Sitcoms often live or die based on how relatable and compelling the characters are, with the dynamics between such individuals making the most beloved of sitcoms more than just humorous shows. The comedy is always super important, sure, but this type of television is also consistently good at exploring themes surrounding love and companionship, often building up and exploring relationships over numerous years/seasons.
The following couples all rank among the best and most memorable in sitcom history, some because their relationship is wholesome, sometimes because their relationship is depicted realistically, and sometimes because the relationship is hilariously disastrous and dysfunctional. Some shows even manage to do a bit of all these, andwhile this ranking can in no way be an extensive rundown of all the great sitcom couples throughout television history, they do count as some of the very best.
10Jim and Pam
‘The Office’ (2005-2013)
Going through sitcom couples without a mention of Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly fromThe Officewould probably lead to whatever the digital/online equivalent of blood in the streets is. They are kind of the go-to example of a well-done and highly memorable sitcom couple, with nine seasons ofThe Officeallowing their dynamic to shift over time, and grow as characters together.
There’s a good deal of “will they, won’t they” early on, and eventually, they become an official couple, later getting married and starting a family, each finding themselves very different people by the series finale, compared to the pilot. Sure,they might not be as interesting once they genuinely get together, and,on his own, Jim certainly has his detractors, but it’s a long-term sitcom relationship generally done right, and stands as one of the most memorable in recent memory for good reason.
The Office
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9Adam and Hannah
‘Girls’ (2012-2017)
Acrosssix provocative and uncomfortably funny seasons,Girlsprovided a brutally honest look at the hardships of working and dating as a young adult in the 21st century. The main characters were indeed the four titular girls, but all were shown to go through various relationships as the show went along. Even with the focus on love and loss, the show’s tone ensured things were hardly “romantic,” though, at least in the traditional sense.
The early seasons ofGirlswere partly defined by the relationship between protagonist Hannah (played by series creatorLena Dunham) and Adam (played by a soon-to-be-famousAdam Driver). It was nevera relationship that was meant to last, but the chemistry between the two was compelling and the energy on screen felt real; both the ups and downs felt genuine, and almost like eavesdropping/spying on an actual dating couple.
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8Lilly and Marshall
‘How I Met Your Mother’ (2005-2014)
How I Met Your Mothermay not have ended as well as it began, and it could also be one show that might not beas fun as it used to be… but while it was on air, it was an undeniably popular and definitive romance-focused sitcom. It was baked into the premise and title of the show, after all, following a father telling his children an extended story about how he – you guessed it – met their mother.
A sitcom relationship isn’t always good or memorable based on how long it is, but it is applicable when it comes toHow I Met Your Mother, with supporting characters Lilly and Marshallhaving the best and strongest relationship in the show. There are brief rough patches, as one would expect, but the two generally work well together and have convincing chemistry, making their scenes together often feel like highlights within the show.
How I Met Your Mother
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7Basil and Sybil
‘Fawlty Towers’ (1975-1979)
At the other end of the spectrum toHow I Met Your Mother’sLilly and Marshall comes Basil and Sybil from the classic – yet short-lived – sitcomFawlty Towers. Co-written by and starringJohn CleeseofMonty Pythonfame, the show revolves around an incredibly dysfunctional hotel run by a dysfunctional couple, everything always coming apart at the seams… but in a funny way, seeing as the characters bring chaos upon themselves.
Like the main characters inSeinfeldandIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the couple at the center ofFawlty Towersare very much people you wouldn’t want to be, nor act like in real life. However, unlike those shows (where characters cycle through relationships, if they even have dating success at all), Basil and Sybil are together throughoutFawlty Towers, withtheir terrible and hostile marriage explored in-depth, and with frequent hilarity.
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6Amy and Jake
‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ (2013-2021)
Brooklyn Nine-Ninetended to be happy withbeing a goofy crime/cop show for the most part, generally placing a much greater emphasis on being a sitcom than most shows about police officers tend to be. And, like any TV show that could broadly be described as a workplace sitcom, it lived and died by its characters and their generally comedic and high-energy interactions.
