Top 35 Good-Girl-Bad-Boy Couples in Movies and TV

An enduring trope is seen in bad boy and good girl movies that highlights one of the most intriguing romantic pairings. For audiences, there was always something alluring about the bad boy. He is dangerous and unpredictable, but he has a softer side that makes it all the more effective when the audience sees him fall in love. In contrast, good girls sometimes live lives that are too sheltered and safe but offer a sweet and innocent personality. Together, the boys and girls offer each other romance and purpose.

This is the setup for many good-girl-bad-boy pairings in movies and television and has resulted in some memorable examples of the trope. While this kind of pairing is most prevalent in teen projectsIt can also be found in some of the best Disney couples, and even in some of the most mature pairings on modern television. The best examples of the pairing endure conflict and drive the story forward, often bringing out the best in one another as they do.

35

Zack Siler & Laney Boggs – She’s All That (1999)

Played by Freddie Prinze Jr. & Rachael Leigh Cook

She’s all that is a 1999 rom-com referenced and spoofed many times since its release. In this movie, Freddie Prinze Jr. Star as Zack Slater, a popular high school jock. When he learns that his girlfriend cheated on him, he claims that he can make any girl in the school fall in love with him. When his friends make fun of him for him, He tells them he can take any random girl and make her the prom queen in six weeks. His friends pick on an awkward, unpopular girl named Laney Boggs (Rachael Leigh Cook).

In the movie, Prince Jr. plays an arrogant and selfish high school jock, and his only reason for dating Lini is to prove that he can make any girl popular with his magic. It is insulting and wrong on every level. However, as with films of this kind, Laney proves to be a strong-willed young woman who manages to change Zack for the better.

She helps turn him into a child into a child and more considerate person in the endForce him to understand how wrong he is and to grow as a person. A remake arrived in 2021 with He is all that. And the comedy Not another teen movie spoofed the storyline, helping to cement it in pop culture history.

34

Han Solo and Princess Leia – Star Wars (1977)

Played by Harrison Ford & Carrie Fisher

It was Star Wars was leading to a story where the good boy farm kid, Luke Skywalker, would save the beautiful Princess Leia and then find love by her side. However, that was never in the cards. While Luke thought she was beautiful, Bad boy Han Solo ends up winning her heart.

It was better for the story since Luke and Leia were revealed to be brother and sister, although this was not known to them or the audience until Return of the Jedi. Instead, Han and Leia’s back-and-forth added the old screwball comedy formula to the space opera and was a perfect love story.

Han Solo was the guy who never seemed to want anything to tie him down. Princess Leia has more things to think about than romance since she led a rebellion. However, Han and Leia find love and end up with their own son before their strong will drives them away again. With that said, when Han Solo dies in The Last JediLeia’s reaction shows how much she really loves the guy she once called a “nerf rider.”

33

JD Dean & Veronica Swayer – Heathers (1989)

Played by Christian Slater and Winona Ryder

There aren’t many good people in this 1989 dark comedy Heathers. The “Heathers” are high school bullies who treat everyone terribly, but still remain the most popular girls in school. However, the one member who is good at heart, even if she wants to be part of the bad girl clique, is Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder).

Things go wrong when she meets a new bad boy at her school named JD (Christian Slater). Unlike many bad boy good girl movies, JD actually turned Veronica into a bad girl for a short time. He started killing the Hyders both because he was a young serial killer and also because he promised that it could make Veronica popular when they were gone.

However, Veronica was truly a good person and finally stood up to JD. This movie is not one in which the good girl converts the bad boy and falls in love. instead, Heathers Has a more explosive finale, helping it to stand out in a crowded field in this subgenre.

32

Christian Gray and Anastasia Steele – Fifty Shades of Gray (2015)

Played by Jamie Dorman & Dakota Johnson

Based on the best-selling novels by EL James, Fifty Shades of Grey is an erotic romance drama directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. The story follows a young billionaire business magnate named Christian Gray (Jamie Dorman) who meets a shy young college graduate named Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), and they embark on a sadomasochistic sexual relationship.

The relationship began with Christian saying he was not in romanceBut things changed when they got a chance to date. The sex is hardcore and involves painful bondage, but slowly, Christian gets Ana to give in to what he wants.

