Top 20 TV Couples

Love is in the air, which makes it the perfect time to take a walk down (lovers') memory lane with 20 of TV's all-time best couples. From the will-they-or-won't-they duos of 'Cheers' and 'Moonlighting' to current faves Jim and Pam and Mer and McDreamy, these tube twosomes all have one thing in common: We love to love them, baby.

-- By Kimberly Potts

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Top 20 TV Couples

20. Meredith and Derek

'Grey's Anatomy'

The Love Connection: It all started with a one-night stand, but they've got their own game of
will-they-or-won't-they going: Will they choose steady coupledom over their merry-go-round of relationship drama? They've survived his ex-wife and her insecurities, which makes us think Der (Patrick Dempsey) and Mer (Ellen Pompeo) are meant to be.

Top 20 TV Couples

19. Brenda and Dylan

'Beverly Hills, 90210'

The Love Connection: She was as whiny as he was
James Dean-wannabe cool, but who didn't begrudgingly root for Brenda (Shannen Doherty) and her hot '90210' bad boy (Luke Perry)? The two were a match made in teen TV heaven. Well, until that other, blonder, TV princess stepped in . . .

Top 20 TV Couples

18. Morticia and Gomez

'The Addams Family'

The Love Connection: He's (John Astin) a lawyer who takes pride in losing cases; She's (Carolyn Jones) a glam goth chick who beheads flowers. They're also a pair who keeps the passion alive, even with two kids and a houseful of pets and in-laws. They're creepy and they're kookie ... and altogether okie-dokey in our book.

Top 20 TV Couples

17. Joey and Pacey

'Dawson's Creek'

The Love Connection: Wrong-side-of-the-tracks brainiac Joey (Katie Holmes) and charming slacker Pacey (Joshua Jackson) engaged in cute verbal sparring, shared a hot chemistry and supported each other when their families were MIA. In other words, it was Dawson's name in the title, but it was these two lonely soulmates who proved to be the show's ultimate love match.

Top 20 TV Couples

16. Jim and Pam

'The Office'

The Love Connection: From the start, Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) were an obvious love connection stuck in a cycle of bad timing. And as "Jam" fans will attest, the sweet island of relative sanity they've created has so far managed to be just as interesting and endearing since they finally got together.

Top 20 TV Couples

15. Kevin and Winnie

'The Wonder Years'

The Love Connection: Kevin (Fred Savage) and Winnie (Danica McKellar) started off the series with their first kiss, and through several breakups and makeups, we saw a first love evolve. Kevin's voiceover in the series finale reveals the two didn't wed, but they're still the most endearing of TV's childhood sweethearts.

Top 20 TV Couples

14. Bobby and Pam

'Dallas'

The Love Connection: Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and Pam (Victoria Principal) were married on the sly and endured years of sabotage attempts by both their brothers. Throughout such tragedies as miscarriages, a fiery car crash and her infamous nightmare about his death, they remained in love.

Top 20 TV Couples

13. Angela and Jordan

'My So-Called Life'

The Love Connection: She (Claire Danes), the poster child for teen angst, was in love with the popular slacker (Jared Leto). When they actually began dating, he turned out to be deeper than he seemed, but also careless about her feelings. In one of TV's most realistic portrayals of teen romance, they went from sizzle to fizzle.

Top 20 TV Couples

12. Homer and Marge

'The Simpsons'

The Love Connection: Unconditional love keeps Homie (Dan Castellaneta) and Marge (Julie Kavner) together. The first couple of animated TV will do anything for each other, even, in Homer's typically misguided case, divorcing Marge so he can remarry her and give her a better second wedding.

Top 20 TV Couples

11. Doug and Carol

'ER'

The Love Connection: Dr. Doug's (George Clooney) callousness led to a suicide attempt by Nurse Carol (Julianna Margulies) in the pilot, but he finally put his womanizing days behind him to settle down. Via a season 14 shout-out, we learned the couple and their twin girls are still happily together in Seattle.

Top 20 TV Couples

10. Veronica and Logan

'Veronica Mars'

The Love Connection: They were enemies who became on-again,
off-again lovers. Logan (Jason Dohring) described the pairing as "spanning years, and continents. Lives ruined and blood shed." But Veronica (Kristen Bell) inspired him to become a better person, and the series finale left us hoping for a reunion.

Top 20 TV Couples

9. Cliff and Claire

''The Cosby Show'

The Love Connection: Cliff (Bill Cosby) and Claire (Phylicia Rashad) were role models as parents -- who didn't want to be a Huxtable? -- but their respect for each other, and their commitment to taking time to snuggle on the sofa, even with five kids and two careers -- made them role models as a couple, too.

Top 20 TV Couples

8. Rob and Laura

'The Dick Van Dyke Show'

The Love Connection: Teasing glances and references to their off-camera bedroom were, along with her trademark Capri pants, risqué for the time. Their devotion, comic interactions and Rob's (Dick Van Dyke) obvious appreciation for how Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) looked in those outfits made the Petries one of prime time's first sexy couples.

Top 20 TV Couples

7. Ross and Rachel

'Friends'

The Love Connection: She was a spoiled princess, he was an uptight nerd who'd loved her since high school; even through their infamous "break," marriages (to others and each other) and accidental parenthood, Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) were always destined to be more than 'Friends.'

Top 20 TV Couples

6. Furillo and Joyce

'Hill Street Blues'

The Love Connection: Police captain Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) and public defender Davenport (Veronica Hamel) butted heads professionally by day but shared a bed at night. Their intimate interactions provided a deeper portrait of even-tempered Furillo, and helped the drama transcend being a mere cop show.

Top 20 TV Couples

5. Buffy and Angel

'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'

The Love Connection: The ultimate star-crossed pair, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Angel (David Boreanaz) consummated their relationship, only to find that their love (and his perfect happiness) sparked Angel's murderous side. Surely the first time a Gypsy curse has been the cause of a prime-time breakup.

Top 20 TV Couples

4. Lucy and Ricky

'I Love Lucy'

The Love Connection: Though she often ruined his gigs with her shenanigans -- like getting drunk during the Vitameatavegamin commercial -- Lucy's (Lucille Ball) good intentions and Ricky's (Desi Arnaz) love for his wacky wife saved their marriage and made them TV's first supercouple.

Top 20 TV Couples

3. Carrie and Big

'Sex and the City'

The Love Connection: The on-again, off-again affair began when they met on a sidewalk in New York, and continued through Big's (Chris Noth) marriage to another woman and Carrie's (Sarah Jessica Parker) engagement to another guy. Fans' desire to see them happily ever after sparked this spring's 'SATC' movie.

Top 20 TV Couples

2. David and Maddie

'Moonlighting'

The Love Connection: PIs David (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybill Shepard) tried to mask their attraction to each other with a barrage of witty banter, including a take on 'The Taming of the Shrew.' But when their "will they or won't they" turned into a "they did," viewers fled the series in droves.

Top 20 TV Couples

1. Sam and Diane

'Cheers'

The Love Connection: Brainy waitress Diane's (Shelley Long) dislike of her boss, womanizing bar owner Sam (Ted Danson), was so passionate that it was inevitable they'd end up in the bedroom. Their entire affair involved a careful, and always hilarious, walk down the fine line between love and hate.