Once in a while, two male TV characters appear on the screen with chemistry so potent it feels like the writers were aiming for it.
And sometimes they are, but the powers that be would not allow two supposedly straight characters to be more than friends or at most “brothers.”
Shipping of male characters is not a new phenomenon, and there are countless examples of characters who have been shipped together, but the duos in this list takes the cake.
These characters had the “it” thing from the start, and it has let up in subsequent seasons.
These are not just characters who look good together. They’re soulmates, but the rules of hetoronormativity would not allow them to be together, at least just yet.
JJ and Pope — Outer Banks (Netflix)
It’s surprising that the Netflix teen series Outer Banks does not have decent queer representation, if any.
However, the adventures have the Pogues birthed a strong connection betweeen JJ (Rudy Pankow) and Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and it looks like love.
Since the show’s inception, JJ’s closeness with Pope could be interpreted through romantic lens. Their relationship has everything. Physical and emotional closeness, jealosuy, sweeetness, and angst.
Like many in this list, #JJPope are complete opposites but complement each other well.
While JJ is chaotic and reckless, Pope is calm and methodical and when combined, they produce calm chaos.
Outer Banks has yet to dive into that and given the creator’s sentiments, its not happening.
Buck and Eddie — 9-1-1 (ABC)
ABC’s firefighter drama 9-1-1 might turn up the heat with its emergencies, but something else has taken the lead.
The high-octane procedural set in Los Angeles follows the members of Station 126 as they answer the call and deal with their personal lives.
Among those are Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark) and Edmundo “Eddie” Diaz (Ryan Guzman), two firefighters in the firehouse.
The #Buddie chemistry was instant the moment Eddie arrived at the firehouse.
What was initially conceptualized as a competition between two hot young men in the same firehouse quickly devolved into enemies-to-lovers.
Soon, viewers began to notice the dynamics in their relationship. The attraction was so strong the show earned the nickname “the gay firefighter show.”
Eight seasons in, the ship has not gone canon yet, but given how much buildup the show has made in the past several seasons, it would be shocking if that didn’t happen.
Dean and Castiel — Supernatural (The CW)
One of the longest-running dramas shows focusing on the supernatural world is … Supernatural.
From saving the world to saving each other, Supernatural’s characters have been through everything and none more that Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) and Castiel (Misha Collins).
The chemistry was instatenous and the characters formed a bond so deep heteronormaivity could never break it.
Despite being significantly different, #Destiel complimented each other well. They have used every word under the sun to describe what they mean to each other but never quite admitted it in an open manner.
For fifteen seasons, Destiel fans went crazy waiting for the ship to go canon.
It happened eventually but at it was too late at that point in the series finale.
Destiel will forever be remembered as that duo with so much potential that was wasted by the show’s creative team.
Shawn and Cory — Boy Meets World (ABC)
Queer representation was not considered, let alone a priority, in 1993 when Boy Meets World premiered.
However, chemistry has always been a thing, and Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong) had it with Cory Matthews (Ben Savage).
Growing pains are pretty common, and part of that can be spending time looking for your soulmate when they were right next to you.
Like many duos in this list, Shawn and Cory were complete opposites.
Cory kept Shawn grounded, and Shawn needed someone to keep him grounded. This created a mutually beneficial relationship that they never found with people.
Boy Meets World insisted that Cory and Shawn were straight by giving them heterosexual partners, but they could dilute the chemistry.
At some point, the writers gave in a little and gave them arcs typical of romantic partners.
Cory’s girlfriend and Shawn would crash over him.
If dropped in the middle of an episode, you would think they were together. However, that’s all it was — just thoughts.
Cooper and Oliver — American Housewife (ABC)
Raising children is a full-time job, and in American Housewife, Katie Otto (Katy Mixon) does her best despite having strong-willed children.
Oliver (Daniel DiMaggio) was one of Katie and Greg (Diedrich Bader)’s children, whose complexity made it hard to classify him. He was exceptionally intelligent, with strong emotional intelligence enough for his entire grade.
On the other side was Cooper (Logan Pepper), the son of the uber-rich Bradfords, their neighbours.
Almost entirely neglected, Cooper spent a lot of time with the Ottos, and there he learned to be a proper person.
However, Cooper’s desire to spend time with the Ottos might have been influenced mainly by his burgeoning friendship with Oliver.
Despite being complete opposites, #Coliver developed a special bond and leaned on each other a lot.
They were able to pierce through each other’s tough exteriors and establish a rhythm typical of couples.
It didn’t go unnoticed in the Otto family, and soon, they started referring to Cooper as Oliver’s boyfriend.
American Housewife was canceled, but it was reported that the writers were thinking of making them proper boyfriends had that not happened.
Stiles and Derek — Teen Wolf (MTV)
Jeff Davis‘ Teen Wolf took the world by storm after introducing some of the most talented and attractive actors of the 2010s.
The supernatural drama series told the story of Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) and his newly discovered world of supernatural beings after being turned into a werewolf.
Scott’s best friend, Stiles Stilinski (Dylan O’Brien), lightened the show by delivering some truly hilarious comedy.
As the duo discovered the hidden world of Beacon Hills, they met Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin), a serious-type werewolf.
#Sterek were complete opposites, and normally they wouldn’t like each other, but the universe had other plans.
Their differing personalities, coupled with physical differences made them one of the most popular ships of the 2010s.
They too never became canon.
Merlin and Arthur — Merlin (BBC)
In the land of myth and the time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man — his name is Merlin (Colin Morgan).
Despite being a powerful warlock, Merlin’s fate does not allow him to use his power directly.
He begins working at the King’s palace as an aide to the King’s son, Arthur (Bradley James).
#Merthur started off as that of a typical master-servant dynamic of the time, but soon enough, they took a liking to each other.
Arthur’s notions about the commoners were challenged and Merlin’s understanding of the monarchy is too, thanks to both working closely with each other.
As their relationship developed, Arthur grew to care for Merlin and vice versa. However, they could not act on it because apart their differing social classes, they had “destinies.”
What made #Merthur so alluring is how, despite that barrier between them, they manage to show each other care and affection.
It became difficult to defend them when they performed small and grand acts of service, a testament to their unspoken feelings for each other.
Sadly, Merlin ended without the show going there, but they had a good run.
If we’ve learned anything from this list is that opposites attracts is a true statement and writers would be wise to capitalize on that if it happens.
These shows dropped the ball but if there’s an upside, its the lesson to be learned.