Many sitcoms are about the humorous side of dating, and this means that they often force some couples together who are a terrible match. Relationships are a rich vein of comedy, because they have high stakes but they're relatable to most people. Sitcoms like Friends, New Girl, How I Met Your Mother and more devote a lot of time to the romantic lives of their characters.

While some TV couples should have broken up, either for the show or for themselves, some couples were so bad that they never should have gotten together in the first place. Sitcoms often push characters together who have already been friends for several seasons, but there are clear reasons why they have never dated before. Whether they are fundamentally incompatible or there are other dynamics which make their relationships difficult, these couples should have kept things friendly.

10 Joey & Rachel

Friends

Joey & Rachel's brief relationship is one of the most controversial Friends storylines. It always seemed certain that Rachel and Ross would end up together, so her fling with Joey couldn't have been anything other than a bump in the road. Aside from the obvious plot reasons that they were doomed, Rachel and Joey just aren't romantically compatible. Joey has to change his entire personality to fit into a serious relationship.

Aside from the obvious plot reasons that they were doomed, Rachel and Joey just aren't romantically compatible.

There's a reason why Joey ends up single in the Friends series finale while the rest of the characters are paired off. He was never the kind of character who needed a romantic partner to complete his story. Being in a relationship with Rachel forced his character to suddenly become more serious and grounded in a way that feels unnatural. He and Rachel always shared a meaningful friendship, and they could never make the transition to a relationship. They get along more like siblings at times.

9 Barney & Robin

How I Met Your Mother

How I Met Your Mother spends a lot of time trying to force Barney and Robin together, but this could be due to the fact that their relationship is key to Ted's character development, and not because they are actually perfectly suited to one another. Barney is first introduced as a playboy with a book full of tips and tricks for picking up women. It takes a lot for him to develop into someone who can be in a long-term monogamous relationship.

How I Met Your Mother spends a lot of time trying to force Barney and Robin together.

Barney and Robin both cheat on each other, and they also cheat on other relationships to be with one another. This chaos embodies their time together. They're much better off as friends. The ending of How I Met Your Mother spends an entire season building up to their wedding, only to reveal that they get divorced soon after. Ultimately, this isn't much of a surprise considering how many other false starts they have in their relationship.

8 J.D. & Danni

Scrubs

J.D. should never have hooked up with Dr. Cox's ex-wife Jordan, but to be fair to him, he didn't know who she was at the time. He has no such excuse when he gets together with Jordan's sister Danni, although this relationship is just as ill-advised. He continues dating her after finding out who she is, which leads to some extremely awkward double dates with Jordan and Dr. Cox.

J.D. and Danni's relationship is a bad idea the first time round, but they make the same mistake when they get back together later.

J.D. and Danni's relationship is a bad idea the first time round, but they make the same mistake when they get back together later. This goes just as poorly as it did the first time, with J.D. failing to commit to Danni due to his feelings for Elliot. J.D.'s dating life is a big part of Scrubs, so it will be interesting to see how the show handles J.D. and Elliot's committed long-term relationship in the potential Scrubs reboot.

7 George & Susan

Seinfeld

George spends most of Seinfeld desperately trying to boost his appeal to women, so when Susan appears to show an interest in him, he enters uncharted territory. George is so overwhelmed by the fact that this woman finds him attractive that he doesn't stop to think that it might be a bad idea to start dating her. Susan is an executive at NBC, and part of the team working on Jerry's sitcom pilot. George risks the entire show by dating her.

George's decision to date Susan is a bad one, but he doubles down later with an even worse decision to propose.

George's decision to date Susan is a bad one, but he doubles down later with an even worse decision to propose. George only gets engaged to Susan because he and Jerry make a pact during a minor crisis of maturity that they share. After Jerry backs out of his engagement with Jeanie, George is trapped in a relationship that he doesn't want to be in. Seinfeld kills Susan off in season 7, which means George gets what he wants in the darkest possible way.

6 Troy & Britta

Community

There are a few hints in season 3 of Community that Troy and Britta might be ready to get together, but their relationship seems to skip several steps between seasons. By season 4, they are already a couple, and there are already some cracks beginning to form in their relationship. They have a great friendship, but as soon as their romance starts to blossom it seems doomed to fail.

They have a great friendship, but as soon as their romance starts to blossom it seems doomed to fail.

