Chris and Rita from Silk Stalkings, Chandler and Monica from Friends, Lois and Clark from Lois and Clark: the new adventures of superman and Fran and Max from The Nanny are my favorite TV couples.

Best:

Sandy and Kirsten, The O.C. - Yeah, so it hasn't been on that long, but they're just too adorable together. Who knew the adult relationships would be the most interesting on the show?

Michael and Hope, thirtysomething - They were a beautiful couple, and even though they had their problems (some would say they were anal, and I'd be inclined to agree), they were still great.

Jesse and Rebecca, Full House - I just thought they were really cute together.

Homer and Marge, The Simpsons - I don't care if it's a cartoon. I think a lot of human couples could learn from Homer and Marge.

Will and Grace, Will & Grace - He's gay and she's straight, but I still think they'd make gorgeous babies.'

Steven and Elise, Family Ties - They had been in love forever, and even when things were tough, they still managed to work through the problems as a team.

I think the best couples were Doug and Carol from ER and Mulder and Scully. The worst had to be Carla and Benton from ER. They had no chemistry at all. ER really chickened out when they broke up Benton and Corday. She was the only one who made him seem human.

The Bad:
Cordelia/Angel and Spike/Buffy: Both of these pairings just lacked any chemistry, and the writing was awful. Anytime the lines "love of the ages" or "I'm drowning in you, Summers" are used-it's a crappy couple. We're not even going to touch "I only feel alive when you're inside me" and "He has a sooooooooul now!" These relationships cannot be ended enough, IMO. Also, can someone please put a moratorium on JM being naked? It would really make ot easier to watch Angel without vomiting.
The Blah:
Monica/Chandler on Friends: I agree with everyone who found this match boring. Monica managed to make Chandler unfunny! She's so shrill. I miss the good old days of Chandler and Joey rooming together.
The Good:
Buffy/Angel: I loved this 'ship. They had such a good chemistry and it was so blatantly obvious that they cared for each other, even after the fact. They managed to do a cliche (the old standby,forbidden love) and make it interesting. The best scene is in "Forever" when he just comes up to her and they silently reach for each other's hands in front of Joyce's grave.So kudos to the actors and the writers-good writing, acting, and all the angst and drama anyone could ask for!(in the good way)

The is going to be all Drew Carey Show:

WORST:

Kate/Oswald and Kate/Drew:

Drew/Kate/Louis/Oswald had a perfect symbiotic relationship. They were hilarious together, combining excellent comedic timing and chemistry. They were believable as friends, as there was less cruelty in their interaction and they actually laughed at the jokes they made at each other's expense. The heart of the show was the four of them in Drew's kitchen drinking beer as pals. Romantic entanglements utterly changed this. I'll never know why the writers wanted to damage this perfect clique with two dull, stagnant, contrived relationships. The was a running gag about Drew's unrequited feelings for Kate since the beginning, but I never thought anything would come of it. It must be true that "it ruins the relationship," when Kate and Oswald broke up things pretty much went back to normal, but it completely altered her friendship with Drew and things were never the same. They certainly ruined my viewing experience.

Mimi/Steve:

Drew's brother was a guy who wore a dress. That was his entire character. He now doesn't wear a dress. There is no character. Plus, it was just Mimi overload to have her marry into Drew's family, and the show began to focus more on more on a one-note peripheral character.

BEST:

Drew/Mr. Wick

Lewis: Man... what do you get a guy who's just lost the girl of his dreams and is having a gay green-card wedding just to get his crappy job back?

Oswald Lee: Champagne flutes?

Lewis: You read my mind.

Oh, I loved them! I saw the wedding episode recently, and I swear to this day, I still sniffle like a baby and smile like I"m crazy. Those two were a couple worth waiting for.

Some good ones that come to mind:

Clark and Lex on Smallville: Everything everyone has already said. This couple has it all. Perfection. Chemistry. Pure sweetness. All is right with the world when I see these two boys together. And I don't exaggerate.

Patch and Rose on Everwood: That probably has something to do with how madly in love I am with both of them.

Luke and Lorelai on Gilmore Girls: They used to be higher on my list, but lately I've stopped caring. Now I think Luke deserves better.

Homer and Marge Simpson: Hell yeah. Just hell yeah.

Steve and Susan on Coupling: My idea of the perfect couple. Sweet, sexy, awkward, and real. I like Patrick and Sally too, but not nearly as much.

Eric and Donna on That '70s Show: Amazingly mature and pretty much bullshit-free compared to most teenage couples on TV, which is damn refreshing.

And some bad ones:

Rory and Jess on Gilmore Girls: I wanted them together, and then when they got together, I looked back and wondered what the hell I was thinking.

Lana Lang and anything with a pulse: Whatever.

Off the top of my head:

Some of the worst couples that I hate (in no particular order)

1) Ben and Felicity. There were moments where I liked Ben and thought they made an ok couple, but they just ended up annoying me more and more and more as the season went on and on and on... Bleh.

2) Brian and Justin on QAF. Gag me with a spoon. The only thing remotely attractive about them as a pairing are their looks as Cute Gay Boys, and even that wears thin after three stagnant seasons of fucking which is somehow supposed to be the ideal crappy-ass "unconventional" romance. Right. Just kill me. Or them. Either way at least the hurting stops.

3)Rory and Jess. You dump Cute Dean for that lousy cliche of a bad boy? And I thought you were supposed to be smart. Sigh.

4) Echoing the Spuffy Hatred. I swooned over Spike during Season 2 but sadly, my favourite Peroxide Headed vamp ultimately fell prey to that crippling disease: Main Character's Pathetic Love Interest Syndrome. All this romance did was suck what little life remained out of him.

Some of the best

Word to the Willow/Oz and Clex love (although I have to admit that I like Willow/Xander and Clark/Whitney as well). The main reason? Both are adorable plus loads of fantastic chemistry galore for these two couples. I also love my gorgeous Star Trek slash couples: Trip/Reed for Enterprise, Picard/Q in TNG and Paris/Kim in Voyager. Mention of Coupling also makes me fondly remember Patrick/Sally - funny and sweet and sad all at the same time. Awww... And while I haven't even finished season 1 of Everwood here in Singapore, I just have to say that I want to see the Abbott and Brown men together - much love for both Harold/Andy and Bright/Ephram. *cue annoying fangirly squeal*

Special HoYay edition from me:
(NOTE: Several of these nominees are just WRONG...so sue me.)

