10 Most Iconic TV Love Triangles, Ranked (original) (raw)
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Published Oct 12, 2024, 8:00 PM EDT
Kelsey is a Senior Writer for Collider, responsible for lists revolving around TV and movies. A self-proclaimed TV and movie junkie who has been in the digital media space for seven years, Kelsey has focused on entertainment news, namely high-profile projects and evergreen content. She has been published on MSN and various domains across Hive Media. She has a BFA in creative writing and English from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
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Viewers love having a romantic couple to root for, two people who are clearly meant for one another and are going to be endgame. At least, that’s what the viewers hope for. But writers love throwing a nice little love triangle trope into the mix at times, stirring the pot and making couples question their loyalties and romantic feelings towards one another. Some of these love triangles get so involved that they become one of the main focal points in the plot’s overarching drama, such as Elena’s (Nina Dobrev) infatuation with both Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvator (Ian Somerhalder) in The Vampire Diaries.
The iconic triangles make for “will-they-won’t-they” and “I really don’t want them to” moments throughout the show, with viewers being on one team or another. While it can sometimes be difficult to watch fan-favorite characters go through relationship troubles, it is hard to argue that some love triangles are so iconic that they make for very entertaining television, and The Vampire Diaries isn’t the only example.
10 Rachel Berry, Finn Hudson, and Quinn Fabray
'Glee' (2009-2015)
Rachel and Finn talking to one another and Quinn looking at them in Glee
Image via Fox
Singing, dancing, and show choir didn’t prepare popular quarterback Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) for falling for the nerdy Broadway-obsessed Rachel Barry (Lea Michele), especially when he was already in a relationship with head cheerleader Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron). Throughout the first two seasons of Glee, he is stuck between sticking to his old life with Quinn and getting into a relationship with Rachel, something that would really hurt his reputation, even though it’s clear he likes her.
It is very clear to viewers that there is more than a little manipulation going on with the two girls trying to win Finn over, as it goes with teenagers in high school, but singing with Rachel does something to him. Finn turns into someone different when he is on stage, something Rachel helped him see; Quinn, on the other hand, lied about being pregnant so she wouldn’t lose him. There is a distinct difference between the two, and it is very satisfying when Finn dumps Quinn once and for all after she continuously cheats on him with his friends (even though there is cheating on his end, too). Yes, Glee falls into a bunch of clichés and tropes, namely the unpopular girl falling in love and dating the quarterback, but somehow, it works for the show.
Release Date
May 19, 2009
Showrunner
Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
Seasons
6
9 Elena Gilbert, Stefan Salvatore, and Damon Salvatore
'The Vampire Diaries' (2009-2017)
Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) look at Stefan (Paul Wesley) in The Vampire Diaries.
Image via The CW
There is nothing quite like a teen drama with an epic love triangle, especially when that triangle deals with two immortal brothers vying after the doppelganger of a girl they’ve loved for centuries. When viewers first start The Vampire Diaries, Elena Gilbert is actually in a relationship with a typical teen guy, Matt (Zach Roerig), before falling for Stefan Salvatore, a vampire. The thing is, the only reason she doesn’t go for his brother, Damon, is because she originally thinks he’s nothing more than a killer.
While both brothers are in love with Elena, she only figures out her true feelings on the matter when she turns into a vampire, choosing Damon. Of course, there is more to it, and she flips back and forth between the two throughout the duration of her time on the show. It is an iconic love triangle as fans of the series went full Twilight with the two love interests, being either Team Stefan or Team Damon. In the end, she winds up marrying Damon.
Release Date
September 10, 2009
Seasons
8
8 Nancy Wheeler, Steve Harrington, and Jonathan Byers
'Stranger Things' (2016-)
Steve, Jonathan, and Nancy standing in shock in Stranger Things.
Image via Netflix
When viewers are first introduced to Steve (Joe Keery), he is a popular kid hanging around some of the school bullies. He isn’t very likable, but that doesn’t sway Nancy (Natalia Dyer) from wanting to date him. He is popular, after all. She quickly learns that he really has no redeemable qualities, especially after she begins hanging around Jonathan (Charlie Heaton). Eventually, Nancy and Steve date and have a messy break-up, and she winds up pursuing a relationship with Jonathan despite Steve still having feelings for her.
