At the center of most TV dramas is romance and usually a central couple. While most series end with these couples finally getting together or professing their love, some other shows have surprised fans with the final couplings and audiences still aren’t over it! Here are some popular TV characters from past television series that definitely ended up with the wrong person:
20. Shawn Hunter- Boy Meets World/Girl Meets World
Since all Boy Meets World fans knew that Cory and Topanga were destined to be together, most wanted to know what was going to happen with Shawn Hunter. After being the resident bad boy and womanizer, things seemed to change for Shawn when he met his match in Angela, and fans were devastated when Boy Meets World came to an end with the two split up. When the spinoff Girl Meets World brought many of the characters back, fans held out hope that the show would have Shawn and Angela reunite, but instead Shawn ended up with Katy, the mother of Cory and Topanga’s daughter’s best friend Maya. While Katy was nice, she certainly wasn’t Angela and a big disservice was done to Shawn and Angela by having Shawn end up with Katy instead.
© ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection19. Sookie Stackhouse – True Blood
For seven seasons True Blood took fans on a wild ride with Sookie Stackhouse which included quite a few major relationships with the two biggest being with Eric and Bill. As most fans were either Team Eric or Team Bill when it came to who Sookie should have ended up with, the show threw a major curveball at everyone when Sookie didn’t end up with either one! Instead, the series came to a disappointing end for the character when a flash-forward to the future shows Sookie pregnant and with an unnamed man that audiences had never met! Considering the real-life romance between Anna Paquin (Sookie) and Stephen Moyer (Bill) fans believe that at the very least those two should have ended up together in the series.
John P. Johnson / © HBO / Courtesy: Everett Collection18. Carrie Bradshaw – Sex and the City
Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big are one of TV’s most iconic couples, and while their romance was one for the ages, they should not have been end game. Despite their inability to quit each other, there was no denying that their relationship was simply toxic, which was furthered by the first Sex and the City film when Mr. Big left Carrie before their wedding. Although some will always be Mr. Big supporters, Carrie should have ended up with Aidan Shaw, who was completely loving, dependable, trustworthy and would have never played with Carrie’s emotions in the way that Big did.
Craig Blankenhorn/©Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection17. Emma Nelson – Degrassi
The relationships on Degrassi in every faction of the franchise were complicated and at times surprising, and when it came to Degrassi: The Next Generation, fans just assumed that after everything Emma Nelson would end up with Sean. To the surprise of everyone however, Degrassi Takes Manhattan threw Emma and Sean’s relationship out the window when she drunkenly married Spinner in Niagara Falls. More surprising however was that despite it being a drunk decision, Emma and Spinner actually stayed together, making everything she went though with Sean meaningless.
©CATV / Courtesy Everett Collection16. Karen Roe – One Tree Hill
Over the course of nine seasons One Tree Hill threw a lot of relationships at fans and all of the main characters had many love interests. While some may still be divided on whether Lucas should have ended up with Brooke or Peyton, one thing that can never be questioned is who Karen Roe’s soul mate was. Amidst all the teen drama and heartache, Karen and Keith Scott were two characters where it was clear they were meant to be together and their chemistry was undeniable. Of course when Keith’s own brother killed him in season three, it meant the pair couldn’t be together. While it was revealed Karen was pregnant with Keith’s child who he would never know, Karen ended up with Andy who was caring, charming, and sweet, but in their hearts all One Tree Hill fans knew it should have been Keith.
The WB/Fred Norris, © Warner Bros. / Courtesy: Everett Collection15. Frasier Crane – Frasier
When Frasier first aired in 1993, no one expected the Cheers spinoff to do so well, but through 11 seasons it became one of the most popular shows on television led by Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane. Throughout the series, Frasier had several love interests, some who are obviously not the right fit and others fans supported, but in the end no one thought he should have ended up with Charlotte. The series finale shocked everyone when Frasier was supposed to be heading off to San Francisco to pursue his new job only to instead sneak off to Chicago to pursue Charlotte instead. Most Frasier fans wanted a better conclusion to the lead character’s love life with some suggesting he should have ended up with Faye Moskowitz, while others even thought the whole series should have led Frasier and Roz together, but regardless few agreed with Charlotte being the one he ended up with.
(c)Paramount Television/courtesy Everett Collection14. Ryan Atwood- The O.C.
