There's nothing like a good romance story on a TV show. Viewers love seeing beloved characters slowly fall in love, becoming closer and closer over time as their connection develops in a way that feels believable and well-earned. Watching this unfold can be an extremely satisfying experience for the viewer. The problem, however, is that not every love story shown on TV is treated with such attention and care, regardless of whether it is an intense drama or a long-running comedy.
Unfortunately, many TV romances end up doing little more than irritating fans of their shows. This negative reaction is sure to happen when the relationship feels unnatural, unrealistic, or simply unnecessary. After all, no one wants the quality of a great series to be diminished by devoting too much time to an unwanted romance. Regardless of whether they offered happy endings to the show's characters, these TV romances angered their fans more than they appealed to them.
10
Five and Lila
The Umbrella Academy
Launched in August 2024, the fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy It ended up being quite the rollercoaster for fans who had been waiting years for a satisfying conclusion. The season seemed to have gotten off to a rocky start before it was even released, with the announcement that it would only include six episodes being a huge disappointment for many. To make matters worse, a portion of the final season's very limited time was devoted to showing the completely unexpected start of a relationship between Five and Lila, something no one was asking for.
There were a variety of reasons why fans of The Umbrella Academy objected to this short-lived relationship. For one thing, it was only introduced in the penultimate episode, meaning it would do little other than distract from the end of the main story. Secondly, it didn't make sense for the characters to be together. After all, Lila was married to Five's adopted brother, not to mention that they also had a significant age difference. The last season of The Umbrella Academy received mixed reviews, and this novel certainly didn't help.
9
Lucas and Lorelai
Gilmore Girls
In the early 2000s, many people tuned in to watch the comedy-drama series, Gilmore Girlswhich followed the life and relationship of a single mother, Lorelai, and her brilliant daughter, Rory. One story that upset many fans was the romance between Lorelai and Luke, the owner of a local diner. The two started out as friends, but their connection gradually evolved into a relationship that lasted for many seasons.
Although the relationship between Luke and Lorelai was often at the center of Gilmore Girlsmany fans were never able to fully support this. The two worked well together as friends, but seemed to lack the chemistry and communication skills necessary to have a relationship that was enjoyable for viewers to watch. They each seemed to constantly want different things in their relationship, with neither of them being able to approach their issues in a trusting and healthy way. Overall, this just wasn't the love story that many Gilmore Girls fans wanted to see.
8
Ana and Tom
Parks and Recreation
Over the course of its seven seasons, the NBC sitcom, Parks and Recreationoffered a lot of fun romance stories. Many of the series' beloved characters ended up having happy endings with the people they love. Even some of the series' unsuccessful relationships still managed to be a lot of fun to watch, while also teaching the characters some valuable lessons about themselves. One novel, however, achieved none of these things. Parks and Recreation there may have been a lot of good romances, but the plot involving Ann and Tom wasn't one of them.
Their relationship lasted mostly through the fourth season of the popular show. Even though the overall season was hailed as one of the series' best, fans couldn't help but be irritated by the seemingly random inclusion of a short-lived relationship between Ann and Tom. The two had virtually nothing in common other than their ties to the Parks and Recreation department and seemed to be constantly at odds with each other. This particular plot seemed to exist only because the writers needed to do something with their characters while the others were involved in the city council elections.
7
Ross and Rachel
Friends
Another NBC sitcom that has featured more than its fair share of romantic subplots is Friends. Having been on the air for ten full seasons, it's no surprise that not every storyline used in the show has particularly appealed to fans. Although the series' popularity has exploded over time, some elements of Friends still angered its viewers even years after its end. In particular, the relationship between Ross and Rachel seemed like a failure to many.
Even if quite Friends While fans were rooting for Ross and Rachel to get together when the show was still in its early days, opinions on their connection seemed to change drastically when they actually became a couple. Their relationship seemed quite toxic, and neither person felt good about the other. In fact, many viewers felt their romance was just getting in the way of better potential love stories. Some devoted fans may support their relationship, but many others like them more as friends.
6
Jorge and Susana
Seinfeld
It's difficult to determine whether George and Susan's relationship on the beloved sitcom SeinfeldIt could even be described as a romance. The two were introduced to each other in season four, briefly becoming involved with each other before going their separate ways in the season finale. Years later, in the seventh season, the pair get engaged out of nowhere. They live together as newlyweds for a while, until a distracted decision by George results in his unceremonious death in the season finale.