What was so interesting to watch, though, is Steve Harrington's character arc. He goes from being this “too cool for school” guy to helping Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and his friends take down Demogorgons and save their town of Hawkins from the monsters of the Upside Down. He matures and evolves as a person, becoming one of the most likable characters in Stranger Things. Viewers even see him get closer to Nancy in Season 4 when she’s long-distance with Jonathan. It is one of those love triangles that is bound to get messy, yet the characters try to keep their cool all the same.
Release Date
July 15, 2016
Seasons
5
7 Sookie Stackhouse, Bill Compton, and Eric Northman
'True Blood' (2008-2014)
Vampires have come out of the coffin, and the humans were never the same once they found out immortal beings were living around them. In True Blood, Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) isn’t like normal humans; she is a mind reader who winds up falling for Bill Compton (Stephan Moyer), a centuries-old vampire who lives in her hometown of Bon Temps, Louisiana. The only thing is, Bill isn’t the only vampire who has their eye on Sookie. Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård) also wants the telepathic woman for himself.
This love triangle is very interesting, as the two vampires are very different from one another and have an interesting dynamic with Sookie. While Bill is very protective and a Southern gentleman through and through, Eric is seen as a bad boy who doesn’t treat Sookie like she would break at any given time. Bill and Eric often fought over her, something that intrigued Sookie while also annoying her to no end because, as she stated more than once, she didn’t need anyone to save her. It’s the difference in character personalities that made this triangle not only iconic but also interesting to watch, seeing how it would play out in the end.
Release Date
September 7, 2008
Creator
Alan Ball
Seasons
7
6 Brooke Davis, Peyton Sawyer, and Lucas Scott
'One Tree Hill' (2003-2012)
Brooke, Peyton, and Lucas standing and smiling in One Tree Hill
Image via The WB
While Lucas’ (Chad Michael Murray) name was on the bedroom door under Brooke (Sophia Bush), meaning it was one of her love interests, it didn’t stop Peyton (Hilarie Burton) from falling for him in One Tree Hill. In fact, Peyton winds up becoming Lucas’ mistress while he is dating Brooke! This is pretty much the epitome of breaking the girl code, especially considering Peyton and Brooke have one of the best friendships shown on TV. Lucas really doesn’t help matters, though, since he decides it's okay to flip back and forth between the two girls throughout high school. Pretty much, it is a typical high school drama with a guy who just found out girls think he’s attractive and doesn’t really know what to do with that information, so he just jumps in full force.
This love triangle is beyond messy, winds up getting a lot of hearts broken, and ends a years-long friendship. It’s considered one of the more iconic ones on television since, despite everything the three characters have been through with one another, they wind up still being the best of friends when everything is said and done. Hey, Lucas and Peyton even wind up married with a kid who has Brooke’s name as their middle name. Even though they went through heartbreak in high school, the bond between the three characters was too strong for something in the past to disrupt their future happiness.
Release Date
September 23, 2003
Seasons
9
5 Robin Scherbatsky, Ted Mosby, and Barney Stinson
'How I Met Your Mother' (2005-2014)
Robin and Ted dancing while Barney talks to them in How I Met Your Mother.
Image via CBS
It might be iconic, but the love triangle on How I Met Your Mother between Robin (Cobie Smulders), Ted (Josh Radnor), and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) is also one fans didn’t want. They might have broken up on amicable terms, but Ted never got over Robin and never felt comfortable with her dating and then marrying his best friend, Barney. And while Robin isn’t one to express her feelings, it is clear she still has some unresolved feelings towards Ted. It was a messy situation for a sitcom about friends who enjoy drinking together and making slap bets.
Viewers tend to remember this love triangle not because they enjoyed the character dynamic but because it was pretty useless when it came to arcs. Once Robin and Barney got together, their personalities seemed watered down, and Ted did nothing more than mope around. This all leads to an unsatisfactory ending to the series, with Barney and Robin getting married. Honestly, they would have been better off calling it quits in Season 5 when they realized two dominant personalities in a relationship isn’t a good idea. It would have been a solid conclusion to their romantic arc, and the three characters could move on.
