Though they might not be great examples of the perfect relationship, these dysfunctional TV couples always bring the laughs.
By
Updated 12 months ago,May 9, 2024
Relationships are all about commitment, trust, and understanding…most of the time, anyways.
While some couples maintain a healthy, romantic attachment to one another, other romantic partnerships leave you scratching your head, wondering why on earth theyre together in the first place.
The Simpsons / How I Met Your Mother
Like most couples in the real world, this phenomenon also directly applies to television couples, be it in the form ofThe Offices Kelly Kapoor and Ryan Howard or Marge and Homer ofThe Simpsons.
Constantly bickering at each other from one episode to the next, these couples provide a refreshingly hilarious take on the traditional romantic duo, leaving audience members in stitches with their abnormaloften confrontationalrelationships with one another.
Homer and Marge Simpson
Truthfully, most of the dysfunctional aspects of Homer and Marge Simpsons marriage stems from Homers side of the relationship.
While Marge is frequently shown to be a doting pillar of support for her rambunctious family, Homer appears more concerned with shrugging away any responsibility that comes his way.
Though he provides for his family through his soul-crushing job at the nuclear power plant, Homers immature misadventures and alcohol-fueled escapades often take a toll on his marriage with Marge, testing her patience time and time again.
Al and Peg Bundy
While theres no question that Al and Peg Bundy love their family, viewers have to look incredibly hard to see evidence of this fact (almost to the point of having to rely on a magnifying glass).
Fox
Former high school sweethearts-turned-unhappily married spouses, Al and Peg are the pop in to continuously blame their problems in life on one another.
Frequently mocking each others laziness, low income wages, and frivolous spending habits, Al and Peg never failed to criticize their partner whenever an opportunity presented itself.
Frank and Estelle Costanza
Deep down, its safe to assume that every young couple fears theyll one day end up like Frank and Estelle Costanza.
Fox
The unhinged parents ofSeinfelds anxiety-riddled George, Frank and Estelles primary means of communication involves screaming at one another in explosive bursts of anger.
Endlessly annoyed by one anothers mere presence, the Costanzas seem to harbor little to any romantic feelings for each other, routinely complaining about their spouses antics to anyone unlucky enough to be in ear shot.
Kelly Kapoor and Ryan Howard
Quite possibly the most toxic couple ever featured on television, nothing about Kelly Kapoor and Ryan Howards relationship works well on paper.
NBC
Office coworkers who regularly fight, break up, and then inevitably come back together again, Kelly and Ryans main issue is their abundance of similarities.
With each person possessing a planet-sized egoprioritizing their own needs at the expense of everyone elsesKelly and Ryans selfish behavior knows almost no bounds.
Running amuck in Dunder Mifflin Scrantons annex, these two self-centered narcissists have toyed with each others heads through a variety of manipulative mind games, from faking pregnancies to deliberately sabotaging one anothers relationships with other, better partners.
NBC
Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart
True fans might have wanted Jackie to concludeThat 70s Showin the arms of her on-again, off-again boyfriend Hyde, but its no surprise that Mila Kuniss shrill prima donna ultimately ended up with Michael Kelso.
Beginning the series as a teenage couple whose relationship was built solely off of their superficial good looks, Kelso and Jackie always seemed to drift back towards each other whenever their last romance inevitably fizzled out.
Between Kelsos absent-minded immaturity and Jackies constant self-centeredness, it only seemed a matter of time before these two shallow love-birds reunited to start a family (something that soon came to pass withThat 90s Show).
Fox
Barney Stinson and Robin Scherbatsky
In some ways, Barney Stinson and Robin Scherbatsky were made for each other, as seen through their distinct view of love and skepticism at traditional relationships.
But at the end of the day, their dissimilarities ultimately won out, preventingHow I Met Your Mothers most chaotic couple from ever winding up together.
While they might sit comfortably back and enjoy a good cigar or aged whiskey, Barney and Robins eventful relationship came with far more bumpy moments than it did genuinely uplifting onessomething only further exacerbated by Barneys constant womanizing and repeated lies to Robin.
CBS
Ron Swanson and Tammy II
Compared to most other couples inParks and Recreation, Ron Swanson and Tammy II almost make April and Andy look like a fully-functional adult couple.
Former spouses-turned-bitter enemies, few people have earned Rons ire quite like his second ex-wife, the monstrous Tammy II.
A seductive, manipulative, sociopathic librarian constantly attempting to destroy Rons life, Tammy II has been described in a variety of colorful terms by Ron himself, including monstrous parasite, conniving and ruthless, and sewer-dwelling gutter witch.
NBC
As unhealthy as their relationship might be, Tammy IIs repeated appearances never fail to garner a chuckle from viewers, even as she uses every nefarious trick in the book to ruin Rons happiness.
