10 TV Couples Who Should Have Gotten a Happy Ending

In life, the promise of a happy ending isn’t always certain. We struggle and hurt, and we often look to television to fill a void left by our own search for happiness.

But as it turns out, the happiness that we long for isn’t a guarantee on our screens either. Fan-favorite couples break up, actors move on, and all too often, writers choose shock over the simplicity of a satisfying endgame.

Every viewer has experienced that at some point: a breakup or an ending so devastating that it feels like it could be real, but should those endings stop us from shipping our favorite TV couples? Or is the joy that comes from the love stories we watch worth the pain of unpredictability?

In no particular order, here are 10 TV Couples Who Should Have Gotten a Happy Ending: 

1. Gabriela Dawson and Matt Casey (Chicago Fire)

They felt like a safe bet for nearly a decade. Through the ups and downs of their personal and professional lives, One Chicago’s flagship pairing seemed like they could truly beat all odds and end up together— even after both of their portrayers chose to leave Chicago Fire

From the very beginning, Matt (Jesse Spencer) and Gabby’s (Monica Raymund) bond was eminent. They began the series as friends, were engaged by season three, and finally married in Chicago Fire Season 5 Episode 8, “One Hundred.”

But things took a sharp turn at the end of that season when Matt was nearly killed, and the next season showcased Gabby’s struggle with the near loss of her husband. That event and the ones that followed led to her need for a break, and Monica Raymund was written off of the show when Gabby made the choice to partake in relief work in Puerto Rico.

However, she did make a brief return on Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 9, “Best Friend Magic,” restoring fans’ hope that Dawson and Casey might end up together. And though that looked like a possibility at one point in time, these days, the magic Firehouse 51 once held with them inside has seemed to disappear because, as Matt once said, being with Dawson is the only thing that makes sense.

2. Nic Nevin and Conrad Hawkins (The Resident)

In recent years, one of the most heart-shattering conclusions comes from the untimely ending of The Resident’s resident love story between Nic (Emily VanCamp) and Conrad (Matt Czuchry).

A la ER’s very own doctor and nurse pairing, the Fox medical drama spent three seasons showcasing the couple’s fight to rebuild a relationship stronger than the one they shared pre-series, which eventually led to Conrad and Nic’s wedding on The Resident Season 4 Episode 1, “A Wedding, A Funeral” and the birth of their daughter in Season 4 Episode 14 “Past, Present, Future.”

But the fourth season’s happiness was short-lived when, prior to the season five premiere, it was announced that Emily VanCamp had chosen to exit the series.

Within the first few episodes of season five, the decision that the writers had settled on the idea of killing Nic off had come to light and Conrad’s own ending the following year solidified that The Resident had failed to find its own pulse after the loss of the show’s centric love story.

3, Melinda May and Phil Coulson (Agents of SHIELD)

Many have been grateful that, at the very least, both members of their ship are alive at the end of a series but few – if any – have ever been thrilled by the possibility that half of their favorite pairing ends up a soulless robot when the dust finally settles.

Unfortunately, that is the turn that Agents of SHIELD takes in its final season after killing Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) off for the second time in Marvel history two seasons prior.

Agents of SHIELD  Season 6 goes through the motions of Coulson’s loss and how that affects his team, primarily his professional-turned-romatic partner, May (Ming-Na Wen), and his pseudo-daughter, Daisy (Chloe Bennet), but season seven is where the full disservice really kicks in when Coulson is revived as a Life Model Decoy and May is faced with the loss of her own emotions.

While this sort of storyline had potential, it became a major loss for fans of Coulson and May’s relationship. The two spent decades at each other’s side until the events of Bahrain left Melinda traumatized, and even then, her partner put in the work to help her heal and feel again.

But season seven unravels all of that in the show’s final thirteen episodes. Coulson isn’t really Coulson, and the May that healed with his help ends up alone.

4. Rory Gilmore and Logan Huntzberger (Gilmore Girls)

While Gilmore Girls has brought us immense comfort over the years, the show has never been afraid to pull the rug right out from under everyone— especially fans of Rory (Alexis Bledel) and Logan (Matt Czuchry) during the final episodes of the original series. 

Of all of Rory’s boyfriends throughout the show, only one seemed to truly support Rory for Rory, not for the image of Rory that her hometown had shaped of her, and that was Logan.

He stood by her during her bout with perfectionist burnout in season six, and when he committed to factoring her into his future decisions in Gilmore Girls  Season 7 Episode 18, “Hay Bale Maze,” it seemed safe to assume that they would be endgame.

But it’s in the final two episodes that their entire relationship comes crashing down, surprising everyone. Suddenly, Logan’s support has a clause that seems out of character for the man he had become, and Rory lets him go almost too easily; a plot point that continues in the show’s revival and leaves their relationship a dynastic disaster.

5. Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey (Grey’s Anatomy)

When it comes to Grey’s Anatomy couples that deserved a better ending, there’s a long list of names and an even longer list of reasons why. But ultimately, one ship takes home the title for the most devastating conclusion: Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) and Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh). 

For three seasons, McSteamy and Little Grey put us through the wringer with a variety of ups, downs, and secret babies but there were few doubts that these two were not perfect for each other. So when the moment finally came that Lexie admitted that she was still in love with Markon Grey’s Anatomy Season 8 Episode 22, “Let the Bad Times Roll,” fans were sure that good things were just beyond the horizon.

