Iconic On-screen Romances That Aren't As Dreamy As We Remember

Plenty of people rooted for Ross and Rachel to get together, but this doesn't make the relationship any less toxic. Since the show came out, many have labeled Ross as emotionally abusive, manipulative, and even stalker-ish. He also dated his student...

While often hailed as one of the best romances of all time, this judgement completely overlooks the fact that the star-crossed lovers in question are a plantation owner and a Confederate soldier in the middle of the Civil War.

Drew Barrymore is iconic in this back-to-high-school rom-com, but the plot is much darker than most people remember. Sure, the romance between her and her teacher (who believed she was a minor) seemed cute enough at the time, but looking back it never should have happened.

John Hughes' beloved teenage classic includes some pretty questionable scenes. Chief among these is the moment when Molly Ringwald's love interest essentially assaults her by peeking under her skirt and touching her without consent.

The director's equally cherished film isn't safe from criticism either. This movie includes a scene where an unconscious woman is passed off from one man to another and assaulted while she is asleep.

The achingly beautiful ballad from The Bodyguard was actually written by Dolly Parton, not Whitney Houston, and it's about the former's ex-boss who flew into a jealous, controlling rage when her career took off.

This is one you might have heard — but seriously, why couldn't Jack have fit on the door with her? Titanic left many viewers angry when it senselessly killed off Leo DiCaprio rather than simply having Kate Winslet's character scooch over a bit.

Yet another romantic classic that unfortunately was not what it seemed, Ingrid Bergman was actually taller than Humphrey Bogart, forcing them to film all the kissing scenes with the latter standing on a box.

Tom Hanks' Big seems like the last movie to stir up controversy — until you remember that Hanks had sex with an adult woman while he was secretly a 12 year-old trapped in the body of a grownup. As disgusting as it is convoluted.

A 1970s-era children's book that has been remade into countless TV shows and films, the subject matter is surprisingly twisted. Siblings locked together in an attic end up developing an incestuous relationship, and nobody ever really questions it.

Despite being synonymous with the very concept of love for many people, the fate that these two endure is downright sick, and to make matters worse, entirely preventable.

We're used to seeing men in predatory roles, so this movie is a game-changer. Sandra Bullock plays a woman who preys on a helpless man in a coma, lying to his whole family and telling them they're engaged. It's not so romantic.

The steamy film classic starred on-again off-again Hollywood couple Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis. Unfortunately, their relationship had turned sour during the filming, leading Curtis to describe kissing Monroe as being akin to kissing Hitler. Not so fun to watch now.

Now seen as a modern take on romantic fairy tale Cinderella, the original script contained a much bleaker ending. Rather than being swept off her feet by a rich man, Julia Roberts ends up dead-eyed and alone on a bus to nowhere.

If you've only seen the movie version of this film, then it may surprise/depress you to learn that the ending Truman Capote included in his book was far darker. Spoiler alert: they definitely don't end up together at the end.

Around 2008, Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in Twilight was the star of many a tween girl's dreams. However, the romance has since been recognized as what it really was: manipulative, stalker-ish, and possessive.

There may literally be no TV couple more iconic than Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, who played spouses on I Love Lucy and were married in real life. However behind the scenes their marriage was a "nightmare" filled with alcoholism and adultery.

Blondie's hit single is based on true events in Debbie Harry's life. The track refers to a creepy ex-boyfriend who began stalking the star once she started to spurn his advances.

The next item on this list started out as Twilight fan fiction. BDSM movie Fifty Shades has been widely condemned from the kink community for portraying behavior that is emotionally and physically abusive.

Without the music video, Aerosmith's "Crazy" could pass as just another love song. However, the fact that it does exist, and that Steven Tyler sings the lustful, romantic lyrics over footage of his own daughter Liv Tyler, makes it incredibly weird.

On the other hand, you have some TV romances that weren't caught by the cameras...because they unfolded behind-the-scenes in real life! Jen and Michael played sexy spies, Sydney and Michael, for a a top-secret CIA branch in ABC's Alias... who fell in love. They dated for about six months after Jen's divorce from Scott Foley in 2003.

The two youngins met on the set of Judd Apatow’s cult favorite comedy Freaks and Geeks in 1999. The grungy freaks had a "thing" in the acclaimed series and dated in real life for years after the show was tragically canceled.

