Image via Complex Original
There comes a time in every boy’s life when he turns away from watching cartoons and diverts his attention to the opposite sex. Unfortunately, the tricky topic of love and girls wasn’t a subject taught in school, and one too awkward to discuss with our parents.
That’s when live-action TV shows came in to save the day, with sitcoms, dramas, and even the Power Rangers letting us see the ins and outs of love for ourselves. With the influx of teen programming on TV during the ‘90s and early '00s, we saw couples slightly older than us figure out romance right before it was our turn.
Whether they lived happily ever after or went their separate ways, these 25 teen TV couples you idolized growing up taught us about love.
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Tommy Oliver and Kimberly Hart on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Played By: Jason David Frank and Amy Jo Johnson
To anyone growing up in the ‘90s, this twosome brought an awesome new meaning to the term “power couple.” No offense to Jay-Z and Beyoncé, but who needs a multimillion-dollar empire when you and your girl can morph into Power Rangers?
Pacey Witter and Joey Potter on Dawson's Creek
Played By: Joshua Jackson and Katie Holmes
The creek may have been Dawson’s, but to everyone’s surprise, Joey’s affections ended up belonging to the annoying, wise-cracking, troublemaker Pacey. This was when we realized there's hope for us all.
Seth Cohen and Summer Roberts on The O.C.
Played By: Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson
With their quirky chemistry, Seth and Summer made being nerdy look cool. They dressed up for each other, but with Spider-Man and Wonder Woman costumes. Instead of dirty talk, their conversations consisted of witty banter. Their relationship was so awesome that we're still trying to keep track of it.
Stefan Urquelle and Laura Winslow on Family Matters
Played By: Jaleel White and Kellie S. Williams
With his high-pitched voice and pulled-up pants, the original Steve Urkel wasn’t much of a catch. But as his alter ego Stefan, he was finally able to make his lifelong crush Laura swoon, teaching us to turn our swag on whenever we want the girl. Or just build a machine that literally infuses us with it.
Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski on Saved by the Bell
Played By: Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tiffani Thiessen
If Barbie and Ken were to ever be embodied in a teen series, Kelly and Zack would be it. They're the archetypal hot guy/hot girl couple that you saw in your own high school hallways, except they're actually likable and endearing.
Felicity Porter and Ben Covington on Felicity
Played By: Keri Russell and Scott Speedman
In retrospect, Felicity could've fallen into Overly Attached Girlfriend meme territory. After all, she did dump Stanford to stalk her crush, Ben, who she'd only said two words to, all the way to NYU. Luckily, he started liking her back. Lesson learned: sometimes stalking works. Just kidding. They were just meant to be.
Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart on That '70s Show
Played By: Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis
By far the most dysfunctional couple ever, Kelso and Jackie were infamous for bickering like an old married couple and doing it like rabbits, showing us that the perils of young love don't always have to mirror the apocalypse.
Kevin Arnold and Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years
Played By: Fred Savage and Danica McKellar
Kevin and Winnie Cooper had one of those innocent romances you saw in picture books or comic strips. It was bittersweet and perfect. But we have them to thank for grounding us in reality—first loves don't always mean forever loves.
Brandon Walsh and Kelly Taylor on Beverly Hills, 90210
Played By: Jason Priestley and Jennie Garth
Before The O.C. and all those teen dramas of the early aughts, 90210 showed us what cool couples looked like. And there was no better embodiment of that then Brandon Walsh and Kelly Taylor.
Big Pete Wrigley and Ellen Hickle on The Adventures of Pete & Pete
Played By: Mike Maronna and Alison Fanelli
While Big Pete and Little Pete were a great duo, Big Pete’s romantic moments with his best friend Ellen had us cheering him on like he was our big brother, too.
Lindsay Weir and Nick Andopolis on Freaks and Geeks
Played By: Linda Cardellini and Jason Segel
While it was sweet to see a couple burnouts bond, Lindsay and Nick's romance was a cautionary of what not to do in a relationship. Don't smother the girl, or else she'll end up leaving you behind to follow the Grateful Dead on tour.
Louis Stevens and Tawny Dean on Even Stevens
Played By: Shia LaBeouf and Margo Harshman
If his on-screen romances are anything to go by, Shia LaBeouf made the transition into adulthood seem so easy. Perhaps a primer to his Transformers co-star Megan Fox, Margo Harshman was the first raven-haired beauty that made him man up.
