The 7 Best TV Love Triangles Of All Time
Love triangles are a strange phenomenon more often relegated to the wilds of fiction than they are to everyday life.
Though some people might occasionally feel themselves pulled in opposing romantic directions in regards to their potential partners, these three-pronged relationships form a fascinating cornerstone of some of our favorite TV shows. Piquing our interest as we wonder who each character might end up with, a well-formed television love triangle can keep viewers engrossed over the course of several seasons, sparking intense debates and fan theories about which characters form the perfect couple.
From interoffice romances to classic sitcom trios, here are some of the best love triangles we’ve seen on television yet, ranked in order from worst to best.
Jim, Pam, and Karen (The Office)
While Jim, Pam, and Roy’s love triangle also deserves some degree of attention, there was something far more compelling about the workplace romance that developed between Pam, Jim, and Jim’s new girlfriend, Karen. Unlike Roy, Karen always seemed like a genuinely more sympathetic character than Pam’s emotionally distant former fiance, making her an otherwise ideal match for Jim’s romantic attention. Not only that, but because audiences now understood Pam held feelings for Jim, the entire love triangle experienced a far more nuanced development, with viewers avidly wondering who Jim would ultimately choose to be with throughout The Office’s third season.
Jack, Kate, and Sawyer (Lost)
Crash-landing on a seemingly deserted island in the middle of the Pacific, the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 embarked into a remarkable journey following their arrival to Lost’s tropical settings. Along with their various encounters with polar bears, unkempt French castaways, sentient clouds of black smoke, and the enigmatic Others, the various survivors also found love in the most unexpected of places, as seen through the tumultuous relationship formed between Kate, Jack, and Sawyer. While an entertaining love triangle throughout Lost’s first four seasons, things only continued to heat up for the trio as Jack and Sawyer butted heads over their roles in the camp – something further exacerbated by their respective status as leader and self-serving outsider within the survivors’ hierarchy.
Ted, Robin, and Barney (How I Met Your Mother)
Deep down, everyone knows that Robin was a far more fitting match for her like-minded kindred spirit, Barney, on How I Met Your Mother, making it all the more frustrating when Robin and Ted reunite at the very end of the show. In spite of this head-scratching series finale, however, Ted, Robin, and Barney’s love triangle on HIMYM led to some palpable personal growth for every character involved. Not only did Ted slowly begin to let go of his long-held feelings for Robin, both Robin and Barney began to open themselves up to the possibility of a stable, adult relationship, spelling out some massive personal growth for the once fun-loving, responsibility-free bachelors.
Sookie, Bill, and Eric (True Blood)
We don’t know why exactly, but vampire dramas always seemed to feature a steamy romance at the center of its main narrative. Case in point with True Blood’s Sookie, Bill, and Eric, each of whom formed a pivotal corner of an endlessly complicated (yet thoroughly engrossing) TV love triangle. While there are plenty of positive qualities about both Eric and Bill’s individual characters, Sookie never seemed to make up her mind about who it was she wanted to be with, her romantic feelings towards each man apparently changing with each new season. Though she ultimately ended up with neither Bill or Eric by the series’ conclusion, Sookie’s romantic connection towards each vampire left us glued to our screens for seven long seasons.
Brooke, Peyton, and Lucas (One Tree Hill)
Honestly, you can describe Brooke, Peyton, and Lucas more as an unofficial throuple than an outright love triangle. With Lucas freely dating both girls over the course of high school (sometimes even at the same time), the three young teenagers experienced a plethora of emotions throughout One Tree Hill, inevitably leading to heartbreak for one person or another. In spite of their constant battles for Lucas’s affection, however, Brooke and Peyton miraculously maintained a close-knit friendship within the show, making their eventful romance with Lucas that much more intriguing and downright confusing at times.
Joey, Pacey, and Dawson (Dawson’s Creek)
As almost everyone can attest, navigating romance as a teenager comes with its fair share of trials and tribulations. Grappling with the uncertainty of their futures, most teenagers have to contend with their conflicting feelings towards fellow classmates. Nowhere is this mind-boggling confusion more readily depicted than Dawson’s Creek burgeoning love triangle between best friends Pacey and Dawson and their mutual crush, Joey. Rather than focusing on yet another potential romance at the heart of their show, Dawson’s Creek’s showrunners pioneered the idea of a triple-sided relationship between its three foremost cast members. The resulting storyline rarely failed at pulling viewers in and keeping them engaged throughout Dawson’s Creek, adding a much-needed dose of drama in the series’ early infancy.
Damon, Elena, and Stefan (The Vampire Diaries)
Forget Twilight’s Edward and Jacob – everyone knows the best paranormal love triangle involves Damon, Elena, and Stefan of The Vampire Diaries. Across eight tantalizing seasons, viewers furiously tuned in in the hopes of seeing Elena choose her idyllic romantic partner: the dark and brooding Damon or his kind-hearted younger brother, Stefan. Though Elena ping-ponged back and forth between the two vampiric siblings over the series’ run, dedicated viewers always held out hope that Elena would revert back to their personal favorite creature of the night..
