One of the reasons we love to watch TV, is to watch the chemistry between the characters. The interaction between fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, and friends drive just about every show we watch. But it’s the interplay between couples in both dramas and sitcoms that usually has the winning formula for any great show. The foundation that male and female leads build can propel a series to the stratosphere for a few good years.

No matter the status of the couple (dating, married, newlyweds, complicated, friends, rich, poor, etc.), if their chemistry isn’t liked by fans, you can more or less forget about the show. Mulder + Scully = ratings; Dogget + Scully = not so much, and The X-Files didn’t last too long after that. Sometimes couples make fans long for a lasting, loving relationship even with all of the good and bad (Roseanne), some fans enjoy all kinds of fun witty banter or schmaltzy romance stuff.

Sometimes the “will they or won’t they” chemistry can completely and utterly backfire once the couple gets together (Moonlighting). Sometimes, it’s just the spark the show has been waiting for. The sitcoms of the nineties started to break the mold and completely devote from the tried and true wholesome family sitcoms of the eighties to have all kinds of situations besides familial ones.

Whether they were already established, or fans yearned for them to get together, here are 15 Couples That Hurt Iconic 90s Sitcoms (And 15 That Saved Them)

Hurt: George And Susan (Seinfeld)

Seinfeld has been dubbed by many fans and critics alike as the “greatest sitcom ever.” It broke down the barriers of what a sitcom could do – “the show about nothing.” For a series that had little to no dangling plot elements, they did try to inject some during the show’s seventh season.

Hapless loser George decided it would be a good idea to try and get married. He proposed to Susan, an old girlfriend. The engagement was doomed from the start and did provide some funny moments to the show. In reality, Susan ruined the dynamic of the core four; there was no way this story was going to (or meant to) last.

Saved: Hyde And Jackie (That '70s Show)

Debuting in 1998, That 70’s Show was Fox’s last great sitcom of the decade. The story of six friends growing up in Wisconsin circa the seventies. Jackie was certainly the vainest of all of the kids, and Hyde was the most laid back. Clearly, these two belonged together.

It was teased several times over the years, but Jackie and Hyde finally got together in the season five opener. They had their ups and downs, but what teenage relationship didn’t. As far as TV couples go, actors Danny Masterson and Mila Kunis had a chemistry that seemed real, which made their coupling one of the more popular in the series.

Hurt: Jefferson And Marcy (Married...With Children)

To be honest, Ted McGinley is widely known as the signal that a TV show has jumped the shark. But Married…With Children played off this concept beautifully. As Jefferson D’Arcy, every so often a stranger would wander by and accuse him of being on Happy Days or The Love Boat.

The show was still classic for the seven more years of the show’s run. But the yuppie sarcasm of David Garrison’s Steve and Marcy was sorely missed, traded in for the outright silliness of Jefferson and all of his ridiculous antics.

Saved: Ross And Rachel (Friends)

Besides Seinfeld, Friends was THE sitcom of the nineties. The pair of shows cemented the “Must-See TV” of NBC. All of our favorite friends had some marquee moments over the years and some fun significant other (sometimes each other), but none were more symbolic of the show than Ross and Rachel.

The couple had known each other since they were kids and had an on-again-off-again relationship all throughout the series. It made for great comedy and drama. The pair ending up together was the only way to end the series.

Hurt: Joey And Rachel (Friends)

Every good TV relationship needs a few good roadblocks to ramp potential drama. Friends was no different. But sometimes the roadblocks seem genuine and therefore fit the story. Other times, it’s very contrived. One such obstacle in front of Ross and Rachel was Joey and Rachel.

Perhaps the one hookup nobody asked for more than this one would be Ross and Monica! But when Joey and Rachel were living together, some writers got it their head that these two should try some pair-bonding. Maybe that writer was just a tad overzealous?

Saved: Zack And Kelly (Saved By The Bell)

If you grew up in the nineties, more likely than not, Saved By The Bell was the jam. The antics of Zack Morris endeared himself to a generation of kids. For the kid who just about everyone either wanted to be or hang out with, he needed to have the perfect girlfriend.

Kelly was the epitome of the girl next door. Beautiful and kind with a smile that could melt the icecaps. The series began with Zack in Indiana, hanging out with Screech, Lisa, Mikey, and Nikki. But the show most fans and love fondly really took off once they moved to California and introduced Kelly.

Hurt – Stefan And Laura (Family Matters)

The world was a very different place when Family Matters was popular. The annoying neighbor Steve Urkel was a series’ sensation. The Winslows knew he had a heart of gold and didn’t even seem to mind him constantly ogling and fawning over their daughter Laura.

Steve made himself into a suave and smooth clone, Stefan. Laura was instantly smitten. It was all played for laughs. But it made Laura seem completely superficial, basically falling for the kid who was head over heels for her, just the fake version of him.

Saved: Cory And Topanga (Boy Meets World)

Some of the entries on this list are what young love is all about. That “puppy dog” kind of love that everyone wants to exist and tries to make it so. In reality, it’s all a Disney movie fantasy.

But Cory and Topanga showed even the most cynical Boy Meets World fan that puppy love was just pitch perfect. Even when Cory made fun of his little friend, it was apparent that it was only because “girls are icky.” They were made for each other from the start. The instant Cory realized that, the show was off to the races.

Hurt: Drew And Kellie (The Drew Carey Show)

Drew Carey might be the most likable guy in recent sitcom history. He was safe and knew how to poke fun at himself. That’s why The Drew Carey Show lasted nine years. But it was also his sweet crush on his friend, Kate. Then she left for Guam.

For the last few years of the show, Cynthia Watros ed the show as Kellie Newmark. While there was nothing inherently wrong with Kellie or their relationship; the writers had to shoehorn it into the show when Christa Miller left the series.

Saved: Jesse And Becky (Full House)

We all wanted to be part of the Tanner family, it it. All that saccharine gooeyness was just what the doctor ordered. Everyone wanted to have someone as cool and as caring as Uncle Jesse in their lives. Since the name of the show was Full House, the writers needed to make the house fuller.

Uncle Jesse married Becky and the couple stayed in the Tanner house and had a set of twins to continue the theme of the show. But their marriage was also the only stable relationship on the show.