Lucas Scott and Peyton Sawyer on One Tree Hill
Played By: Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton
From the moment she almost ran him over with her sweet ass Mustang, everyone knew the grungy Peyton Sawyer would end up with outcast Lucas Scott. First, they just had to get her away from her totally incompatible boyfriend, Nathan, Lucas' spoiled and popular half-brother. Details, details.
Sabrina Spellman and Harvey Kinkle on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Played By: Melissa Joan Hart and Nate Richert
If this magical pair taught us anything, it's that love conquers all. As if her being a witch wasn't enough of a challenge, Sabrina also seemed to move on with another guy when she went off to college. However, Harvey couldn't resist her bewitching charm for too long, running off with her in the series finale.
Angela Chase and Jordan Catalano on My So-Called Life
Played By: Claire Danes and Jared Leto
It only took one season of this grungy teen drama for Angela and Jordan to become the poster couple for ’90’s teen angst. Their relationship wasn’t always perfect, but it will remain as one of the realest on TV.
Clark Kent and Lana Lang on Smallville
Played By: Tom Welling and Kristin Kreuk
Having insecurities going into a relationship is common. But it was especially refreshing to see that even Superman-to-be Clark Kent struggled with whether he should reveal his superhuman powers to his first love, Lana Lang.
George Michael Bluth and Maeby Funke on Arrested Development
Played By: Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat
George Michael’s crush on his cousin Maeby would be incestuous, if she wasn’t a test-tube baby. This couple made all the others that actually progressed from the awkward stage of their relationship look so damn boring.
D.J. Tanner and Steve Hale on Full House
Played By: Candace Cameron and Scott Weinger
Although he was captain of his high school wrestling team, Steve didn’t have to wrestle much to become a part of the Tanner family. Together, him and DJ struck the perfect balance between being a couple and being role models for little sisters Stephanie and Michelle.
Ephram Brown and Amy Abbott on Everwood
Played By: Gregory Smith and Emily Van Camp
We have Ephram Brown to thank for helping us clarify what exactly a wet dream was, which is what he had when he first met Amy, the rival town doctor's forbidden daughter. Of course, that wasn't the only issue. His dad was also in charge of reviving her comatose boyfriend. Unrequited love at its finest.
Moesha Mitchell and Hakeem Campbell on Moesha
Played By: Brandy and Lamont Bentley
As neighbors and lifelong friends-turned-sometime lovers, we watched Moesha and Hakeem go through the struggles and excitement of growing up together, making us wish we had that archetypal girl-next-door romance.
Buffy Summers and Angel on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Played By: Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz
Even though Angel was of the bloodsucking variety, he still managed to woo TV’s hottest vampire slayer, giving us hope that a girl will one day accept our own inner demons.
Bailey Salinger and Sarah Reeves on Party of Five
Played By: Scott Wolf and Jennifer Love Hewitt
Sometimes, it’s OK if your girl truly is your better half. Look no further than Sarah and Bailey, who stuck together despite his problems with substance abuse and cheating. We like to think this pair split just to make way for breakout star Jennifer Love Hewitt’s spin-off, Time of Your Life.
Jimmy Brooks and Ashley Kerwin on Degrassi: The Next Generation
Played By: Drake and Melissa McIntyre
Even though Drake went on to flirt with Rihanna and Nicki Minaj in music videos, we’ll always remember one of his first onscreen boos, Ashley, back when he played Jimmy on Degrassi. As a couple, they made us realize that it's totally acceptable to not know what the hell you're doing in your first relationship.
Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper on The O.C.
Played By: Ben McKenzie and Mischa Barton
Ryan was the troubled new kid in town, and Marissa was the socialite with a dark side. Together, they were the baddest couple on the Pacific coast, until Marissa’s death served as a grim reminder that life on the fast lane isn't always what it’s cracked up to be.
Cory Matthews and Topanga Lawrence on Boy Meets World
Played By: Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel
While she was the smartest girl in class, he was the class smart-ass. And yet, Cory and Topanga, the first couple who made us believe in soul mates, showed us the magic that happens when opposites attract.