Community season 4 is referred to by fans of the show as the "gas leak year," because the characters behave as if there's a gas leak at Greendale Community College. Showrunner Dan Harmon wasn't involved in season 4, and Community quickly lost its way. Troy and Britta's relationship arc is one example of the writers struggling to get a handle on the characters. Troy becomes even less mature during his relationship with Britta, and he eventually breaks up with her by proxy to show how little he has grown.

5 Dennis & Maureen

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Dennis isn't one for relationships. After all, the D.E.N.N.I.S. system isn't designed to ensure long-term happiness. His marriage to Maureen Ponderosa therefore comes as a huge surprise. Dennis is inspired to reconnect with his high school girlfriend when he starts to feel insecure about being single at his age. He rushes into a marriage without thinking, and he soon begins to resent her.

After their divorce, Dennis ends up paying a ton of alimony to a woman who wants to become a cat.

Part of Dennis' motivation for marrying Maureen is to enjoy the normal things which society dictates men of his age should have. This backfires spectacularly, as Maureen gradually reveals herself to be anything but normal. After their divorce, Dennis ends up paying a ton of alimony to a woman who wants to become a cat. Maureen eventually dies in a classic It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode, putting an end to Dennis' stress.

4 Mark & Sophie

Peep Show

Mark pines after Sophie from the very first episode of Peep Show, but his pursuit of her often gets creepy. He refuses to accept when she isn't uninterested, he's extremely awkward around her,and he and Jez even spy on her from the bottom of her garden at one point. If Sophie knew half the things Mark does, or even the things that he thinks about her, there's no way that she would ever date him.

The fact that both Mark and Sophie are in floods of tears as they get married is a sure sign that they never should have gotten together in the first place.

As soon as Mark and Sophie get engaged, he gradually becomes more distant. He starts to freak out over the commitment he has made, despite the fact that he has been obsessing over Sophie for years. The fact that both he and Sophie are in floods of tears as they get married is a sure sign that they never should have gotten together in the first place. Mark gets what he deserves in the end.

3 Winston & Daisy

New Girl

For a long time, Winston was the butt of every joke in the New Girl loft. While Nick and Jess had a classic will-they-won't-they sitcom dynamic and Schmidt fawned over Cece, Winston was the odd one out. New Girl only made a few attempts to give Winnie the Bish a relationship storyline that felt as important as those that his roommates had. Unfortunately for him, most of these were terrible mismatches.

Winston is a sweet guy, but Daisy takes advantage of his giving nature and walks all over him.

Winston is a sweet guy, but Daisy takes advantage of his giving nature and walks all over him. She also shows no respect for their relationship, barely putting in any effort to conceal her cheating. Winston does still gain a lot from the time he spends with Daisy. He learns to value himself more and not to waste time with people who don't see him for what he is. He also takes Ferguson the cat.

2 Fry & Amy

Futurama

From Futurama's pilot episode, Fry's romantic destiny is tied to Leela, but no sitcom would have their two romantic leads getting together without a few speed bumps. Futurama first toys with the idea of Fry and Amy coupling up in the season 1 episode "A Flight to ," in which they pretend to be a couple so that Amy's parents will stop trying to set her up with men they find.

Fry never should have started dating Amy, but this mistake isn't as bad as him breaking up with her while physically stuck to her.

The season 2 episode "Put Your Head on My Shoulders" finally brings Fry and Amy together. After being rejected by Leela once again, Fry starts spending more time with Amy, and they soon start dating. This ends in disaster when Fry's head is lopped off in an accident and surgically attached to Amy's shoulders. This exacerbates their considerable relationship issues. Fry never should have started dating Amy, but this mistake isn't as bad as him breaking up with her while physically stuck to her.

1 Michael & Jan

The Office

Jan is Michael's boss for a long time, and they carry their frosty work dynamic into their ill-fated relationship. Jan tries to control Michael like he's still one of her employees, but he lacks the backbone to stand up for himself. Michael's non-confrontational people-pleasing tendencies make him an easy target for Jan. He so desperately wants to be liked that he's willing to put up with a lot of mistreatment.

Jan and Michael's relationship comes to a head in one of The Office's most cringe-inducing episodes, season 4's "Dinner Party".

Jan and Michael's relationship comes to a head in one of The Office's most cringe-inducing episodes, season 4's "Dinner Party". Bringing some other people into their home helps highlight the wild power imbalance in their relationship. Michael sleeps on a small bench and has three vasectomies just to please Jan, and she responds by being jealous and smashing his TV with a Dundie award. Thankfully, Michael moves on and has a relationship with Holly that brings the best out of him.