When it comes to The O.C., it is no surprise that the final season was a disappointment including when it came to who Ryan ended up with. Although Mischa Barton’s Marissa Cooper was one of the most hated lead characters on TV the fact remains that many of the show’s central storylines based around her and that made it difficult for the show to hold up following her death in season three. Anyone who watched the show from the beginning knew that the whole series was setting up the undeniable love story of Ryan and Marissa no matter how many breakups and makeups they went through. Of course, with Marissa dead, Ryan and her had no chance but that does not mean he should have ended up with Taylor. Since so many found her character incredibly annoying it was hard to see her as part of a lead romance, and after three seasons of build-up between Marissa and Ryan, the same chemistry just wasn’t there for Ryan and Taylor.
photo: © WB / Courtesy: Everett Collection13. Rory Gilmore- Gilmore Girls
During the original run of Gilmore Girls from 2000 to 2007, Rory Gilmore had a few interesting romances with Dean Forrester, Jess Mariano, and Logan Huntzberger, and while each relationship had its pros and cons, many were not happy that Logan won out. Before Gilmore Girls came to an end, Rory turned down Logan’s proposal, however when the revival series picked back up, fans were angrier than ever to learn that she was still sleeping with Logan even though she had a boyfriend and Logan had a fiancee. With Rory’s bombshell announcement at the end of the revival, fans can only hope the series continues by cutting Logan out of the picture and preferably reunite her with Jess, the man she should have ended up with.
photo: WB/Carol Kaelson, © Warner Bros./Everett Collection12. Serena Van der Woodsen – Gossip Girl
Although most of the time fans are happy when a series wraps things up for the main characters with the person it seems they always should have been with, that isn’t the case for Gossip Girl. After too much drama for any one couple to handle as well as multiple different relationships for both, Gossip Girl ended with the fairytale wedding of Serena Van der Woodsen and Dan Humphrey, but just because the show set them up as the central couple since the beginning doesn’t mean they should have ended up together. While fans might have been okay with the show tying up loose ends by having Dan and Serena together, after it was discovered he was Gossip Girl, their relationship never made sense. He greatly impacted and nearly destroyed the lives of his “friends” and family by spreading vicious, hurtful and sometimes destructive rumors and secrets as Gossip Girl, not to mention most of that attention was focused on Serena for several years. Serena needed to get Dan treatment, not marry him and Nate Archibald and Serena Van der Woodsen should have been endgame for the series.
Eric Leibowitz / © The CW / Courtesy Everett Collection11. Joey Potter – Dawson’s Creek
Out of all the teen dramas the argument over who Katie Holmes’ Joey Potter should have ended up with is one of the biggest. While the vast majority of Dawson’s Creek fans believe Pacey and Joey had more chemistry and like the pair together, the fact they ended up together when they series wrapped up didn’t make a lot of sense. From the very beginning, Dawson’s Creek was about Dawson being in love with his best friend Joey and the series always focused on the pair so it didn’t make sense that in the end they didn’t even end up together because that seemed to be what the series was setting up from the pilot episode. In fact, creator Kevin Williamson even admitted he had planned on Dawson and Joey ending up together but then changed his mind. It has always confused fans how things didn’t work out for the main character. Maybe the show should have been called Pacey’s Creek or even Joey’s Creek.
Guy D’Alema / ©Columbia TriStar Television/courtesy Everett Collection10. Veronica Mars – Veronica Mars
For a teen series, Veronica Mars was considerably dark and at times gritty, but of course there was always time for romance. By the end of the series Veronica Mars fans were either Team Logan or Team Piz, and while the series ended with her being with Piz, the follow-up movie years later had Logan and Veronica reunite. Regardless of their chemistry many believe that Veronica should never have been with Logan after he admitted to being the one to give her and Duncan drugged drinks which ended up in Veronica’s sexual assault. Piz might have been the “safer” of the two men, but he was also more caring and respectful than Logan ever was.
© Warner Bros. Television / Courtesy Everett Collection9. Elena Gilbert – The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries was an extremely successful show, and was one of the few where the on-screen chemistry between all of the characters was completely believable. The beginning of the series set up the central couple as Stefan and Elena and while fans knew things weren’t going to be easy over the seasons, they still expected them to end up together. Instead, Elena stuck things out with Stefan’s brother Damon, and while Damon and Elena have a lot of supporters, he shouldn’t have been the guy she ended up with. Damon could be unstable, selfish, angry and their relationship was often toxic, making Stefan the sweet, dependable structured one and more the type to spend the rest of your life with.
Quantrell D. Colbert / © The CW / Courtesy: Everett Collection8. Rachel Berry – Glee
The success and pop culture phenomenon of Glee was surprising to everyone, but Ryan Murphy knew he had something unique and special right from the beginning. Like many other series, on-screen chemistry led to real-life romance between main stars Lea Michele and Cory Monteith who portrayed Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson, but unfortunately, the entire direction for the finale had to be changed after the sudden and shocking death of Monteith. In the end, Rachel married her ex-boyfriend Jesse St. James, and everyone knew it wasn’t right for the character. Ryan Murphy revealed that his initial vision for the conclusion of the series was that Rachel would return to McKinley High after finding success on Broadway and would walk into Finn’s Glee club and say, “I’m home.” It’s devastating that that ending for the show and the character couldn’t happen.