Carter/Benton: starting from the early seasons, when Carter was Benton's bitch, but culminating when Benton took Carter to rehab. That brief shot of them next to each other on the plane...

Del/Charlie and Richard too in Caroline in the City: this show was as gay as Bewitched. Buuut i just love the Charlie character's devotion to Del...

Albert/Pa in Little House: gasp. SOMEthing was going on there... See the morphine addiction storyline in the later years for evidence.

Dan/Casey in SportsNight: wordywordword. Tho' I'm still waiting for my beloved Jeremy to get his HoYay groove on with someone worthy...

...and when any 'tween show goes to college things usually get pretty wild btwn the roomies: look to Saved by the Bell, 90210 but most especially Boy Meets World -- when Matthew Lawrence joined that cast Rider Strong (?!?) seemed to perk up...

O'course, when Chris Meloni interrogates pervs on L&O:SUV, he brings glimpses of the magic of Oz to the masses.

And bright pink lights on the HoYay'rizon are twinkling in The O.C. ; i'm so pleased...

BUT possibly my favorite...
Robbie/Simon/Matt in 7th Heaven: so freaky good while it lasted. My favorite twisted triangle until Sam/Frodo/Gollum came along...

Please, it's enough with Marissa and Ryan on The O.C.. (Bitch !) They make me want to cringe. If I have to watch their lips smoosh passionlessly together one more time I am going to throw something heavy at the tv, breaching the fourth wall and bashing their heads in. Ditto for Anna and Seth. It makes relationships looks joyless and dull. End it now before it breaks up my marriage.

Two great couples:

Jim/Blair, The Sentinel. Those two had way more chemistry with each other than they ever did with the female beards pretending to be their love interests, IMO.

Sandy/Kirsten, aka "Kandy," The O.C. They are not only the hottest couple on the show, they prove that sex appeal isn't limited to those under 40.

I noticed the thread in TV Potluck was only for nighttime couples, so I thought we should have our own thread. I'm only picking one for each because I'm no good at listing and explaining ten of them.

Best

Cass and Nicole, AW.

Now I saw Cass and Frankie, and while they were good, I just really like Cass and Nicole better. It's like they have better chemistry than Stephen Schnetzer and Alice Barrett did.

Worst

John/Felicia, AW.

I really don't think this one needs any explanation. Male character breaks up with wife to cheat on respected female character. Character assassination and defecation ensues.

Dude, if this were only about "best" couples, you could just name it the "Mason and Juila Thread" and be done with it.

I always get hooked into a soap by watching a particular couple. In the late 70s (I was, like, eleven years old) it was Rick and Lesley on GH--dunno why, except that I really, really liked Denise Alexander. She was great in the role, and I think she somehow reminded me of my mom.

By the time I got to high school, I was all about Robert and Holly (still GH). Funny, sexy and romantic in that Classic Hollywood way. Emma Samms was beautiful (someone once told me I look like her--sheyeah, right) and Tristan Rogers? Rorrrrwwrrr.

My suitemates in college got me hooked on Days, and Shane and Kimberly. Again, romance, passion and international intrigue--but this time more in the Harlequin Romance mode. I absolutely loved Charles Shaughnessy,and follwed him through Shane & Kayla, five seasons of The Nanny, and a couple of crappy MFTV movies.

Also during college, the aforementioned Mason and Julia on Santa Barbara. Let me clarify that this was Classic!Mason, as played by Lane Davies. These two were what I always wanted in a relationship---they were smart, witty, sexy partners that were totally hot for each other. (One moment I'll always remember: Mason telling Julia that he wanted her so much it made his teeth hurt.) I still think these two were the best. Soap. Couple. Ever.

I had a brief run with Fletcher and Holly on GL in the mid-90s. I missed out on Rolly, so I had no trouble rooting for them. Plus, I always liked Jay Hammer's Fletcher and Maureen Garrett is one of my soap girlcrushes. They screwed up by giving them the "Social Problem Story" (a baby with Down's Syndrome) and then refusing to follow up on it--but then, they may have been the wrong couple for such a story to begin with. (OT: It is absolutely criminal that they've taken MG/Holly off the canvas. Absolutely criminal. 'Nuff said.)

After a long dry period, I was brought back to GH with the news of Lane Davies's casting and the potential of Mason and Julia II: SmartSexy Boogaloo.

We all know what happened there. I will not distress you by rehashing the details here.

Now? I'm really intrigued by CarLo, but I have to wonder: a). Can I really root for a couple where the romantic hero is a murderous, kidnapping drug lord, no matter how hot Ted King is (and he is, kids. He most definitely is)? and b.) Am I only rooting for them because of said hotness, or are they really a good couple?

Oh, and worst couple? Jason and Courtney, GH: Blonde, bland, boring, and with the most f--'ed up sense of morality ever presented on Daytime.

"Best"

There have been tons of couples I've liked and enjoyed, but I'm going to focus on the few I've reallly loved.

I join Cinefille with the Denise Alexander love, but I was never a huge Rick/Lesley fan. My Alan/Monica shipper status is well known. The Monica/Alan/Susan triangle had perhaps the best use of Hate!Sex ever and really is probably one of my two favorite soap storylines of all time. Everyone else was talking about the Ice Princess, I was obsessed by Alan and Monica. Some in the GH thread would probably say I still am. I make no apologies. They are my favorite soap couple of all time. Funny, sexy, passionate, wonderful.

*Sigh* Robert and Holly. Loved them. The Susan Moore murder mystery gave me Alan/Monica and Robert/Holly. Just heaven. If I could have 1981-83 GH over and over again, I'd be a very happy camper. Those were the golden years for a reason.

