Whatever happened to television’s most famous couples?
Ross and Rachel. Carrie and Big. Cory and Topanga. Whether you love them or love to hate them, you can’t deny the enormous place so many of television’s fictional couples occupy in pop culture. And if you’ve ever come within 20 feet of a water cooler, chances are you’ve been sucked into a conversation — or a friendly argument — about them.
But even after their shows ended, I can’t help but wonder sometimes: What happened to these happy couples? Did they stay together? Split up? Start families?
Admit it: You’re just a little bit curious too. So, without further ado, here’s exactly what happened to some of television’s most famous couples.
Monica and Chandler, Friends
After moving to the suburbs, Monica and Chandler welcomed their third child, Lucas. Chandler was laid off from his job, which, along with the stress of parenting 3 children, led to considerable tension between him and Monica. But after 6 months of couple’s counseling, Monica and Chandler repaired their marriage. And Chandler losing his job ended up being a blessing in disguise, allowing him to make a much needed career change.
Like most of the public, Monica and Chandler dismissed initial rumors about The Syndrome as just that — rumors. In the early days, that was easy enough to do. Propped up by obscure conspiracy websites and less than reliable talk radio personalities, reports of the mysterious and terrifying so-called pandemic, first appearing in Northern Canada, seemed to be little more than isolated incidents connected only by fear-mongers and wild imaginations. It wasn’t until a series of unusual deaths in Washington State that the mainstream media began treating The Syndrome with the seriousness we now know it warranted. Per Monica’s urging, Chandler began stockpiling canned food and essentials in their basement — which they would then be forced to abandon in the evacuation. Their last known whereabouts were at a quarantine center near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Luke and Lorelai, Gilmore Girls
Luke and Lorelai, joined by Lorelai’s daughter Rory, watched in horror as live footage depicted the United States government’s brutal attempts to barricade Washington’s and Oregon’s state borders — an operation that would ultimately prove futile and horribly mismanaged, only contributing further to growing global unrest as reports of The Syndrome had now appeared in 3 continents. World leaders and public officials were baffled about the cause and origin of the disease. A viral video showed one victim in Boise, Idaho hysterical and feverishly attempting to claw his own arm off. After donating blood to aid the victims of the violent “Siege of Vancouver” uprising, Luke, Lorelai, and Rory packed up their belongings and headed toward the Mexican border where reports of safe havens persisted.
Carrie and Mr. Big, Sex and the City
Carrie and Mr. Big’s once happy marriage quickly deteriorated as they fiercely debated the best way to handle The Syndrome, which had now been reported in 8 states. Mr. Big contended that Manhattan would remain secure, as the government had a vested interest in protecting its most elite and powerful citizens first and foremost. Carrie argued that New York’s overwhelming population and density made it impossible to defend against The Syndrome, despite the government’s best efforts.
They argued for days before finally reaching an impasse, neither able to convince the other of the best course of action. Ultimately, Carrie made the decision to join Miranda at a National Guard safe zone in western New York. The two bid a tearful goodbye to one another and remained hopeful they would find each other again once the crisis had ended.
Jim and Pam, The Office
After getting caught in the middle of and narrowly surviving a shoot-out between local police and a band of looters at a Scranton supermarket, Jim and Pam moved their family to Quarantine Zone MD-2 in Maryland, before eventually relocating to a compound in the Monongahela National Forest, which would eventually be incinerated along with most of the Northeast during The Great Harvest.
Josh and Donna, The West Wing
Two days after a series of dirty bombs were detonated in Dallas, Houston, and Austin, Texas the President and his chief of staff Josh Lyman were briefed by the Joint Chiefs and the National Security Council on disturbing new information surrounding the origin of The Syndrome — which had now claimed estimated hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lives around the world with no signs of subsiding. It was revealed in this meeting that the first reports of The Syndrome had been traced to a group of 6 downed satellites — 3 in Russia and 3 in Canada. Troublingly, each set of 3 satellites formed precise right triangles of the exact same dimension and hypotenuse in each location — as if they had been deliberately placed there.
It was further revealed to Josh that the precise lengths and angles of the triangle had been embedded in a signal intercepted by a Navy outpost in the South Pacific in 1982. Along with this information, the message foretold of a global pandemic matching The Syndrome which would then be followed by an unspecified “Great Harvest” to occur at an undetermined date. The message ended with a stern warning to not resist The Syndrome or The Great Harvest with force or military might, lest our entire planet — and its inhabitants — be destroyed by intelligences far greater than ours.
When Josh returned home to his wife Donna that night he told her everything he’d learned — despite strict orders not to do so. Discreetly, the couple packed their most essential belongings and slipped out of their home in DC under cover of darkness, only to be confronted and apprehended at a military checkpoint outside Richmond, Virginia. They were eventually killed in The Great Harvest.
Joey and Pacey, Dawson’s Creek
Killed in The Great Harvest.
Cory and Topanga, Boy Meets World
Killed in The Great Harvest.
Ray and Debra, Everybody Loves Raymond
Killed in The Great Harvest.
Ross and Rachel, Friends
Rachel and Ross Geller welcomed their second daughter, Corinne, at an abandoned Walmart in eastern Kansas that had been converted into a covert center of operations for the unified resistance against the Harvesters. Some years after her parents passed away, Corinne Geller would go on to lead a core group of fighters in a series of successful victories over Harvester strongholds in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, securing her legacy as a fearless hero and leader.
