Sometimes the kisses that don’t happen are even better than the ones that do.
In fact, the buildup to a kiss can be more satisfying to watch than the actual kiss itself.
Related: 23 TV Characters Who Were Secretly Crushing on Their Friend
There’s instances where characters had a change of heart, others times they were interrupted, and once in a while there’s a kiss that happened in an alternate reality.
We created a list of 21 of the best kisses that never happened!
Prairie and Homer – The OA
They were separated by a glass wall for seven years. Always close, but never close enough. Right when they’re finally able to touch for the first time they are violently pulled apart.
Chidi and Eleanor – The Good Place
This one is an interesting situation because even though the kiss technically did happen, it didn’t. We love you Michael, but the repercussions of your reality altering reboots are still frustrating to this day.
Lucas and Maya – Girl Meets World
In all honesty, the only reason why Lucas and Maya didn’t kiss is that the show aired on Disney Channel. With the way these two were looking at each other, it was a bit puzzling that Girl Meets World left us hanging.
Rosie and Villa – Rosewood
All we wanted was for Rosie and Villa to finally admit how they felt about each other. The number of teases between them before they officially entered the romantic territory were just plain painful.
Jake and Amy – Brooklyn Nine-Nine
All Jake and Amy wanted to do was kiss, but the world just was not having it. It took several attempts for them to finally smooch after being separated from each other for months.
Oliver and Felicity – Arrow
Did this kiss really happen? Considering this scene was cut from the episode and then released as a deleted scene, does it count?
Peter and Olivia – Fringe
The moment Peter and Olivia started leaning in for a kiss, Olivia pulled away. Unfortunately, the timing just wasn’t quite right for these two.
Violet and Tate – American Horror Story
Fans of American Horror Story never thought they would see Violet and Tate get their happy ending. But Season 8 threw us for a loop and the two ended up reconciling. Sadly, the camera panned out before we could see them kiss. But to be fair, the scene really didn’t need it to be beautiful.
Cheryl and Toni – Riverdale
Cheryl and Toni were so close, yet so far. The sexual tension between them had been obvious for episodes, but your grandmother lying injured on the floor is sure to be a mood killer.
Booth and Bones – Bones
There were countless times that Booth and Bones almost kissed over the years. It happened so often, that it reached a point where it just got frustrating.
Barney and Robin – How I Met Your Mother
Everyone loves a good rain kiss. Sadly, this one never happened because Robin’s phone rang right when they were about to lock lips.
Cassie and Adam – The Secret Circle
Discovering you have powers and watching magical dew drops float around you in the forest can put anyone in a romantic mood. But Adam had a girlfriend, which caused Cassie to pull away.
Chloe and Alek – The Nine Lives of Chloe King
They may have just met, but was anyone else rooting for this kiss to happen? Judging from the expression on Chloe’s face, she definitely wouldn’t have minded.
Simon and Isabelle – Shadowhunters
This scene made us want to destroy all the alarms in the Institute. After years of build-up, Simon and Isabelle were about to share the moment fans have been waiting for, but of course, they just had to be interrupted.
Cassie and Izzie – Atypical
The moment had finally come, and right when Cassie and Izzie were about to seal the deal, they were abruptly interrupted and forced to jump apart. Figures.
Beth and Rio – Good Girls
How did everything BUT a kiss happen in this scene? Literally, everything else that could possibly happen between them did. This moment was both incredible and downright cruel.
Luther and Allison – The Umbrella Academy
This is another kiss that happened but didn’t. Once Five turned back time a lot of important events on the show were erased. Considering that these two grew up together there’s a lot of mixed opinions on their relationship. However, the actual scene was incredible. It just would’ve been better if they weren’t part of the same adopted family.
Clark and Lois – Smallville
Caught up in an intimate moment Clark and Lois were about to kiss at Chloe’s wedding, but they were sadly interrupted when an unexpected arrival made an appearance.
Travis and Laurie – Cougar Town
The fact that these two kept trying to kiss but couldn’t was made into a running gag. No matter how many times they tried to make it happen, someone or something kept interrupting them.
Barry and Iris – The Flash
We still can’t believe that Barry and Iris’ most epic kiss was erased from existence. It deserves to be acknowledged in every way, shape, and form.
Klaus and Caroline – The Originals
Fans waited years for Klaus and Caroline to kiss again, but right when we finally thought it was going to happen, we had to wait just a little bit longer.