Also, loved Robert and Anna. I rarely like a follow up as much involving a character from another couple I loved. But these two I did. I think it was her tying him up that did it for me.

Lucy and Kevin on GH (didn't see PC) - I loved Lucy on GH and Kevin was perfect for her.

Mac and Rachel on AW. The Rachel/Mac/Janice storyline is the other one of my two favorite storylines. Rachel and Mac were passionate together, had tons of issues, and then grew into a mature loving couple. It was one of the great redemption through love storylines, with Rachel really finding herself through Mac's love for her. Who would have ever thought bad girl Rachel would become the well-respected matriarch of the show. I spend most of my time wishing GH would allow Alan/Monica to become the kind of patriarch/matriarch couple Mac/Rachel became, but with their own distinctive style of course.

Mary and Vince on AW. Missed a lot of this the first time around, but am a complete shipper in the reruns. Denise Alexander is wonderful and I love her chemistry with Robert Hogan.

Matt and Donna - never really liked Michael, but Matthew the young stud treated Donna like a smart, sexy, capable woman, which is how Anna Stuart should always be treated.

Cass and Kathleen - another great Hate!Sex, bickering couple. I liked Cass/Nicole and Cass/Frankie, but Kathleen will always be his great love to me. I think the first time I saw them, they were still in the fighting and denying any attraction stage. Felicia and Wally locked them in a room together overnight. Bada bing, bada boom. I was hooked.

Vicky and Ryan v. 1.0 - with Anne Heche as Vicky. They were so wonderful - the scheming, needy bad girl finding her nice guy. I enjoyed Jensen Buchanan with PMV too, but I loved the original version best.

"Worst"

There have been more 'meh' couples than I can count, but again I'm only going to focus on the ones I absolutely hated.

Jason and Courtney (TFGH) - see Cinefille's post. Plus, I don't think either actor is all that good. Steve Burton is too blank, Alicia Willis is too dumb.

Sonny and Carly (TFGH) - a couple that started out with potential but degenerated into possibly the most abusive relationship ever on a soap opera. He shot her in the head while she was giving birth. 'Nuff said.

Jimmy Lee and Celia (GH) - The original Cousin Lovin' with stalking thrown in for good measure (not literally, but Jimmy Lee came pretty damn close). Steve Bond wasn't nearly as good looking as advertised.

Robert and Autumn (GH) - If you saw them, then no explanation is necessary. Perhaps the only woman on the planet who couldn't fake finding Tristan Rogers attractive. Zippo chemistry.

Blackie and Lou (GH) - John Stamos was a cutie. Hated her. Hated her.

Rachel and Mitch (AW) - she slept with him to find a dying Mac (he had conspired with Janice to kill Mac for his money) and conceived Matthew. Later she flirted with having a relationship with him. I still don't believe it.

Jenna and Dean (AW) - hated them individually, hated them together. Two goody-goodies, self-righteous and boring. The only positive thing I can say is that they deserved each other.

Worst:
Bo and Hope (DOOL) - I like both of the characters separate, but once they get together they're so bland and useless. Plus Hope looks like Skeletor. Plus Bo looks like a 70s gay porn star. Plus their lack of chemistry puts out nearby fires.

Best:
Jack and Jen (DOOL) - Love both the people, love both the characters. This is Melissa Reeve's Jen and Matt Ashford's Jack though.

Best: Tad and Dixie, AMC. I think I was about 8 or 9 when Tad was dressing up in chicken suits and rescuing her from evil Adam, and there was something so goofy and sweet about them that it was love.

Megan and Jake, OLTL. Classic soap "I hate you, no I love you" story, but they were funny and frustrating and pretty and romantic and I loved them from the day they were camped out in her apartment with pots and pans seperating them to the day she died in his arms. *sniff*

Monica and Alan, GH. They're just...okay, when TFIC wrote for them...they were so funny and delicious together. They were entertaining in the best way. And the hate sex. Oh, the hate sex.

Sami and Lucas, Days. It's all about the chemistry between the actors in this case. If less capable people were portraying these characters, they probably wouldn't be nearly as rootable as they are now. They're awesome, though. Funny, intense - if they were written better, they could be a Monica/Alan type couple, but alas, JERk sucks.

Worst: Liz and Ric, GH. I love Liz. Hate how the writers have completely dismantled the character. (Not to say any others have been spared, of course.) Messed up, embarrassing to watch, and boring. No story to care about, not a couple to root for.

Every couple on Days besides Lumi. Seriously. Shelle? Kill them both. Bope? They were great 15 years ago, but they need to be split up now. John/Marlena? Are we supposed to care? I'm more interested in The Eyebrow getting the story it deserves. Mimi/Rex? Whatever. And no one else is coupled because they're other half was killed. Stupid show.

Todd/Blair, OLTL. You know, I would've stuck with them when Walker turned out to be Todd because that was interesting. Now, they've messed it up and I don't see any circumstance in which I can enjoy them again. Some stories must come to an end, and I think this is one of them.

I know they have their fans, but I can't think of another couple with as high "negatives" among soap fans as Jason & Courtney. They're are so excruciating that I would rather watch Aaron & Lucy read the phone book to each other for an hour than have to sit through a minute of J&C.

There have been many great couples but I think I'd have to go with Neil & Dru as the best I've seen. After all these years, they're still hot, entertaining, and interesting. And I can totally imagine them together 15 years from now. Leo & Greenlee could have been a classic supercouple but JD has moved on to bigger and brighter. I only saw the latter years of Roger & Holly but damn if they didn't burn up the screen!

There are some couples who were great for a period of time but lost it. I loved early Sonny & Brenda but her return was so mangled, I've soured on them. Holden & Lily were once enchanting but the bloom has faded. Danny & Michelle were great before the recast. There are some couples that still have that chemisty even though they've broken up, such as Hal & Barbara. And then there are couples like Sharon & Nicholas and Al & Marcie - excellent chemistry between the actors but saddled with some damn stupid writing that undermines their potential. JT & Colleen and Chris & Alison are two pairing with supercouple possibilities but only time will tell.

