Summary

• Bad-boy good-girl pairings in movies and TV offer complex and compelling romances that transcend typical stereotypes.
• Memorable good girl and bad boy couples like Pacey and Joey, or Hardin and Tessa, showcase emotional growth and depth in relationships.
• These pairings bring out the best and the worst in each other, creating intense and often tragic love stories that resonate with audiences.

There is an enduring trope seen in bad boy and good girl movies that highlights one of the most intriguing romantic pairings. For audiences, there's always been something alluring about the bad boy. He's dangerous and unpredictable, but he has a softer side that makes it all the more effective when the audience gets to see him fall in love. By contrast, good girls sometimes live lives that are too sheltered and secure, but offer a sweet and innocent personality. Together, these boys and girls offer each other romance and purpose.

That's the setup for many good-girl-bad-boy pairings in movies and television and has resulted in some memorable examples of the trope. While this kind of pairing is most prevalent in teen projects, it can also be found in some of the best Disney couples, and even in some of the adult pairings in modern television. The best examples of the pairing endure conflict and drive the story forward, often bringing out the best in one another as they do.

30 Joey & Pacey - Dawson’s Creek (1998-2003)

Played By Katie Holmes & Joshua Jackson

Though Joey (Katie Holmes) is considered to be from the “wrong side of the Creek” by some in the first two seasons of Dawson’s Creek, she’s still the good girl. She’s a good student who has a part-time job and has one goal: getting out of Capeside. Pacey (Joshua Jackson), on the other hand, is a class clown who isn’t afraid to skip school or steal his dad’s police cruiser.

He’s not the typical bad boy, and Pacey’s arc is all about growing into a dependable man despite how everyone else sees him. Joey and Pacey don’t even get together until the third season of the show, and their on-again-off-again relationship becomes one of the best emotional storylines of the show through to the finale. Together they were responsible for some of the saddest moments on Dawson's Creek as well as some of the most romantic.

29 Leilana & Troy - Reality Bites (1994)

Played By Winona Ryder & Ethan Hawke

Even for the early 1990s, Reality Bites isn’t the usual rom-com. It takes on some more difficult subjects, like coming out and the AIDS crisis, which weren’t typically seen in movies of the time period. In addition to the heavier subject matter though, it also had a romance between a good girl and a bad boy.

Lailana (Winona Ryder) is a valedictorian on her way to becoming a filmmaker while Troy (Ethan Hawke) is a failed musician breaking the rules, and yet, they seem to fit together perfectly. They make for a quintessential Gen X bad boy and good girl couple while also fitting into the friends-to-lovers trope that is also popular. It leaves Lailana with a typical decision in these types of movies: seek out a more secure life or risk it all with the moody and artistic rebel.

Stream on Starz

28 Emma & Spinner - Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001 - 2015)

Played By Miriam McDonald & Shane Kippel

Degrassi High is the iconic Canadian series that has seen a lot of memorable romantic pairings. Among them, it features a fan-favorite bad boy and good girl couple that also feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. Emma (Miriam McDonald) and Spinner (Shane Kippel) didn’t actually get together during the time when they were high school students in the Degrassi sequel series, and there’s definitely a contingent of fans who dislike that these two had a surprise wedding without the usual dramatic build-up.

Emma spends most of her formative years as a crusader for environmental causes while Spinner causes trouble in the popular crowd. She is always drawn to the bad boys though. After a wild night together, they get married on a whim but decide to see where the relationship goes. It’s a happy ending for their characters who have gone through so much drama in their teen years.

Stream on Max

27 Sakura & Sasuke - Naruto Franchise (2002-)

Played by Chie Nakamura & Noriaki Sugiyama

Sakura, even after Sasuke goes down the darkest of paths, loves him completely.

The Naruto franchise began in a manga, and it’s still ongoing with the Boruto manga and anime series. The original series focuses on the ambitious ninja Naruto Uzumaki, but it also features his teammates Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. Along with supporting their friend, they also develop feelings for each other which becomes one of the best storylines in the series.

Sakura is the perfect student and someone who always follows the rule book. Sasuke, on the other hand, is willing to break all the rules if it gets him closer to enough power to avenge the death of his family. Sakura, even after Sasuke goes down the darkest of paths, loves him completely. Eventually, the two grow up to have a daughter together and find their paths, but it’s a dark road to get there.

