Epic romances are often the highlight of TV shows, with the characters' chemistry and dynamic winning hearts and making it impossible not to root for them. However, not all relationships are built to last. The doomed TV couples that clearly won't have a happy ending together can still have an undeniable charm and show the characters' growth throughout the show. From toxic teen TV couples to tragic relationships that deserved a happier end, such TV couples are incredibly compelling.

Despite knowing that they will inevitably break up, doomed TV relationships captivate audiences with their dramatic conflicts along with their intensely emotional and ionate dynamic. Including some of TV's worst couples that were suddenly added in the later seasons for the sake of creating drama to beloved couples that tragically could not stay together due to unavoidable outside circumstances, TV couples destined to fail are oddly thrilling to witness.

10 Quentin & Alice (Jason Ralph & Olivia Taylor Dudley)

The Magicians (2015-2020)

Quentin Coldwater and Alice Quinn form a seemingly perfect couple, both painfully shy and awkward yet talented magicians. However, their friendship turned budding relationship comes to an abrupt end after Quentin cheats on Alice with Eliot and Margo. Despite Quentin and Alice managing to rebuild their friendship, their relationship is unable to survive the harsh and dangerous world of The Magicians, and external factors keep getting in the way of them rekindling their romance for the majority of the series.

Alice aptly describes their relationship as a "garbage fire," and the growing romantic bond between Quentin and Eliot throughout the series makes it clear that Quentin and Alice's volatile relationship is unsustainable and fragile. Quentin and Alice's doomed relationship is filled with betrayal, tragedy, and personal hardships that they are unable to move past together.

9 Dave & Alex (Zachary Knighton & Elisha Cuthbert)

Happy Endings (2011-2013)

The sitcom Happy Endings actually begins with Dave Rose Jr. being left at the altar by Alex Kerkovich. Despite the disastrous end to their long-term relationship, Dave and Alex manage to preserve their friendship with numerous hurdles. While the dramatic events paint their relationship in a negative light, Dave and Alex's chemistry, opposing personalities, and constant bickering make them an entertaining and lovable duo.

Dave and Alex show remarkable growth throughout the series, as they learn from their prior mistakes and both parties accept responsibility for their relationship crashing and burning. While Dave and Alex proceed to have an on-and-off relationship, they struggle to move past their failed engagement and ultimately realize that they're better off as friends. However, the couple's ongoing romantic tension and sweet friendship make them a lovable and hilarious pair. With Happy Endings season 4 getting canceled, Dave and Alex's relationship has officially ended with no chance of being rekindled.

8 Oliver & Laurel (Stephen Amell & Katie Cassidy)

Arrow (2012-2020)

Oliver Queen and Laurel Lance have one of the superhero TV show Arrow's most notoriously tumultuous and ionate relationships before it peters out despite the strong start. Despite introducing Laurel as Oliver Queen's main love interest, their tension-filled romantic relationship is mostly explored in the earlier seasons before it becomes clear that Felicity Smoak and Oliver's undeniable chemistry would rule the superhero show.

While Green Arrow and Black Canary end up together in the comics, Arrow diverges from Oliver and Laurel's relationship as the couple splits up after Tommy Merlyn's death and shifts the focus to Oliver and Felicity's relationship. Oliver and Laurel's disastrous relationship is filled with betrayal, familial drama, and secrecy, making them a compelling and ionate couple, yet their doomed on-and-off dynamic highlights the strength of their bond despite their struggles.

7 Joey & Rachel (Matt LeBlanc & Jennifer Aniston)

Friends (1994-2004)

David Schwimmer's Ross Geller and Jennifer Aniston's Rachel Green are Friends' most iconic and well-known couple and remain one of the most popular will-they-won't-they relationships in sitcom history. However, the final season of Friends saw a sudden romance between Joey Tribbiani and Rachel for the sake of shocking the audience and creating drama to keep fans engaged.

Friends and pop culture's obsession with the Ross and Rachel relationship meant that any other pairing that includes either of the two characters was doomed from the beginning. The fact that Ross, Rachel, and Joey are friends and have entwined lives makes the success of the controversial couple Joey and Rachel impossible. Rachel's romantic history with Ross and the inevitable rekindling of their relationship made it clear that Joey and Rachel were a couple not built to last.

6 Buffy & Angel (Sarah Michelle Gellar & David Boreanaz)

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

Buffy Summers and Angel are a classic example of supernatural, tragic star-crossed lovers who were destined for heartbreak from the start. The romance between the vampire slayer and the cursed vampire with a soul would always fail spectacularly. While Buffy and Angel do their best to avoid a tragic end to their relationship, they are forced to reconcile with the fact that, even after facing down external issues and enemies, they are not meant to be together forever.