Word to the OriginalMason/Julia love. Can we also nominate favorite triangles? Because if so, I liked the Tori/Mason/Julia triangle on SB as well. Yes, at first I liked it because it got Tori away from Cruz and Eden (more on that in a minute) but after a while I was just interested by it. Especially when Mason disappeared for a while and Tori and Julia genuinely became friends, which I wish would happen more in these triangle situations. Another triangle I liked: Kevin/Lucy/Scott, because each pairing had very different but powerful rooting value. I was furious when PC put Lucy with yet ANOTHER guy at the end, committing character assassination along the way.

Cruz/Eden, SB...a hero who wasn't obnoxious, patronizing or blatantly chauvinistic! Ah, good times. Plus, they looked so good together. SB should have ended with the two of them together, SOMEHOW.

OriginalLucky and Liz, GH...maybe I just liked them so much because they were part of an adorable foursome that also included OriginalEmily and Nik (who were FRIENDS and JUST FRIENDS). But they were adorable.

Todd and Blair, OLTL...though we'll see if that survives their current he raped me!/it was consensual SL. (For the unknowing, both seem to believe they're telling the truth, and the writers back them up, but I'm not sure that the "Blair hit her head and is having headaches" device is going to be the out the writers believe it is.) Actually, in this case we have to throw in the kids too, so I'll say Todd and Blair and Starr and AdorableJack as a unit.

Best Couples -

Y&R - I always was, and always will be all about Jack and Nikki.
Dru & Neil
Nick & Sharon - in the beginning? Oh, yah.

ATWT - Carjack. Now that's a couple I have laughed with, cried with, etc.
Tom & Margo - good times

GL - Ross & Blake

AMC - Tad & Dixie! (And not Ted & Dixie. Sigh.)

Would Dallas' Pam and Bobby count?
Or 90210's Brenda & Dylan?

Worst Couples

DOOL - does anybody else remember Pete & Melissa? Worst. Soap. Characters. Ever. Or at least the times I saw them, back in like, er, 1986.

GH - Journey. Ugh. Words cannot express.
S&C - vomit vomit vomit
Nik & Emily

AMC - I don't know if it's a love octagon or whatever, but they need to pair each person up with ONE other person and stick to it. Geez.

Best Couple That Could Have Been
GH - Damn you, damn you, damn you, PTB, for never capitalizing on LD and NLG. Damn you! Whores!

DOOL: Patch and Kayla. My very first soap couple. Sigh.

Jack and Jennifer. Do I even have to specify that I mean Version 1.0 here? They were so much fun!

Another World: Gabe and Lorna. John Bolger and Robin Christopher were all kinds of hot together, and I could listen to that voice of his for hours. Oh, and Vicky and Ryan. Either version.

General Hospital I wasn't around for Luke and Laura the first time around, but I have enjoyed the chemistry between Tony Geary and Genie Francis whenever I've seen them onscreen together in later incarnations of the couple.

Jax & Brenda. I thought Sonny and Brenda were hot, but there was too much negativity and borderline abusive behavior in that relationship for me. I thought Jax and Brenda were adorable. I fell in love with them when they went to Malibu.

OneTrueLucky and Liz. Perfect, just perfect.

OneTrueEmily and Zander. Sure, they were a Luke and Laura redux, but Chad Brannon and Amber Tamblyn were truly amazing together.

There are other couples on TFGH now that could be great: CarLo, LiRic, and GQ, but if the Asshat writers in charge know how to do anything, it's to fuck up potential supercouples.

Oh, and shove horrible couples down our collective throats like:

Jason/Courtney-So much blonde. So much dumb. So much boring. It all adds to up to a "meh" at best, a stab-my-own-eyes-out at worst.

Sonny/Carly-they had some hot sexual chemistry when Sarah Brown played the role, but even back then their relationship was abusive and twisted. Now? If Carly goes back to Sonny, I'm going to tarp somebody.

Skye/Ned-Um, they thought they were cousins about five minutes ago, and now they're ready to do it? No, just...no.

Nikolas/Umily-whether they be slobbering and moaning in the present, or speaking with horrid British accents in the past, these two are completely insufferable. And they made me hate Nikolas! Damn you, AIC!

I really can't chime in with anything original, so I'll just post my best and worst because I think this thread is great!

BEST:
Mason and Julia, SB: Chemistry to the nth degree, intelligent, sexy and not 16. I loved them and I was 16.

Tom and Margo, ATWT: see above.

Shane and Kimberly, DOOL: Charles Shaughnessey (sp?) just was the ultimate to my fevered 13 year old mind and their story started off so slowly, so sweetly that when they did get together the pay off was wonderful. Then TPTB ruined it all. I'm still bitter about this.

Vicky and Ryan, AW: Damn. Just damn. They were hot, sweet, loving and sex-ay. When he died...well let's just not go there so I don't embarrass myself.

WORST:
Sonny/anyone, GH: I know I'm going to get a lot of crap about this, but I don't care. I never liked his character and the hatred I feel now burns with the intensity of a thousand suns. He just ruins everything.

Jason/Courtney, GH: What can I say about these ......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Bianca/Maggie, AMC: I know but gah. Just the thought- GAH.

Victor/anyone, Y&R: see comments about the mini-mobster above. GRRR.

Best:

Sky & Raven, EON - So fabulous a couple, with so much chemistry, elegance, fun and excitement about them, that after they killed off Sky - who turned out to be an impostor - we had the fun of watching them get together all over again and it was worth it!

Alan & Monica, GH - two intelligent, sexy, crazy people who totally 'get' each other, even though Monica wasted way too much time pining over the relatively drab Rick Webber, and Alan's psychosis and his dalliance with Susan Moore wasted a lot of time, too. I agree with everything bluedevilblue said about them.

Luke & Laura, GH - I was a little late to the party, but once I got there, I was firm supporter. Luke brought out Laura's sexuality and strength. Laura brought out Luke's tenderness and even a sense of wonder. Together, they were unstoppable and lots of fun for the viewer. What TIIC did to them at the end was a crime.