Stream on CrunchyRoll

26 Hannah & Jacob - Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)

Played By Emma Stone & Ryan Gosling

The central story of Crazy, Stupid, Love isn’t Hannah and Jacob’s, but the charming and fun couple steal the show as the movie's most endearing romance. It also features the first of many winning collaborations between Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone whose chemistry really makes this romance work. Hannah (Stone) is a practical and career-focused young woman whose serious relationship falls apart and she seeks out the handsome womanizer Jacob (Gosling) to embrace her fun side.

The first romantic scene between them has a lot of fun breaking down the tropes of the good girl and bad boy relationship with Hannah insisting they do not fall into clichés and Jacob showing vulnerability with his seduction skills. The would-be one-night stand inevitably leads to a serious relationship. Crazy, Stupid, Love also features a great twist that feeds into the trope of parents disapproving of their good girl daughter dating a bad boy.

25 Bronwyn & Nate - One Of Us Is Lying (2021–2022)

Played By Marianly Tejeda & Cooper van Grootel

One of Peacock’s first teen dramas, One Of Us Is Lying, is based on the best-selling teen novel of the same name by author Karen M. McManus. Described as The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, the show is full of tons of mystery and an already iconic bad-boy good-girl pairing. Brownyn (Marianly Tejeda) is a straight-A student and a good daughter who would never do anything wrong.

Contrary to her good deeds, Nate (Cooper van Grootel) is the resident bad boy and drug dealer on campus who only does that crime to pay for rent. These two might seem like an unlikely pair but they quickly bond over being suspected murderers and team up to protect one another. It is a unique situation to see such a relationship take shape and flourish, adding a high-stakes element to the surprising romance.

Stream on Peacock

24 Jane & Richie - Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies (2023)

Played By Marisa Davila & Johnathan Nieves

Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies is the Grease prequel series from Paramount+. While it centers on just how the Pink Ladies and T-Birds become some of the most popular kids in school, at the center of the story is Jane (Marisa Davila). Jane is a good girl who has always followed the rules and done what her parents expected of her - until her reputation is ruined by a rumor.

Jane meets Richie (Johnathan Nieves) when she decides to stand up for herself and try to combat the lies spread about her. However, Richie doesn’t believe the rumors. As the leader of the T-Birds, he’s labeled a bad boy whether he deserves the label or not. Both of them know what it’s like to be judged unfairly and find common ground as a result. They prove that the labels given to this particular trope of a pairing can sometimes exist in a gray area.

23 Rory & Jess - Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)

Played By Alexis Bledel & Milo Ventimiglia

Rory (Alexis Bledel) has three main love interests over the course of the Gilmore Girls series. Though she was always the smart and grounded young woman, she proved to have a thing for bad boys in the case of two of those love interests. However, Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia) remains a fan favorite largely because the two bonded over their shared interest in literature and writing.

Rory and Jess meet while they’re both in high school and still figuring out their paths in life. While Jess is going through a hard time because his familial relationships are on the rocks, he becomes someone Rory can verbally spar with, but also someone she can discuss her favorite books with and who doesn’t misunderstand her pop culture references. They’re actually incredibly well-suited to one another, but they meet at the wrong point in their lives, breaking up and going their separate ways.

22 Veronica & Logan - Veronica Mars (2004-2007, 2019)

Played By Kirsten Bell & Jason Dohring

Veronica’s (Kristen Bell) friendship with Wallace (Percy Daggs III) might be the heart of the show, but her relationship with Logan (Jason Dohring) is a surprising addition to Veronica Mars that becomes one of the best parts of their character arcs. Veronica and Logan have a history long before they get together - as frenemies since Veronica is no longer one of the popular kids when the series picks up and Logan used to date her best friend.

The two are incredibly antagonistic when the story begins, but they grow to respect one another and share their most vulnerable sides with one another. Logan describes their relationship as truly “epic,” in one of the most memorable lines from the show, and he’s not wrong. Their relationship is so strong that they end up back together in the revival movie and plan a life together in Season 4. By then, their roles are flipped with Logan taking on the good guy role and Veronica as the more rebellious in the pairing.

21 Lissa & Christian - Vampire Academy (2022)

Played By Andre Dae Kim & Daniela Nieves

Christian (Andre Dae Kim) is really only a bad boy in Peacock’s Vampire Academy because society labels him as such. He studies subjects that society deems heretical, but he does it in the name of understanding vampire history. Christian’s parents, who abandon society to become strigoi, are partially responsible for saddling him with the bad boy reputation that the world shuns him for.

