25 of TV’s best (and worst) on again off again couples

Nick and Jess – New Girl

Their love story: Jessica Day burst on the TV scene with her “adorkable” glasses and A-line dresses, and Zooey Deschanel had us all contemplating bangs that year. When Jess moved into a loft with three other quirky roommates, we all knew immediately that there was something between her and Jake Johnson’s Nick Miller. Their onscreen chemistry made us all swoon, so when the writers started bringing them closer together, we all cheered.

Then we all got heartsick as the two couldn’t find their way to each other. She’s a bubbly middle school teacher with a penchant for crafting and overthinking her interpersonal struggles, and he’s a hapless deadbeat who keeps his bills in a shoebox. It was always evident they loved each other, but their mismatched personalities kept getting in the way of a functional relationship.

Did they or didn’t they: They did, like we all knew they would. The long way toward an official relationship was fraught with a lot of misguided decisions on both their parts. They both needed a good shake to help them realize they were right for each other all along. Even when the final season aired earlier this year, and after a narrative time jump, they were together but not married. Much of the plot in those last few episodes concerned itself with if they would or wouldn’t get married. SPOILER: They did.

How to watch it unfold: The FOX hit is no longer airing new episodes, but you can catch up on all seven seasons of romantic hijinks on Netflix.