Robert/Holly, GH - I hated her with Luke, but she and Robert came together so organically, so perfectly, that I was left breathless. Then they trashed them on her return to keep him with Anna.

Cruz/Eden, SB - They weren't supposed to be together. The chemistry and rapport was too great for TPTB to ignore. If Marcy Walker hadn't left, it would have gone on for years.

Mason/Julia, SB - Take two sophisticated actors with wit and maturity, add writers who know how to tailor dialogue that sparkles, fold in two dysfunctional characters who can't help but spark... mix, and you get something very special.

Sam/Amanda, AW - Young love at its finest. They sizzled from the beginning, but class differences, lies, pride and the fact that he was the younger brother of the guy who almost destroyed her parents' marriage nearly tore them apart. Then TPTB used two idiotic plots that had nothing to do with the characters they'd so deliciously established to really tear them apart. Oh well.

Rachel/Mac, AW - Again, I can't improve on what bluedevilblue has said, so I'll just offer up a hearty 'word'.

Mindy/Will, GL - A should've been. They redeemed Sonni/Solita, why couldn't they redeem Will? I thought they had huge potential.

Philip/Beth, GL - One of those couples that I was slow to get into, then came to love, just as they were torn apart, and by a character I hated [Lujack]. Their subsequent reunions and break-ups have left me feeling they're a lost cause, but for me they're still each other's great love - or should be. [Olivia? Die.]

Nikki/Victor, Y&L - I've never liked either of them with anyone else. I just want to see Victor and Nikki together, ok? And then I might watch again.

Kevin/Lucy, PC/GH - Another couple that brought out the best in each other - witty, sexy, touching. And then TIIC crashed and burned them.

Mark/Ellen, AMC - A wonderfully structured older woman/younger man pair that really worked. I was furious when they broke them up, ecstatic when, years later, they reunited.

Jack/Jenn, DOOL - Another 'redemptive love' storyline and it was great fun!

Mickey/Maggie, DOOL - Loved them together. Hated their breakups.

Bill/Laura, DOOL - A sin/suffer/redeem plotline that can't be beat. He really suffered for love of her and when he won her it was like a great sigh...

Worst:

Celia/Jimmy Lee, GH - I never got why he was so popular and I agree with bluedevilblue that his behavior was stalker-like. A thoroughly unpleasant male character who brought out the worst in his 'leading lady'.

Decker/Dawn, GH - Hated him. Hated her. Hated them together exponentially.

Luke/Felicia, GH - I agree with Luke that he turned to her because she reminded him of Laura in their earlier years. Except that Felicia was a very poor substitute for Laura.

Erica/Jackson, AMC - I've loved her with a variety of leading men, but Jackson, who she keeps going back to, is a pairing that has never worked for me. Plus he was basically rewarded for destroying his brother, Travis, who was her husband when they met.

John/Felicia, AW - A huge EWWW... the adulterer and the happy homewrecker run around all smug and self-important after devastating the blameless Sharlene. Nearly ruined the character of Felicia permanently for me.

Brooke/Ridge, B&B - Want to tell me why this slutty stalker should be rewarded, and practically on the grave of Ridge's wife, Taylor?

Patch/Kayla, DOOL - Never got them. Never liked them. My sympathies were always with Jack.

Cruz/Kelly, SB - No. Just... no.

Ian/Lucy, PC - Shall we all gather and spit on Eve's grave together? Oh, Ian, that's right, you've forgotten Eve ever existed!

Victor/Ashley, Y&R - Another pair of smug, self-satisfied adulterers, who by the time they married, weren't in love and in fact loved other people - the people to whom they are now married. So, why on earth are we getting treated to another round of this dreadful pair?

Word, right back at you TudorQueen. I can't believe I forgot them on my worst list. I think I'm still unhappy about what a waste Dawn turned out to be over all. I've always wanted Monica to have an adult daughter to talk to/confide in. Dawn was just a mess and so many re-casts. Sadly, the current incarnation of Umily, ain't what I had in mind.

Well, it's getting harder to come up with couples who haven't already been applauded (or roasted), so first my words go to:

Matt and Donna, AW: he treated her better than Michael ever did, despite the way everyone acted as though Michael was her "meant to be". Michael treated her like an idiot and a doormat. Daggers directed at JFP for destroying that wonderful story.

Cass and Nicole, AW: Loved her more than him, but together they were fun to watch. She was the best Nicole of the three, and the most "real" of all the Loves, if you forget that unfortunate exit month where she was basically destroyed.

Raven and Sky, EON: It's rare to have such charisma and chemistry between two actors when the stories are so fast-paced and falling bodies get more screen time than love scenes. But SG and LM are still the gold standard for a happily-married soap couple who can still be exciting.

One I doubt anyone will "word"....

Derek and Stacy, AW: Donna Swajeski's experiment in opposites attract really struck a chord with me. Kevin Carrigan might have been troublesome at times, but he sure did bring the 'it factor' when he played Derek. And Stacy was never likeable again after that storyline. Then again, she wasn't likeable before it, either, so I may be on to something.

Couples I hated, or still hate:

Obviously Donna/Michael on AW, for reasons above. The only bright spot was that it meant getting to see my dear, dear Bella. If I squinted and put the pillows over my ears in just the right way, Michael disappeared from her scenes.

Jenna/Dean, AW: If SoapNet ever tries to edit future episodes for more commercials, might I suggest....

Craig/Carly, ATWT: between his mugging and her pouty lips, I wanted to put my foot through the screen. Of course, I also have to add

Jack/Carly, ATWT: Not sure how to qualify this, since there are people already inching toward their window ledges because I suggested any CarJack hate on this planet. I just think Jack shouldn't allow Carly to keep stomping on his heart and weaseling her way back into his good graces. No real person would put up with that much angst.

JR/Babe, AMC: I don't know what is more distasteful--his unconvincing portrayal of a straight guy in love with a wanton slut, or her portrayal of said slut trying desperately to evoke any meaningful emotions toward her husband. Seeing her mother, the refugee from the Free Clinic speaks volumes about her screwed-up attitudes toward sex versus love, but when you pair her with a guy who seems one step from shouting "ooo, cooties!" during a kissing scene, you can't expect anything good to come of it.