Game of Thrones' Ygritte and Jon Snow fell for each other in season three, only to later break up when Ygritte shoots Jon with a cluster of arrows; but it wasn't so tumultuous in real-life. The actors got married in 2018!

Lieutenant Beth Davis and Detective Jack Larsen fell for each other while solving crime on CBS's short-lived Stalker, which inevitably led to a real-life romance between Dylan and Maggie. They got engaged in 2015, but sadly split in 2019.

Ah, Gilmore Girls. That WB family dramedy captivated middle millennials in the early 2000s, particularly because of the romantic drama that unfolded between Rory and Jess in the little town of Stars Hollow. Said romantic drama continued in reality from 2002 to 2006.

People went crazy for Gossip Girl and all the wealthy NYC shenanigans that ensued, specifically related to the show's on-again-off-again couple Serena and Dan. Blake and Penn took that dysfunctional passion offset and dated from 2007 to 2010.

CBS's 2 Broke Girls saw a complicated relationship between snarky diner waitress Max and handsome artist Johnny. The attraction was fiery onset, and that remained after filming hours were over. Kat and Nick kept that flame going from 2011 to 2014.

"I thought she was adorable, hot and sexy and all that stuff," Mark said of Kelly when he first met her on the set of All My Children. He never expected to be married to her for over 20 years and counting.

One Tree Hill was huge in the early 2000s, as audiences were entranced by high school couple Lucas and Brooke. Actors Chad and Sophia married in 2005... and divorced in 2006.

The hilariously dense on-again-off-again That '70s Show couple Jackie and Kelso seemed to resonate with audiences, which is why people were so darn happy when Mila and Ashton wed almost ten years after the groovy comedy series ended!

The nerd-themed sitcom The Big Bang Theory boasted a quirky love connection between dorky physicist Leonard and his gorgeous waitress/aspiring actor neighbor, Penny. The actors continued that passion offscreen, having a much less-awkward relationship from 2007 to 2009.

Arrested Development may be one of the quirkiest comedies to ever bless our screens, and the bizarre marriage between Gob and the unnamed "certified seal salesperson" is no exception. Amy and Will were actually married at the time, but later divorced in 2016.

Though Entourage's Turtle didn't exactly charm the ladies, he finally got the girl when Jamie-Lynn Sigler guest-starred as herself in 2008. The two actors continued the relationship offscreen until 2009.

FX's The Americans saw a complex marriage between KGB agents Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings, who posed as Americans soon after Ronald Reagan became President. But Keri and Matthew enjoy a calmer romance, as they've been dating since 2014 and have one son together.

Snow White and Prince Charming are just meant to be together. Ginnifer and Josh played the fabled couple for years on the fantastical Once Upon a Time. The actors made the decision to live happily ever after when they got married in 2014.

In a drama series chock-full of tragically beautiful vampires, cast members are bound to date each other. Nina and Ian took the heat from their fictional Vampire Diaries relationship to their real lives, dating for three years.

HBO's raunchy vampire drama True Blood saw a multitude of flings, such as the steamy vampire/human affair between Bill and Sookie. The relationship didn't end well on the show, but Anna and Stephen have been married with kids for years now!

Stranger Things fans rejoiced when popular girl Nancy Wheeler began dating quiet emo boy Jonathan Byers in season two of the nostalgic sci-fi series, as well as when they hooked up in real-life! Natalia and Charlie have been together since 2017.

In the CW's Riverdale series, based on the iconic Archie comic book universe, Jughead and Betty develop a passionate romantic relationship. Actors Cole and Lili continued that romantic spark offscreen from 2017 to 2019.

On ABC's vengeance-filled drama Revenge, the show's protagonist, Emily Thorne, and Daniel Grayson fall into a messy, deceptive liaison, but their relationship offscreen is much healthier. Emily and Josh have been happily married since 2018.

The O.C.'s Summer and Seth pairing stole the hearts of teens everywhere in the early 2000s, especially when a flash forward episode revealed that the two eventually marry. But as for Adam and Rachel, their love affair only lasted three years.

The WB's late '90s teen drama Dawson's Creek had audiences enthralled with the Joey-Pacey-Dawson love triangle; and two of said triangle's sides (Joey and Pacey) dated offscreen. The two thespians briefly dated while filming the show, Katie later calling Joshua her "first love."