We've all had that couple from our favorite sitcom that we've aspired to be like, whether they were soulmates from the beginning, or we watched them grow until they were ready to be with each other. The greatest sitcom couples show us the real ups and downs of a meaningful relationship and how good life can be when you're with the right person. With countless shows, we couldn't begin to list every TV couple that's inspired viewers, but to find out what really makes an iconic sitcom couple stand the test of time, we've narrowed it down to three all-time couples that prove they are undeniably soulmates, even years later.
'The Office's Michael and Holly
The Office gave us a number of amazing couples to cheer on during its run, from the "will they, won't they" slow burn of Jim and Pam (John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer) to the weirdly secretive but endearing love between Angela and Dwight (Angela Kinsey and Rainn Wilson). Not to mention the melodramatic saga of Ryan and Kelly's (B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling) relationship. All of these pairs will go down in sitcom history as some of the funniest and most touching partners we've seen on screen. However, there is one couple that stands out from the rest: Michael and Holly (Steve Carell and Amy Ryan). While Jim and Pam are obviously the star couple of The Office, Michael and Holly have a truly once-in-a-lifetime connection that they fight hard for. For years, we watch Michael make a fool of himself in his unyielding pursuit of love in all the wrong places, proposing to a woman after three dates or getting into a disturbing relationship with his boss.
When Michael first gets to know Holly, he runs to Jim to tell him he's in love. This isn't the first time Michael has been in love with someone he just met, but Jim actually believes him and gives him advice on how to not ruin it. Uncharacteristically, Michael takes the advice, and he finally finds in Holly someone who is just as quirky as he is. When Holly is transferred to another branch, she is the one person whom Michael doesn't seem to get over. Over the course of a few years, he holds out hope as she dates another man, knowing in his heart that they will end up together. When Holly returns to Scranton, they resume their relationship until she finds out she has to move home to Colorado to care for her aging parents. In a display of how much Michael has grown because of Holly, he proposes to her and offers to move away from the home he has built and the job which is the most important thing in his life. This selflessness and act of love is a totally new side of Michael, and it's clear that Holly is the only person for him. Looking back on it years later, their relationship still holds up against our changing perceptions of healthy relationships. They support each other unconditionally, and when they're together, nothing else matters.
'The Mindy Project's Mindy and Danny
Throughout The Mindy Project, we see Mindy (Mindy Kaling) date countless guys in her desperate attempt to fulfill the rom-com-fueled fantasy she has for her love life, often mocked by her coworker, Danny (Chris Messina). At the beginning of the series, Mindy and Danny can't stand each other, so how did they become a couple that stands the test of time?
Unlike Michael and Holly, Mindy and Danny weren't always the right person for each other. They had many low moments in their relationship, from Mindy hiding him from her family to Danny ridiculing almost every aspect of her life. After a lot of turbulence, they reach a stable place where Mindy wants to open her own fertility practice and Danny wants to buy a house for them. They even have a child together, and for a moment, it seems like Mindy has gotten what she has always wanted. However, this happiness doesn't last as Danny starts to criticize her parenting and stops supporting her career. They realize that they are both unwilling to change themselves to please the other person, and separate.
After a few awkward years and more failed relationships, both of them have grown and focused on themselves. In the end, they both learn that they may never be a totally perfect partner to one another, but the illusion of perfection is gone as they realize that they are meant to be together. They overcome the societal expectations, gender norms, and past traumas that have hurt their relationship in the past and realize that at the end of the day, they want to come home to each other. Theirs may not be a beautiful, flawless love story, but it is a realistic one, and that's something we can all admire.
'The Good Place's Eleanor and Chidi
Two star-crossed spirits in purgatory, Eleanor and Chidi (Kristen Bell and William Jackson Harper) show us how finding our other half can make us whole. The Good Place does a lot to unpack the truths of the human experience, giving us some beautiful and insightful moments along the way, none more impactful than the ones Eleanor and Chidi share.
When the two of them meet, they are both incredibly unfulfilled people who didn't manage to live a purposeful life before they died. Eleanor was a narcissistic nihilist who hurt everyone around her, and Chidi was an emotionally detached philosopher who couldn't figure out how to apply theory to reality. These two people, who are seemingly opposites of each other, go on a journey through the afterlife together over countless lifetimes as they try to become the best versions of themselves and escape purgatory. No matter what otherworldly obstacles stand in their way, they always find their way back to each other.
In one of the best series finales of all time, Eleanor and Chidi are finally together in "the Good Place" where they spend infinite time together. However, after spending an eternity in paradise, Chidi has finally found peace and become a fully realized version of himself. With the knowledge that he has experienced everything he ever could, he wants to move on from the Good Place. This leaves Eleanor to face a struggle that no other couple on this list encountered: the fact that at some point, you have to let the person you love go. In reality, even the perfect relationship will come to an end one way or another, and Eleanor's realization that she has to let Chidi go, even though he is willing to stay for her, is a testament to how much their relationship has helped them both grow.
Friendship Is the Foundation for the Best TV Sitcom Relationships
When looking at what these iconic couples share and what makes them stand the test of time, it's clear that a few things are important. These couples prove that friendship is at the base of every healthy relationship, and even when things go wrong they still manage to find their way back to one another when the time is right. The best TV sitcom relationships show us that when you find your person, nothing else really matters and if it's meant to be, it will come in time.