The Most Inspiring TV Couples Ever

So what if TV couples aren't real? Their effect on your idea of love and romance is very real. Look back on the couples who have inspired viewers the most.

Sure, they made no sense for a very long time. But Veronica and Logan were eventually a pretty cute couple on Veronica Mars.

Why were Elena and Damon so hot together on Vampire Diaries? It might have helped that stars Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder were dating in real life for most of the series.

Of all the crazy pairings on True Blood, we're the most attached to Sookie and Alcide. Perhaps because it took so long for them to finally get together!

Pam and Jim were absolutely the heart and soul of The Office, from their initial flirting to life as a married couple with kids.

Okay, so Stabler and Benson weren't a typical romantic couple on Law and Order: SVU. But arguably, they were totally soul mates.

He was an urban dating legend come true! Steve the bartender went from one-night stand to husband for Miranda on Sex and the City.

Amy and Ricky's relationship was on and off for the entire duration of Secret Life of the American Teenager, but ultimately their first love came to a very realistic end.

There are several problematic couples for the girls on Pretty Little Liars, but Toby and Spencer are two people who just can't stay away from each other.

"I love you and I like you," Leslie and Ben said in their wedding vows on Parks and Rec, and lo, a new romantic goal was born.

Nathan and Haley got married when they were 16 on One Tree Hill, had a baby at age 18, and still managed to be the most stable and sweet couple on the series. A miracle!

Immature Phil and overbearing Claire feel like a real couple on Modern Family, and they complement each other excellently.

One of the best aspects of The Mindy Project is Mindy's steady stream of different boyfriends. Each one is cuter than the last (until her inevitable partnering with Danny Castellano, of course!).

Timmy and his dog Lassie had an impenetrable and lifelong friendship on Lassie, and isn't that the most inspiring kind of relationship of all?

Womanizing Barney and tomboy Robin wound up being a perfect pair on How I Met Your Mother.

Buffy and Angel of Buffy were a modern (and mythical) retelling of the star-crossed Romeo and Juliet, since he was a vampire and she was born to kill him.

The original married TV couple, Lucy and Desi of I Love Lucy taught us that the most important ingredient in a marriage is laughter (and maybe patience).

Blair and Chuck were the evil king and queen of the Upper East Side on Gossip Girl, which made them perfect for each other.

Is there relationship healthy? Not exactly. But Hannah and Adam on Girls are a perfect example of the kind of relationship you find yourself in at age 24.

Luke and Lorelai were a classic will-they-won't-they on Gilmore Girls, but their complicated relationship kept things interesting the whole series.

Ross and Rachel may have gotten all the attention and drama on Friends, but that's only because Monica and Chandler were such an easy, natural match for each other.

Leonard and Penny's relationship has played out slowly and naturally on The Big Bang Theory, and has given hope to nerds everywhere that they can get the girl.

How cute were Pacey and Joey on Dawson's Creek? So cute they set unreal expectations for an entire generation of teenagers.

It's not just because of their matching highlights! Carrie and Sebastian on The Carrie Diaries totally would have dated in a real high school. They're the hottest people in their class!

Kate and Sawyer were part of a love square on Lost, but they win all the steamy points. Just look at them.

So what if they spent most of their time arguing? Ray and Deborah were a sweetly realistic married couple on Everybody Loves Raymond, and we wouldn't have minded them being our parents.

Luke and Laura weren't just the central couple of General Hospital—they are one of the most important (and influential) TV couples of all time.

Kurt and Blaine have gone from competitors to buddies to boyfriends to an engaged couple on Glee, breaking down countless television barriers in the process.

We're glad Miles was the first guy Rose really dated after her husband passed away on Golden Girls... less glad that he turned out to be a cheating mobster.

Meredith and Derek's sexual connection kicked off the drama on Grey's Anatomy, and continued right through their eventual marriage.

Michael Scott of The Office spent his whole life looking for love... and the writers created his perfect soul mate in Holly.

Brad and Jane of Happy Endings have convinced us that marriage doesn't have to be so scary... as long as you find someone as hilarious as you are.

Ted spent the whole series of How I Met Your Mother searching for a love as easy and natural as his best buddies', Lily and Marshall.

Desmond was shipwrecked for three years on Lost, but his love Penny never gave up hope she'd find him. Their reunion was one of the best moments of the series.

Turning the will-they-won't-they television rules on their head, Jess and Nick got together midway through the second season of New Girl—with one of the hottest TV kisses ever.

Lucas and Peyton were on again, off again for much of One Tree Hill, but they were an easy couple to root for, even when he was dating her best friend Brooke.

Nothing unites a couple like a common desire for vengeance, and thus Emily and Aiden are two of a kind on Revenge.

Sure, they're totally doomed—but will you get a load of that chemistry? Fitz and Olivia on Scandal, we wait for you, we watch for you.

A Queens gal with huge hair and a stuffy, rich Brit fell in love on The Nanny, and each taught the other a little something about life in the process.

Why were Kirsten and Sandy such a great couple on The OC? Well, they always seemed to have a pretty awesome sex life, to the chagrin of their son.

They were totally creepy and weird together, which is precisely why Dwight and Angela were peas in a pod on The Office.