Seinfeld was never the kind of show that had long-term relationships, so George and Susan's engagement seemed completely out of place to many. It was also incredibly underdeveloped, seeming to be included only as a way to work in jokes about married life and George's unhappiness with the idea. Solving the problem by simply killing the character seemed like a strange and cruel choice, which didn't sit well with many viewers. George and Susan's relationship was a storyline that many Seinfeld fans would agree it didn't need to happen.
5
Deborah and Dexter
Dexter
It's not exactly a secret that the quality of Dexter fluctuated significantly throughout its eight seasons. The popular drama series made several questionable decisions during its later seasons, with one particularly egregious decision cropping up in season six. As the season progressed, it became increasingly apparent that the writers were trying to introduce a new storyline that revolved around Debra falling in love with Dexter.
For anyone who watched the show, it's immediately clear why this romantic subplot wasn't something anyone wanted to see. The explanation for this is simple; Debra and Dexter were adopted siblings. Their close bond was never romantic in any sense until season six, making their storyline all the more shocking. Needless to say, fans weren't too excited about the potential for the two brothers to start dating.
4
Penny and Leonard
The Big Bang Theory
A recent TV show that seems to have sharply divided audiences is The Big Bang Theory. Running for an impressive twelve years, this CBS sitcom highlighted the lives and relationships of a group of highly intelligent scientists and their more down-to-earth friend, Penny. Much of the series is dedicated to exploring Penny and Leonard's growth and development as a couple. Although their relationship sometimes seemed healthy, many fans of the show began to find it increasingly irritating.
One of the main reasons for the decline in interest in their relationship was the lack of similarities between the characters. Penny and Leonard were incredibly different in almost every way, to the point that the writers had to drastically change Penny's character in order for their connection to make sense. To make things even more unpleasant, Leonard became increasingly whiny as the show went on, making it seem like he didn't even want to be in the relationship. Their bond may have been cute at first, but it got more annoying as time went on.
3
Oliver and Happiness
Arrow
One of the easiest ways for a show to make a romance story unappealing to the audience is to force it where it doesn't need to happen. The CW superhero series, Arrowis a show that fell victim to this poor decision-making. Arrow it did this through its sloppy handling of the relationship between Oliver and Felicity. While the show found a loving audience, this particular storyline didn't pan out, even for some of the most dedicated fans.
Oliver and Felicity's relationship not only felt completely forced, but it also did little more than run countless tropes. Virtually every aspect of their romance felt like something audiences had seen many times before on other shows, with very little to make their story new or exciting. Some romance plots can add new layers of depth to your shows, but Oliver and Felicity's romance felt like it was just there to check a few boxes.
2
Haley and Dylan
Modern Family
In the early years of the critically acclaimed sitcom Modern Familythe relationship between Haley and Dylan has always seemed light-hearted and good-natured. None of the characters were the smartest or most well-rounded, but they seemed to fit together really well. As the series progressed, Haley grew up and became much more mature. She went on to have much more serious relationships, particularly with Andy, who many viewers believed she would eventually marry.
That's why it was such a disappointment to fans when Haley seemingly erased all of her character development, getting back together with Dylan (who hadn't changed at all) and even starting a family. Their relationship made sense when they were teenagers, but as a mature, adult woman, it was much harder to understand why Haley would still be turning to Dylan. Praise for Modern Family became much less strong in later seasons, and decisions like this were definitely a contributing factor.
1
Troy and Britta
Sometimes all it takes is two characters dating to make people realize they were better off as friends. This was the case with Troy and Britta, two of the sitcom's main characters, Community. Their relationship didn't come completely out of nowhere, as was suggested in the first seasons of the series, even leading many fans to start rooting for them to get together. However, when they finally opened up about their feelings for each other, fans started to have second thoughts.
Troy and Britta's relationship wasn't particularly terrible, but many fans found that it only contributed very little to the series. It felt like the writers spent so much time focused on building their relationship that they forgot to think about what they would actually do when they got together. The romance quickly seemed to fade away, leaving fans disappointed that the entire storyline seemed to mean very little. Most viewers would have preferred Troy and Britta to remain friends.