14 TV Couples We Want to See Get Together in 2026
The new year is just around the corner, and that means we should all be thinking about our TV hopes, especially in the romance department. As we reflect on the relationship developments across our favorite TV shows this past year, we must look ahead.
There have been plenty of slow burns on broadcast shows and streaming series that need to get lit up with some gas — looking at you, Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni), Buck (Oliver Stark) and Eddie (Ryan Guzman), and Kitty (Anna Cathcart) and Min Ho (Sang Heon Lee). Some new TV couple possibilities emerged in 2025, including Kai (Justin Johnson Cortez) and Ellie (Marianly Tejada) on Ransom Canyon.
We’re still holding out hope for some TV pairs to couple up (or at least hook up) in 2026. This is our way of manifesting some of these romantic relationships. Which TV pair do you want to see get together next year? Are there any pairs we missed? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Morgan & Karadec, High Potential
High Potential‘s second season continues to turn up the heat on a potential Morgan Gillory (Kaitlin Olson) and Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) romance, as the LAPD detective has become even more endeared by his high-IQ partner and consultant. While fans have theorized potential romance for Morgan with new captain Nick Wagner (Steve Howey), and she even had a fling with an art consultant named Rhys (Aiden Turner), the hope for a Morgan and Karadec connection burns bright. While a romance may not blossom in the ongoing second season, we’re keeping our fingers crossed for something in a potential third season if it airs later in 2026. –Meaghan Darwish
Kitty & Min Ho, XO, Kitty
It’s time for the enemies to become lovers. Well, XO, Kitty‘s Kitty (Anna Cathcart) and Min Ho (Sang Heon Lee) haven’t been enemies for a while now — they formed a sweet friendship eventually, and Min Ho even told Kitty that he had feelings for her by the end of Season 1. Even through his unrequited crush, Min Ho’s never stopped being a supportive friend to Kitty. Though Season 3 hasn’t yet gotten a release date, there’s a good chance we’ll see them return in 2026. We need all of that pining to pay off! — Morgan Pryor
Armand & Daniel, The Vampire Lestat
If you know The Vampire Chronicles, you know this couple is coming, but the way the AMC adaptation changed key things about Daniel’s (Eric Bogosian) vampiric transformation — and most importantly, how they made Daniel and Louis’ (Jacob Anderson) relationship so much more vital to the story — makes me wonder how the hell they’re going to pull this off. Daniel cares so much about Louis, and Armand (Assad Zaman) betrayed him horribly over the course of seven decades. Armand also wiped Daniel’s memories, which he was far from pleased about. And as of the Season 2 finale, Armand is an absent maker, angering Daniel even more. Their ship is called “Devil’s Minion,” which is an abbreviation of the Queen of the Damned chapter title, the chapter that tells Daniel and Armand’s love story. I’m a Loustat girl through and through, but I can’t deny that this chapter is cooking with gas. While I question how they’re going to make the show and source material blend with this pairing, I ultimately trust that they’ll pull it off in unexpected ways. I’m assuming their relationship will form in The Vampire Lestat, as Season 3 is pulling from later books such as QOTD and The Vampire Armand. We’ll see what twisted, toxic romance the writers have in store for this unlikely duo. — Kelli Boyle
Mohan & Abbot, The Pitt
It only took one moment (plus a comment from Shawn Hatosy after the fact) for fans to latch onto this potential relationship in HBO Max’s critically acclaimed and Emmy-winning drama. Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) impressed throughout the first season, despite a slow start to her shift, and Abbot (Hatosy) took notice. Now, with the series returning for its second season, picking up 10 months later, for the Fourth of July weekend, why not deepen what we know about the doctors — while still limiting or keeping any romance in the background — by offering a hint that something may have changed about their relationship? —Meredith Jacobs
Kiara & Rafe, Outer Banks
It ain’t over until it’s over. Look, we’ve discussed how Rafe (Drew Starkey) and Kiara (Madison Bailey) could be an incredible enemies-to-lovers tale — if done right. The cast has been pretty firmly against the idea of Riara from the get-go, but there’s no use denying the onscreen connection between Bailey and Starkey. Whether it’s been done with intention or not, there’s an energy between these two that fans have latched onto over the years. Many of us believe they had a fling during Kiara’s kook year, but nothing’s been confirmed (yet). There’s a reason why these two find themselves back in each other’s orbit no matter what, and the show should explore that. They don’t have to be endgame, but they need to do something with all that chemistry. With Kiara on the hunt for vengeance over JJ’s death in Season 5, she should let off some steam with Rafe. — Avery Thompson
Benson & Stabler, Law & Order: SVU
The Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) will-they-won’t-they has been more than 25 years in the making, can we just let this happen already!? With Meloni back in the Law & Order universe on Organized Crime, which tends to cross over with Hargitay’s SVU, it’s time to let Benson and Stabler have their moment — a real one. Plus, nobody wants this more than Christopher Meloni himself. Give the man what he’s been asking for! — Alyssa Norwin
Cadence & Ebon, We Were Liars
Okay, maybe this one is a little messed up because Ebon (Dempsey Byrk) is the first/only love of Cadence’s (Emily Alyn Lind) dead cousin, but let me cook. During Season 2 of We Were Liars, Cadence is entering uncharted territory, as her story predominately ends after the first book in the series. At this point, Ebon is the only other person in who has some semblance of an idea what Cadence went through losing her cousins and her boyfriend, so he may be just the person she needs to spend time with in order to heal. Plus, he’s the kind of person who truly sees people, the way everyone wants to be seen. Cadence can use a little bit of that right now. — Rebecca Perlmutter
Xavier & Nicole, School Spirits
We know chemistry when we see it! Xavier (Spencer MacPherson) and Nicole (Kiara Pichardo) were an unlikely duo in School Spirits Season 2, but they worked well together. There’s an excellent tension between Xavier and Nicole that’s giving a little enemies-to-lovers mixed with forbidden love. As these two (hopefully) become more honest with each other, maybe they’ll be more open about the feelings brewing between them. — Avery Thompson
Morgan & Sasha, Nobody Wants This
The end of Nobody Wants This Season 2 saw Morgan (Justine Lupe) and Sasha (Timothy Simons) ending their respective relationships, leaving the door open for things to possibly turn romantic in them when the Netflix rom-com returns. Their chemistry as friends is undeniable, and the fact that they never crossed a line while they were with other people makes me root for them even more. This would simply be the perfect enemies-to-friends-to-lovers arc! — Alyssa Norwin
Kai & Ellie, Ransom Canyon
Technically, this would be a reunion, but since we haven’t seen these two together, we’ll let them into this batch. Kai (Justin Johnson Cortez) and Ellie (Marianly Tejada) had a relationship years ago, back when Kai was going down the wrong path. He’s a new man now, but Ellie has moved on with Yancy (Jack Schumacher). Kai, one of our top yearners of 2025, is still very much in love with Ellie. Given Yancy’s latest lie, maybe Ellie will run back into the arms of her first love. Give us this love triangle, Ransom Canyon! (Team Kai forever.) — Avery Thompson
Nami & Monkey D. Luffy, One Piece
Monkey D. Luffy and Nami may not be official love interests in the One Piece anime series, but Iñaki Godoy and Emily Rudd‘s chemistry in Season 1 of Netflix’s live-action adaptation has us rooting for the two Straw Hat pirates to become more than friends. Who could forget the emotional moment when Luffy offered Nami his iconic hat and vowed to help her defeat the villainous Arlong (McKinley Belcher III)? — Paige Strout
Wrigley & Bree, Tell Me Lies
I’m still sticking by my Wrigley (Spencer House) and Bree (Cat Missal) theory going into Season 3: Wrigley is the one calling Bree on her wedding day. In the wake of his brother’s death, Wrigley is going to turn to Bree, who is also in need of support post-Oliver (Tom Ellis). With Pippa (Sonia Mena) and Diana’s (Alicia Crowder) relationship blossoming, it’s only fair that Wrigley finds love, too. It’s abundantly clear that Bree and Evan love each other, but they’re not in love with each other. Let’s add another wrinkle into the Tell Me Lies mess with a Wrigley and Bree love story. — Avery Thompson
Buck & Eddie, 9-1-1
Who doesn’t love a good friends-to-lovers romance? It certainly feels like 9-1-1 could have the perfect one in Buck (Oliver Stark) and Eddie’s (Ryan Guzman) relationship, especially since, despite writing fantastic romances for the rest of the main cast, the show never has managed to make one of their love interests stick or one the audience wants to stay around. We’ve seen time and time again how much these best friends mean to one another, and until the 100th, it certainly seemed like Buck was straight, too, like has been said for Eddie. The series already made a major change in Season 8 by killing off its heart, Captain Bobby Nash (Peter Krause), and it’s still going. Another shift like going there with Buddie isn’t the worst idea. —Meredith Jacobs
Gibbs & Lala, NCIS: Origins
Gibbs (Austin Stowell) and Diane (Kathleen Kenny) may have just gotten married (as we knew would happen, per canon) in this NCIS prequel, but just like Lala (Mariel Molino) brought up in the fall finale, we can’t help but mourn what could have been. After all, all we got between Gibbs and Lala was an almost kiss in the Season 1 finale. The feelings are clearly still there on both sides, and yes, there is Gibbs’ marriage now to consider, as well as the canon timeline to take into account, but can’t we hope for something? There is a reason that Gibbs never talked about Lala on the mothership. Maybe this is why. — Meredith Jacobs