Some have considered Christian and Ana to have a toxic relationship, with Ana submitting to whatever Christian wants to do to her, even though both are professing their love all the while. This makes it difficult to fully gauge what is right and wrong between the two. Christian divorces her for selfish reasons at times, proving that she should probably find better, but eventually, she convinces him to love her just the same.

31

Sutter & Aimee – The Spectacular Now

Played by Miles Teller & Shailene Woodley

The spectacular now is a 2013 indie coming-of-age drama based on the novel by Tim Tharp. In the movie, Miles Teller plays Sutter Keely, a popular high school senior who spends most of his senior year of school drinking and partying all the time.

He wants to go to college, but he has some dark secrets from his past, including a father who is also an alcoholic and whom his mother has forbidden him to see. Shailene Woodley plays Aimee, a good girl who falls in love with Sutter Despite their wildly different personalities.

The movie is about much more than Aimee and Sutter’s relationship. Aimee’s dad died, and she wants to help Sutter reconnect with his dad, which is not a good idea. However, as with most good girl bad boy movies, Aimee is the best thing that could happen to Sutter, helping him to be a better person, even though he is never the best thing for her at this time in their lives.

30

Joey & Pacey – Dawson’s Creek (1998-2003)

Played by Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson

Although Joey (Katie Holmes) is considered to be from the “wrong side of the creek” by some in the first two seasons of Dawson’s CreekShe is still the good girl. She is a good student who has a part-time job and has one goal: get out of Capeside. Pacey (Joshua Jackson), on the other hand, is a class clown who isn’t afraid to skip school or steal his dad’s police cruiser.

He is not the typical bad boy, and Pacey’s arc is all about growing into a reliable person despite how everyone else sees him. Joey and Pacey don’t even get together until the show’s third season, and Their on-again-off-again relationship becomes one of the show’s best emotional storylines until the finale. Together they are responsible for some of the saddest moments on Dawson’s Creek As well as some of the most romantic.

29

Leilana & Troy – Reality Bites (1994)

Played by Winona Ryder & Ethan Hawke

Even before the early 1990s, Reality Bites Is not the usual rom-com. It takes on some more difficult subjects, like coming out and the AIDS crisis, that were not typically seen in movies of the time. In addition to the heavier subject matter, it also has a romance between a good girl and a bad boy.

Leilana (Winona Ryder) is a valedictorian on her way to becoming a filmmaker while Troy (Ethan Hawke) is a failed musician breaking the rules, and yet, They seem to fit together. They make for A quintessential Gen X bad boy and good girl pair and also fitting into the friends-to-lovers trope Which is also popular. This leaves Lailana with a typical decision in these types of movies: seek a more secure life or risk it all with the capricious and artistic rebel.

28

Emma & Spinner – Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001 – 2015)

Played by Miriam McDonald & Shane Kippel

Degrassi High is the iconic Canadian series that has seen a lot of memorable romantic pairings. Between them, it features a fan-favorite bad boy and good girl pairing that also feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. Emma (Mary MacDonald) and Spinner (Shane Kippel) didn’t really get together when they were high school students in the Degrassi sequel series, and there’s definitely a contingent of fans who don’t like the two having a surprise wedding without the usual dramatic build-up.

Emma spends most of her formative years as a crusader for environmental causes while Spinner causes trouble In the popular crowd. She is always drawn to the bad boys though. After a wild night together, they get married on a whim but decide to see where the relationship goes. It’s a happy ending for their characters who went through so much drama in their teenage years.

27

Sakura & Sasuke – Naruto Franchise (2002-)

Played by Chie Nakamura & Noriaki Sugiyama

Sakura, even after Sasuke goes down the darkest of paths, loves him completely.

The Naruto Franchise started in a manga, and it is still ongoing with these Boruto Manga and anime series. The original series focuses on the ambitious ninja Naruto Uzumaki, but it also features his teammates Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. Along with supporting their friend, they also develop feelings for each other which becomes one of the best storylines in the series.

Sakura is the perfect student and someone who always follows the rule book. Sasuke, on the other hand, is willing to break all the rules if it will bring him closer to enough power to avenge his family. Sakura, even after Sasuke goes down the darkest of paths, loves him completely. Eventually, the two grow up to have a daughter together and find their paths, but it’s a dark road to get there.