Lissa (Daniela Nieves), on the other hand, learns quickly how to play by the rules as she’s an extended member of the royal family. She only begins to truly break the rules after the deaths of her parents, and it’s Christian who helps her find the loopholes to exploit. The two find kindred spirits in one another, and the bond they form really sells the emotions of the show to the audience.

Stream on Peacock

20 Jasmine & Aladdin - Aladdin (1992, 2019)

Played By Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott (Live-Action)

When it comes to bad boys and good girls in movies, few couples are as iconic as Aladdin and Jasmine. In both Disney’s animated movie and the live-action remake, Aladdin is a bad boy because of circumstance, not choice. He squats in abandoned buildings and picks pockets to get by. He’s also willing to tell a pretty big lie in order to get a princess to pay attention to him. Jasmine, on the other hand, is also a good girl because of circumstances. She’s lived a sheltered life in the palace, but she still wants what’s best for her people.

The two of them prove that good girls and bad boys don’t always fit neatly into those categories. Aladdin steals food and gives it to starving children. Jasmine is outspoken and refuses to follow societal rules if it means she can’t help her kingdom. They make for a great pairing, learning from one another and making for a compassionate ruling couple. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott’s live-action portrayals demonstrate this even better than their animated counterparts as the characters have more of a chance to be fleshed out.

19 Sabrina & Nick - Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina (2018-2020)

Played by Kiernan Shipka & Gavin Leatherwood

This is one of the rare instances when the good girl in one of these relationships is a literal witch. When Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) has the opportunity to attend a school just for witches, she becomes torn between the world of magic and the mortal world she’s known all her life. That’s reflected in her relationship with Nicholas Scratch (Gavin Leatherwood) in Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina.

They find a way to meet in the middle with Nick tabling some of his bad behavior and Sabrina finding loopholes that allow her to break the rules.

Nick is presented as the bad boy who does whatever he wants, while Sabrina is someone who has always been the good girl staying just on the side of the rules. Nick helps Sabrina fit in the magical world, and she introduces him to the mortal world, and they find a way to meet in the middle with Nick tabling some of his bad behavior and Sabrina finding loopholes that allow her to break the rules. It makes them a great fit.

18 Carmen & Johnny - Cobra Kai (2018-2023)

Played by Vanessa Rubio & William Labka

While the good girl and bad boy pairing is a trope most often reserved for teenage pairings in movies and TV, Cobra Kai gives a great example of it in their adult characters. The Netflix sequel series to the Karate Kid movies sees Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) teaching a whole new generation about martial arts, despite him having a penchant for using violence to solve his problems and his breaking the law on a regular basis.

Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) is the mom of his first student, and the two hit it off when she realizes just how much Johnny cares about her son and how hard he really is trying to get his life together. Johnny might have some bad boy tendencies, like calling his students names, but he has a good heart, and that’s what allows Carmen - and the audience - to see the good in him.

17 Nathan & Haley - One Tree Hill (2003-2012)

Played by James Lafferty & Bethany Joy Lenz

As far as iconic teen drama couples go, Nathan (James Lafferty) and Haley (Bethany Joy Lenz) from One Tree Hill are as iconic as they come. The soapy show is filled with unexpected romances that strain other relationships, but this one struck a chord with audiences in a big way. Needing good grades to continue to play basketball, bad-boy jock Nathan gets paired up with goody-two-shoes Haley for tutoring sessions. To make matters even more complicated Haley is best friends with Nathan's estranged half-brother.

Opposites attract and Nathan and Haley end up bringing out the best in each other despite starting as a bad-boy, good-girl couple. They even managed to make it through teen pregnancy together and have one of the best marriages on TV which rarely happens when two characters get married in high school.

16 Belle & The Beast - Beauty And The Beast (1991)

Played By Paige O'Hara & Robby Benson

​​​​​​When it comes to Disney animated bad-boy, good-girl pairings Belle (Paige O'Hara) and The Beast (Robby Benson) may not be at the top of the list, but they are certainly memorable. After all, The Beast was literally transformed into a beast for refusing to help the enchantress. He spends most of his time being angry and throwing tantrums, while Belle is soft and smart, preferring to read books that deal with the provincial town. Eventually, Belle and The Beast learn to love each other and Belle even helps bring out his softer side.

