The best type of ships are the ones that take seasons to actually happen.
They keep the audience on the edge of their seats and sometimes just seeing them stand next to each other is enough to ignite your inner fangirl.
It takes serious dedication to stick with a slow burn ship. In fact, we’ve included a few that are still waiting patiently in their ports.
But if you can stand the wait, these relationships are almost always worth the investment.
Check out our slideshow below of 31 ships that took seasons to sail!
Jane and Rafael – Jane the Virgin
Whether you’re Team Rafael or Team Michael, it definitely took a while for these two to get together. However, given the most recent events of the show, we don’t have a clue what’s in store for them next.
Barney and Robin – How I Met Your Mother
No one expected Barney and Robin to fall for each other at the beginning of the series. On the outside, they seemed like they were complete opposites, but the more we got to know them, the more their relationship made sense.
Eric and Nell – NCIS: Los Angeles
Eric and Nell somehow manage to be extremely badass together and extremely adorable together. And we wouldn’t change a thing about them.
Lucifer and Chloe – Lucifer
These two have been denying their feelings for far too long and everyone can see it. Thankfully, they finally seem to be seeing it themselves.
Oliver and Felicity – Arrow
Oliver and Felicity have it all. Slow burn, angst, break-ups, and make-ups! Even though it may have taken a while for them to get there, they’re finally where they belong. With each other.
Charles and Liza – Younger
Charles and Liza didn’t become a thing until a little later on in the series. But if we’re being honest, we’re still more on Team Josh.
Eleanor and Chidi – The Good Place
These two didn’t just take seasons to sail, they took centuries to sail. Everytime they finally found their way back to one another, they would go through another reboot and start all over again from scratch!
Ian and Mickey – Shameless
Ian and Mickey were enemies from the get-go. They both had a difficult past and many different issues to overcome. It took a while for them to finally come together, but that just made their relationship all the more special.
Nick and Adalind – Grimm
Given their history, it is a bit surprising that these two ended up falling for each other. But if we’re being fair, they have had chemistry since Season 1.
Klaus and Caroline – The Vampire Diaries/The Originals
Fans of Klaus and Caroline have really been through the wringer. Not only did Klaus leave The Vampire Diaries before he and Caroline had a chance to make it work, but Caroline didn’t start appearing on The Originals until the final season. In fact, after they finally acted on their feelings, the ending of the show felt like a slap in the face to fans.
April and Jackson – Grey’s Anatomy
It took seasons for April and Jackson to go from friends to lovers, and we loved every agonizing moment of it. Despite their current status, we will believe in Japril always and forever.
Hook and Emma – Once Upon a Time
From being mortal enemies to being confirmed as each other’s true love, Hook and Emma have been through it all. But you know what they say, the best things in life never come easy.
Monica and Chandler – Friends
There were hints throughout the series that made it seem like Monica and Chandler could potentially have something between them, but nothing really comes to fruition until the end of the fourth season. Of course, once they realized how perfect they were for each other, nothing could keep them apart.
Jonah and Amy – Superstore
There was chemistry between these two from the very begining. The fact that Amy was married and had a child postponed anything actually happeneing between them, but it was worth the wait to see them happy and together.
Luke and Lorelai – Gilmore Girls
From coffee drinking to bickering, there’s no denying how cute these two are together. Their friendship created a great base for what would later become a beautiful romance.
Stiles and Lydia – Teen Wolf
Stiles and Lydia were arguably one of the most agonizing ships to wait for. Their love for each other was so obvious, which made their refusal to do anything about it all the more frustrating. Six seasons later, they finally confessed their feelings. But the fact that it took them both being in mortal danger to do it shows just how stubborn they both are.
Fitz and Simmons – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Who doesn’t love best friends to lovers? It was obvious that Fitz loved Simmons from the start, but it took a while for her to realize her feelings for him were much deeper than friendship.
Dan and Blair – Gossip Girl
As much as Dan and Blair denied it, it turns out that opposites really do attract. They were by far the best and healthiest relationship on the show, slowly making their way from strangers, to enemies, to friends, to lovers. It’s impossible to argue that Dan and Blair deserved a lot better than the ending they got.
Damon and Elena – The Vampire Diaries
It was the love triangle everyone was talking about. Considering that Elena started off the show falling in love with Stefan and hating Damon, it’s no surprise that these two didn’t exactly get together right away.
Jake and Amy – Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Jake and Amy are one of the healthiest ships on television, plain and simple. While they started out with a pretty competitive partnership, they slowly realized they had feelings for each other and ended up marrying each other at the end of the fifth season.
Bellamy and Clarke – The 100
True pain is shipping Bellamy and Clarke on The 100, yet another ship that’s taking seasons to sail and still hasn’t. Watching them both go through their different love interests has gotten tiring when it’s blatantly obvious that the person they really want is each other.
Castle and Beckett – Castle
Castle and Beckett didn’t start dating until the end of the fourth season of the show. While the wait for them was hard, it was most definitely worth it.
Simon and Isabelle – Shadowhunters
Simon and Isabelle aren’t together quite yet, but there’s no doubt in our minds that’s where the second half of Season 3 is going. Who doesn’t love a romantic relationship with a strong foundation of friendship? Not to be biased, but Shadowhunters does literally everything right.
Rick and Michonne – The Walking Dead
It took 6 seasons for Rick and Michonne to finally realize that what they wanted was in front of them the whole time. Despite the zombie apocalypse raging around them, they were able to find something that made all the pain worth it.
Emily and Alison – Pretty Little Liars
This is one love that literally came back from the dead. Alison didn’t exactly treat Emily well during the beginning of their friendship, despite being aware of Emily’s feelings for her. It took years for Alison to come back to her friends and even more time for Emily to forgive her.
Mindy and Danny – The Mindy Project
Mindy and Danny did not like each other. At all. But there’s a fine line between love and hate and after some development, they showed which side of it they were really on.
Jackie and Hyde – That 70’s Show
They were the couple that deserved better. Jackie’s relationship with Hyde always seemed purer than her complicated one with Michael, despite how long it took for them to admit their feelings.
Parker and Hardison – Leverage
Parker and Hardison are simply meant for each other. While a lot of their moments were subtle at first, there came a point where it was impossible to deny what was obviously between them.
Nick and Jess – New Girl
It was always apparent that there was a spark between these two, but they were too good of friends to actually do anything about it. It took an epic kiss a couple seasons in to finally start a relationship between them, and another couple seasons to get them back together.
Lemon and Lavon – Hart of Dixie
No matter how hard they tried these two just couldn’t get over each other. It took some time for them to find their way back, but we couldn’t be happier that they did.
Jim and Pam – The Office
Jim and Pam will forever and always be one of the world’s greatest couples, but that doesn’t mean their relationship came easy. It took quite a few seasons for Jim and Pam to finally be on the same page, but once they were, nothing could keep them from one another.