26

Hannah and Jacob – Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)

Played by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling

The main story of Crazy, stupid, love isn’t from Hannah and Jacob, but the charming and fun couple steals the show as the movie’s most endearing romance. It also features the first of many winning collaborations between Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone whose chemistry really makes the romance work. Hannah (Stone) is a practical and career-focused young woman whose serious relationship is falling apart and she seeks handsome womanizer James (Gosling) to embrace her fun side.

The first romantic scene between them has a lot of fun breaking down the tropes of the good girl and bad boy relationship with Hannah insisting they don’t fall into clichés and Jacob shows vulnerability with his seduction skills. The would-be one-night stand inevitably leads to a serious relationship. Crazy, stupid, love Also features a great twist that feeds into the trope of parents disapproving of their good girl daughter dating a bad boy.

25

Bronwyn & Nate – One Of Us Is Lying (2021–2022)

Played by Marianly Tejeda & Cooper van Grootel

One of Peacock’s first teen dramas, one of us lies is based on the best-selling teen novel of the same name by author Karen M. McManus. Described as The Breakfast Club Meets pretty little liars, The show is full of tons of mystery and an already iconic bad boy-good girl pairing. Brownin (Marianly Tejeda) is a student-A student and a good daughter who would never do anything wrong.

Contrary to her good deeds, Nate (Cooper van Grootel) is the resident bad boy and drug dealer On campus that only does that crime to pay for rent. The two may seem like an unlikely pair but they quickly bond with suspected killers and team up to protect one another. It’s a unique situation to see such a relationship take shape and blossom, adding a high-stakes element to the surprising romance.

24

Jane & Richie – Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies (2023)

Played by Marisa Davila & Johnathan Nieves

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is the Lubricate Prequel series from Paramount +. While it centers on just how the Pink Ladies and T-Birds become some of the most popular kids at school, at the center of the story is Jane (Marisa Davila). Jane is a good girl who always followed the rules and did what her parents expected of her – until her reputation was ruined by a rumor.

Jane meets Richie (Johnathan Nieves) when she decides to stand up for herself and try to combat the lies spread about her. However, Richie does not believe the rumours. As the leader of the T-Birds, He is labeled a bad boy whether he deserves the label or not. Both of them know what it’s like to be judged unfairly and find common ground as a result. They demonstrate that the labels given to this particular trope of a pairing can sometimes exist in a gray area.

23

Rory and Jess – Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)

Played by Alexis Bledel & Milo Ventimiglia

Rory (Alexis Bledel) has three main love interests over the course of The Gilmore Girls Series. Although she was always the smart and grounded young woman, she proved to have a thing for bad boys in the case of two of the love interests. However, Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia) remains a fan favorite largely because the two bond over their shared interest in literature and writing.

Rory and Jess meet while they are both in high school and still figuring out their paths in life. While Jess is going through a difficult time because his family relationships are on the rocks, he becomes someone with whom Rory can spar verbally, but also someone with whom she can discuss her favorite books and who cannot misunderstand her pop culture references. They are actually incredibly well suited to each other, But they meet at the wrong point in their lives, break up and go their separate ways.

22

Veronica & Logan – Veronica Mars (2004-2007, 2019)

Played by Kirsten Bell & Jason Dohring

Veronica’s (Kristen Bell) friendship with Wallace (Percy Daggs III) may be the heart of the show, but her relationship with Logan (Jason Dohring) is a surprising addition to Veronica Mars Which becomes one of the best parts of their character arcs. Veronica and Logan have a history long before they get together – As friends since Veronica is no longer one of the popular kids When the series picks up and Logan used to date her best friend.

The two are incredibly antagonistic when the story begins, but they grow to respect one another and share their most vulnerable sides with one another. Logan describes their relationship as truly “epic,” in one of the show’s most memorable lines, and he’s not wrong. Their relationship is so strong that they end up together in the revival movie and plan a life together in Season 4. By then, their roles are flipped with Logan taking on the good guy role and Veronica as the more rebellious in the pairing.

21

Lissa & Christian – Vampire Academy (2022)

Played by Andre Dae Kim & Daniela Nieves

Christian (Andre Da Kim) is really just a bad boy in Peacock Vampire Academy Because society labels him as such. He studies subjects that society deems heretical, but he does it in the name of understanding vampire history. Christian’s parents, who leave society to become strigoi, are partly responsible for saddling him with the bad boy reputation that the world despises him for.