Except… they weren’t. The moment in the season eight finale that defined Mark and Lexie as “meant to be” was also the moment that Lexie lost her life.

Mark followed in the season nine premiere just months later, and what makes this loss even more gut-wrenching is that their fans were left with the knowledge that given slightly different circumstances, Eric Dane and Chyler Leigh could have been written off of the show together.

6. Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls (Veronica Mars)

Epic, right? That is until a much-anticipated revival took a turn for the worst and spun a series-long love story into massive heartbreak, which is exactly what happened to Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) and Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell).

When Veronica Mars was canceled in 2007 after just three seasons, fans believed that they would never find closure for the series’ most beloved relationship. That all changed, though, when a Kickstarter campaign launched a 2014 film revival, and that revival seemed to solidify Logan and Veronica’s endgame.

The movie’s success led to a fourth season in 2019, but the secondary revival came as more of a slap in the face to fans rather than a gift. Veronica and Logan were finally happily together. However, in the final moments of Season 4 Episode 8 “Years, Continents, Bloodshed” – an episode titled after one of the couple’s most iconic moments – Logan was tragically killed in effort to separate Veronica from her romantic story arc.

In the end, it was explained that the decision to kill Logan came from a place of feminism, but even now, it feels as though the powers that be behind Veronica Mars believe that women cannot balance both love and demanding careers.

7. Clarke Griffin and Lexa (The 100)

We can’t talk about ships that deserved better without acknowledging one of the most notable from the last decade: Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) from The CW’s The 100

Taking a dystopian future spin on the classic enemies to lovers trope, Clarke and Lexa met as rivals during the show’s first season. Their story was quick to capture the audience and as time progressed over the next season, they fell in love, overcoming their differences and the war around them.

But that would all be taken away when The 100 latched onto yet another trope — this time, the distasteful bury your gays — and killed Lexa in the third season. That was the last of their relationship, but the legacy was left as an impact on Clarke rather than a much deserved endgame for both characters.

8. Keith Scott and Karen Roe (One Tree Hill)

When it comes down to it, One Tree Hill had a fantastic ending. All of the original five characters found their endgames, and the show concluded with much more happiness than it had begun with. But that doesn’t mean that every romantic relationship found its perfect ending, nor does it mean that we wouldn’t go back in time and change things if we could.

Of every non-endgame romance on the show, Keith (Craig Sheffer) and Karen (Moira Kelly) were more than deserving of a better conclusion. It’s rare to see such heartfelt representations of adult relationships in teen dramas, but these two were something special.

Existing as a sort of looking glass into the past of this small North Carolina town, Keith’s unwavering love and support of Karen throughout high school and beyond as she raised her son, Lucas (Chad Michael Murray), captured the show’s first glimpse at found family.

This glimpse led to both heartache and happiness as Keith’s love seemed unrequited, but Karen finally accepted her own feelings and the two officially became a couple in Season 3.

Their time was tragically short-lived when, for the sake of shock value during One Tree Hill Season 3 Episode 16, “With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept,” Keith was killed by his brother, Dan (Paul Johansson), who happened to be Lucas’ biological father. As a result of his death, Karen was inevitably left to grieve her son and raise the daughter that Keith would never meet, while fans were left wondering what could have been. 

9. Roy Kent and Keeley Jones (Ted Lasso)

It’s an understandable move in this day and age; choosing to end a female character’s story with her choosing herself and her work over a relationship, but why exactly is it that women in relationships are still deemed less powerful in fiction and in real life? For Ted Lasso’s Keeley (Juno Temple) and Roy (Brett Goldstein), that is the burning question fueled by their ambiguous ending in the show’s final episode.

Throughout the majority of the first two seasons, it seemed as though Keeley and Roy would make it until the end– their relationship blossomed into support, and as we watched them navigate their feelings, as well as their own personal and relationship qualms, it seemed as though they could work through anything. But things came crashing to a halt as the Apple TV series entered its third season and suddenly, the two were no more.

Even so, their progression throughout the season had fans thinking that things were looking up. Roy did the work to better himself, and after Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 10, “International Break,” it seemed as though he and Keeley had rekindled their romance… For a brief moment.

The final two episodes threw everyone for a loop when, somewhat unexpectedly, the love triangle between Roy, Keeley, and Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) was revived, and Roy and Keeley’s ending was left undefined in the show’s final montage.

10. Karen Sirko and Graham Dunne (Daisy Jones & the Six)

Perhaps the most heartbreaking of all are the relationships that end not by death or a falling out, but because two people so deeply in love want different things out of life. Daisy Jones & the Six effortlessly captures that unique brand of devastation between fictional bandmates Karen (Suki Waterhouse) and Graham (Will Harrison).

From the very beginning, Graham is smitten with Karen and they both know it. She pushes him away, fighting her own feelings until the very moment that jealousy rears its ugly head and she can’t anymore. That slip up is a start, as it turns out, and both fall harder than they ever could have imagined.

Nevertheless, the inevitable that they knew would come comes in contrast to the story’s love triangle. As Billy, Daisy, and Camilla falter on tropes of longing and infidelity, Karen and Graham come face to face with their own reality; the reality that the person they love may not be the right person for them to love.

It’s grounds for the end of their relationship, and while that seems to work out for Graham, it’s Karen’s admission twenty years later that leaves us wondering if maybe, just maybe, they could have been right for each other after all.

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What ship do you think deserved a happy ending? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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