Most Infuriating Will They/Won't They TV Couples

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5 days ago

Romantic tension between two leads can make a TV show practically impossible to turn off. However, when the potentiality of a relationship drags on for too long, it can become more frustrating than fun to watch. Recently, redditor u/phantom_avenger asked, "What TV show handled the 'will they, won't they' trope in the most infuriating way?"
Here are 30 of the top responses:
"Mulder and Scully from The X-Files. The OGs: 25 years, nine seasons, two limited series, and two movies for crumbs."
—SydneyRose0025
Ted and Robin from How I Met Your Mother. It would have been less aggravating if there weren't like four different episodes in which Ted has an 'I have to stop chasing Robin' epiphany. It's like they wanted the drama and impact of him finally letting her go, but at the drop of a hat, he's all, 'Pick me. Choose me. Love me.'"
—naomigoat
"Guys, it's 100 percent Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and it's not even close. Stabler and Benson have been in an on-and-off will they/won't they for 26 seasons, LOL. That is, since 1999."
—AnalConnoisseur69
"Eve and Villanelle in Killing Eve. The finale was such a blow. They finally get together, only for Villanelle to get killed."
—thehappyherbivore
"Luke and Lorelei from Gilmore Girls. Once a couple finally gets together after years of will they/won't they, please don't do a stupid breakup."
—lynypixie
"Troy and Britta in Community."
—TJTrapJesus
"Ross and Rachel from Friends. After they had a baby, they should've just stayed together."
—Slow_Impact3892
"Bones and Booth from Bones were my first experience with a will they/won't they, and now I kind of hate the trope in general."
—BadAspie
"New Girl messed around with Jess and Nick and waited far too long. By the end of the series, we didn't even care. Schmidt and Cece were the real couple."
—iJon_v2
"Lana and Clark on Smallville. A will they/won't they that lasts for seven years without the couple ever evolving. They get together, and they have trust issues because would-be Superman lies about his powers. She gets rightfully pissed, and the thing drags on. The worst thing is a will they/won't they, that's utterly boring to watch, and it's basically known it will be a 'won't' because Superman ends up with Lois. At least make them interesting with each other!!!"
—normott
"On Dawson's Creek, Joey and Dawson had zero romantic chemistry. Like none. Then you see Pacey and Joey, and you wonder why they even bothered with Dawson."
—bambinoquinn
"Jonah and Amy in Superstore. Legit drove me insane."
—General_Sprinkles386
"This totally dates me, but Moonlighting. After Maddie and David hooked up, the show was boring.
—UnimaginativeRA
"Desperate Housewives with Mike and Susan. Friends, dating, breakup, dating, breakup, dating, coma, breakup, dating, marriage, divorce, marriage, death. Exhausting."
—babysherlock91
"Sookie and Eric in True Blood. They had off-the-charts chemistry, but it never went anywhere."
—mamalo31
"LaGuerta and Batista in Dexter. There was never a hint of anything between them, then in a season premiere, they're suddenly in a relationship, and she's like, 'Tell me again this isn't crazy,' so we know it's been going on for a while. Then their relationship deteriorates. By the next season, they had split, but it happened off-camera, same as how the relationship started. Why would the audience care about them together? The writers never bothered to even show them flirting. They were just together, and then they weren't."
—Row1734SeatJ
"C.C. and Niles from The Nanny. Just kiss already."
—luludarlin
"Roman and Gerri from Succession."
—Apesma69
"Stiles and Lydia on Teen Wolf. They get the characters together after five seasons for obvious fan service, which I already hated, but then you never get to see the characters TOGETHER. They kiss in one scene, make eyes at each other in another, then one of them is missing for the entirety of the second half of the season and they only mention the relationship one time. Infuriating!"
—FiPhillips1999_SW
"Beckett and Castle on Castle. Loved the chemistry in the early seasons when she could duke it out with him on equal footing. The payoff... not so much. 😣"
—Thrownawaybyall
"Jaime and Brienne from Game of Thrones. When they finally banged, the writers threw out years of character growth and turned Jaime into a villain again."
—growsonwalls
"Honestly, my big one is Mordecai and Margaret from Regular Show, LOL."
—leoconrad
"Andy and Erin from The Office. They didn't seem to know what they wanted to do with these guys, and they would get together, then break up for no reason. One would go after the other, then the other way around, and nobody could possibly care any of the times because they were both so awful together. The show was trash at this point anyway."
—Kaylascreations
"I give Lucifer a little credit (just a little) for being incredibly self-aware with Chloe and Lucifer. But it was still painful."
—GingerVampire22
"Scrubs. JD and Elliot were constantly getting back together and breaking up in more and more convoluted ways."
—Kooky_Celebration_42
"House and Cuddy from House 100 percent. So frustrating, they really built it up and then let their storyline end in the most terrible, unresolved way."
—anonymouslyamature
"Honestly, Sam and Diane from Cheers. They were the first major (American) sitcom example, but the relationship was a disaster. It's impossible to root for them. You know it's just toxic as fuck. It was such a relief when Shelley Long left the show."
—TfnR
"Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. did the will they/won't they thing with Fitz and Simmons for far too long. They finally get together, and you'd think that would be the end of it, right? NOPE! They then spend the next God knows how many seasons ripped apart from each other throughout space and time. I'm quite certain that by the end of the show, we've spent twice as much time with them apart than we have with them together."
—Icy_Prior
"Caroline and Klaus from The Vampire Diaries. Sure, they wouldn't have been a good couple, but their chemistry was off the charts. I felt like Caroline and Stefan were better off as friends."
—Every-Piccolo-6747
And finally: "Clarke and Bellamy. The 100. Insane build-up to NOTHING."
—IOvercookedMyPasta
Okay, let's flip the script — which TV shows do you think did the "will they/won't they" trope perfectly? What made them so great? Let us know in the comments or in the anonymous comments box below!