There may be many reasons your relationships fizzle out. Maybe you’re young and have your whole life ahead of you. But it might also be that everything you know about relationships comes from your real-life dysfunctional family and what you saw on TV. If you just can’t seem to get it together and commit to “the one” you’ve probably internalized the star-crossed messages from these classic TV shows. Or you’re just too hot to settle down, but we’ll let you be the judge of that.
Photo: NBC
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Which popular TV show moment solidified your relationship-killing ways? Let us know if we missed any shows in the comments!
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TV Memes Commitment Issues
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Rachel and Ross on 'Friends'
The "Will they or won't they?" dynamic between these two characters on Friends set the bar for complicated relationships. They were on-again, off-again friends and lovers. Except sometimes Ross would date, sleep with, or marry people other than Rachel. And we somehow expected her to put up with it and want to be with him. Sigh.
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Dawson and Joey on 'Dawson's Creek'
The cry face GIF to rule them all. The cry face that spawned a million memes. This seminal moment occurred when Dawson put on his big-boy pants and told Joey to go chase her dream. And. Then. She. Left. Which is why the big cry happens. And probably why you push away everyone who's ever loved you.
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Michael Bluth on 'Arrested Development'
Michael Bluth is one of the most tragic characters in all of TV. He's relatable because of his desire to do the right thing, which always gets in the way of his happiness. Sound familiar? Blah.
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Fox Mulder and Dana Scully on 'X-Files'
We still have flashbacks of the sexual tension between Mulder and Scully. Over the span of two TV series and two movies, these two do it all, only to end up back at square one. If this is the relationship you're most affected by, no wonder you're miserable.
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Audrey Horne and Detective Dale Cooper on 'Twin Peaks'
Sometimes heartbreak comes from doing the right thing. Just ask Dawson Leery. When it came to Dale and Audrey getting together, they simply couldn't because Dale had to stay on the right side of the law, leading us to a more important question: If you're not an honorable FBI agent obsessed with solving a murder, why is your love life so shitty?
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Sam and Diane on 'Cheers'
Opposites are supposed to attract, but when it came to Sam and Diane on Cheers, that dynamic was (dare we say) abusive. What went on between the two of them was a classic case of sexual chemistry that the writers room tried to stretch over multiple seasons. Eventually, Diane was written out and broke America's heart, until Sam became a bro and scored again.
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Jerry and Every Woman He Dated on 'Seinfeld'
In a TV show famous for being about nothing, the most substantive part of the show was how quickly a dweeb like Jerry could find flaws in the insanely hot women he dated. If you're still waiting for "the one" because you think you can do better, get a hit TV show or you'll die alone.
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Buffy and Angel on 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'
She's the slayer and he's the lowly vampire who loves her. Talk about star-crossed lovers. These two broke our hearts over and over again on prime-time TV, leaving us feeling just like we would in our very own relationships: sad, empty, and utterly annoyed we played ourselves by ever getting invested.
