The best scenes on television almost always come with a catch.
Showrunners love to dangle the most satsifying moments in front of their audience’s faces, and then abruptly take them away and leave viewers wanting more.
Related: 13 Love Triangles That Left Us Genuinely Torn
There’s also the rare case of inconsistent writing, in which these moments are never again adressed on the show. So…what was the point of showing them exactly?
We created a slideshow below of 31 ‘ship teases that were downright cruel.
Joey and Phoebe kiss – Friends
Joey and Phoebe were always portrayed as a possible pairing, but it never quite came to fruition. When Joey kissed Phoebe under the impression that it was her twin sister, there was no denying the sparks flying between them.
Simon and Isabelle finally kiss – Shadowhunters
After waiting for the entirety of the series, Simon and Isabelle finally kissed in the Shadowhunters series finale. But, of course, there’s a catch. Isabelle has Heavenly Fire running through her veins and can’t touch Simon without risking both of their lives.
June is pregnant with Nick’s baby – The Handmaid’s Tale
Nick and June love each other and they were both ecstatic to find out about her pregnancy. But the catch was that they would be forced to give up their baby to the Waterfords.
Jon and Daenerys get together – Game of Thrones
Fans were waiting years for these two to meet, and when they finally do the chemistry between them is undeniable. However, it sucked for viewers to discover that they were unknowingly related during the middle of their sex scene.
Ricky and Amy get engaged – The Secret Life of the American Teenager
Ricky and Amy deserved better than their ending. They may have gotten engaged in a beautiful moment, but Amy ultimately leaves him at the end of the show. The showrunner did come out and say that the two do get married after the series ends, but we’d like to see it rather than being told about it.
Jeff and Annie kiss goodbye – Community
Community teased the relationship between Jeff and Annie from the get-go. They may have kissed in the series finale, but it was more of a goodbye kiss meant to leave things open-ended.
Michael comes back from the dead – Jane the Virgin
This entire storyline is cruel to both Michael and Rafael fans. There was really no point in bringing Michael back if she was still going to end up with Rafael. If she’s not, why kill Michael off in the first place and let her fall in love with Raf?
Prairie and Homer are seperated by glass – The OA
Prairie and Homer are the ultimate ship tease. They were so close, yet could never actually touch each other. When they’re finally able to hold each other for the first time they are violently pulled apart.
Amy and Jonah kiss during the tornado – Superstore
After two seasons of build-up, Amy and Jonah finally kiss in the Season 2 finale. However, they only kiss because a tornado has hit the store and they both think they’re about to die. The moment the storm ends, a heartbroken Jonah is forced to watch Amy run back into her husband’s arms. Ouch.
Octavia calls out Bellamy’s feelings for Clarke – The 100
Fans have been shipping Bellamy and Clarke ever since the pilot. In fact, there are so many teases it would require an entire slideshow to list them all. On Season 5 Bellamy’s sister finally called him out by accusing him of being in love with Clarke.
But as usual, nothing ever came out of it and it was never addressed again. So…what was the point other than to confuse fans? The inconsistent writing really jumped out.
Eretria almost kisses Amberle – The Shannara Chronicles
These two were teased so mercilessly it was hard to watch. The creators themselves even teased Eretria’s attraction towards Amberle, but nothing ever came of it as Amberle turned into a tree and Eretria got a girlfriend.
The Doctor and Rose (kind of) end up together – Doctor Who
Rose may have ended up with The Doctor, but he didn’t get to end up with her. She was able to live out her life with a clone of him, while The Doctor had to let Rose go. This wasn’t satisfying in the slightest.
Mina and Irving share a moment – The Resident
For a minute there, we really thought Mina and Irving were going to become a thing. But sadly, it hasn’t gone anywhere and it doesn’t look like it’s going to.
Barney and Robin get married – How I Met Your Mother
This was the cruelest tease of them all. Whether or not you ship Barney and Robin it makes little to no sense to have the entire last season take place at their wedding only to have them divorce an episode later.
Oliver tells Felicity he loves her – Arrow
Unknown to the audience, Oliver actually only said these three words, eight letters as a way to trick Slade. It was disappointing to find out it was all an act, but there was definitely some underlying truth to what he said.
