There are more mysteries in heaven and earth (and the Bad Place) than are dreamt of in Chidi’s philosophy class. The race to solve murder mysteries, medical mysteries, or mysteries about the past, often leads to television protagonists finding the answer to the mystery they never thought they could solve — love.
The more cynically minded might think it is contrived to romantically pair up characters who make a career (or extracurricular activity) out of solving mysteries. If doctors and
detectives can’t date their colleagues on medical and police procedural shows, who else can possibly they hook up with?
However, a shared goal isn’t what keeps these romances sizzling (often for seasons). Solving mysteries together is a very intimate act and certainly was the catalyst these characters needed in order to fess up about being in love.
Betty and Jughead – Riverdale
To the world, Betty is the seemingly perfect girl-next-door, and Jughead is the weirdo wearing the stupid hat (his words). But he gets her; she gets him, and when they’re together, no mystery in Riverdale will go unsolved.
Lucy & Wyatt – Timeless
Even when they only pretend to be a couple as part of a plan to take down Rittenhouse and Flynn, the spark between Lucy and Wyatt was always real.
Zoe & Kevin – This Is Us
“So you just casually went on a long road trip to track down his father’s buddy?” We share your skepticism, Mrs. Robinson. Zoe and Kevin’s relationship cannot be written off as casual, something they’re discovering with every new lead they follow to uncover what happened to Jack in Vietnam.
Jake & Amy – Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Who is the best detective at the Nine-Nine? Jake and Amy fought each other fiercely to prove he/she deserved the title. Brilliant in their own unique ways, it still took them a while to realize they were at their crime-solving best when they worked together.
Meredith & Derek – Grey’s Anatomy
Derek’s proposal to Meredith didn’t mention how they met or their first kiss. Instead, he wooed her with the memories of all the lives they saved together because it was when they worked together in the OR — to solve seemingly impossible to solve medical mysteries — that made them discover they were extraordinary together.
Jamie and Eddie – Blue Bloods
Blue Blood’s Season 8 finale answered why Jamie and Eddie going undercover as boyfriend and girlfriend to bust up a drug operation in the Season 8 premiere felt so right.
Chloe & Lucifer – Lucifer
The Devil turned his back on Hell. An actress turned detective became an outcast. They help each other solve crimes, but that’s only the beginning of their entanglement.
Conrad & Nic – The Resident
Personal tragedy tore Conrad and Nic apart. Figuring out the right treatments for misdiagnosed patients and uncovering Dr. Hunter’s scheme to defraud healthy people brought them back together.
Aram & Samar – The Blacklist
Samar may have been the intelligence officer capable of tracking down Red in 74 days, but it still took her a few seasons to read the signs and accept the fact she’s in love with Aram. Fortunately, they’ve been making up for lost time.
Amy & Sheldon – The Big Bang Theory
Amy and Sheldon are exactly the type of couple who would work on unraveling the mysteries of the universe during their wedding day. No wonder they thought Penny and Leonard’s perfect wedding gift to them was a scavenger hunt.
Boothe & Bones – Bones
Boothe and Bones can’t stop intermingling their personal and professional lives. Making up after fighting over living arrangments triggers murder-solving epiphanies.
Fitz & Simmons – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Their mutual passion for unraveling scientific mysteries brought Fitz and Simmons together. Figuring out how to save the world and each other– repeatedly — made them realize they were in love.
Dan & Blair – Gossip Girl
Disliking one another didn’t stop Dan and Blair from working together to take down Georgina Sparks. However, teaming up to find out why Juliet Sharp was hell-bent on destroying Serena planted the seeds for a more intimate relationship between the two.
Barry & Iris – The Flash
Barry and Iris have solved many conundrums together before, but the mystery of parenting may be their greatest challenge yet.
Castle & Beckett – Castle
For Caskett fans, it was never a question of if Castle and Becket partnership could extend beyond solving crimes but when.
Eleanor & Chidi – The Good Place
Eleanor and Chidi love each other because they help each other. No matter how many moral dilemmas they need to puzzle out, demonic bureaucrats they need to outwit, or layers of the afterlife they’ll need to peel back, Eleanor and Chidi will always be there for each other, which is why they’re soulmates.
Ruzek & Upton – Chicago PD
Just as Ruzek and Upton started hooking up, their cases became personal. Ruzek feared his dad was involved in a drug ring. Another case forced Upton to relive memories of childhood abuse. Most characters in similar situations would push their lovers away, but Ruzek and Upton are only finding new reasons to rely on one another.
