19 Toxic TV Couples Shows That Are Actually SUPER TOXIC
You'd think that in the 100-plus years of TV's existence, we'd have made some strides in depicting healthier relationships. Yet time and time again, many of the most popular TV couples are the ones who are downright terrible to each other. Behind all the montages and lighthearted comedy, maybe they aren't the perfect pairings we are led to believe. Some of them may actually be assholes or even downright abuse, and others are perhaps just too different to be together. As viewers, we're often even aware of this, but we can't help rooting for our favorite toxic couples, no matter how many times they hurt each other. They're awful, but they're also entertaining.
Recently, Reddit user u/Dragonball_Z137 asked, "What are some fictional couples everybody loves that are actually toxic?" and people had a lot to say!
#1 Cam and Mitch on Modern Family
Source: Peter 'Hopper' Stone / ABC / Courtesy: Everett Collection
—u/sunnysideupegghead
"Cam was so manipulative…every time when things didn’t go his way he made a big big scene. I felt sorry for Mitchell, because he was his own person as well."
—u/Simonedv
Source: ABC
#2 Angel and Buffy on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Source: 20th Century Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection
—u/Acatinmylap
"Angel would have been to old to be dating a 16-year-old when he was turned. He *had* to have been late twenties early thirties, and I know 'blah Victorian times blah blah socially acceptable then' It was also socially acceptable to dump your poo pot on the street."
—u/MarshmallowFloofs85
Here's Angel seeing Buffy for the first time when she was 15.
Source: The WB
#3 Romeo and Juliet in the various adaptations of Romeo and Juliet
Source: 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved.
—u/Ravingrook
"People misinterpret it. It's not a love story; it's a tragedy. Now, in our modern vocabulary, a tragedy is a story with a sad ending, but back then, and dating back to ancient Greek theater, a tragedy is a specific story structure. Like how we say mystery, and you automatically know that a crime will be committed by someone, you don't know who, and the story will follow the main character figuring that out, with the audience.
A tragedy back then was a story structure where someone's decision, or series of decisions, leads to the awful ending (Hamlet, Oedipus). Romeo and Juliet isn't a love story, it's a criticism of teenage impulsivity. The whole point is that every decision they made made the situation worse, leading to the climactic double suicide ending."
—u/Beast_of_Bladenboro
Here's Romeo taking poison over Juliet's "death"...then realizing he majorly effed up.
Source: 20th Century Fox
#4 Sam and Freddie on iCarly
Source: Nickelodeon
—u/VisitSecure
"And Sam constantly physically abused Freddie."
—u/Historical-Meal-5525
Source: Nickelodeon
#5 Beck and Jade on Victorious
Source: Nickelodeon
—u/VisitSecure
Here's them arguing, as they always did.
Source: Nickelodeon
#6 Rory and everyone on Gilmore Girls
Source: Saeed Adyani / Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection
—u/SameStrawberry0
Here's Rory after sleeping with Dean when he was MARRIED.
Source: The WB
And let's not forget the way she treated Paul.
Source: Netflix
#7 Jessie and Jane on Breaking Bad
Source: Lewis Jacobs / AMC / courtesy everett collection
"She just treated him like a casual, short-term hookup until she realized he had money. Then all of a sudden she started making plans for both of them and saying 'we' instead of 'I' for everything. I love the actress, so I think the first time I watched, I just kind of overlooked that part."
—u/Diligent_Ad6759
"Jessie drew her back into drugs. It was a doomed relationship from the start."
—u/Snoo74401
Here's an example of Jane manipulating Jesse for money.
Source: AMC
#8 Big and Carrie on Sex and the City
Source: Craig Blankenhorn/Warner Bros. / courtesy Everett Collection
—u/ShesSoPeachy78
"He only wanted to have a good time with her but she fell so hard for him. She was so desperate trying to catch his attention and make him love her, but it was obvious that he didn't want a serious relationship. Even at the end of the series, I believe that his words 'Carrie, you're the one' were quite forced since he had always wanted to have her in the palm of his hand."
—u/spacebootz11
Let's not forget when Big refused to show up to his wedding with Carrie!
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
#9 Also, Miranda and Steve from Sex and the City
Source: Craig Blankenhorn/Warner Bros. / courtesy Everett Collection
—u/TonySoprano100
Here's Miranda leaving Steve and expecting the entire world to be happy for her.
Source: HBO
#10 Robin and Ted from How I Met Your Mother
Source: Eric McCandless / CBS / Courtesy Everett Collection
—u/badbyemp3
Here's one of many examples of Ted being obsessed with Robin and thinking that's true love.
