4 TV Couples That Never Got Their Happily Ever After

All television shows have their angst, just as most of them have romance that creates OTPs (one true pairings). These are couples that viewers root for, laugh with, cry with, and hold their breaths hoping for a happily ever after. Some of those fortunate fictional couples (and fans) get those. Others are not so lucky.

Whether they are separated by death, evil, or the odds are simply stacked against them, these four couples took a shot at being happy ever after, but they didn't quite make it. Fans still love these ships and though the programs are long gone, you can still find forums, fan-fiction, and more that talk about these couples that should have been.

4. Bobby And Diane From NYPD Blue

From 1995 to 1998, Bobby Simone and Diane Russell set television screens on fire with their electric chemistry in NYPD Blue. Viewers watched them brave alcoholism, the death of Diane's father, the realization that she was molested, Bobby's suspension from the force, and so much more. When Season 5 ended, and Bobby and Diane said their vows, we had high hopes for a happily ever after. But it wasn't to be. Actor Jimmy Smits chose to leave NYPD Blue, and the writers chose to have him exit the show by dying. There was not a dry eye in the house when his final scene aired.

3. Mark Greene And Elizabeth Corday From ER

In 1999, we watched the magical romance of Dr. Mark Greene and Dr. Elizabeth Corday begin to unfold. With so many sweet moments, this couple captivated ER's viewers. They'd both gone through break-ups and were hesitant about finding love again. Eventually, they gave into their feelings for each other and began planning a future together only to learn Mark had a brain tumor and Elizabeth was pregnant. We had one more year with the couple before Anthony Edwards decided to leave ER for good in Season 8, and we had to say goodbye to this couple who could have had it all.

2. Phoebe And Cole From Charmed

This couple was pure deliciousness. When Phoebe, a witch (and one of the Charmed ones to boot), falls in love with Cole Turner, she has no idea he's an evil half-demon who's been sent to kill her and her sisters. And Cole has no way of knowing he'll be so captivated he can't complete his mission. These two made our televisions sizzle, and we held our fingers crossed that somehow, someway, Cole could be free of his evil side for good so that he and Phoebe could get their happily ever after. But the forces of darkness proved stronger, and even with a baby on the way, Phoebe joined her sisters in vanquishing her one true love.

1. Buffy And Angel From Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Buffy and Angel shouldn't have been together. She was a slayer and he was what she'd been born to kill — a vampire. Instead of becoming mortal enemies, they fell in love, and it was a love that lasted through endless tragedies. Neither wanted to give the other up in spite of the obstacles standing in their paths. Only Angel was the one who finally realized that their destinies could not coincide. He willingly left Sunnydale, but he never truly left her behind. Though he walked away, he returned to her and she to him when the need grew too strong. They were soulmates, and if Angel didn't die in his final battle, I'd like to think he found her and somehow they discovered a way to be together.

Viewers loved these couples, and more than a few of us hated the writers for ripping them apart. We understood that actors come and go, but couldn't Bobby have gone on a long undercover assignment? We would have rather seen Mark and Elizabeth divorce than for him to die, leaving her to raise their daughter alone. And Phoebe and Cole? Well, that was in the writers' hands. They could have changed him — given him a goodness. The same thing goes for Buffy and Angel — it could have worked out. I mean, stranger things have happened, right?