Yet at its core,Brooklyn Nine-Ninealso had a decent (and surprising) amount of heart, perhaps best emphasized by the relationship that’s shown to grow across the series between Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago.They’re vastly different people, in many ways, but their bond shows that the cliché regarding opposites attracting can sometimes be believable, and they make for the best and most prominent couple in the show overall.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
5Andy and April
‘Parks and Recreation’ (2009-2015)
ThoughParks and Recreationhad some growing pains, by the end of season 2, it had built up a cast of very strong series regulars, and most of them stuck around until the show’s end (or close to it). It was a sitcom about small-town politics that had a surprising number of strong relationships throughout its duration, with a (very) honorable mention going to Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt, of course.
But of all the couples inParks and Recreation, none were as much fun or as strangely believable as Andy Dwyer and April Ludgate, played byChris PrattandAubrey Plazarespectively. It’s another quintessential “opposites attract” type of couple, with Andy being hyperactive and excitable and April being (at first) sullen and sarcastic. Seeing the commonalities between the two develop – andthe way they accept and learn to love the other’s differences/quirks – always proves endearing.
Parks and Recreation
4Lucy and Ricky
‘I Love Lucy’ (1951-1957)
It’s a severe understatement to callI Love Lucyahistorically important and groundbreaking sitcom, because it defined what the sitcom as a genre/format would be going forward. Its premise is also classically sitcom and grounded in nature, with it following the titular Lucy as she tries to achieve fame, all the while balancing the relationships in her life with work and looking after a family.
Given its status as a quintessential piece of sitcom history, it follows that the couple at the center ofI Love Lucy– Lucy and Ricky Ricardo – also stand as one of the most important and memorable of all time.A great deal of the show’s comedy and heart revolves around the pair, and further, the characters’ actors –Lucille BallandDesi Arnaz– were famously married in real life while the show was on the air.
I Love Lucy
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3Chidi and Eleanor
‘The Good Place’ (2016-2020)
A remarkably creative sitcom thatcould be romantic, funny, and heavily existentialall at once,The Good Placestarts as one kind of show and morphs into a very different one altogether by the end of its first season. It never stops being about a group of people navigating the afterlife and bonding through the whole wild experience, but circumstances shift and plot twists are surprisingly common, making it feel more intricately plotted than many other sitcoms out there.
With the idea of eternal love in the afterlife being explored by the season’s end, it checks out that some of the core relationships inThe Good Placeare exceedingly strong, even transcendently so. And the romance that blossoms over the series between Chidi and Eleanor is the strongest, especially by the timeThe Good Placereaches its moving and very impactful series finale.
The Good Place
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2Carla and Turk
‘Scrubs’ (2001-2010)
Scrubsis one ofthe most enjoyable sitcoms of the 2000s, taking a sometimes funny, sometimes surreal, and sometimes heartbreaking look at the lives of a group of interns starting out work at a hospital. Given the show ran for nearly a decade, they grow as people and better themselves as doctors as things go on, staying the same in some ways while maturing in other very noticeable ways by the series’ end.
The off-and-on but ultimately strong relationship between lead character J.D. and Elliot is worth mentioning, but it’s J.D.’s best friend, Turk, who ultimately has the stronger and more memorable relationship, with Carla, a nurse at the hospital.The two are together throughout most of the show, and even though Turk might have an even stronger bromance with J.D. than he does a romance with Carla, the two are ultimately devoted to each other through thick and thin, and their relationship is an undoubtedly sweet one.
1Homer and Marge
‘The Simpsons’ (1989-)
An animated sitcom defined by itsenduring quality despite many rough patches,The Simpsonshas long seemed unstoppable, and similarly mighty is the marriage at its center: the one between Homer and Marge Simpson. Sure, time seems to progress in a very non-traditional way in the world ofThe Simpsons, butthe show has also been on air for 35 years, as of 2024, and Homer and Marge remain together.
The Simpsonscan get emotional at times, and many of these instances – especially early on – revolve around hardships in this marriage. Both characters have their flaws (admittedly, Homer has many more than the shockingly patient Marge), but the love they have for each other feels genuine and simply meant to be. They deserve to be considered the best sitcom couple of all time, seeing how eternal their love seems to be, and for the fact that they’ve been together for as long asThe Simpsonshas been on air… which, again, has felt like something of an eternity.
