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10 Of The Most Chaotic Couples In TV History Kate and Hal Stand Holding Food By  Casey Duby Published 37 minutes ago Casey Duby is an avid TV writer, watcher, and reviewer. She graduated from Emerson College in 2021 with a focus in Writing for Film and Television, where she wrote several pilots and watched countless more. She's been working in television ever since. Casey loves thoughtful content that makes her ponder our world and the people in it, and she's learned that any genre can surprise her. With favorites in every genre from horror to politics, family to action, nothing is off limits. Casey has experience working in TV development, as well as writing both narrative and host-driven shows. Currently working as a Writer in Los Angeles, with an AMC A-List membership to boot, she is always hunting for the next good story and great theme song. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Some TV couples are remembered for their steady true love. Others, while maybe in love, are more notable for the chaos their messy romance brings to the screen. Whether they can't stop breaking up, or rile each other up as partners in (sometimes literal) crime, TV's most tumultuous love stories are often the reason we keep tuning in week after week.

Couples like Severance's Mark and Gemma (or Mark and Helly) and Schitt's Creek's Alexis and Ted prove that romance can be crucial to stories in any genre — but it doesn't always come easy.

Marty & Wendy Byrde (Ozark)

Laura Linney and Jason Bateman in Ozark

Arguably, Ozark's biggest turning point was the moment Wendy ruined her own family's escape plan, proving she was even more diabolical than Marty. In some ways, they're perfect for each other — Wendy did what many hoped Breaking Bad's Skyler White would do, and hopped right on board her husband's criminal operation, opening the door to a whole new level of pandemonium.

Yet Marty and Wendy's shared thick skin for crime didn't stop them from constantly getting in each other's way. Marty's painstaking caution and attention to detail are what suited him to the job of money laundering, but what sucked Wendy in was the thrill of rejecting normalcy and pulling off something high-stakes.

The Byrdes' constant fighting and scheming wreaked havoc on everyone around them, including the rest of their family. Jonah proved to be a top-notch launderer, making Marty proud as much as he may not have wanted to admit it. Darker still, Wendy ordered the killing of her own brother... and Marty validated her choice.

But as far as chaotic couple moves go, it's hard to top the time they both separately bribed their couple's counselor to agree with them in therapy.

Fiona & Steve (Shameless)

Lip, Jimmy, Fiona, and Ian in the kitchen in Shameless

Fans often refer to him as Jimmy Steve to summarize his real identity and the fake name he gave Fiona, but this deceit was actually the least of the couple's problems. Their intense chemistry had them constantly oscillating between screaming matches and ill-advised sex, all while exacerbating each other's most self-sabotaging qualities.

Fiona was just about to lose interest in Steve, finding him boring, before the discovery that he makes his money stealing cars reignited her attraction. For his part, Steve was drawn to the Gallagher clan because of their chaotic nature.

It's understandable that Fiona would appreciate someone who didn't bat an eye at her wild family, but ultimately, it was really just a symptom of Steve's addiction to chaos and rebellion.

Steve's presence revealed just how much of that addiction Fiona shared — when Steve fled the country, about to get busted for the car racket, then returned with a wife from South America, Fiona still had the hots for him. There were plenty more bad boyfriends in Fiona's future, but it was frankly a relief when Jimmy Steve was finally out of the picture.

Ryan & Kelly (The Office)

Ryan and Kelly in Halloween Costumes

Ryan is potentially the weirdest character on The Office. At first, he's portrayed as one of the only 'normal' people at Dunder Mifflin who just wants to get his work done. At that point, Kelly's incessant crush on him just comes across as an irritant, a perspective supported by her behaving like a boy-crazy high schooler.

But his focus on work soon devolves his character into a devious businessman, then later someone just plain strange. One of the bigger indicators of his strangeness is his willing participation in his relationship with Kelly. In the beginning, he just couldn't get rid of her. The show leans into the awkward tension of him constantly trying to avoid dating her. Yet in the end, his feelings might even outweigh hers.

Despite their whole fraught rollercoaster, they never develop any palpable chemistry. Kelly is depicted as being relationship-obsessed from the start, but Ryan's increasingly erratic behavior as he falls for Kelly almost seems like more of an indicator of his mental state than of a genuine romance.

Especially when held up against the madly in love Jim and Pam, a Ryan/Kelly love story just doesn't feel totally sane. This is made all the more entertaining when viewed with the knowledge of actors BJ Novak and Mindy Kaling's very close personal relationship.

Piper & Alex (Orange Is The New Black)

Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) with her head on Alex Vause's (Laura Prepon) shoulder in Orange is the New Black

Putting each other in prison certainly fits the bill for chaos. Yet when Piper's alternative is the wet sandwich Larry, it's hard not to root for her to end up with Alex. For all their issues, Piper's relationship with Alex represents authenticity, while her straight-edge life with Larry meant repressing who she truly is.