Release Date
September 19, 2005
Directors
Michael J. Shea
Seasons
9
4 Meredith Grey, Addison Montgomery, and Derek Shepherd
'Grey's Anatomy' (2005-)
Derek (Patrick Dempsey), Addison (Kate Walsh), and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) standing awkwardly in an elevator in Grey's Anatomy
Image via ABC
What’s Grey’s Anatomy without a little drama between Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek “McDreamy” Shepard (Patrick Dempsey)? In this instance, it had to do with the love triangle Meredith found herself in when Addison, aka Derek’s estranged wife, came into the picture in Grey's Anatomy's shocking Season 1 finale. While this love triangle did not last overly long, the fact that Addison came in right at the end of the season left a boatload of dramatic possibilities open for Season 2, including who Derek was going to choose.
Viewers watch as Addison tries to fix her relationship with her husband, but it is soon obvious he is too far gone and in love with Meredith to even entertain getting back together with her. It was unlike other love triangles on TV, as Derek is actually conflicted. He’d been in an 11-year marriage with this person, yet he was in love with another. He should be trying to make things work, right? It was a whirlwind of emotions for not only the characters but also the viewers as they tried to figure out who Derek was going to pick in the end.
Release Date
March 27, 2005
Creator(s)
Shonda Rhimes, Michelle Lirtzman
Seasons
22
3 Kate Austen, Sawyer Ford, and Jack Shephard
'Lost' (2004-2010)
Kate (Evangeline Lily) and Jack (Matthew Fox) are a perfect couple on paper. They are both good people who want what's best for everyone on the deserted island in Lost. One is a good girl who gets along with pretty much everyone, while the other is a surgeon who is pretty much only interested in doing the right thing, even if it is a difficult choice to make. Then, enter Sawyer (Josh Holloway), the bad boy who takes the convenience of doing the right thing, no matter the consequences.
While he and Kate don’t actually get into a legitimate relationship, he is not shy about expressing his feelings and attraction to her. It is a very toxic love triangle, as Kate bounces back and forth between the two men, depending on who she is upset with at any given moment. Fans of the series couldn’t help but get invested in each aspect of Kate’s love life, even though the writers were kind of milking the love triangle trope a bit dry with the three characters.
Release Date
September 22, 2004
Creator(s)
J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Jeffrey Lieber
Seasons
6
2 Rachel Green, Joey Tribbiani, and Ross Geller
'Friends' (1994-2004)
Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), and Ross (David Schwimmer) talk in a hospital in Friends.
Image via NBC
Up until Season 9 of Friends, fans were waiting for the toxic will-the-won’t-they relationship between Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) to come to an end in one way or the other. What wasn’t on their BINGO card was Joey (Matt LeBlanc) confessing his feelings to Rachel and the two getting into a relationship. It was ironic because no one wanted to see those two friends get together; they had the best platonic relationship, and throwing into a couple dynamic threw everything off with the group and made it one of the strangest TV relationships, to say the least. Thankfully, it eventually fizzled out, and Rachel “got off the plane” to Paris to be with Ross.
The love triangle between the two friends was made even more curious when Charlie was brought in, a woman who dated Joey when Rachel didn’t want to originally be with him, and then Ross when Joey and Rachel started dating. It was an iconic, confusing, and pseudo-frustrating love triangle that fans were all too happy when it finally ended during Season 10.
Release Date
September 22, 1994
Seasons
10
1 Joey Potter, Pacey Witter, and Dawson Leery
'Dawson's Creek' (1998-2003)
Joey and Pacey in Dawson's Creek.
Image via The WB
Dawson’s Creek hit a bumpy road after the first two seasons. Once the love triangle between Joey (Katie Holmes), Pacey (Joshua Jackson), and Dawson (James Van Der Beek) came into play, everything changed. While Joey and Dawson are together by the end of the first season, Joey begins to realize she has feelings for his best friend, Pacey. In a slow burn to end all slow burns, Joey finally chooses Pacey.
It was a revolutionary storyline at the time, as love triangles were not the primary focus of teen soap operas in the ‘90s, making it one of the best teen dramas on television. Instead of taking the point of view of a guy in love with a girl, the writers took a leap of faith and opted to tell the story from Joey’s point of view as a young, independent woman who is trying to figure out life and what she wants from it. It was an iconic storyline that powered through the final four seasons of the series, keeping viewers on their toes even when she wasn’t dating one of her two love interests.
Release Date
1998
Seasons
6