We invite them into our homes , become deeply gift in their personal and romantic life , and follow their stories as if our own portion are at stakes . We empathize , of course , that they are the simple figments of writer ' imaginativeness , and yet we expect the human relationship between our favoriteTVcharacters to hit an baffling balance between too real and not real enough . Too real is dull . We might as well turn off the telly and spill the beans to our own spouses . But too unrealistic can be a job , also , interrupting our respite of incredulity long enough for us to realize that the type and their human relationship would never fly in existent life .
Some television relationships are just too good to be true . Sometimes the show ’s circumstances – or the characters ' reaction to them – follow across as wildly incredible . Sometimes two opponent just never seem to attract , or for reasons unknown , have a chemistry that never seems to click .
Whatever it is that makes many well - know television receiver relationships seem improbable , we ca n’t help but tune in , week after calendar week , rerun after rerun . Here are 10 completely unrealistic TV relationships that we still enjoy to look out , despite – or perhaps because of – their consistent going from realness .
10: Ward and June Cleaver, “Leave it to Beaver”
Its six - year run end nearly 50 years ago , but thanks to rerun andcable TV , generations of tyke have watched Ward and June chopper of " allow it to Beaver " raise their nipper Wally and Theodore ( more commonly known as the Beaver ) with just the right blend of kindness and easy guidance . As parents , we can only dream of maintaining the unagitated , unflappable competence and upright humor that June ( play by Barbara Billingsley ) and Ward ( Hugh Beaumont ) exhibit as they help the male child determine their way out of scraping , include one involving a petalligatorthe boys have hide in the basement [ source : TV Land ] .
But the show also placed an extreme grandness on the perfect relationship between hubby and wife . We never visit June and Ward have a really serious argument . And even though both Ward and June were delineate primarily by their roles as parent , June was creditworthy for identify problem and bringing them to Ward ’s aid so he could administer the advice or discipline take to fix the situation [ source : Lillico ] .
9: Mike and Carol Brady, “The Brady Bunch”
For many fry of the sixties and 1970s , " The Brady Bunch " offered the first televised glimpse into a " blended " home consist of step - parents , stepchildren and step - sib . And what a glimpse it was ! Father and stepfather Mike Brady ( Robert Reed ) was always there with a " homily that would explain to the children the lessons they had learned , " while female parent and stepmother Carol ( Florence Henderson ) oppose to the hebdomadary antics of the six children with a knowing grin and a shake of her head [ Griffin ] . The children , drift in age from class school to eminent school , came to accept the wisdom in their parents ' advice by the end of each show and resolved their sibling competition within the course of an instalment .
The original five - year run of the series began in September 1969 with the wedding of widower Mike Brady to single mother Carol Ann Tyler Martin . While Carol ’s individual position is never excuse on the show , series Jehovah Sherwood Schwartz afterwards articulate that he consider her adivorcee , but the net rejected the approximation as too controversial [ source : ABC News ] .
8: Fonzie and the Cunninghams, “Happy Days”
When " Happy day " first launched in 1974 , Arthur Fonzarelli ( Henry Winkler ) was a tough - guy biker from a lower - class backdrop , originally conceive as a minor character on the show [ source : Lewis ] . But as his popularity with viewers grew and his role acquire , his derelict behavior was progressively tone down and played more for bodily fluid than for dispute , so much so that by 1975 it seemed perfectly sane that he would move into the apartment above Howard ( Tom Bosley ) and Marion ( Marion Ross ) Cunningham ’s garage [ root : YouTube ] .
While " Mr. C. " brook Fonzie ’s presence only reluctantly at first , the Fonz was shortly treated as a trust extremity of the family who oft dispensed his own firebrand of fatherly Wisdom of Solomon to the squeaky - unobjectionable Cunningham kids .
7: Sam Malone and Diane Chambers, “Cheers”
Sam Malone ( Ted Danson ) was a bar owner and former Red Sox pitcher ( as well as an all - around " player " ) who philander with every attractive client and adore nothing more than his own mirror image . Diane Chambers ( Shelley Long ) was an underemployed and incapable cocktail waitress who could n’t surpass up an opportunity to exhibit her superior intellect and whose every fundamental interaction reminded patrons and coworkers alike that she think herself too good for Cheers . The combination should have been doom from the start , but somehow the writers of " Cheers " create a interpersonal chemistry between this unlikely pair that kept viewers ' attention from the series pilot in 1982 until Diane ’s departure in 1987 [ source : Bird ] .
Of course , our instincts turned out to be right , as Diane ultimately rejected Sam ’s repeatedmarriageproposals and leave both him and the bar behind to carry out her dream of write a account book . The 1993 series close teased us with the hypothesis that Sam and Diane might end up together after all , but the two type mean unspoilt of it at the last minute , finally parting as booster [ TV Guide ] .
6: Luke and Laura, “General Hospital”
Widely considered the first soap opera house super duo , Luke ( Anthony Geary ) and Laura ( Genie Francis ) of " General Hospital " began their relationship in 1979 with a controversial storyline , when Laura fell inlovewith Luke despite his having dishonour her in a violent drunken encounter . The reference ' wedding in 1981 was the most - watched ever in goop opera history , and theirdivorce20 days afterwards did little to deter their fans from believing that the two were meant to be [ source : West ] .
Throughout the line of their story , their love has weathered tempest that only a easy lay opera could serve up with a straight face : Laura conk , was brought back to life , gift birth to a Logos as the outcome of an adulterous affair with Stavros Cassadine , and much later tragically terminate up in a catatonic state after being unable to cope with the fact that she had killed her stepfather . With Laura incapacitated , Lukemarriedthe conniving Tracy Quartermaine , but only to adventure claim to the woman ’s square fortune [ source : Associated Press ] .
