Sitcoms thrive on having a romantic relationship blossom between two of their main characters. This usually begins with the two pining after one another, then, other love interests are thrown in as obstacles, until eventually, by the series’ end, the lovers come together and realize they were always meant to be.
These storylines and tropes can get tiring for audience members, though, which leads them to sometimes become more emotionally invested and interested in the secondary couples on the show. While the main couple is always having problems and trouble communicating, there is a B-plot couple that gets less screen time, but usually has a healthier relationship.
Erin & Andy (The Office)
Jim and Pam were the ‘it’ couple of The Office, but it took three whole seasons for them to start dating. When they finally got together, their relationship didn’t come without its problems, like Pam going to art school or Jim being pursued by another co-worker in the later seasons.
In the background, Erin and Andy had a more organic love story that was simultaneously awkward and adorable. Their pining after each other was accelerated because they were a secondary couple, and their problems were never as front and center as Jim and Pam’s. Even though they didn’t end up together, their storylines were endearing and, at times, more genuine than the main couple’s.
Shawn & Angela (Boy Meets World)
When fans think of Boy Meets World, they think of the epic love story of Cory and Topanga, one that began in middle school and resulted in a marriage surviving in the reboot, Girl Meets World.
However, Cory’s best friend, Shawn, had an epic love story of his own with Angela, who was also Topanga’s best friend in high school. While Cory and Topanga were on-again-off-again and debating whether or not to get married young, Shawn and Angela’s more low-key relationship thrived. It was also one of the first representations of such a young interracial relationship, and they made one another better humans. At the end of the day, it’s easier to just pretend these two ended up together.
Jackie & Hyde (That ’70s Show)
Eric and Donna were the central relationship on That ’70s Show, but in a surprising twist of fate, fans favorited the unpredictable pairing of Jackie and Hyde.
After a tumultuous relationship with Kelso, Jackie found herself having feelings for his best friend, Hyde, who had previously thought her to be vapid and annoying. Their relationship ended up being healthier and more natural than any other on the show, and viewers still hate that they didn’t get their happy ending.
Kevin & Holt (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine has always been more about the friendships within the precinct and solving crime than romance, but Jake and Amy’s frenemies to lovers story did take up a lot of the storylines in the first two seasons.
Meanwhile, Captain Raymond Holt and his relationship with husband Kevin existed more in the background. However, any time Kevin made an appearance a brilliant episode was born, like the missing case of Cheddar or Jake and Kevin hiding in a safe house together. Additionally, fans are still holding out hope for a proper wedding episode for the Captain and his partner.
Jason & Janet (The Good Place)
Fake soulmates turned real soulmates Eleanor and Chidi were the main love story on The Good Place, but fans ended up being more invested in the surprise relationship that emerged between Jason and Janet.
Jason fell for the not-robot-not-girl and even proposed and wed Janet. When one of the many resets occurred and Jason forgot they had married and pursued a relationship with Tahani, Janet grew jealous, an emotion she wasn’t supposed to be able to feel. By the end of the series, the two were able to be together for as long as they desired.
Schmidt & Cece (New Girl)
New Girl primarily focused on Zooey Deschanel’s Jess Day figuring out life after a painful breakup and moving in with three guys. She fell in love with one of those men, Nick — though it took the two of them nearly seven seasons to commit to one another for good.
Jess’s best friend, Cece, found love in secret with her other roommate, Schmidt. Despite a few bumps in the road of their own, they got married in season 5 and became parents in season 7. While Jess and Nick were never on the same page, Schmidt and Cece were, and never seemed to be apart for long.
April & Andy (Parks And Recreation)
Andy Dwyer began the series as the loser boyfriend of Ann Perkins, but he quickly developed feelings for Leslie’s stone-cold assistant, April Ludgate.
While Leslie and Ben pined after one another, April and Andy entered a serious relationship instantly and surprised their friends by wedding at a party at their house. Their marriage endured exes, career changes, and long-distance, and by the series end, they became parents. April and Andy were weird and total opposites, but they somehow made perfect sense together.
Lily & Marshall (How I Met Your Mother)
Ted may have fallen for Robin immediately on How I Met Your Mother, but he spent the entire series attempting to woo and get over her. Meanwhile, college sweethearts, Marshall and Lily, maintained the secondary couple who went through it all together.
Though they got off to a rocky start after becoming engaged, Marshall and Lily found their way back to one another and came back stronger than ever. They got married, had children, moved into a house, and supported each other in everything they did. If Ted’s idea of true love did exist, it wasn’t him and Robin — it was Marshall and Lily.
Carla & Turk (Scrubs)
J.D. and Elliot took years to get together on Scrubs, but J.D.’s best friend Turk found love immediately with nurse Carla.
Turk and Carla’s relationship was more straightforward and stable than J.D. and Elliot’s, though they remained the secondary couple for the run of the series. They weren’t without their problems, but they resolved them quickly and learned to communicate in a healthy way. They eventually married and had two daughters, and helped each other grow from their first episode until their last.
Monica And Chandler (Friends)
Friends primarily focused on the will-they-won’t-they love between Ross and Rachel, but the surprise pairing of Monica and Chandler was the more successful relationship on the show.
Once Monica and Chandler realized their feelings for one another, they were in for the long run. Fans got to watch as they declare their love, proposed to each other, got married and started a family. All the while Ross and Rachel went back and forth leading up to the finale, Monica and Chandler had built a relationship based on love, trust, and friendship.
