These days, a TV love triangle can feel a little cliché if it’s not done right, but in the ‘90s, love triangles were all the rage on your favorite TV shows. Nothing was more dramatic or entertaining than a really engaging TV love triangle, no matter how little they seem to happen in real life. These love triangles were most common on shows of the more soapy variety, but there were a few that found their way into sitcoms as well. What were the best ones in the ‘90s? That’s what we’re here to discuss! Read on to find our ranking of the top 10 ‘90s TV love triangles.
Love TV romance? So do we. Check out our other article featuring some of the same characters below: One of These 10 TV Couples Was Your First One True Pairing (OTP) if you Grew Up in the ‘90s
10. Mr. Big/Carrie/Aidan - Sex and the City (1998 - 2004)
In Sex and the City, Carrie was torn between two very different men: Aidan was the more comfortable and reliable type, while Big was riskier and kinda unpredictable. Carrie was attracted to both of them, but it was pretty clear who she was more attracted to, and, in the end, she went for it with the guy she had a more passionate connection with: Big. Would Aidan have been a better choice for her in the long run? That’s always up for debate, and what makes a good love triangle.
9. Slater/Kelly/Zack - Saved by the Bell (1989 - 1993)
The Zack, Kelly, and Slater love triangle on Saved by the Bell was a lot tamer than some of the other love triangles on the list. It also didn’t last very long, as Kelly chose Zack fairly early on, and Slater moved on to a much more interesting relationship with Jessie. Still, the first season was rife with drama between Zack and Slater, who were both vying for Kelly’s affections. Kelly would go on to break Zack’s heart in later seasons of the show, but in true meant-to-be TV fashion, they eventually ended up together.
8. Brandon/Kelly/Dylan - Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990 - 2000)
While the very early seasons of Beverly Hills, 90210 focused on a different love triangle (is it on this list too? Keep reading!), midway through the show’s run, after Brenda’s departure, it focused more on Kelly being torn between the stable good guy Brandon and brooding bad boy Dylan. Kelly had many relationships on the show throughout the years, but always seemed to have the strongest connections to these two men. The love triangle was at its strongest around season five, but Kelly would go between both Brandon and Dylan throughout the series while also dating some other men along the way.
7. Brian/Angela/Jordan - My So-Called Life (1994 - 1995)
Though My So-Called Life had a short tenure of just 19 total episodes, the show made a huge impression on all kids growing up in the ‘90s. One of the reasons it left such an impression was thanks to the love triangle that brewed up between Angela, Jordan, and Brian. This love triangle was a little more subtle because Brian’s feelings for Angela were pretty much under the radar for a majority of those 19 episodes, and only were brought to Angela’s attention toward the end of the season. The show left her decision between the two guys on a cliffhanger, but the creators have since said she would have picked Jordan.
6. Kimberly/Michael/Sydney - Melrose Place (1992 - 1999)
First and foremost, we just have to get it out of the way that Melrose Place was insane, like, 80% of the time. Right? If you were looking for a realistic drama, then Melrose Place was not the place to look. But if you wanted kooky and ridiculous, it was definitely for you, and a love triangle that represented that kooky ridiculousness like no other was the one between Michael, Kimberly, and Sydney. These people were obsessed with each other in very unhealthy ways — Sydney blackmailed Michael at one point, and Kimberly ran him over with her car! So much drama!
5. Steve Urkel/Laura Winslow/Stefan Urquelle - Family Matters (1989 - 1997)
From the earlier seasons, you would never expect Laura Winslow to ever be attracted to ultra nerd Steve Urkel on Family Matters. Over time, Urkel managed to find his way into Laura’s heart, but not before introducing a suave, cool version of himself called Stefan Urquelle, who was basically like Urkel but without all of his nerdiness. Stefan was really just a way for Laura to realize that Steve himself wasn’t so terrible after all, but she did waffle between the two for a while in the later seasons, making this a triangle to remember.
4. Liz/Max/Tess - Roswell (1999 - 2002)
While some shows introduce love triangles from the start as a way to spice things up and make the audience wonder who one person might choose, some other shows introduce a love triangle as a way to temporarily break up the strong, endgame relationship of two characters. Roswell was the latter, as it was pretty clear from the get go that Liz and Max were meant to be. But there wasn’t enough drama there, so halfway through season one, they introduced Tess as the person Max was “supposed” to be with. In the end, though, Max and Liz’s love could not be denied.
