Love!

What can I say? I LOVE love!

People ask me — “what do you do in your free time?” I tell them all the usuals: “Oh, you know, reading, hiking, hanging out with friends.” But behind the ambiguity, I’m internally whispering, “Shipping. I ship morning, noon, and night.”

I shall no longer ship in the privacy of my own mind. I’m extending my love to the internet void.

That is why, for my very first article, I’m sharing 10 of my favorite television romances. Included on this list are couples from my youth and those who I’ve only just recently met; couples who I mindlessly fell in love with myself and those who showed me all the ways love can appear; and couples who brought me overwhelming joy and those who left me sobbing uncontrollably.

In order of first encounters:

Booth & Brennan –
“Bones”

Booth and Brennan live fondly in my memory as one of my first OTPs. I give them a great deal of credit for giving me my love of law enforcement romances.

What made Booth and Brennan so special for me was watching two stubborn, hard working people fall in love. Although they are often bickering, most of what they disagree about manifests out of their strong sense of justice and desire for the truth.

Sarah & Chuck –
“Chuck”

I credit not only the show “Chuck” but this particular romance between Sarah and Chuck for giving me an overwhelming desire to be a spy.

Sarah represented everything I wanted to be and who I wanted to be with — cool, intimidating, and able to kick ass. Chuck was adorable and geeky, which was endearing, but more importantly, Chuck was the one thrust into the world of espionage, my greatest desire as a preteen.

A mixture of jealousy and awe naturally made them one of my romantic obsessions. Plus, I think there’s something inherently romantic about spy work.

Ten & Rose –
“Doctor Who”

David Tennant. Billie Piper. Need I say more? No, but I will anyways.

These two are such phenomenal actors, and they brought a love story to the screen that I didn’t realize I needed.

Ten and Rose both had a unique sense of adventure and whimsy that no other characters could quite match. They weren’t afraid to have fun amid moments of stress and terror, and their constant need to make each other laugh, impress one another, and find the excitement at any moment in time will forever place these two as not only one of my favorite pairings, but two of my favorite television characters.

Carla & Samuel –
“Élite”

I’m a sucker for the enemies-to-lovers and star-crossed lovers tropes. And Carla and Samuel had both of them.

This couples was extremely unexpected, but they quickly became my favorite pairing in the show.

Against all odds and despite a million reasons not to, these two fell in love. They were both entangled in the wild web of murder, crime, love, and betrayal. Their relationship began with the expectation that Samuel would use Carla for his own gain. Yet, through it all, these two delivered audiences the sweetest and most delicate moments of affection.

Bishop & Torres –
“NCIS”

This pairing, while remaining one of my favorite, is perhaps the most difficult to explain why I adore them so much.

Perhaps it’s the fact that I began watching the show at a very young age or that I have a thing for Latino cops in fiction. All I know is that I have watched ship videos on YouTube of these two more than any other couple.

It was Bishop and Torres’s romance that reinvigorated my interest in “NCIS,” and it was their slowly growing flirty banter that kept me devouring each episode. The will-they-won’t they was painful, but each glace and smile between the two brought back my fangirl squeals.

Holt & Kevin –
“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”

Holt and Kevin are easily the most odd couple I have ever encountered, but their unique way of showing love was refreshing.

I didn’t know what to expect when we first met Kevin, but a man as serious as Holt was not it. My false expectations may explain why I didn’t get into any of those ivy leagues.

These two added enormous humor to the show, and they set the bar for all other romantic relationships in the precinct. They were mentors and father figures whenever necessary, and these two reminded us that love doesn’t have to look any one way.

Dani & Jamie –
“The Haunting of Bly Manor”

Dani and Jamie delivered one of the most amazing romantic performances, one that outshined practically every other element of the show.

These two brought a sweetness and happiness to an otherwise dark and depressing story. They fell in love quickly and with so much love between them that I felt as though I were apart of their relationship myself.

Moreover, the ending of the show — a denial of their happily ever after — evoked deep emotions within me and made me ship them harder. The fact that both of them knew they would ultimately be torn apart, yet chose to be together for the time they had left, showed me how love holds great power, enough to make us forget all reason.

Fitz & Simmons –
“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

I don’t think I’ve ever shipped two characters as hard as I ship Fitz and Simmons.

In fact, hearing about the romance between these two through the grapevine is the reason I began watching the show.

From the start, we knew that these two would be together, but the writers kept them apart just to keep audiences pining. It was so worth it. We were given this amazing will-they-won’t-they story, as well as the infamous “we’re cursed” belief that Fitz voices, which made me want to draw my sword and fight off anything that might keep these two apart.

They were quickly branded as the brains of the group, and typically these characters are deprived of the chance to explore romance, even if they end up with another character. Not Fitz and Simmons. They got all of it: the passion, sensuality, marriage, and family. They were the ones always fighting to get to one another and the ones who held the hearts of viewers everywhere.

Joey & Pacey –
“Dawson’s Creek”

Romance in television is defined by Joey and Pacey.

Perhaps more accurately, I must say that romance in television is defined by Joshua Jackson, the actor who plays Pacey. Jackson has a singular way of drawing viewers into the romance so that it feels as if we were in the relationship ourselves. Perhaps it’s simply the roles I’ve seen him in, but he sweeps his love interests off their feet with his pining looks and how deeply he cares for them.

Joey is no exception. The love that Pacey and Joey have for each other transcends time and circumstance. There is so much that keeps them apart throughout the course of the show, but when they’re together, we are shown what true admiration of another person looks like.

Charlotte & Sidney –
“Sanditon”

Based off of an unfinished Jane Austen novel, “Sanditon” more than makes up for the incomplete story by providing such a rich and romantic story between the two leads, Charlotte and Sidney.

We know that these two will ultimately get together, but it is made very clear from the beginning that these two are not yet suited for each other. They don’t get along and their personalities are wholly incompatible.

Viewers are forced to wait and watch as both Charlotte and Sidney grow into their maturity and humanity. As Charlotte and Sidney see the change within each other, they begin to fall in love with someone so different from themselves, yet someone they now deeply respect.

There is no greater element of romance than when one admires another’s contribution to the world outside of what that person can do for themselves. These two embody this spirit, and I so dearly wish I could have more of their story.