We all know of at least one TV couple we’d love to be like. From Luke and Lorelai from “Gilmore Girls” to Morticia and Gomez from “The Addams Family,” there’s something magical about these on-screen relationships. What is it that makes these TV couples’ romance so coveted, and how can we incorporate it into our own relationships?
Luke and Lorelai from “Gilmore Girls”
In the show “Gilmore Girls,” Lorelai is notorious for her miscommunications and many relationships throughout the series. With her relationships with Max and Christopher being two of the most noteworthy, her relationship with Luke is definitely a fan favorite.
Luke pines for Lorelai over the course of the series, and they finally get together in Season 4, much to the delight of fans of the show. One of the most iconic moments in the series is in Season 7, when Lorelai’s father has a heart attack and Luke drops everything to be there for her even though they broke up in Season 5. Luke and Lorelai have undying love for each other, but both struggle with commitment issues and communication throughout various parts of the series.
When they break up in Season 5, Lorelai pushes Luke’s boundaries of needing space, leading him to break up with her. She shows her devotion for him by pursuing him aggressively, but ends up overstepping, which causes him to end the relationship. In the end, they do wind up together again, and in the series finale, Luke makes a large gesture to Lorelai, demonstrating how much he loves her. This is just a larger-scale version of behaviors that Luke demonstrates throughout all seven seasons. Even though their relationship is romanticized with Hollywood magic, they are an ideal TV couple because of their devotion to one another.
Morticia and Gomez from “The Addams Family”
Everyone should be familiar with Morticia and Gomez Addams from “The Addams Family.” This adorable couple is widely known for their spooky and silly vibes. Morticia and Gomez perfectly capture the “us against the world” mindset that we don’t often see in today’s television. Well, maybe not on as dark a level, anyway.
Morticia and Gomez are wonderfully playful and overwhelmingly in love with each other. You can’t watch “The Addams Family” and not desire in some way to be like them. Morticia and Gomez are stuck in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, even with children in their lives. They are so in love with each other and incredibly supportive and considerate of each other’s habits that they make the perfect TV couple.
Cece and Schmidt from “New Girl”
And of course, we can’t forget Cece and Schmidt from “New Girl.” While many fans of the show prefer Nick and Jess, I actually prefer Cece and Schmidt.
In the early episodes of the show, Schmidt is definitely… well, not a great guy. His roommates even make a “douchebag jar” for him when he behaves rudely or says something offensive. Throughout the seasons of the show, Schmidt evolves from being a total jerk to being someone many of the fans adored. One of my personal favorite moments from the show is when Cece and Schmidt get married. It’s a beautiful symbolization of Schmidt’s evolution as a character. He becomes devoted and supportive. Also, since Cece started modeling from a young age, she never got her college degree, and Schmidt (after some serious conversation and conflict) encourages her to go back to college and supports her doing so. We can learn from Schmidt and Cece the importance of emotionally supporting your partner to go after their dreams.
Jim and Pam from “The Office”
Now that we’ve focused so much on how wonderful the guys are, let’s take some time to talk about one of the iconic ladies of TV couples. Pam grows as a person because of her love for Jim. When he’s in a relationship and she realizes her feelings for him, she keeps it to herself. We see her come out of her rocky relationship with Roy where she was forced into being a more timid and unsure version of herself. But as her relationship with Jim progressed throughout the series, she came out of her shell bit by bit. Her growth as a person really is something admirable. Pam illustrates that in her character development in “The Office”:
Love should make us grow as people, into the best people we can be.
Amy and Sheldon from “The Big Bang Theory”
Amy and Sheldon from “The Big Bang Theory” are definitely a unique couple. Both are incredibly smart, quirky scientists who love each other deeply. They are definitely my favorite couple on the show. They are incredibly communicative, which is a rare thing these days. Maybe overly so, but even still, they miscommunicate sometimes. Their communication style is a bit strange; having a “Relationship Agreement” (a contract Sheldon invents with the stipulations of their relationship) is definitely a bizarre way to be in a relationship. It’s one many people wouldn’t even consider, myself included, but they know what works for them.
TV couples have their faults, obviously, between breakups and makeups and everything in between. We definitely shouldn’t treat them as the end all be all of relationships, but there are aspects of them that we can appreciate and learn from. From Luke’s grand gestures to Sheldon’s Relationship Agreements, there’s definitely some wonderfully different advice to learn from each TV couple.
Who’s your favorite TV couple, and what have you learned from watching their relationship evolve on-screen?
