Tuesday's Top Ten - Favorite TV Couples

"Love and marriage, love and marriage/ Go together like a horse and carriage/ This I tell you brother/ You can't have one without the other." - "Love and Marriage" by Frank Sinatra (and theme song to "Married With Children")

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! In honor of the holiday today, I have decided to list my favorite television couples. They laugh, they cry, they fight and make up, and chances are they're very similar to people you know in real life. Al and Peg Bundy didn't make the list, but that song was just perfect for today's post, don't you think?

1. Tim and Jill Taylor - "Home Improvement" - Tim and Jill were the perfect TV couple. They played off of each other's jokes so well, they had great chemistry, and they just seemed so real. In one of my favorite episodes, Jill takes a relationship quiz in a magazine, prompting Tim to create one of his own. He then reveals that Jill's score falls between elbow pads - "soft, flexible, and a good housekeeper...it takes care of the joint", and a jock strap - "gets in the way a lot, but basically supportive." So, so funny! This episode is in season 2 and is titled "Love is a Many Splintered Thing".

2. Roseanne and Dan Conner - "Roseanne" - They were the quintessential blue collar, lower-middle class American couple. They didn't have much money, struggled a lot, fought even more, but they loved each other and that was enough. The show strayed from it's humble, honest beginnings in the last season or two, but the Dan and Rosie that America loved when the show began are one of my favorite couples watch. One of the best episodes was in the third season where they celebrate Mother's Day. "Scenes From a Barbecue" has a great part toward the end where the Conners and their family and friends gather in the backyard and have a sing along with Dan at the guitar. And Bonnie sings an amazing rendition of "You Really Got a Hold On Me", a song that fits Roseanne and Dan to a tee.

3. Ross Gellar and Rachel Green - "Friends" - Ross and Rachel were meant to be together. Everybody knew it. And when they broke up (they were on a break!), we all knew they would find their way back to each, which they did several times, once resulting in a drunken Vegas wedding and another time resulting in Emma. The series finale was the perfect way to seal their relationship in television history, but my favorite Ross and Rachel episode is season 2's "The One With the Prom Video", where it shows that Ross has loved Rachel since she was a high school senior and he almost got to take her to the prom.

4. Lucy and Ricky Ricardo - "I Love Lucy" - One of the very first and most beloved couples on TV, Lucy and Ricky balanced each other out perfectly. She was kooky, mischievous, and hilarious, while he was much more practical and level-headed. And no matter how angry he got at Lucy's antics, Ricky would always end up laughing by the end of the show. One of my favorite episodes is "Lucy's Schedule" from the first season. She is always running late so Ricky puts her on a strict daily schedule, but of course this plan backfires in a classic Lucy way.

5. Ray and Debra Barone - "Everybody Loves Raymond" - I love Ray and Debra. He is immature, neurotic, and a bit of a mama's boy, but still a good guy who means well, even when what he says or does backfires. And she puts up with it all, often with just a roll of the eyes and a mutter of, "Idiot" when he leaves the room. They are a lot like Jill and Tim, a normal couple that people can relate to, and you know that no matter what happens, they will end up okay and laughing in the end. A classic episode that showcases their relationship perfectly would be season two's "The Checkbook".

6. Lorelai Gilmore and Luke Danes - "Gilmore Girls" - No, Lorelai and Luke never got married, but everyone knew they belonged together. She was silly and unconventional, he was serious and average across the board, and they just clicked. When they finally got together I was so excited, and then when they broke up it was just so very, very wrong. But when the show ended, I just knew that Lorelai and Luke would end up together after all. Watch their first date in season 5's "Written in the Stars".

7. Kevin Arnold and Winnie Cooper - "The Wonder Years" - They were just kids and didn't even end up together in the end, but the relationship between Kevin and Winnie was so sweet and innocent, whether everything was perfect or falling apart. Kevin loved Winnie, even when she broke up with him and went out with other guys, he still loved her. Their relationship began on the pilot episode, when they were only 12 years old, but everyone knew they had something special. I miss this show so much.

8. Jim Halpert and Pam (Beesly) Halpert - "The Office" - Ah, Jim and Pam. The sweethearts of Dunder-Mifflin. In classic sitcom tradition, we knew from the start that they would end up together, and when Jim finally declared his love for Pam in "Casino Night" at the end of season 2, I felt like cheering. All was right with the world. Except it wasn't. Pam was still with stupid Roy. And she was caught off-guard when Jim kissed her. And Jim ran away to Stamford! But of course everything worked out in the end. Like Kevin Malone once said, "I thought they'd be good together, like PB and J. Pam Beesly and Jim."

9. David Addison and Maddie Hayes - "Moonlighting" - I love this show so much, and part of what made it so good was the chemistry and tension between David and Maddie. He was so fun-loving and free-spirited, and she was kind of prissy and uptight. Another case of opposites attract. They drove each other completely crazy, made each other angry a lot, but were still drawn together like magnets. I can't even pick one specific episode that showcases their relationship, because every episode did in one way or another. One of the very first episodes, "Gunfight at the So-So Corral", is a classic in my opinion. They are just getting their agency started and David has to teach Maddie how to be a detective. And he sings "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", which is just so perfect.

10. Carol Seaver and Bobby Winnette - "Growing Pains" - They weren't a couple for very long, but I loved Carol and Bobby together. She was a brainiac and he was a star football player, the classic opposites attract love story. One of the best Bobby Winnette episodes was "Some Enchanted Evening" from season 2, where Carol is upset that Bobby won't ask her to the winter formal. And when she discovers why and they end up dancing after all, it was pure television magic.