From Ross and Rachel to Jim and Pam, Corey and Topanga to Beth and Randall Pearson, TV’s favorite couples embody just the sort of friendship, commitment, and passion that make us believe in love. Not that the road to happily ever after is easy. Any avid TV fan will tell you that the seasons-long tension of will-they, won’t-they is what makes every eventual coupling that much more satisfying: It’s the journey that matters in the end.
Take, for instance, the achingly slow evolution of Jim and Pam’s relationship on The Office, which may be second only to Sam and Diane’s timeless love story on Cheers, Mulder and Scully’s series-long romantic tension on The X Files, or Monica and Chandler’s lifelong friendship that eventually morphed into a quirky romance on Friends.
Married TV couples don’t have it any easier either. Beth and Randall Pearson’s love story on This Is Us is riddled with conflict, tension, and drama, but the dynamic duo ultimately always have each other’s back. Even Ricky and Lucy Ricardo had their share of misunderstandings over the years — hence the trademark “Lucyyyyyyy!” catchphrase. Black-ish’s Dre and Bow are similarly each other’s biggest fans, even as they juggle two careers, five kids, and their own sense of self.
No matter what each couple goes through, we as viewers find ourselves rooting for them to succeed, in no small part because we want to believe that love can overcome all obstacles. In that spirit, here are 13 quotes about love from some of television’s most popular couples.
We’re a masterpiece. And I don’t care what you think right now. We’re going to be together forever and I know that, but you still need to find that out. You know where I’ll be.
— Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), Boy Meets World
I lied, I’m not out of this relationship. I’m in. I’m so in, it’s humiliating, because here I am begging … OK, here it is. Your choice, it’s simple: her or me. And I’m sure she’s really great, but, Derek, I love you in a really, really big way. Pretend to like your taste in music, let you eat the last piece of cheesecake, hold a radio above my head outside your window, unfortunate way that makes me hate you, love you. So pick me, choose me, love me.
— Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Grey’s Anatomy
It's like my life isn't even real to me unless you're there, and you're in it, and I'm sharing it with you. And uh… I don't know what I was waiting for and I don't know what I was scared of, but I'm not, I'm not scared and I'm not waiting, I'm here.
— Luke Danes (Scott Patterson), Gilmore Girls
I promise to spend the rest of my life earning your love, because you are the only thing … the only thing I’m ever going to need.
— Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown), This Is Us
Four years ago, I was just a guy who had a crush on a girl who had a boyfriend. And I had to do the hardest thing I ever had to do, which was just to wait… And a lot of people told me I was crazy to wait this long for a date with a girl I work with, but I think even then I knew that… I was waiting for my wife.
— Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), The Office
When you’re a kid, you assume your parents are soul mates. My kids are gonna be right about that.
— Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer), The Office
I thought that it mattered what I said or where I said it, then I realized the only thing that matters is that you make me happier than I ever thought I could be. And if you let me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way.
— Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Friends
Lily, there are a million reasons why I love you. You make me laugh, you take care of me when I’m sick, you’re sweet, caring, and you even created an egg dish and named it after me. She puts a little Italian dressing on the eggs before she cooks them; it’s called Eggs Marshall and it’s awesome. But the main reason is you’re my best friend, Lily. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.
— Marshall (Jason Segel), How I Met Your Mother
In my time working for the state government, my job sent me to 46 cities in 11 years. I lived in villages with eight people, rural farming communities, college towns. I was sent to every corner of Indiana. And then I came here, and I realized that this whole time I was just wandering around everywhere, looking for you.
— Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott), Parks and Recreation
I love the mother that you are. I love that you are still the most beautiful woman in any room and that you laugh with your entire face. I love that you dance funny, not sexy, which makes it even sexier, but most of all, I love that you are still the same woman who, all those years ago, ran out of a blind date because she simply had to sing. You're not just my great love story, Rebecca, you are my big break. And our love story? I know it may not feel like it right now, baby, but I promise you, it's just getting started.
— Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia), This Is Us
"Patrick, I've never liked a smile as much as I like yours. I've never felt as safe as I do when I'm with you. [crying] I've never known love, like I have when we're together. It's not been an easy road for me. But... knowing that you will always be there for me at the end of it, makes everything okay. Patrick Brewer, you are my happy ending."
— David Rose (Daniel Levy), Schitt’s Creek
You know you’re right for someone when they force you to be the best version of yourself.
— Danny Castellano (Chris Messina), The Mindy Project
The most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you that you love, well, that’s just fabulous.”
— Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Sex and the City
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