We pretend like love on TV is unrealistic. What if I told you it’s not? Those huge, happy, secure, passionate relationships we watch on screen? The ones that make us wonder if we’ll ever experience anything like it? Yes, that can really be you too. The love we see is built on real things, loyalty, kindness, being there for one another…not just a script. Wanting that kind of love doesn’t make you “unrealistic.” It makes you human. You deserve the kind of love that feels as good in real life as it does in your favorite shows, and these three partners show those simple moments and qualities through and through.
Gomez Addams
Gomez Addams is, quite literally, the original I-love-my-wife guy. The way he looks at Morticia is like he’s seen a supernova in human form. Every. Single. Time. Half the things that come out of his mouth are destined to get stitched onto a pillow, except you’d probably be blushing if you saw them in broad daylight, and Morticia doesn’t think he’s embarrassing or cheesy. You just know he’s magnetic. He’s never shy about making it clear that his wife is not just loved…she’s adored, worshiped, and celebrated. Why shouldn’t you be? That’s the kind of energy we all deserve in real life. Too many of us have been with people who told us to turn it down a notch, to laugh a little less loudly, dress a little less boldly, want a little less. Gomez is here to prove that that’s all backwards. The right person for you won’t think you’re too much. They’ll think you’re perfect at full volume. If you’ve ever been with someone who asked you to shrink yourself to make them more comfortable, don’t forget that Morticia didn’t, and look how well that worked out for her.
Raymond Holt
Captain Raymond Holt is the very last person on this list you’d think to be on here, but do you remember just how adorable him and Kevin are?! Captain Holt and Kevin taught us that love does not have to shout to be real, and love that lasts can be quiet. The private jokes you and your partner share, the smile you give each other when you meet each other’s eyes from across the room is both comforting and grounding because it affirms your connection and your sense of one another. Your relationships in real life do not have to scream on the mountaintops to show they are in love. Stability and respect are romantic too, in some ways, far more so. Holt showed us that quiet love is not boring, but enduring. Andre Braugher’s performance was, of course, essential to that. He gave Holt a quiet depth that made stoicism warm and deadpan moments moving. In Holt, we found a way to see the humor and the capacity to love and be loved in the most reserved of exteriors and reminded us that the quietest loves, and the “blandest” people, can have the biggest impact.
Ben Wyatt
Ben Wyatt is the nerd who got hot, but more importantly, he’s the man who knew Leslie Knope was a once-in-a-lifetime woman and treated her that way. Leslie has the energy and drive of a woman with something to prove, and instead of standing in her way, Ben throws the gate wide open and lets her gallop through. He’s there to “let” her have her dreams, sure. He also doubles down and shows up to make them come true, too. Ben should actually serve as a standard when seeking real-life relationships. Relationships are so fragile because so often one person feels like they have to choose between their ambitions and their love life. Ben shows us that you should never have to choose. That the right partner will never compete with your dreams. They’ll never feel threatened by your goals. They’ll invest in them. They’ll brag about you, cheer for you, and celebrate you. Isn’t that so much sexier than someone who gets weirdly sulky every time you succeed?