11 TV Breakups We Did Not See Coming
Breaking up isn’t just hard to do; it’s hard to watch, especially we didn’t expect a romance to end so suddenly.
Television dramas are known for relationship ups and downs, of course, but even comedies can break our hearts, and seasons of dating reality shows can end with blindsiding splits.
Here are 11 breakups — from across all those TV genres — that took us by surprise.
Cristina & Burke, Grey’s Anatomy
We knew that Cristina (Sandra Oh) couldn’t marry Burke (Isaiah Washington) the moment his mother made her shave off her eyebrows. Burke rightly pointed out that that Cristina was changing too much to be with him, but we didn’t expect him to ghost her after the canceled wedding.
Fleabag & The Priest, Fleabag
“It’s God, isn’t it?” Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) asked the tearful Priest (Andrew Scott) in Fleabag’s finale, acknowledging — long before we could — that they don’t have a future. Despite their snogging, shagging, and declarations of love, he believed he had a higher calling.
Lily & Marshall, How I Met Your Mother
It’s a rule of TV that whenever a character applies to a faraway school program on a whim, they’re gonna be accepted. And that’s what happened to Lily (Alyson Hannigan) at the end of HIMYM Season 1, bringing an abrupt (and, luckily, temporary) end to her engagement to Marshall (Jason Segel).
Rory & Dean, Gilmore Girls
You never forget your first, unfortunately for Rory (Alexis Bledel), who split with high school love Dean (Jared Padalecki) after falling for Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) and lived to regret it. We didn’t expect Dean to be endgame, necessarily, but we also didn’t expect Rory’s attention to be so easily swayed.
Jess & Nick, New Girl
At the end of its third season, New Girl took a turn for the dramatic when Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick (Jake Johnson) realized that they missed each other as friends — and that the only thing they had in common was their love for one another. (Luckily for shippers, it wasn’t a permanent breakup.)
Pacey & Joey, Dawson’s Creek
Pacey (Joshua Jackson) hit the self-destruct button as Dawson’s Creek Season 4 concluded, blowing up at Joey (Katie Holmes) over his own insecurities and mansplaining that she deserved better than him. It’s a prom night that was unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.
Buffy & Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Speaking of proms gone awry, Angel (David Boreanaz) used that romantic rite of passage to dump Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar). He thought she deserved a normal life instead of the “freak show” that he considered their vampire/slayer relationship to be. (Off screen, of course, Boreanaz was taking Angel to his own spinoff series.)
Sam & Diane, Cheers
When Shelley Long wanted off Cheers, the sitcom’s writers crafted a twist ending for Diane’s romance with Sam (Ted Danson). They called off their wedding so that she could finish an unfinished manuscript that was getting attention. (Tell us again why Diane couldn’t do so as a married woman?)
Ross & Rachel, Friends
Were they on a break break or just a break? Either way, Ross (David Schwimmer) shouldn’t have slept with another woman so soon after a fight with Rachel (Jennifer Aniston). He said he thought their relationship was dead; she quipped that he had a “helluva time at the wake.”
Jason & Melissa, The Bachelor
In The Bachelor Season 13’s “After the Final Rose” season, Bachelor Jason Mesnick revealed he was still in love with Molly Malaney, the runner-up of the season, instead of Melissa Rycroft, his then-fiancée. We can only imagine the popcorn and wine thrown at television sets across the country.
Jenn & Devin, The Bachelorette
In another “ATFR” bombshell, The Bachelorette Season 21 lead Jenn Tran revealed that her winner Devin Strader had ended their engagement through a 15-minute phone call, told her that he regretted getting engaged, and denied ever being in love. The bloom, suffice it to say, was off the final rose.
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services