The 1990s may be associated with patterns like plaid and food like Gushers, but there is another element of this decade that is impossible to forget... and that's the TV romances. While Lorelai and Luke are a beautiful match and all of the Pretty Little Liars duos are cute together, it was honestly back in the '90s when TV shows had the most interesting and most perfect romances.
Just like our best friends sometimes date people who we wonder about, not every TV romance is worth a box of chocolates and bouquet of pretty flowers. Here are the best and worst '90s TV couples.
Best: DJ And Steve On 'Full House'
One of the best '90s TV couples would definitely have to be DJ Tanner and Steve Hale. If Full House was the most wholesome show of the late '80s and the early '90s then Steve was the most wholesome TV boyfriend.
He was the kind of boyfriend who your parents would see and think that if he could be real, they would be cool with that. They might even let you break curfew since he's such a trustworthy and good kid. Steve and DJ didn't have any major drama or red flags that would make you dislike him, and they were just two young kids who cared about each other and were nice to each other.
Worst: Kelly And Zack On 'Saved By The Bell'
Kelly Kapowski and Zack Morris have the kind of relationship that seems great when you're a pre-teen watching it.... and isn't quite so great when you grow up and catch the odd rerun.
Kelly and Zack are actually one of the worst '90s TV couples because he is way too immature to be dating her (and probably too immature to date anyone). Zack is charming but doesn't have much else to his personality. Sure, they do end up as husband and wife by the end of the series, but the fact that they broke up so much throughout the course of the series seems to speak how they weren't meant to be.
Best: Jesse And Becky On 'Full House'
Yup, Full House had some good couples, and Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky were also one of the best TV couples on a '90s show.
What was it about these two? They just seemed to really love each other and they seemed so real. That's pretty rare when talking about a couple who are on a sitcom. It wasn't laugh tracks and gags with Becky and Jesse, it was real love. Fans got to watch them get married and have twins (who are adorable), and never once doubted their compassion and love. They also cared a lot about their family, and that was sweet to see.
Worst: Buffy And Angel On 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'
Although Buffy and Angel are considered such an awesome couple on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it's actually hard to see it that way when considering the best and worst couples on a '90s TV show.
Buffy should be living as much as she can as a regular high school girl, especially given the fact that the rest of her time is spent going after vampires and saving the universe. And being a regular high schooler means dating a regular high schooler... not a vampire. Yeah, Angel's good, but the relationship totally removes Buffy from any sense of normalcy, and that's not great.
Best: Monica And Chandler On 'Friends'
No one would say that Monica and Chandler aren't an amazing couple and, therefore, one of the best '90s couples.
They're one of the funniest characters on Friends since Monica is so strict about everything and Chandler has a goofy and silly way about him. They're really adorable, they hide their relationship until everyone learns about it, and it's cool to fall for a friend. There seem to be a million reasons why Chandler and Monica are one of the best couples of the '90s... and one of the best couples of any TV show at all.
Worst: Carrie And Big On 'Sex and the City'
Carrie and Big are one of the worst '90s couples. It's so hard to see them as a good couple. For one thing, Big rarely acts like he even wants to be in Carrie's company, let alone be in a serious relationship with her. And for another, couldn't she so do much better?
It honestly is super confusing that an intelligent and savvy woman like Carrie Bradshaw (who even writes about relationships) would let herself go back time and time again to a man who doesn't seem to treat her the way that he should. What is going on here?!
Best: Dylan And Brenda On 'Beverly Hills, 90210'
Dylan McKay and Brenda Walsh are another amazing couple on a '90s TV show. They are so into each other from the first time that they meet and, wow, talk about chemistry.
It's super easy to ship Dylan and Kelly since they do date for a few seasons (once Brenda is off the show, that is). But there is something magnetic about Dylan and Brenda. It's that whole feeling of falling in love for the first time and it being such a big, all-encompassing thing. You can really tell that Brenda can't stop thinking about Dylan, and it's really convincing.
Worst: Jerry And Meryl On 'Seinfeld'
In the season five Seinfeld episode "The Wife", Jerry dates Meryl, played by Courteney Cox. At first they're super cute together, and then they decide to pretend to be married in order to pay less at the dry cleaner.
No offense to this incredible show (or the great performance by Courteney Cox) but Jerry and Meryl are definitely one of the worst '90s TV couples. The fact that they're trying to save money really takes the romance out of the whole thing, and it's hard to take them seriously as a couple after that. (But it's still a hilarious episode.)
Best: Joey And Pacey On 'Dawson's Creek'
Fans of Dawson's Creek who would say that Joey Potter and Dawson Leery are one of the best couples on a '90s TV show are being nostalgic... but they're basically wrong.
Joey Potter is great as Pacey Witter's girlfriend, so much so that when the two of them end up together in the series finale, it feels so flawless and like nothing else could have occurred. Pacey and Joey just seem to get each other's sarcastic and bitter personalities, and she inspires him to be a better person, which is what many people look for in a partnership. Plus they're just really cute.
Worst: Rachel And Ross On 'Friends'
Ross Gellar and Rachel Green are one of the worst '90s TV couples. Why? Because despite the iconic status of their "are we on a break?" storyline, they seem to approach their relationship in such a silly way.
While TV shows keep characters apart to create tension, these two seem like they can't make up their minds about whether they should get back together or not at any given time. If they want to be together and were really in love, wouldn't they just go for it? Watch this show enough times, and anyone will get a bit tired of them and realize that they're not one of the best couples.