I have a weakness for teen-centric TV. While My So-Called Life (which I surprisingly could't get into) is sort of credited as the holy grail of high school dramas -- or at very least the genre's trailblazer -- I believe the greatest shows have two things in common: Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage.
It's fine if the names don't ring any bells. You've almost certainly been exposed to this team's cultural influence, though -- they're behind both The OC and Gossip Girl, which are two of my all-time favorite shows. If you haven't watched them, please do it. Set aside a few days to binge watch, order some pizza and treat yourself to DVDs of The OC (it's the better show of the two, IMHO).
You can imagine how excited I was when I heard that the best character from GG recently married the best character from The OC. Okay, so it was actually a union between the actors who played these characters -- namely Leighton Meester (aka Blair Waldorf) and Adam Brody (best known for playing Seth Cohen). The parallels between the actors and the characters they made famous are inevitable, but the funny thing is, Blair and Seth would have made one strange couple. She was an icy Upper East Side princess -- a mean girl so fabulous, Regina George would have cowered in fear had she ever encountered Blair Waldorf. He was a West Coast outcast (though to be fair, Seth always seemed like an East Coaster at heart, and had he lived on that coast, he would have probably reached the heartthrob status that viewers gave him in the context of the show as well).
This got me thinking -- what are some other small screen romantic pairing that would have been perfect if TV worlds could collide? I came up with a few ideas for the Gossip Girl cast (it would have been senseless to do this with The OC's main characters because there were only four of them and one of them is dunzo.)
1. Chuck Bass should be with Elena Gilbert (The Vampire Diaries).
While Chair (that's Chuck and Blair) had one of the most epic romances of small screen history (slight exaggeration? Not according to the show's fans), they also had one of the most dramatic. Case in point: He tried to pawn her off to his uncle for a night so he could save his hotel. (Note: This likely won't make any sense at all unless you watched the show.) The issue there wasn't about the fact that these two kids had way too much money and not enough parental supervision. It's about the total lack of balance in their relationship. Both characters were stubborn and diabolical and strong-willed, which is probably why "Blair" left Chuck for Seth Cohen in the alternate universe Leighton and Adam opened up when they got together. Chuck needed to be with someone spineless. Enter Elena, the damsel in distress caught between two undead brothers on another CW show. Elena would probably the relish the chance to leave her supernatural world for Chuck's, but she should know that the Upper East Side is every bit as treacherous as her vampire-infested town.
2. Jenny Humphrey should be with Emily Fields (Pretty Little Liars).
Little J went through a whole slew of issues during the show's run. Who knew that all she needed to straighten her out (no pun intended) was the right woman? The insanely beautiful Shay Mitchel plays a lesbian with a taste for wild children on Pretty Little Liars. She's exactly the sort of sweet, mellow personality that would balance out Jenny's river-wide rebellious streak. In a world that is big enough to engulf both Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl, Little J is actually PLL's still-anonymous villain "Uber A." She tortures Em and her friends until she falls for her and switches teams (again, no pun intended). Turns out nefarious Jenny Humphrey was exactly what the little liars needed to defeat the A team for good.
3. Vanessa Abrams should be with Dawson Leery (Dawson's Creek).
Because they were both sort of unlikeable. Think about it: They could build a solid relationship based on a shared passion for film. Also they have that whole I-think-my-best-friend-is-my-soulmate-even-though-he/she-is-in-love-with-someone-else thing in common. (Refresher: BFFs Vanessa and Dan almost had it all before he fell for Serena van der Woodsen. They dated briefly but really, no one was buying it. Dawson formed one point of TV's most intense and long-running love triangle. The other two involved, Pacey and Joey, ended up together).
4. Nate Archibald should be with Quinn Fabray (Glee).
Did you ever notice how both Nate and Quinn dated their way through the characters on their respective shows without ever settling down with anyone? They were both highly desirable, but emotionally closed off in relationships. This is one pairing that doesn't just exist in my imagination. Chace Crawford, the actor who played Nate, is set to appear on an upcoming Glee episode as Quinn's college boyfriend. Take note, the Quinn/Nate pairing would be a strategic step for both parties, (most likely arranged by Nate's meddling grandfather, who put Quinn on Nate's radar so she lure him to attend Yale) and an entirely loveless relationship. In fact, Nate will never even know about Quinn's baby, Beth. They'd have no real connection but it would work because they have everything in common. And damn, they're pretty.
5. Dan Humphrey should be with Annie Wilson (90210).
I never really despised Dan Humphrey, but most GG viewers totally did. Who I actually did despise? Annie Wilson on 90210. She was whiny, irritating and holier-than-thou. Dan and Annie had very similar functions on their respective shows. Both were meant to be the relatable characters with relatable lives who found themselves thrust into spectacular worlds. They were the kids who shopped at the mall while their peers shimmied into Alaïa gowns. They provided a lens for audiences to take in worlds of excess without being completely thrown off guard. These two met while promoting their blogs-turned-books -- he wrote a scathing expose that threw all his friends under the bus, she penned a tell-all about her life as an escort. They fell in love, got married, and now co-author an anonymous gossip column. It's a good thing they found each other, too -- both are estranged from all their friends.
6. Serena van der Woodsen should be with Mr. Big (Sex and the City).
Yup, you read that right. Age difference aside, this is a match made in TV heaven because she's the worst and so is he. When Mr. Big discovered a single gray hair on Carrie's head, he was all "this is weird, I'm out." He found Serena passed out on in the backseat of a limo after a three-week bender soon after. Serena, who was once aptly dubbed a "golden shell," will always be a hot mess and Big is okay with that -- as long as she stays young and attractive until he dies.