There have been several remakes of the story, from the Vanessa Hudgens movie Beastly, which takes on a modern teen version of the story, to adapting the couple for the Once Upon A Time television series, to Emma Watson's live-action remake. Each version of the story has encouraged the pairing to look beyond the stereotypes they're faced with to get to know the person underneath.

15 Jess & Justin - 13 Reasons Why (2017-2020)

Played by Katherine Langford & Brandon Flynn

13 Reasons Why may have been a controversial Netflix teen drama, but it did give fans one of the best good-girl, bad-boy teen couples of all time. At the start of the series Jess (Alisha Boe) is a smart and kind character who even steps in to befriend Hannah (Katherine Langford) when she moves to town. On the other hand, Justin (Brandon Flynn) is a mischievous jock with a troubled home life that doesn't always speak up when he should.

Though these two might be considered toxic at times, they were always there for each other during the bad parts of their lives. In a way, they almost switch roles too with Jess becoming a "bad-girl" in later seasons leading a revolution and Justin becoming a "good-boy" thanks to the help of Clay (Dylan Minnette).

14 John B & Sarah - Outer Banks (2020- )

Played by Madelyn Cline & Chase Stokes

Netflix's Outer Banks offered up a unique adventure series that doubled as a teen drama with a likable cast of young characters. It also gave them a new good-girl, bad-boy couple to ship relentlessly. Having lost his father, John B. (Chase Stokes) fends for himself which often means he and his friends are up to no good while Sarah (Madelyn Cline) comes from a well-off family who humor her and her need to make the world a better place.

Coming from different world, these two find themselves drawn to each other even as they fight their feelings and pretend that it is not what they want. Of course, that only makes the romance more compelling and more satisfying when they do get together. These two better each other and corrupt each other, making them one of the best Outer Banks relationships.

Stream on Netflix

13 Phoebe & Cole - Charmed (1998-2006)

Played By Alyssa Milano & Julian McMahon

The classic show Charmed from 1998 still holds up as being one of the best mystery/supernatural shows to air on television. The show also gave fans a riveting relationship between Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) and Cole (Julian McMahon). Phoebe may have had her bad girl moments, but compared to Cole, she was an angel.

Phoebe and her sisters dedicate themselves to using their powers to rid the world of evil. She also happens to fall in love with Cole, a half-demon. Cole is known in the demon world as the demonic assassin Belthazor and is sent to kill the Charmed Ones. Fans had high hopes that Cole would change his ways to live a good life with Phoebe, but he ultimately stays on the dark side. Their relationship makes for the main will-they-won't-they pairing for most of the show's run as the two face conflict after conflict and Phoebe grows as a witch because of it.

12 Claire & John - The Breakfast Club (1985)

Played By Molly Ringwald & Judd Nelson

Claire (Molly Ringwald) makes for an interesting good girl in this iconic 80s teen movie as she fits the stereotype, but she also clearly wants to rebel which is perhaps how her romance with John (Judd Nelson) takes shape. In The Breakfast Club, she and other students get Saturday detention and Claire is described as a snobbish princess, who eats sushi and can put on lipstick hands-free.

She's not exactly 'good' and Claire admits to feeling peer pressure from others. As the movie progresses, Claire and John develop some sparks. John is known as the '"Criminal" who's always in trouble and to break her 'pristine' image Claire kisses John. Though John is crude and some of his actions in the movie have aged terribly, the image of him fist-pumping at the end of the movie after proving that the bad boy can get the good girl is one of the most iconic images in teen movies.

11 Rapunzel & Flynn - Tangled (2010)

Played By Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi

These two make bad-boy-good-girl couple work well but in a more sweet and magical way.

Among several bad boys who have emerged from Disney animated movies, Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) is certainly one of the most likable and even relatable. He got the bad boy title because he's tagged as a thief in the movie who steals the royal princess's crown. Flynn also isn't well-liked among other thieves and bandits.

While hiding from bandits, Flynn seeks refuge in Rapunzel's tower. Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) has been hidden from the outside world and is the definition of being 'pure.' Together, they embark on an adventure that allows Rapunzel to see more of the world and for Flynn to let his guard down in admitting his swashbuckling persona is not quite what it seems. These two make bad-boy-good-girl couple work well but in a more sweet and magical way. Flynn changes his ways for true love and Rapunzel has her eyes opened to the world outside of her tower.