I had to search for the names of the characters for this! I remember stories (plots) but no characters names. I'm feeling my age, okay?

I adored...Adam Drake & Nichole Travis on The Edge of Night.
later Adam and Brandy Henderson. She added humor to his life.

Iris & Spencer Garrison on Love is a Many Splendored Thing.

Paul & Amy Britton on the Secret Storm.

Roger & Holly on GL.

Luke and Holly on GH

I had the Secret Storm,4.15-4.30, Search for Tomorrow,12.30-12.45, Love of Life, 12-12.30, Edge, 4.00-4.15 and GL, 12.45-1.00PM on CBS as a birthright. Mama & Grandma watched the stories. Kids went home for lunch back then & I got to see Joanne and Arthur and all the later husbands on SFT.

Worst couplings...too numerous to list!

My first real soap opera viewing experience was Jack and Nikki sneaking away to celebrate New Year's Eve together. They danced the conga and Terry Lester lifted Melody Thomas Scott at the end and she raised her arms. In my ignorance of waxing I wondered how she could make them look like never a hair sprouted. Shortly before that they were scheming (I don't remember if they were working together or independently) to steal something from a safe in John Abbott's office. (<sniff> R.i.p., Terry Lester)

Dusty and Lily got me hooked on ATWT, but as Holden's crush turned into a magnificently soap-y love story I fell for the Holden/Lily supercouple. Their current story has had a problem with being annoying (and sometimes deafening) but writing and direction could have accounted for the loss of "bloom." (Did you intend that pun rue bee?) Martha Byrne's considerable ability to create so many subtle shades of chemistry (including HoYay with herself) has been wasted, but in my opinion the potential for romance never left, it was just sacrificed to make Lily's behavior curiouser and curiouser. Case in point, this recent dialogue:



Speaking of dialogue that begs to be repeated endlessly, there was this couple named Mason and Julia who picked up a few fans along the way. They promised each other things like "ground beef, eggs, milk" as I mentioned in the SB topic, and he made a toast that went something like this (a speech my friends have long since tired of hearing whenever someone has mentioned Lane Davies):

Worst is everyone on Passions excpet Eve/Julian.

You're right, Eve & Julian are good stuff.



Of course I did! I do think that even though Lily & Holden have "lost" it, they can get it back again. But first I want her to screw around with Dusty for a while.

. . .

BEST COUPLES EVER...

ATWT:

Carly & Jack / Hal & Barbara / John & Lucinda

DAYS:

John & Marlena / Patch & Kayla / Kim & Shane / Jack & Jen / Bo & Hope + [Celeste & The Disturbing Vibes]

GH:

Robert & Anna / Luke & Laura / Alan & Monica / Lucy & Scott

GL:

Roger & Holly / Reva & Josh / Cassie & Edmund / Billy & Vanessa / Frank & Eleni + [Danny & MEEE(!)Chelle and "an accident."]

SB:

Mason & Julia, CC & Sophia, Cruz & Eden, Kelly & Jeffrey, Michael & Laura, Gina & Keith

YR:

Victor & Nikki / Victor & Jack / Victor & Ashley / Jack & Diane / Jack & Nikki / Kay & Rex (Soon to be Kay & Arthur!) / Kay & Jill / Paul & Lauren / Paul & Chris / Neil & Dru + [Tuvia & Safra] + [The Mystical Orchid & Jabot] + [Phyllis, Colleen, JT, a bullet to each of their heads, and a bodybag.]

WORST COUPLE:

Anyone and anything that EVER kept these couples apart.

HATE:

The problem with ANYONE on Passions is that they change the person playing the character 4 times a week... how the hell can you build up chemistry like that?

DOOL: I.Hate.Hope.So.Much.Cannot.Stand.Skeletor. I.Hate.Bo.Almost.As.Much.

Shawn is quickly becoming a spawn of his father... and Belle needs to grow up STAT in order to be believeable in a mature relationship.

LOVE:

Sami and Lucas. LOVE.THEM. You can cut the sexual tension between those two with a knife in my living room.

Victor and Nicole when they first got together. Such great scheming.

Jack and Jen when they first got married. They became waaaaaay too much later.

You know, I was never a SB fan (my sister used to watch it after school), but whenever Mason and Julia were onscreen, I couldn't bring myself to leave the room. I still get a rush of excitement when I see them together on the rare occasion I tune into GH. It may have something to do with my Lane Davies lust, but there really is just something so perfect about him and NLG together.

The fact that GH screwed up LD/NLG so bad is just proof positive that they are complete morons that should be fired immediately. It's the only example I can think of where the writing deliberately undermined the actual chemistry of the actors to such an extent that no one could stomach them as a couple.

As SB showed, NLG and LD can act like nobody's business, have amazing chemistry, a Defcon 5-level sexiness, and the kind of rapport that is really difficult to find, because it takes so many years to develop - LC/SD on GH are another couple like this.

The Cameron/Alexis story could have written itself. She was desperate to hang onto her baby and needed his help to do it, and he was trying to work through his problems with his son, to whom she was a surrogate mother.

So what do these brilliant writers do? Make these two characters absolutely loathsome to each other, first by making Cameron the device through which Alexis' child is taken from her. They gave them scene after repugnant scene where he is alternately berating her for murdering a guy everyone thought she was justified in killing (even though it was an accident) and coming on to her even though she's his patient. Then they make Cameron even more of a hypocrite by having him tell her about being a horrible father (such as, letting his younger son believe he killed his older brother for FIVE years and never once trying to find him), but still become an indignant prick every time he sees her pain at having her child taken away with her, blaming her for her own predicament, when everyone sympathized with her, and with good reason. No one's going to condemn a mother doing everything she possibly can to hold onto her baby. NO ONE.

In effect, Cameron becomes Alexis' unethical horny doctor, her co-conspirator, her most vocal basher and then, her would-be lover. It was just gross. By the time they got to the humorous, fun scenes, I just wanted to throw a brick at the TV. Cameron was such a horrific character that no one could accept the pairing.