Beth and Rio sleep together – Good Girls
Beth and Rio shared one of the best scenes in Good Girls history, but it turned out to be Beth’s way of moving on and putting both him and the criminal life behind her.
Patch and Diego’s entire relationship – The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy really hurt us with this one. It was obvious that Diego and Patch had lingering feelings for each other, but before anything could happen Patch was killed and Diego was left crying over her dead body.
Mark tells Lexie he loves her – Grey’s Anatomy
These two had an on again/off again relationship for years. By the time Lexie finally realized she would always be in love with Mark, he was in a serious relationship. When their plane crashed Mark told Lexie he loved her and wanted to marry her, but it never happened as she died moments later.
James and Kara kiss – Supergirl
Kara and James were crushing on each other for the entire first season, but as soon as they kissed Kara decided that James wasn’t the one for her.
Magnus and Alec get engaged – Shadowhunters
It was the moment fans all across the world had been waiting for. Magnus finally figures out the truth about why Alec broke up with him, and they get engaged. But sadly, it’s never that easy. The moment after they exchange rings, Magnus traps himself in Edom to save the Shadow World.
Stiles tells Lydia he loves her – Teen Wolf
No one knows patience like Stydia shippers do. Stiles finally told Lydia he loved her in the Season 6 premiere of Teen Wolf, but he was quite literally ripped right out of her hands before she could say it back. In addition, Dylan O’Brien only appeared in a handful of episodes of the final season, so fans didn’t even get to experience them as a couple.
Skye and Ward get together – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had been building up to this relationship for the entire season, so it was pretty disheartening to both Skye and the audience to find out that Ward was secretly working with Hydra all along. Is it bad that we still ship them?
Hook tells Emma how he feels about her – Once Upon a Time
Forced to tell the truth to build a magical bridge (it’s complicated), Hook confesses his true feelings for Emma. But nearly moments after, Emma confesses her feelings for Neal in order to break him out of his cage.
Damon kisses “Elena” – The Vampire Diaries
Both Damon and Vampire Diaries fans alike may have thought they finally got their Delena smooch, but it turns out that Katherine was just impersonating her doppelganger. That’s an awkward conversation.
Bing helps Abi go after her dream – Black Mirror
Bing and Abi really seemed to hit it off and were super adorable together. He even uses all of his money to help Abi achieve her dream. But it all goes downhill when Abi is put in a compromising position and offered a job that drives Bing and Abi apart. We still can’t stop thinking about what could have been.
Maya’s feelings for Lucas – Girl Meets World
This entire storyline was one messed up ‘ship tease. The chemistry between Maya and Lucas was undeniable, but as a quick and easy way to end the love triangle, the showrunners thought it was a good idea for Maya to become so similar to her best friend that she felt the same emotions as well. Um…okay? Because that totally makes sense…
Betty and Archie kiss – Riverdale
Well, this went nowhere. The kiss between Betty and Archie still feels like it hasn’t been properly addressed. The show may have brushed past it, but there are some obvious feelings between the two that need to come to light.
Ryn, Maddie, and Ben make love – Siren
This entire scene was incredibly beautiful as Ben and Maddie showed Ryn what it was like to love on land. But unfortunately, it only happened as a goodbye. Now that Ryn is back in the water, Ben and Maddie are unsure if they’ll ever see her again.
Chidi loses his memories of Eleanor – The Good Place
After seasons of finding each other only to lose each other again, Chidi and Eleanor were finally happy and in love. Why aren’t we surprised that they couldn’t stay that way? In order to maintain the integrity of the experiment, Chidi lost his memories of Eleanor yet again.
Sara and Snart kiss – DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
After building up the relationship between Sara and Snart for the entire first season, the two finally kissed. But then Snart sacrificed himself and the two could never be together. It’s fine. We’re fine.
Cassie and Izzie almost kiss – Atypical
Right when Cassie and Izzie are finally about to kiss, they’re interrupted and the spell is broken. Atypical, can you please put us all out of our suffering and get them together already?