3. Noel/Felicity/Ben - Felicity (1998 - 2002)
While some love triangles are pretty one-sided with it being pretty clear who the person will choose in the end, Felicity’s was a bit different, and really sparked some intense debate among fans. Should the erstwhile Felicity choose the funnier and more down-to-Earth Noel, or go for her longtime crush, the broody Ben? To be honest, this love triangle is still argued between Felicity fans to this day, with each fan pretty much falling squarely on one side or the other. Who did you think Felicity should have ended up with? (I’m a Noel girl myself.)
2. Kelly/Dylan/Brenda - Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990 - 2000)
As teased, here we have the original love triangle that sparked so much drama on Beverly Hills, 90210 — the triangle between Dylan, Brenda, and Kelly. Did any other 90210 triangle really live up to this original soapy trio? Debatable. Brenda and Dylan were hot and heavy for awhile, but that all came to a screeching halt when Dylan had a fling with Brenda’s best friend Kelly while she was gone for the summer. While this love triangle could’ve kept raging on for years, because of some behind the scenes drama, we never really got to see it pan out as it might have thanks to Brenda disappearing from the show. Still, that early drama was some of the best in 90210’s entire run, and we’ll always have that, at least.
1. Dawson/Joey/Pacey - Dawson’s Creek (1998 - 2003)
While the 90210 love triangle may have been the granddaddy of all of the ‘90s soapy triangles, we had to go with Dawson’s Creek in the number one spot. If you just watch the pilot episode of the show, it seems pretty clear that Dawson and Joey will end up together — they are supposed to be soulmates, after all. But, after getting them together in season two, where was the story going to go from there? Enter, the love triangle that changed everything. Even though Dawson and Joey were soulmates, they weren’t meant to end up romantically entangled, as Pacey and Joey started to have feelings for each other. Now maybe there are some people who wanted Dawson and Joey to end up together, but we’d wager that most fans preferred the much more interesting Joey and Pacey.
But what about you? Who was in your favorite ‘90s TV love triangle, and did you want different people to end up together? Let us know in the comments!
- There was reportedly a lot of behind the scenes drama on the Dawson’s Creek set during season two, leading to the departure of series creator Kevin Williamson halfway through the season. Greg Berlanti (who now basically runs The CW’s superhero empire) stepped in to replace him, and was the one to suggest the love triangle between Dawson, Joey, and Pacey.
- Remember hairgate on season two of Felicity, when Keri Russell got her long, curly hair cut short? While many believed this was a decision Russell herself made, it wasn’t — it was written into the script for Felicity to cut her hair.
- When Shannen Doherty left BH 90210, Drew Barrymore was offered a spot as her replacement, but Barrymore rejected it as she wanted to focus on her film career. Alyssa Milano and Alicia Silverstone were also in talks before Tiffani Thiessen was cast.
- The exterior shots of the apartment building of Melrose Place are actually of the El Pueblo apartment building in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, nowhere near the actual Melrose Place street in West Hollywood.
- Sex and the City was based on author Candace Bushnell’s column in the New York Observer, and there was actually a real-life inspiration for Mr. Big as well — publisher Ron Galotti, who Bushnell had a brief romance with in the ‘90s.
- There was reportedly a lot of behind the scenes drama on the Dawson’s Creek set during season two, leading to the departure of series creator Kevin Williamson halfway through the season. Greg Berlanti (who now basically runs The CW’s superhero empire) stepped in to replace him, and was the one to suggest the love triangle between Dawson, Joey, and Pacey.
- Remember hairgate on season two of Felicity, when Keri Russell got her long, curly hair cut short? While many believed this was a decision Russell herself made, it wasn’t — it was written into the script for Felicity to cut her hair.
- When Shannen Doherty left BH 90210, Drew Barrymore was offered a spot as her replacement, but Barrymore rejected it as she wanted to focus on her film career. Alyssa Milano and Alicia Silverstone were also in talks before Tiffani Thiessen was cast.
- The exterior shots of the apartment building of Melrose Place are actually of the El Pueblo apartment building in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, nowhere near the actual Melrose Place street in West Hollywood.
- Sex and the City was based on author Candace Bushnell’s column in the New York Observer, and there was actually a real-life inspiration for Mr. Big as well — publisher Ron Galotti, who Bushnell had a brief romance with in the ‘90s.