Essentially what you get is a "best" couple on one soap (SB) and a "worst" couple on another (GH) with the exact same actors. Boggles the mind, doesn't it?

The fact that TIIC at GH (who happened to write for SB at one time) could pull off such a feat is impressive. But not in a good way.

I think Ned and Alexis were one of the best soap opera couples. It was a shame how the writers broke them up and how they grew far a part. It was so refreshing to watch a couple with chemistry who actually had real problems in their relationship and loved each other. There was no cheating that I can remember.

Best Couples

Santa Barbara - Eden/Robert Barr, Mason/Julia, Keith/Gina

Another World - Felicia/Lucas, Jake/Vicky (preferably EW years), Grant/Cindy

DOOL - Patch/Kayla, FauxRoman/Diana, Early Bo/Hope, Jack/Jennifer

All My Children - Leo/Greenlee, Erica/David,

One Life to Live - Todd/Blair, Max/Gabrielle, Dorian/David

General Hospital - Sonny/Brenda, Alan/Monica,

Young and the Restless - Dru/Neil, Micheal/Phyllis, Jack/Nikki

Worst Couples

Santa Barbara - Julia/Priest guy, Kelly and just about anybody

Another World - John/Felicia, Grant/Sharlene, Sam/Olivia

DOOL - Shane/Kayla, John/Isabella, Jennifer/Peter, Melissa/Lars, Tony/Kristen

All My Children - Leo/Laura, Edmund/Maria, Greenlee/Carlos or Juan Pablo

One Life to Live - Todd/Tea, Blair/Patrick, Blair/Sam, Kelly/Ian, Bo/Melanie

General Hospital - Sonny/Carly, Brenda/Jax, Luke/Felicia, Stefan/Katharine, Stefan/Chloe

Young and the Restless - Paul/Kris, Michael/Kris, Victor/Isabella, Ryan/Tricia

Best, best better than all the rest - why OriginalSpice Mason and Julia, of course! This is my all time favorite soap couple EVER (hell, I'm not even embarassed to admit I bought some of those damned edit tapes just to live the magic again - those two are like crack, baby). I agree with all of you, what was done to NLG and LG on GH makes the angels weep!

Current fave - Sami and Lucas, DOOL. Rich history, great chemistry (both actorly and sexual), good acting - now if only they had a better writer!!! This is, however, the one thing JERk is doing even halfway right.

Those whom I loathe - Carly and Sonny. I want to do violence to them. I want to projectile vomit everytime I see them. They make me want to shoot myself in the head, labor or no. Damn, I hates me some S&C.

CrazyUncleWilly word on the Lumi love. I remember being like 12 when Sami and Lucas were first on the show and trying to break up Carrie and Austin and even at that age was thinking "Wow, those two are obiviously in love with each other" but they never got together. I thought I was crazy because I thought I was the only wrong. Nice to know I wasn't alone.

Best couples ever:

SB: Gina and Keith, Eden and Cruz, Kelly and Joe, Mason and Mary!!!(I did like Julia but as far as I'm concerened his one and true love was Mary)

GL: Lujack/Beth/Philip (can't decide) plus Vanessa and Billy, Ross and Carrie as well as Amanda and Mark.

Sunset Beach: Gregory and Olivia, Ray and Casey, Annie and Tim (I know, they weren't an actual couple but they really should have been)


Worst couples ever:

DOOL: Bo and Hope (oh please, gimme a break).

B&B: pretty much all of those couples but especially Brooke and her Forester men.

SB: Laken and Ted (the years went by and I'm still yawning).

Sunset Beach: Ben and Meg (I suffered a lot it was soooo awful), Sean and Emily, Casey and Sarah (all so boring), Ricardo and Gabi (whoa, he was supposed to love Paula for the rest of his life).

GL: Reva and HB, Reva and Billy, Mindy and Philip, Philip and Chelsea, Jim and Anabel (all of them incredibly boring and useless once they came together).

Best

Guiding Light:

Danny and Michelle (mostly before the recast, but I still can't picture him with anyone else)
Alan-Michael and Eleni
Phillip and Harley
Edmund and Cassie


As the World Turns

Lily and Damian
Jack and Julia (before HS assassinated Julia's character, I still despise him for that)
Tom and Margo
David (original one) and Emily


Young and the Restless

Jack and Nikki
Nick and Sharon (the early years)


General Hospital

Lucky (JJ only) and Liz


Worst

GL

Richard and Cassie (liked both characters but found them boring together)
Jeffrey and Cassie (okay so they're not actually a couple but if they ever are, they'll be the worst)
Gus and Harley (I Hate Gus and I loved the potential of Rick and Harley)


ATWT

Lily and Diego (aka the guy who killed Damian)
James and Lucinda
Jack and Carly (okay so I like both characters, at least most of the time, I just can't stand them together)


Y&R

Paul and Christine

B&B

Brooke and Ridge (can't stand either character)

GH

Sonny and Carly (no explanation needed)


Should have been couples

GL

Alan-Michael and Gilly
Rick and Harley


B&B

James and Taylor

I loved Robert/Kelly from Santa Barbara. I also loved when it turned into the Robert/Eden/Kelly triangle. Good stuff.

Definitely Vicky and Ryan from Another World. He loved her so much and she learned to trust.

Jack/Jennifer DOOL the early years. Good stuff until JeRK came and ruined it. I can't believe TIIC killed Jack.

Brenda/Sonny the early years. When he helps her with her suitcase. They had a crazy obsessive love, which was great during my teen years.

Sami/Lucas and Sami/Brandon: I love Lumi because they are hilarious together. But I loved Sami and Brandon because he was the first man to accept Sami's flaws and still love her. She messed that one up as per usual.

WORST:
Sonny/Carly: They suck the big one. They have no chemistry together and are completely boring. Plus he shot her in the head. End game for me.

JIP: Yawn...like I was saying...zzzzz...I think you get the point.

Sami/Austin: This went on for years. And it was boring. Very boring.

