9 Sitcom Couples That Just Didn't Work

Troy Barnes And Britta Perry In Community

Troy and Britta's romance feels forced

Donald Glover staring at the ceiling as Troy Barnes in Community as Gillian Jacobs' Britta Perry talks to him

Troy and Britta are great characters, but their relationship comes out of nowhere and never feels genuine. While their opposite natures imply they may attract one another, as per the old adage, their time together is one of the most unusual parts of Community. A good sitcom pairing comes to mind without much thinking, and the duo that sticks out in Community is Troy and Abed - a thoroughly Platonic affair. However, Troy and Britta's high-concept breakup in season 4, episode 11, 'Basic Human Anatomy,' is one of the best Community episodes of all time, so their weird relationship pays off.

Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford sitting in a park next to a smiling Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins in Parks and Recreation

Keywords: forced, unusual, platonic, high-concept breakup

Tom Haverford And Ann Perkins In Parks And Recreation

Ann always feels like she's tolerating Tom

Tom's spell with Ann involves both parties being unapologetically themselves, which is how a relationship should be. The issue is that who they both are as people isn't conducive to a romantic dynamic. Instead of their interactions being playful or affectionate, it'd be more accurate to say that Ann is always on the verge of losing her patience with Tom, if she hasn't lost it already. Tom seems much more into the relationship than Ann, who gives the impression that she'd rather be in a terrible couple than stay single.

Natasha Beaumont smiling at an uncomfortable-looking David Mitchell as Mark Corrigan in Peep Show

Keywords: unapologetic, playful, affectionate, terrible couple

Mark Corrigan And Saz In Peep Show

Mark's temporary roommate was taking advantage of her landlord

Some sitcom relationships are never romantic, no matter how much one of the people want them to be. Mark's love life in Peep Show is nothing short of tragic, as he sabotages even his most promising chances of happiness. His poor judgment is on full display in Peep Show season 5, episode 3, 'Jeremy's Broke,' when Mark suggests to the opportunistic Saz that she should become his girlfriend. Saz sees the chance for a rent-free life and hastily accepts. The shell of a relationship understandably crashes and burns by the end of the episode, which is no surprise at all.

Tara Reid wearing a blank expression as Danni Sullivan in Scrubs as Zach Braff's JD looks deep in thought

Keywords: tragic, poor judgment, opportunistic, rent-free life

JD And Danni Sullivan In Scrubs

Danni Was Hiding Her True Self The First Time Around

JD dates Danni twice in Scrubs. When they meet, Danni comes across as a female DJ, and the pair seem perfectly matched. Their breakup is ultimately due to JD's lingering feelings for Elliot. However, when JD reinitiates the relationship, it's done to get Elliot's attention. Not only is this an unhealthy move, but it also reveals that Danni isn't so similar to JD after all. During their first stint together, Danni was hiding her true self, so she is actually much more abrasive than JD knew. It becomes obvious very soon after their reunion that they should have stayed apart.

Nick Mohammed as Nathan Shelley facing a serious-looking Edyta Budnik as Jade in Ted Lasso

Keywords: female DJ, unhealthy move, abrasive, stayed apart

Nathan Shelley And Jade In Ted Lasso

Nate's dynamic with Jade felt more like friendship

While the story of Nate working up the courage to ask Jade on a date is undeniably sweet, the eventual relationship that follows feels inauthentic at best. Jade isn't an especially expressive character, which may play some part in how their time together is portrayed. However, Nate and Jade are one of the few happy endings in Ted Lasso, but the love between them feels more like the affection one might have for a friend. Whether it was a casting or writing issue is unclear, but it's difficult to ever see Nate and Jade as a genuine romantic couple.