Source: CBS
#11 Ethel and Fred on I Love Lucy
Source: Courtesy Everett Collection
"I get it, the older married couple that hates each other was supposed to be funny back then. But you watch it now and wonder how they even got together in the first place. And apparently, the actors really did dislike each other in real life, so I guess that came through on the show."
—u/PurpleDreamer28
Here's them being toxic AF!
Source: CBS
#12 Ezra and Aria on Pretty Little Liars
Source: Eike Schroter / ABC Family / Courtesy: Everett Collection
—u/Bikinigirlout
"That really is all that needs to be said. But even if he wasn't her teacher, he literally entered their relationship via deception in order to use her. Whyyyyy did they keep pitching that terrible pairing as #endgame to impressionable teens?"
—u/Morella_xx
Oh, lord. I'll never get over the whole teacher thing...
Source: Freeform
...But I have to agree with u/Morella_xx. Him knowing her identity (and age) from the start and getting close to her to write a book about Ali was somehow worse.
Source: Freeform
#13 Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey from 50 Shades of Grey
Source: Chuck Zlotnick/Focus Features / courtesy Everett Collection
"Seriously, they are awful and their relationship is a toxic mess. I didn't make it 100 pages into that book without gagging."
—u/Revolutionary-Yak-47
"And the BDSM community almost as a whole agrees that it’s a horrible horrible representation of BDSM."
—u/hatsnatcher23
Here's Christian being creepy and controlling (outside of sex and before Ana had even signed the contract!!) as usual.
Source: Universal Pictures
#14 Pam Anderson and Tommy Lee in Pam & Tommy (yes, I know they're not fictional, but we're talking about the fictionalized portrayal of them in the show)
Source: Erin Simkin / Hulu / Courtesy Everett Collection
—u/I_Heart_Squids
"I’m starting to see people romanticize Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee while watching Pam & Tommy. This makes me so angry and upset. That marriage did not end well and overall Pamela just deserves better, period."
—u/untitledmanuscript

#15 Bella and Edward in Twilight
Source: Summit Entertainment
—u/mother_of_angelpuffs
"I know you have to suspend some reality when reading fiction (depending on the genre) to fully delve into the piece, but a century-old man (internally) being insanely attracted to a teenager is weird. Especially as they’re from such different time periods. Plus he’s an old otherworldly being who is supposedly well traveled, cultured, educated, etc. And on top of that, I’m supposed to believe this old, non-human being is a virgin and super concerned with Bella’s soul going to hell if she has sex before marriage??? It was just too much reality for me to suspend, lol."
—u/Visual_Zucchini8490
Source: Summit Entertainment
#16 Allie and Noah in The Notebook
Source: New Line / courtesy Everett Collection
—[deleted]
"After she said no the first time, he threatened suicide to get a date out of her...It seems cute when it’s Ryan Gosling being handsome and charming, but picture the kind of guy who would really do something like that… creepy and manipulative."
—u/Snowbank_Lake
Here's Noah threatening suicide to get Allie to go out with him.
Source: New Line Cinema
#17 Ross and Rachel on Friends
Source: Robert Isenberg / Warner Bros. / Courtesy: Everett Collection
–u/Harleye
"It was infuriating to watch them end up together in the end, even though literally none of the reasons why they didn’t work out had changed."
—u/Laleena_
Here's Ross not trusting Rachel and overall being insecure.
Source: NBC
#18 Joker and Harley in basically any Batman/DC show or movie
Source: DC Universe / Courtesy Everett Collection
—u/Ironman4234Exe
"So many of my teenage cousins post pictures of them on Facebook talking about 'relationship goals.' Meanwhile I’m like, 'HE THREW HER OUT A SKYSCRAPER WINDOW!'”
—u/Blu-ginger
Here's Joker pushing Harley out a window.
Source: Fox Kids
#19 Chuck and Blair on Gossip Girl
Source: Giovanni Rufino / The CW / Courtesy Everett Collection
"I think the appeal of Chuck in a suit and Blair being a b*tch but also quite entertaining appealed on the character levels. Also, the fact that they went through all those trials and tribulations for all the seasons, it sort of felt like, 'Well, they have to end together, right?' Except no, they don't. First episode alone, Chuck tried to sexually assault not one but two girls. He 'sold' Blair to his Uncle Jack. He actively treated her badly, let her and their friends think he was dead so he could shack up in France with some oui oui lady, and was just an all around icky guy. He even assaulted her and punched a window when she tried to break up with him (4x20). I 100% believe the finale was just the writers trying to do some fan service because everyone hated Dair so much (which I very much did not) and make everything seem peachy keen. It was NOT!"
—u/foreveruncleeeaaan
Here's Chuck admitting he manipulated Blair into essentially selling her body to Chuck's uncle.
Source: The CW