Big Pink's List of Top 10 TV Couples of the Last Decade

Dec 14, 2009 15:42

Continuing in my quest to compile random tv-related lists, here are the duos that made me sit up and take notice in the last ten years. I’m afraid there are some repeats from my last list of top ten TV characters, but there’s some new stuff in here too!



Okay, the first thing you'll notice is that there are actually 11 couples here. Sorry. Okay, I'm not really sorry. My post, my rules.

11. Christopher Moltisanto & Adriana La Cerva, The Sopranos (Michael Imperioli and Drea de Matteo) Okay, so it didn’t END well, but hell, that scene? You know the one I mean. A coked up Christopher and Adriana’s DOG??? For that alone, these guys will stay with me. Twisted, awful, sweet.

10. Tommy and Janet Gavin, Rescue Me (Dennis O’Leary and Andrea Roth) Most dysfunctional? Check. Loudest fights? Check. Hottest make-up/break-up sex? Check. I can never decide if I truly love Rescue Me, but I sure do love to watch these two go at it, whichever way it swings.

9. Ryan Atwood and Seth Cohen, The O.C. (Ben McKenzie and Adam Brody) Forget that insipid Marissa or the annoying Summer. Or any of those other girls. The real couple of this show (sorry Sandy and Kristin) was Ryan and Seth. They always had each other. I think. I didn’t really watch the show till the bitter end, but those first seasons? Couldn’t take my eyes off these guys, particularly when they were in the same scene.

8. Sharon and Helo, Battlestar Galactica (Grace Park and Tahmoh Penikett) First of all, I am slowly making my way through BSG, so if something HORRIBLE happens to these two, please don’t tell me! I love these guys, the ultimate mixed-marriage. First, Helo pining for Sharon when she was Boomer, then getting his wish, and then having it turned on its head, and then..then.. See? See why this couple gets to me?

7. Debra Morgan and Frank Lundy, Dexter (Jennifer Carpenter and Keith Carradine) Although I adore Anton, and really he’s much better for Deb in many ways, how can you not love Frank? Daddy issues? Maybe. Okay, certainly. But I think I’d sneak off with him too, even with a boyfriend as hot as Anton.

6. Winchester Brothers, Supernatural (Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki) Seriously. Is there any brother combo quite as compelling as this one? Over the course of five seasons, the brothers have faced just about every set back imaginable with wit (sometimes savage, other times clumsy) and a saltgun. Demons and angels can’t keep them apart. I can’t imagine how they’ll have a happy ending, or an ending that will satisfy the voracious fans, but I can hope.

5. Peggy Olsen and Peter Campbell, Mad Men (Elisabeth Moss and Vincent Kartheiser) These two are almost as twisted as the Gavins, and they would never call themselves a couple, but budding copywriter Peggy and bitter backstabbing Pete wouldn’t exist properly without the other, at least in tv-land. Both are poised for better things next season: opportunity is way past knocking, it’s sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal. Past disappointments and hidden ambitions will surely resurface soon, and one of these days, a reckoning will happen between the rising stars. That possibility is what keeps me glued to my couch.

4. Vorenus and Pullo, Rome (Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson) Dear God: when I die and go to heaven, can I please share a house with these two guys? They won’t notice me and I’ll probably end up doing all their laundry, but I’d put up with it just to watch them argue/save each other/ fight for each other. They cared about each other more deeply than they cared about wives or lovers, generals or children. To see the other mirrored in the actions of the other practically defines the word ‘love’.

3. Michael Lee and Duquan Weems, The Wire (Tristan Wilds and Jermaine Crawford) If you’re in the mood to have your heart broken, look no further than these two friends. Michael (now appearing in 90210, somewhat incongruously) is the smarter of the two: great things will come his way, and do. Duquie, on the other hand, is bullied, traumatized, but is save-able, and therein lies the tragedy. Though their neighbourhood status is profoundly unequal, Duquie’s quiet, maimed humanity balances Michael’s trajectory through revenge, protection and, ultimately, darkness.

2. Tami and Eric Taylor, Friday Night Lights (Tami Britten and Kyle Chandler) It is one of my favourite moments of the week, when I get to have a glass of wine with the Taylors. Whether it’s balancing each other’s insecurities or trying to find the right mix of work-pleasure, the Taylors don’t let each other slide on the small stuff, but nor do they ignore the best that each has to offer. On top of it, they are funny. Their silences are the best bits of a great relationship. The final shot of Season 3, Tami and Eric silhouetted against a decrepit stadium, having just been dealt a huge personal and professional blow, will stick with me till the end of my days.

1. Sol and Trixie, Deadwood (John Hawkes and Paula Malcomson) The slow dance that these two did was a marvel to watch: he, quietly consistent, but never a push-over. She, abused, fiery, loyal, with the backdoor to her heart wide open. That two people so wrong for each other could be so damn right gives you renewed faith in humanity, even in the mud and filth of Deadwood.

I’d love a few additional suggestions! Feel free to disagree, or name your own.

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