Nick Mohammed smiling awkwardly as Nathan Shelley standing next to a serious-looking Edyta Budnik as Jade in Ted Lasso

Keywords: undeniably sweet, inauthentic, expressive, happy endings

Charles Boyle And Eleanor Horstweil In Brooklyn Nine-Nine

This Brooklyn Nine-Nine pairing pre-dates the first episode

Nick Mohammed as Nathan Shelley facing a serious-looking Edyta Budnik as Jade in Ted Lasso

The case of Boyle and Eleanor is an interesting one, as they're never actually together during the run of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Instead, Boyle mentions his ex-wife on several occasions before her debut in Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 3, episode 11, 'Hostage Situation.' Boyle is one of the sweetest characters on the show, and Eleanor is shown to be his absolute antithesis. It immediately becomes clear why their marriage ended when Eleanor is shown on screen. Her evil, abusive nature is completely at odds with Boyle's selflessness and kind heart. While their former relationship makes for good entertainment, it's objectively unhealthy.

Nick Mohammed as Nathan Shelley with Edyta Budnik as Jade on his shoulder in Ted Lasso

Keywords: debut, antithesis, evil, abusive, good entertainment

Will McKenzie And Charlotte Hinchcliffe In The Inbetweeners

Will remains unsure if their brief dalliance was a bet

Edyta Budnik as Jade looking suspiciously at Nate in Ted Lasso

The Inbetweeners follows a group of high-school boys on the fringes of their social group, so it comes as a surprise to them all when one of the popular girls shows interest in one of them. Will and Charlotte's relationship is never really labeled, and it's also never clear whether it was a relationship at all. Although they have an incredibly awkward sexual encounter, Will is still left confused as to where he stands. Charlotte also doesn't make it clear of her feelings either. Overall, the pairing doesn't work well, but it's clear this is a ploy by the writers.

Kathryn Hahn as Eleanor Horstweil looking annoyed in Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Keywords: fringes, popular girls, awkward sexual encounter, ploy

Leonard Hofstadter And Penny Hofstadter In The Big Bang Theory

The most famous pair in The Big Bang Theory got married despite all their differences

Charles Boyle looking serious in Brooklyn Nine Nine

Leonard and Penny's relationship timeline is one of the biggest parts of The Big Bang Theory. The differences between Leonard and Penny drive them apart more often than their limited similarities draw them together, leading to long spells where they date other people. While they do have moments where it seems they're well-suited, they more often just seem pushed together out of convenience. The fact that they get married before the show ends communicates the fact that the writers felt the two characters belong together, when the reality of the situation is that their relationship just isn't all that believable.

Charles Boyle at work looking serious on Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Keywords: differences, well-suited, pushed together, believable

Rainer Shine And Haley Dunphy In Modern Family

Rainer and Haley's age gap made the relationship untenable

Joe Lo Truglio as Charles Boyle in Brooklyn Nine Nine 99 wearing a fur coat

Rainer Shine is introduced to Modern Family as not just a weatherman, but also Phil's hero - although this is at least in part due to his brilliant name. Phil inadvertently encourages Rainer to date Haley, which irritates Phil, making Nathan Fillion's character unusually difficult to root for. During their relationship, Haley is in the midst of trying to figure out her life, while Rainer is looking for something much more. Their divergent interests come to a head during Rainer's proposal attempt, which Haley initially accepts and then rejects just as quickly.

Kathryn Hahn as Eleanor holding a jar and looking evil in Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Keywords: age gap, weatherman, brilliant name, divergent interests

Joey Tribianni And Rachel Green In Friends

This Friends pairing felt wrong from the start

Simon Bird as Will McKenzie walking alongside Emily Atack as Charlotte Hinchcliffe in The Inbetweeners

When a sitcom runs for a long time, it can be interesting to make the characters interact in new ways. Although the arc starts in season 8, Joey and Rachel start dating in Friends season 10. The relationship that sticks out across all 10 seasons of Friends is Ross and Rachel, and it's still something that's expected to happen near the end of the show. The fact that Joey is the one who starts dating Rachel so late in the story is nothing short of unusual, especially when it's considered that she's carrying Ross' child at the time. Everything about the attempt at romance between Joey and Rachel feels off. Luckily, even the characters themselves pick up on their romantic dissonance, ending the brief relationship soon after it starts. Instead of being a genuine attempt by the writers to throw a spanner in the works, Joey's feelings for Rachel feel more like setting the stage for Ross and Rachel to finally end up together.

Kaley Cuoco as Penny looking tired with Johnny Galecki as Leonard who has his hand on her shoulder in The Big Bang Theory

Keywords: long time, expected, romantic dissonance, setting the stage