Even when Piper had evolved well past Larry, and her history with Alex was littered with betrayal, tears, physical fights, and angry sex, there was something persistent about their chemistry. In the end, Piper proves her commitment to Alex, and it has an air of contentment to it. Piper and Alex are meant to be together, in or out of prison.

Kate & Hal Wyler (The Diplomat)

Hal and Kate in The Diplomat season 3

The Diplomat stepped into its full potential when it acknowledged that it's really about not only Kate, but her relationship with her unpredictable husband. The show manages to capture Kate and Hal's mutual fear of being reduced to merely the other's spouse, without sacrificing either character's individual depth or their litany of feelings for one another (love chief among them).

The show is at its most tumultuous and unique when Kate walks into a conversation with the President with twigs in her hair, fresh from a literal fight with Hal, or when she admits that she will be the one unable to keep her hands to herself in bed despite also being the one calling for a separation.

Ross & Rachel (Friends)

Ross (David Schwimmer) pulling away as Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) tries to kiss him on Friends

Chandler and Monica are the cozy, wholesome, reliable couple on Friends. Ross and Rachel are the ones responsible for some of the most iconic — and chaotic — quotes of the entire series: "We were on a break!"; "18 pages! FRONT AND BACK!"; "Did she get off the plane?!"

Somewhere in the midst of all that, Ross said Rachel got drunkenly married and divorced, Ross said Rachel's name at another wedding to another woman, and they had an unplanned baby. For a paleontologist, the drama was off the charts.

For what it's worth, Rachel would've had a much simpler go of things if she had ended up with Joey. Then again, all of Ross and Rachel's frustrating moments along the way are what made it so beautifully rewarding when she did, in fact, get off the plane.

Nate & Brenda (Six Feet Under)

Brenda's prominence throughout the entirety of Six Feet Under is one of the most unusual things about this unusual series. Her having anonymous airport sex with Nate in the pilot comes across as a set piece meant to establish Nate's free-spirited, womanizing personality, not plant the seeds for a serious and twisted long-term relationship. But that's exactly what it does.

Nate struggles with David and Ruth's repressive tendencies, but Brenda's family offers a window into the other extreme, and it is equally dark. Compared to literally every other character, Nate is a pretty normal, emotionally stable guy. Which is what makes watching him navigate the minefield that is the Chenowiths so compelling.

Brenda is a walking red flag, but Nate loves her, and she loves him. Despite her sex addiction, codependent relationship with her unstable brother, and potentially insurmountable childhood trauma (and his fair share of complications), there's something about them that just feels like it should work out.

Jimmy McGill & Kim Wexler (Better Call Saul)

Better Call Saul image with Jimmy and Kim sitting on the bed.

These two take bringing out the worst in each other to a whole new level. Without Jimmy, Kim would surely have led a normal lawyer life. Yet Jimmy, a schemer and a scammer at heart, is capable of reaching a shocking new height (or a new low?) when teaming up with Kim.

Their big heist on Howard is staggeringly thorough and drives him to the edge of his sanity, but even more mind-boggling are the lengths Jimmy and Kim went to to pull it off — and how much joy it brought them to do it. Jimmy is much more likable than Walter White, but the truth is, he's just as much of a menace to society when he has Kim by his side.

Jackie & Kelso (That '70s Show)

Kelso stands looking at Jackie

Some elements of That '70s Show didn't age well, as Kelso's constant, guiltless cheating no longer comes across in a way that warrants laughter from the studio audience. Nonetheless, the emotional hook of Kelso and Jackie's feelings for each other comes across in their performances, and it's impossible not to wonder if the two most superficial people on the planet will be able to make it work.

Hyde's later relationship with Jackie underscores all the toxic problems in her relationship with Kelso on both of their parts. It reveals the level of mutual enabling and cyclical buildup of tension that neither of them had ever even been fully aware of. Jackie's insistence on wealth and both of their preoccupations with appearance become exhausting when we realize there's another option.

Barry & Sally (Barry)

Barry stands with arm around Sally

Barry didn't merge the worlds of hired hitmen and wannabe actors solely for humor. The fact that Barry's capability for deceit, learned through his life of murder, makes him perfectly suited for a career in Hollywood is a commentary as significant as it is funny.

Sally, who originally serves to represent the innocent life Barry yearns for, ultimately comes to reveal how dark and dangerous her world can be under its polished surface. Meanwhile, Barry's attempt at an adult relationship sheds painful light on his childlike mental state and inability to form healthy attachments. Chaos abounds with this very messy TV couple.

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