Television history is filled with co-stars whose on-screen connection crossed over into real romance. Some fell in love during filming, others began dating long after production wrapped, but all proved that the chemistry between their characters was not always purely performance.
Superhero love stories
Melissa Benoist and Chris Wood, who played Kara and Mon-El in Supergirl, became one of the most prominent examples. Wood joined the show in the second season as an alien prince, and the pair’s connection extended beyond the set. They got engaged in 2019, married that same year, and welcomed a son named Huxley in 2020.
Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin found love in a different comic-book universe. Playing James Gordon and Leslie Thompkins in Gotham, the actors fell for each other, married, and had their first child while the show was still on air. Baccarin’s pregnancy even influenced the direction of her character’s storyline.
Romance that took time
Not every set romance ignited immediately. Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons played troubled married couple Peggy and Ed Blumquist in Fargo, but their relationship began more than a year after they met on set. They got engaged in 2017, had two children, and married in 2022. Both later received their first Oscar nominations for The Power of the Dog, in which they again played a married couple.
For Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, who played Jackie and Kelso in That ’70s Show, love came years after the series ended. After reconnecting, they got engaged in 2014, married in 2015, and now have two children.
Secret relationships and lasting friendships
Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki kept their relationship private for two years while their characters Penny and Leonard pursued a high-profile romance on The Big Bang Theory. Though they eventually split, they maintained a close friendship and continued working together on the series.
Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton, who play Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers in Stranger Things, began dating in 2017, a year after the show became an international phenomenon. Heaton has described working alongside someone he considers his best friend as a gift.
Other notable pairings
Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer met during a screen test for True Blood, where they played Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton. Their bond developed during production, they married in 2010, and became parents to twins two years later.
Kit Harington and Rose Leslie, who brought Jon Snow and Ygritte to life in Game of Thrones, experienced a far happier ending than their characters. They married in 2018 and now have two children.
Alexis Bledel and Milo Ventimiglia, who played Rory and Jess in Gilmore Girls, dated for three and a half years and at one point discussed the possibility of marriage before eventually going their separate ways.
Amy Poehler and Will Arnett were already married when she appeared in Arrested Development as the unexpected wife of Arnett’s character Gob Bluth. They had begun their relationship in 2000, married in 2003, and had two children before separating in 2012 and finalizing their divorce in 2016.