David Giesbrecht / © Fox / Courtesy: Everett Collection7. Willow Rosenberg – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was unlike all the other teen oriented series airing at the same time, and so it isn’t surprising that it didn’t exactly follow expectations of happily ever afters. While fans were surprised enough that in the end Buffy didn’t end up with anyone, they were angered that Willow ended up with Kennedy. Not only was it clear that Willow’s soulmate was Tara, but having her move on with Kennedy who was the opposite of Tara when it came to chemistry with Willow just seemed sloppy and a relationship formed out of convenience for writers and storylines.
Courtesy: Everett Collection.6. Aria Montgomery – Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little Liars definitely had some twisted ideas when it came to how girls look, act and dress in high school, and it never got more twisted than when it made the relationship between Aria and Ezra out to be romantic. First and foremost, he was her teacher and she was his 16-year-old student when they began their relationship, and that is simply not okay and certainly not romantic. In addition to their illegal relationship, he also used her for his own benefit to write a book about Aria’s missing best friend. While the relationship should never have been glorified in the first place, the show took things a step further when it ended with the pair getting married, which should never have been the case.
Eike Schroter / © ABC Family / Courtesy: Everett Collection5. Amber Holt – Parenthood
Parenthood took fans through a lot of emotional highs and lows with its various romances, but fans were always cheering for Amber and Ryan. Although they broke off their engagement and Ryan re-enlisted in the army, fans held out the belief that the show would do the right thing and put them together in the end. Unfortunately, the finale revealed that Amber had ended up with Peter, and while he was a good man, he certainly wasn’t Ryan and not the man she should have been with.
Photo By: Emiley Schweich/Everett Collection4. Matt Saracen – Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights saw a lot of relationships come and go, and one of them was between Matt Saracen and Julie Taylor, but to the dismay of fans, it just kept coming back. Through the course of the incredible show, both Matt and Julie had other relationships, but in the end they found their way back to each other, and no one agreed with it. With Julie Taylor being one of the most hated characters on TV, most Friday Night Lights fans would agree that Matt Saracen could have and should have done a lot better. Saracen was genuine, caring, thoughtful and incredibly loyal while Julie constantly played with his emotions, disrespected his love for her and only came back when she got hurt by someone else. Even if Matt ended the series on his own, it would have been better than being with Julie.
Photo By: Dee Cercone/Everett Collection3. Lily Van der Woodsen – Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl had a lot of twists, turns and surprises when it came to romances and one of the most dramatic sagas was between Lily Van der Woodsen and Rufus Humphrey. Although they really shouldn’t have pursued a relationship while their children were dating, the chemistry between the pair was electric and it was clear they were one of the most balanced couples on the show. In comparison, her first ex-husband and husband of her two children, William van der Woodsen, was untrustworthy and dull, yet fans were in for a shock to learn in the series finale that time jumped a few years, that Lily ended up with William. Rufus and Lily were meant to be with each other and ending the series with the pair in separate relationships (Lily with William and Rufus with Lisa Loeb) just so Serena and Dan could end up together was ridiculous.
© The CW / Courtesy: Everett Collection2. Ted Mosby- How I Met Your Mother
The finale of How I Met Your Mother after nine seasons of build-up caused more outrage than any television series had in years. For nine seasons, audiences sat through the ups and downs of Ted Mosby’s life, including his many relationships, as he detailed to his children how he met their mother only to be completely betrayed by everything they thought the show was heading for in about 10 minutes in the finale. The show threw a huge curveball when it revealed that Ted’s wife and his children’s mother, Tracy, had died and Ted had been telling his children the entire story in order to get their permission for him to resume his relationship with Robin. The decision to end the show by having Ted with Robin was not only angering but ridiculous as the nine seasons had proven that the pair are simply not compatible no matter how hard they tried.
Eric McCandless / © CBS / Courtesy Everett Collection1. Jackie Burkhart – That ‘70s Show
Many fans agree that That ’70s Show definitely lost its charm in its eighth and final season after Topher Grace exited the series, and Ashton Kutcher appeared in only a handful of episodes. With Kutcher’s Kelso out of much of the season, a romance that no one expected or wanted blossomed between Jackie and Fez. Although Fez had been pining over Jackie for many of the seasons, when she finally reciprocated his feelings, there was zero chemistry between the two characters. If the coupling had happened in the middle of series, fans may have been able to get over it, but because the series ended with the two together they are regarded as one of TV’s worst couples. Although some believe Jackie should have ended up with Danny Masterson’s Hyde, most think Kelso and Jackie should have ended up together, especially now because of Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher’s real-life love story.
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