Teen dramas weren't exactly ideal for the young, impressionable teens they were aimed for. Some of the most popular series from the early 2000s and 2010s have well-loved couples that would be deemed problematic if they came out today. A lot of these shows normalize manipulative and abusive behavior, involve storylines about constant cheating, and make it seem forgivable. On the extreme side, shows like The Vampire Diaries featured couples putting each other's lives in danger and made it seem romantic.
To make matters worse, the most toxic relationships are the ones that turn out to last the longest on these shows, setting an example for teenagers that it's romantic to change a "bad guy/girl" personality when that's not entirely realistic. Because of this, it's important to recognize which popular shows have outdated ideas of romance.
Aria & Ezra (Pretty Little Liars)
Pretty Little Liars was known for putting teenagers in very adult situations, involving crimes and murder. However, many fans believed the show took it a little too far by pairing up teenage Aria with her English teacher.
For starters, their relationship began with the two hooking up in a bathroom. Even after Ezra found out that Aria was underage, the intimacy between the two didn't end. When their relationship was exposed to all, the writers then made out that Aria's parents were in the wrong for wanting to keep the two apart. These two went on to marry each other, which is something that would definitely not happen on any show teen drama today.
Chuck & Blair (Gossip Girl)
Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf were probably the most loved couple on television at the time. Girls tend to love a bad boy, but Chuck Bass may have been a little too bad.
Not only did he once trade Blair Waldorf to his uncle for a hotel, but he also never treated her right. He constantly refused to tell her he loved her, played mind games with her, and was way too possessive. When Blair was ready to settle down with him, he always seemed to place his business above her needs. It was very destructive.
Damon & Elena (The Vampire Diaries)
Even Elena herself was aware of how problematic her relationship with Damon would be. She started out madly in love with his brother and then ruined their brotherly relationship even more as she toyed with both of them.
Not only that, but Damon Salvatore was nothing but cruel to Elena, her friends, and family since the start of the show. He was responsible for killing her brother, placed her in harm's way multiple times to get Katherine back, and tormented her friends when he rejected her. The relationship was way too co-dependent.
Rory & Dean (Gilmore Girls)
Rory and Dean started out as the cutest couple. However, as time went on, the relationship went downhill as they both started treating each other badly as they started to grow apart.
While Dean became overly obsessive and controlling over Rory, she ended up cheating on Dean with Jess. Later on in the show, the two became even more toxic as Rory ended up involved in an affair with Dean, desperately wanting to take him away from his wife when she was the one who originally broke up with him.
Malia & Stiles (Teen Wolf)
When Malia and Stiles first got together on Teen Wolf, it was clear that they weren't exactly in the best place. In season 3, both Stiles and Malia had been admitted to a mental institute after the supernatural entities began affecting their mental health.
While locked in the basement of the facility, Malia and Stiles hooked-up. However, with Malia only coming to terms with her humane side, a lot of fans believed that Stiles had taken advantage of her. Upon their release, Stiles and Malia then formed an unhealthy co-dependency on one another. Fans also hated that the aggressive tendencies Malia aimed towards Stiles goes largely ignored too.
Klaus & Caroline (The Vampire Diaries)
Klaus Mikaelson was another case of the lovable bad boy, and many fans couldn't help but ship him with the sweet and fiery Caroline Forbes.
However, this romance was just as flawed as many of the others on the show. He stabbed and bit Caroline, which infected her with werewolf venom. He tormented her friends and her boyfriend for the sake of his own desires, and he also blackmailed her on several occasions. Not to forget that Caroline tried to kill and trick him too. It's was a relationship full of manipulation and abuse.
Lucas & Peyton (One Tree Hill)
Lucas and Peyton were incredibly problematic from the moment he started dating Brooke, who is also Peyton's best friend. This made both Lucas and Peyton seem like terrible people, while at the time, many fans were actually rooting for them.
Lucas basically cheated on Brooke behind her back, while Peyton was secretly seeing her best friend's boyfriend. When Lucas and Lindsey became engaged, the viewers saw Peyton acting spiteful towards them both. Their on-off relationship was incredibly toxic while being framed as desirable to the viewers.
Jackson & Lydia (Teen Wolf)
Jackson's redemption arc and Lydia's intense love for him on Teen Wolf seemed a bit far-fetched. Even though they were in a relationship for a long time, Jackon was never respectful to her.
He was constantly talking down to her and made her demean herself in order for him to feel superior. He also blamed her for all of his problems. All of their drama makes this relationship unjustifiable in the end and it made their tragic separation feel insignificant.
Brandon & Callie (The Fosters)
Brandon was a strong love interest for Callie in the early seasons of The Fosters, and for a while, it seemed like the two would be endgame.
This relationship is one that even the writers of the show seemed to realize could never work, as the two eventually became siblings when Callie was adopted by Brandon's family. Callie became part of the family, and viewed Brandon's siblings as her own, which made their relationship uncomfortable.
Dan & Serena (Gossip Girl)
Dan Humphrey was one of the most manipulative characters on Gossip Girl, who at the end of the show was revealed to be the eponymous writer that had created all the drama and chaos for all 6 seasons.
Not only did he write a tell-all book about Serena and her friends, in which he villainized Serena, he also ran the Gossip Girl blog that mostly targeted them too. The fact that she ended up marrying Dan while knowing he tormented her and her friends for years was the complete opposite of romantic.