February features Valentine’s Day, making it the month of love, right?
A good time to reflect on some of my favorite TV couples. It’s not like I’ve been doing much besides watching TV for the last several months, anyway.
I am going to acknowledge that there are thousands of good shows out there, and I haven’t watched most of them. Instead of using the slowed down pandemic time to catch up on our new golden era of TV, I’m going the “comfort food” route and re-watching old favorites.
And, full disclosure, I never got into The Office, so while I acknowledge your Jim and Pam love, I don’t share it. Also, all of my favorites are white, and heterosexual, which either means there aren’t enough diverse offerings available, or that I’m just not watching the right things. Probably the latter.
So this is a highly personal list of some of my favorite television couples.
My Favorite TV Couples
Burt and Virginia Chance, Raising Hope.
These two had everything stacked against them. They have no money, they live with Virginia’s grandmother (played by recently departed Iowa native Cloris Leachman), and they had a baby when they were teenagers. And yet, these two stuck together. They work together, holding each other up instead of bringing each other down.
Nick Miller and Jess Day, New Girl
What can I say, I guess I’m just a sucker for a slow burn. I am glad Nick learned how to be a better boyfriend late in the series, though. I was a little concerned when my friends were posting “Nick Miller is my boyfriend” memes at the beginning of the show’s run.
Phineas Flynn and Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, Phineas and Ferb
Yes, it’s a cartoon. But it’s a really good cartoon, with content that adults enjoy. I wish Phineas and Isabella had connected before the final episode of the series, which was a flash forward set in the future as the kids go off to college. C’mon, Phineas; how could you not see it? Her pupils literally turned into hearts when she saw you.
Paul and Jamie Buchman, Mad About You
This one is my o.g. best couple, which probably has a lot to do with the fact that the show’s run, 1992-1999, coincides with when I met, and married, my husband. Paul and Jamie were relatable and funny, and we still quote lines from that show. We even had a reading from Paul Reiser’s book Couplehood performed at our wedding. This show is now on Amazon prime, and we’re slowly working away through a re-watch, even though I must have seen some of these episodes 15 times already.
(My daughters were also consulted for this list; my youngest submits Claire and Charlie from Lost, and my middle daughter submits Clarke and Lexa from The 100.)
Well, that’s my list. How about you? If I want to fall in love with a couple on TV, what should I watch?