When his on-key love awake from her catatonic Department of State ( as we know she must ) , they remarried , 25 years to the 24-hour interval after their first marriage ceremony , despite Luke ’s still being married to Tracy [ source : Wolf ] . Laura shortly slipped back into her incapacitated United States Department of State , then resurrect enough to leave town , supposedly so she could have medical treatments to keep her catatonic installment . Their destiny remains unsettled , but our money ’s on at least one more go - stave before this story runs its course of study .
5: Ross and Rachel, “Friends”
Between Ross ’s Ph.D. in palaeontology and Rachel ’s unapologetically shallow interest in appearance and fashion , this on - again , off - again pairing read like the inspiration for the short - live reality show " Beauty and the Geek . " We see early in the series that the middling awkward Ross ( David Schwimmer ) has always pined for the popular , attractive Rachel ( Jennifer Aniston ) . He eventually deliver the goods her over with his benignity , and their long - await firstkisswas fulfil for viewers . But their frequent separation and misunderstandings test to be more fun to watch than their so - so alchemy as a dyad .
Throughout the course of their several - class relationship , Ross and Rachel get together , break up , unexpectedly getmarried , just as speedily getdivorced , accidentally videotape a secret assignation during which their baby is believe , inhabit together as friend to raise their daughter , live aside as friend to raise their daughter , and are apparently on racetrack to live blithely - ever - after in the final episode , when Rachel gives up her jibe at a dream job in Paris work out for Louis Vuitton so that she can stay in New York with Ross .
4: Doug and Carrie, “King of Queens”
Doug Heffernan ( Kevin James ) , the funny and likable but passably bumbling deliverer at the center of " King of Queens , " would likely consider himself the lucky man in America for set ashore Carrie ( Leah Remini ) , his affected role , beautiful wife , who admittedly has some gently controlling tendencies of her own . or else , Doug fills the role of clueless husband , obsessed withfoodand sport , skilled at putting his foot in his mouth , and certain to get get ( or nearly caught ) in whatever elaborate scheme he has make up to head off doing something else .
Like the " Seinfeld " crew ( represented on " King of Queens " by Jerry Stiller , who plays Carrie ’s widow father ) , Doug and Carrie on a regular basis line up themselves in improbable but entertaining position in which their early actions come full lap to complicate their life .
3: Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd, “Grey’s Anatomy”
When " Grey ’s Anatomy " debuted in March 2005 , the serial waste no time jumping into the complicated kinship between its two central characters [ source : ABC.com ] . The first sequence open on the dawn - after of novel surgical interne Meredith Grey ’s ( Ellen Pompeo ) presumed one - night stand with a handsome , seemingly random stranger whose name she ca n’t think of . He ’s previous for oeuvre ; she ’s recent for the first mean solar day of her internship , and surprise ! The handsome hookup turns out to be none other than Derek Shepherd ( Patrick Dempsey ) , who we now learn is the infirmary ’s attendingneurosurgeonand , yes , Meredith ’s boss . He ’s eager to cover their relationship ; she ’s got major commitment issue , but ostensibly very little will power , and they continue to meet in secret throughout the first season … until the last instalment , when Meredith ascertain ( along with the viewers ) that Derek has awife .
Over the next two seasons , Meredith and Derek embark on a storyline to rival a daytime soap : He reconciles with his wife , only to ascertain that he ca n’t stay away from Meredith . He divorces his married woman , Meredith go steady someone else . Meredith most drowns , Derek saves her . tight frontward through two more seasons , lots of 2nd guessing , a little bit of therapy , and several personal crises , to find the perpetually indecisive pair finally commit to one another by commute vow written on sticky banknote [ origin : ABC.com ] . Now in their seventh season , Derek and Meredith seem to be well-fixed in their relationship with one another , but then again , themarriagehas never been legitimized , so their future tense is anyone ’s guess .
2: Bill and Sookie, “True Blood”
In the very first episode of " True stock , " we learn that the upright folks of Bon Temps , La. , will toleratevampires(so long as there ’s a ample supply of synthetic Tru line of descent around to fertilise them ) , yet they remain nervous about the telepathic capabilities of waitress Sookie Stackhouse , who ca n’t help but read their thoughts . Sookie and the 167 - year - old vampire Bill ( who does n’t look a day over 25 ) become dissolute allies when she saves him from two rat who plan to drain hisbloodand sell it on the bootleg market , where it is treasure for its narcotic event [ seed : HBO.com ] .
And that ’s the credible part . But through every time of year ’s twists and twist , just when we receive ourselves scratching our heads at Sookie ’s commitment and attractive feature to Bill , he ’ll retrieve a manner to redeem himself , at least temporarily . We ca n’t pretend to bang where their story is lead , but this supernatural super dyad ( play by real - life married couple Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin ) will be fun to watch along the way .
1: Penny and Leonard, “The Big Bang Theory”
Even more " Beauty and the Geek " than Rachel and Ross , Penny ( Kaley Cuoco ) and Leonard ( Johnny Galecki ) of The Big Bang Theory test the very boundary of the older adage that opposites pull . It ’s not that we ’re opposed to the pretty girl fall for the geek , or the nerd being afflict by the lulu ; it ’s just that we do n’t buy it with these two . Welovethe fictitious character interaction as friends , but as a couple , we ’re not positive that there ’s anywhere interesting for them to go .
Like Rachel and Ross before them , Penny and Leonard have been in a " will they or wo n’t they " holding convention for a time of year or so , with the main tension between the quality arising from their green-eyed monster over one another ’s interest in other people . With three days remaining in the show ’s contract , another attempt at love story seems like a safe stakes , but only prison term will tell whether this couple is more credible the next time around .
