, the two are happily settled into their love, building a beautiful life together with their friends and family.   

15. Carina and Maya (Station 19)

Sometimes it feels like there aren’t the right words or enough words to describe a ship as great as Maya and Carina DeLuca-Bishop from Station 19.

Their relationship has been a gradual journey across Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19. It’s had its ups and downs, epic highs and lows. Ultimately, these two always find calm with each other. The rest of the world can be on fire, and Marina will find a way through the flames together.

It’s a privilege to watch Danielle Savre and Stefania Spampinato create lightning in a bottle together.

Maya and Carina’s dynamic has evolved so seamlessly that a casual intimacy exists between the pair. It makes the fictional duo feel more like real people we can actively connect with rather than characters on a show we passively watch. We’re talking about things like their cute nicknames (Bambina!!!), the stolen glances, the little mannerisms, and comforting touches.

All of it contributes to the mesmerizing nature of a couple that steals our hearts (nearly) every Thursday night. The Grey’s Anatomy/Station19 world is no stranger to epic loves, and we can safely say Marina is one of our favorites.

16. Jay and Hailey (Chicago PD)

#Upstead fans have been in for a treat this year. Audiences were shipping Jay and Hailey long before they admitted having feelings for one another, and with good reason. Their partnership has been strong and their chemistry undeniable, but as Tracy Spiridakos put it herself, Jay had to figure some things out about himself before they’d be able to make a relationship work. 

Finally seeing them together and watching their relationship progress has been a highlight of Chicago P.D. lately, and their partnership has only gotten stronger. They have each others’ backs, and when things got especially difficult for Hailey this year, Jay went above and beyond.

But rather than letting anything like that pull them apart, it only drew them closer — leading to an extra special moment on the Chicago P.D. Season 9 mid-season finale: a wedding!   

17. Stella and Kelly (Chicago Fire)

Who gets engaged in the middle of a fire? Stella Kidd and Kelly Severide that’s who. Earlier this year, and during the penultimate episode of Season 9, Chicago Fire’s fan-favorite couple finally got engaged.

While the two haven’t made it down the aisle yet, they’ve still been able to bask in the glow of their new relationship status. These two are so strong together and encouraging to one another as they go through career changes.

Kelly started off the series as this commitment-phobic guy, and to see him now completely committed to Stella is a beautiful thing. He does everything he can to make sure she succeeds at everything she puts her mind to — whether it be the Lieutenants exam or continuing to expand her outreach with Girls on Fire.

These two are destined for the long haul and we can’t wait to see what’s next for them. 

18. Spencer and Olivia (All American)

After endless obstacles in their way, best friends Spencer James and Olivia Baker finally admit their love for one another in All American Season 3. While the wait was torturous, these two characters formed a bond with one another that rivaled no other. 

They’ve survived addictions, grieving over dead parents, and even taken a bullet for each other. From foolish teenage drama to real, high-stakes trauma, Spencer and Olivia have proved to be the perfect pairing on every level. 

As they each patiently waited while dating each other’s best friends — and then waited some more as Liv reckoned with her relapse — Spencer and Olivia have weathered the storm.

Their lighthearted Season 4 story filled with romantically blissful and domesticated moments is the perfect payoff to their long road towards love. 

19. Keeley and Roy (Ted Lasso)

Everyone deserves to be with someone who makes them feel like they’ve been struck by fucking lightning. 

That’s exactly what Roy and Keeley from Ted Lasso find in one another. Her sunshiny disposition and his grumpy demeanor make for the perfect opposites attract dynamic.

Roy and Keeley are a phenomenal example of what a healthy, imperfect romantic relationship looks like. Two people who are madly in love, but still deal face issues, like temptations, the desire for independence, and the fear of settling down.

Instead of bailing, the two are open and honest in their communication, working through the sticky moments in order to come out stronger in the end. 

There doesn’t need to be a dramatic breakup in order to keep things interesting. 

Watching crotchety Roy support Keeley’s dreams has been a highlight of the series, and even though Ted Lasso Season 2 ends at a tenuous point for the couple, there is no doubt they will find their way out of the darkness, together. 

20. Beth and Randall (This Is Us)

From the moment This Is Us first aired, Beth and Randall were branded as one of TV’s healthiest couples. For the 5 seasons following, they have proved that theory right. 

The two are constantly exemplifying what a healthy — and realistic — marriage looks like.

Through job losses, mental health struggles, and plenty of family drama, they have been each other’s pillars of strength, patiently working through conflict in order to keep their relationship strong.

One of the most satisfying parts of Beth and Randall’s love story is the ability to watch it manifest through time. It’s easy to fall in love with the Pearson’s as adults, but witnessing their first meeting, kiss, and all the small moments that made them the couple they eventually become, is particularly magical. 

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Did your favorite couples make the list? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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