Lissa (Daniela Nieves), on the other hand, quickly learns how to play by the rules because she’s an extended member of the royal family. She begins to really break the rules after the death of her parents, And it’s Christian who helps you find the loopholes to exploit. The two find themselves in each other’s kinship, and the bond they form really sells the emotions of the show to the audience.

20

Jasmine and Aladdin – Aladdin (1992, 2019)

Played by Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott (live-action)

When it comes to bad boys and good girls in movies, few couples are as iconic as Aladdin and Jasmine. In Disney’s animated movie and the live action remake, Aladdin is a bad boy by circumstance, not choice. He crawls into abandoned buildings and picks pockets to get by. He is also willing to tell a pretty big lie in order to get a princess to pay attention to him. Jasmine, on the other hand, is also a good girl because of circumstances. She’s lived a sheltered life in the palace, but she still wants what’s best for her people.

The two of them prove that good girls and bad boys don’t always fit into these categories. Aladdin steals food and gives it to hungry children. Jasmine is outspoken and refuses to follow social rules if it means she can’t help her kingdom. They make for a great pairing, learn from one another and make for a compassionate ruling couple. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott’s live-action portrayals prove this even better than their animated counterparts, as the characters have more of a chance to be fleshed out.

19

Sabrina and Nick – Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-2020)

Played by Kiernan Shipka & Gavin Leatherwood

This is one of the rare cases where the good girl in one of these relationships is a literal witch. When Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) has the opportunity to attend a school only for witches, she is torn between the world of magic and the mortal world she has known all her life. This is reflected in her relationship with Nicholas Scratch (Gavin Leatherwood) in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Nick is presented as the bad boy who does what he wants, while Sabrina is someone who has always been the good girl Staying just on the side of the rules. Nick helps Sabrina fit into the magical world, and she introduces him to the mortal world, and they find a way to meet in the middle with Nick tackling some of his bad behavior and Sabrina finding loopholes that allow her to break the Rules. It makes them a great fit.

18

Carmen and Johnny – Cobra Key (2018-2023)

Played by Vanessa Rubio & William Labka

While the good girl and bad boy pairing is a trope most often reserved for teenage pairings in movies and television, Cobra Kai Gives a great example of it in very mature characters. In the Netflix sequel series to the Karate Kid movies, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) teaches a whole new generation about martial arts, despite his penchant for using violence to solve his problems and breaking the law on a regular basis.

Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) is the mom of his first student, and the two hit it off when she realizes just how much Johnny cares about her son and how hard he really is trying to get his life together. Johnny may have some bad boy tendencies, like calling his students names, but he has a good heart, And this allows Carmen – and the audience – to see the good in him.

17

Nathan & Haley – One Tree Hill (2003-2012)

Played by James Lafferty & Bethany Joy Lenz

As far as iconic teen drama couples go, Nathan (James Lafferty) and Haley (Bethany Joy Lenz) from One Tree Hill are as iconic as they come. The soap show is filled with unexpected romances that strain other relationships, but this one struck a chord with audiences in a big way. Bad-boy jock Nathan, who needs good grades to continue playing basketball, is paired with Haley for tutoring sessions. To make matters even more complicated, Haley is best friends with Nathan’s estranged half-brother.

Opposites attract and Nathan and Haley end up bringing out the best in each other Despite starting out as a bad-boy, good-girl couple. They even managed to make it through teen pregnancy together and have one of the best marriages on TV which rarely happens when two characters get married in high school.

16

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Played by Paige O’Hara & Robby Benson

When it comes to Disney animated bad boys, good girls pairing Belle (Paige O’Hara) and The Beast (Robbie Benson) may not be at the top of the list, but they sure are memorable. After all, the animal is literally turned into a beast for refusing to help the hunters. He Spends most of his time being angry and throwing tantrums, while Bell is soft and smartRead books that deal with the provincial town. Eventually, Belle and the Beast learn to love each other and Belle even helps bring out his softer side.

There have been several remakes of the story, from the Vanessa Hudgens movie AnimalsWhich takes on a modern teen version of the story, to adapt the pair for the Once upon a time TV series, to Emma Watson’s live-action remake. Each version of the story encouraged the pairing to look beyond the stereotypes they were faced with to get to know the person underneath.