Nikki/Victor: She is pathetic use to be stripper who has a clear inferiority complex. He is a power hungry CEO who only cares about himself. Yet they can't seem to make it work...go figure.

Not interested in simple lists. Put some meat on your choices or don't bother.

My vote for worst couple goes to Cancer/Meningitis, from GH. They started out strong, with a lot of fan support, but went out with a whimper, leaving many people angry, hurt, and confused. We just invested so much in them, only to be horribly disppointed. They're both dead to me now.

I don't know code names. Who are they?

Hee Meta, people who don't watch GH/read the GH thread must think we're heinously insensitive. But canningitis did suck. At that whoresluttrampfire won't do it either.

A thousand times word to Jack/Jennifer on DAYs as best. To me, they were the best. They were witty. They had banter. They had bad boy/good girl. They had a redemptive arc. They took forever and a year to get together.

I mean there's been other couples I've rooted for, but I was absolutely riveted by J/J. Ever since I first saw them with a friend (an Emilio fan, can you believe it?). Jack was chasing Jennifer in a towel. My friend was very upset that Jack kidnapped Jen from her wedding. I though this Jen clearly belonged with the attractive and funny towel man, not with the greasy, mulleted, monosyllabic, fist-dragging Emilio.

Matt Ashford and Missy Reeves did so much with the pairing. Fans panted over their hands touching, the looks, the banter. Sigh. By the time they had cave!sex, I was dying.

And now, I will never watch DAYS again. Stupid Jack-killin' motherfuckers.

ETA- Custom, Canningitis is the Cancer/Meningitis disease pairing that failed to kill Umily Quartermaine on GH. Sound horrible and insensitive? Watch the show. Umily sucks. And she can't be freakin' killed. Not cancer, not meningitis, not a bomb, now apparently not a hotel fire or falling chandlier. Maybe if we just poison her lipgloss. Or set Abby Ewing on her (I know you'll get that one)

They aren't code names. It's literally the team of Cancer and Meningitis that failed to kill Emily.

Word infinity to all the Julia/Mason's(LD only!), Vicky(AH and JB)/Ryan's and Sonny (only-70% misogynist)/Brenda's. I would say Danny/Michelle, but sometimes when a soap couple goes on past their expiration date they make you forget how good they were before. I think the former three will always remain fresh for me because I don't think there was ever a proper conclusion to those relationships, and they were never tainted.

And to that list I add Nikolas(CSSM)/Gia (MR). Because I was turned off soaps for a year or so until I caught a glimpse of this couple. They were so hot. Had so much chemistry. But their storyline sucked terribly, and the characters were both decimated beyond all recognition. Still I stayed with them until MR left. It was a good 1 1/2 years.

Oh, I loved Nik and Gia so much. They were the first soap couple I really got hooked on. So pretty, and so much chemistry, and they were just a lot of fun together, in the beginning when they were fighting, and later when they were friends, and when they were in love. I wanted them and my other favorite couple AJ and Courtney to be couple buddies. I wanted AJ to go to work for Cassadine industries and to bond with Nik over being the passed over son, and for Courtney and Gia to get into Lucy and Ethel-like misadventures.

And speaking of which, they were cut off before they really reached the prime of their potential, but I lurved AJ and Courtney. It was just the perfect soap story--the rich boy hatches a scheme to use the poor girl and gets caught in his own trap. The Romeo and Juliet-esque (sans death) nature of being caught between their families. The looming secret that threatened to destroy their love. After AJ lost his money, the "us against the world" story of the waitress and the dockworker. They had years and years of story just thrown away to facilitate
Jason and Courtney, which has got to be the worst couple ever written. They left destroyed characters in their wake, they have no chemistry, and their story was and is just plain dumb. If you have to completely decimate one or both characters to make a story work (like turning your innocent ingenue into a cop-killer so they finally have something in common) then the couple sucks. Period.

And hee!, on canningitis. In the end, they were just a tease.

A word of advice, Chelleleigh, tread very carefully around the numerous Gus and GusH(arley) lovers on the forums, they pack some big guns.

Best

GL:
Now don't all whip out your Uzis, but I really loved Marah and Tony when Lindsey took over the role from LBB and Tony was being still being played by Jordi, not Stephen "Chin-lint" Martines. Now, of course, they're both dipwads, but I loved it when they (almost) spent Christmas together at the Bauer cabin.

Phillip and Beth were boring but they didn't have that disgusting "meant for each other" aura like other couples I could mention *cough*MannyRassieJeva*cough*.

Shayne and Marina, what else do I have to say? They are most definitely the best couple on GL under 30.

Rick and Mel are a great couple, it would be nice if we saw them once in a while!

Gus and Harley, they are such a cute, funny, beautiful couple. I pray that TPTB have not lost their minds to such an extent to think that breaking them up would attract more viewers.

ATWT
I wouldn't say they're the best couples I've seen, but Aaron and Lucy/Chris and Alison are the only couples I like.

OLTL
Troy and Nora were a really great couple, but is it just me or does she look like she eats once a month at the most?

Cristian and Natalie were the nicest young couple until they had to KILL him.

I always knew Antonio and Jessica would get together, but I'm surprised they've lasted so long.

And who can possibly hate Al and Marcie! That was such a great way they got together, she helps break his drug-addiction, he becomes her secret admirer, etc. etc. And yet again, TPTB have to kill off a great character.

Worst

GL:
The Lord Of The Squick (aka Jeffrey O'neill) and anyone he sheds on.

Bill and NuEden, he's such a sweetie-pie and she's such a witch!

GH:
Basically, you know, everyone.

All of these different perspectives are so entertaining. I'm a little puzzled that I don't see any couples from earlier than about 1985 (Mason/Mary of SB or Jack/Nikki of Y&R), although I only watch CBS soaps, and torture myself with GH for a glimpse of Lane Davies for two minutes every other week— maybe. Do Alan and Monica pre-date the big 80s supercouple phenomenon?

The Alan/Monica/Rick triangle reached its pinnacle in the very early 80's, like 81 or 82 or something. I think it was concurrent with Luke and Laura.