Buffy and Angel's forbidden love is rife with drama, with Angel losing his soul, reverting to Angelus, going on a vengeful murder spree, and Buffy being forced to kill Angelus and send him to hell. While Buffy and Angel have a thrilling will-they-won't-they dynamic and face unavoidable hurdles due to their natures as vampire slayers and vampires, they are ultimately a tragic couple destined to be apart.

5 Phoebe & Cole (Alyssa Milano & Julian McMahon)

Charmed (1998-2006)

Phoebe Halliwell and Cole Turner had a whirlwind romance but were always headed toward failure as they were on opposite sides of Charmed's main conflict. The couple serves as a compelling example of the battle between good and evil in the universe of Charmed. Phoebe is a powerful witch who destroys demons while Cole is a half-demon sent to kill the Charmed Ones. However, things take a turn when Cole and Phoebe fall in love.

Introduced as a powerful demon assassin, Cole is a formidable enemy and intriguing love interest. While Phoebe and Cole's opposing natures make for an electric relationship, it does not bode well for a long-lasting commitment. While it temporarily appears that Phoebe and Cole might secure a happy ending, Cole's return to the dark side and transformation into the Source of All Evil is the final nail in the coffin for their doomed relationship.

4 Ted & Robin (Josh Radnor & Cobie Smulders)

How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014)

During Ted Mosby's adventure to find "the one," fall in love, and get married, he meets Robin Scherbatsky and instantly falls for her. However, after Ted tells Robin that he loves her on the first date, their budding relationship falls to pieces. Additionally, future Ted reveals her identity to his future kids as "Aunt Robin," immediately confirming that she is not the titular Mother. How I Met Your Mother season 1 follows the couple before they get together while season 2 depicts Ted and Robin's relationship and subsequent breakup.

Ted and Robin's break-up in season 2 cements that the couple have huge incompatible differences that would inevitably cause hurdles in the future of their relationship. In the first two seasons of the show, Ted and Robin's relationship flaws are revealed, and despite the underlying romantic tension between the couple throughout the series, they are portrayed as a doomed couple, until the controversial How I Met Your Mother series finale sees them attempt to rekindle their relationship one last time.

3 Fleabag & The Priest (Phoebe Waller-Bridge & Andrew Scott)

Fleabag (2016-2019)

Fleabag and the Priest might be one of the most ionate, compelling, and tragic relationships to grace television. The palpable chemistry between Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Andrew Scott makes it impossible not to cheer for the forbidden romance budding between the two. Fleabag and the Priest's deep connection builds slowly throughout Fleabag season 2, and their emotional bond is undeniable and compelling.

However, despite their chemistry and strong bond, Fleabag and the Priest's relationship is doomed from the start due to the Priest's religious vows and devotion to his position as a priest. While Fleabag and the Priest continue to flirt throughout the second season and deepen their emotional bond, the Fleabag series finale ultimately ends with the couple accepting that while they love each other, the Priest has chosen God and that their relationship cannot continue.

2 Clark & Lana (Tom Welling & Kristin Kreuk)

Smallville (2001-2017)

Smallville is a superhero TV show following a teenage Clark Kent before he becomes the superhero known as Superman. Set in the titular fictional town of Smallville, the show depicts Clark on his journey to accepting his alien heritage while detailing his relationships. Clark's relationship with the girl next door, Lana Lang, is the highlight of the show, with Tom Welling and Kristin Kreuk's chemistry and the characters' epic romance keeping audiences hooked.

However, the on-and-off-couple Clark and Lana's relationship was inevitably going to end at one point, since Clark and Lois Lane were clearly going to end up together by the end of the series. The introduction of Lois in Smallville season 4 solidified Clark and Lana as an important relationship that would have to end in order to make way for a relationship between Clark and Lois and the rest of the Superman canon.

1 Jimmy & Kim (Bob Odenkirk & Rhea Seehorn)

Better Call Saul (2015-2022)

Better Call Saul is a prequel to Breaking Bad that follows the con artist Jimmy McGill and his transformation into Saul Goodman, a criminal defense attorney. While Jimmy and Kim Wexler have a compelling and surprisingly sweet dynamic, the relationship turns toxic after the two bring out the worst in each other and inadvertently get a man killed. While Jimmy and Kim being aware of each other's dark sides is a refreshing take, their willingness to commit crimes and break their rules together has unforeseen consequences.

Better Call Saul is doomed from the start, as Breaking Bad does not include Kim, implying that the relationship will fall apart at some point. Despite this, the unraveling of the couple's relationship and their mutual destructive tendencies results in a heartbreaking and meaningful end to the couple's time as romantic and business partners.