For as long as there has been TV, there have been ships that fans were passionate about (just ask the Star Trek fandom), but there is no era that inspired more shipping than the '00s. There was something about the turn of the century that ended up producing a crazy amount of universally beloved TV ships. Maybe it was the increase in nighttime soap operas or the prevalent availability of the Internet, or some perfect convergence of the two, but whatever it was, people were serious about their '00s TV ships.
To say everyone shipped the same couples isn't true — someone always roots for the underdog couple or the crackship, and that is the beauty of fandom. But there were a handful of couples who came as close to being universally beloved as any couples ever have before or since. From Dawson's Creek to Grey's Anatomy to Lost, there were shows featuring relationships crackling with such undeniable chemistry that even naysayers had to admit these fictional people's inherent hotness together. For better or worse — oh, who am I kidding, it was definitely for the better — these ships were the '00s.
Prepare for some serious TV love flashbacks, because these 21 ships were your everything not so long ago.
1. Pacey & Joey, Dawson's Creek
There were some early adapters out there who saw the Joey/Pacey potential in the '90s, but it was in the year 2000 that the show went there with those two and the world fell in love. From their first kiss to that glorious episode where they were trapped in a store all night, "good girl" Joey and "bad boy" Pacey became the '00s defining ship. If you didn't watch the finale in 2003 and sob over their happiness in real time then you missed out on a major cultural moment.
2. Meredith & Derek, Grey's Anatomy
Before they had kids or one of them tragically died, Meredith and Derek were just two people who met in a bar and had amazing sex. Their relationship was wrapped up in symbolism. They had sex at the "prom." And when Meredith told Derek to "pick me, choose me, love me," everyone exploded with emotions. They were a beautiful mess and no one could get enough.
3. Seth & Summer, The OC
Adorableness, thy name is Seth and Summer. It wasn't enough that Seth was the sweet geek boyfriend everyone wanted, but The OC had to go and pair him with the kind, popular Summer, creating a ship with Spider-Man kisses and memorized sixth grade poems. Not loving them really wasn't an option.
4. Rory & Jess, Gilmore Girls
A romance built on a foundation of literature is a romance destined to woo a generation of book lovers with a taste for men in leather jackets. Rory and Jess' love story was bumpy and they didn't get their happy ending in Stars Hollow, which is exactly why everyone is holding their breath waiting for the Gilmore Girls revival to bring these two together again.
5. Kate & Sawyer, Lost
A conman and a conwoman crash land on an island, share the sexiest kiss ever to air on network TV, and proceed to crush hearts for the next six years. He jumped out of a helicopter for her! They had cage sex! Their hotness was not quantifiable.
6. Willow & Tara, Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Willow and Tara were hands down the sweetest, most stable ship on Buffy. That's probably why they were doomed. Before a stray bullet destroyed hearts everywhere, Willow and Tara were a safe place for viewers. These two women inspired a generation, and not many television couples can hope to have that kind of real world impact.
7. Jim & Pam, The Office
For the record, he would have saved the secretary. Jim and Pam are an example of how to create explosive romantic chemistry in the most mundane setting. Their across the room high fives, the teapot, "Casino Night" — these two human beings and their faces caused you way more angst in the '00s than your actual love life did.
8. Logan & Veronica, Veronica Mars
Logan and Veronica should not have worked. He hated her and she hated him right back until they didn't. Then suddenly they were, "spanning years and continents, lives ruined, bloodshed, EPIC." And no one will ever be over it, including them.
9. Lizzie & Gordo, Lizzie McGuire
Tween couples can make a serious impact, especially when they are best friends secretly pining for each other like Lizzie and Gordo. There is a good chance these two were one of your first and most formative ships.
10. Rose & The Doctor, Doctor Who
He burned up a sun to say goodbye to her. I just cannot deal with Rose and The Doctor to this day, and no matter how many revival ships come after them, none of them will ever hit your heart as hard as they did.
11. Barney & Robin, How I Met Your Mother
The duo eventually crashed and burned, but the build-up to Robin and Barney sent fans into a frenzy. From their first kiss in Season 3 to Barney's Season 4 pining, these two bros-turned-couple stole your heart and mine.
12. Kara & Lee, Battlestar Galactica
They were comrades in arms, friends, lovers — they were each other's world and their relationship was brutal and stunning. Remember the boxing match? They just don't make ships like that anymore.
13. Monica & Chandler, Friends
Monica and Chandler got together in the '90s, but they got married in the '00s, and it was their marriage that grounded the show's later years. There is a myth in the world of television that a married couple is a boring couple, but watching Monica and Chandler build their life together disproved that idea handily.
14. Brooke & Lucas, One Tree Hill
The angst was strong with Brooke and Lucas, but she wrote him 83 love letters over one summer and they declared their love for one another in the rain guaranteeing they would be forever beloved by anyone who watched this crazy show.
15. Luke & Lorelai, Gilmore Girls
Legend has it, the moment Luke and Lorelai kissed for the first time, the squeeing was so loud it disrupted satellites in space. Much like Jess and Rory fans, Luke and Lorelai fans are still holding out for a happy ending.
16. Vaughn & Sydney, Alias
No spies in love have ever been as cute as these two. They survived kidnappings and secret identity reveals to become one of the '00s hottest couples.
17. Denny & Izzie, Grey's Anatomy
The day Shonda Rhimes killed Denny Duquette was the day love officially died. I'm still crying, to be honest.
18. Spike & Buffy, Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Buffy and Spike were problematic at times, but they were also irresistible. They knocked down a house with their sexual escapades. They were bad, hot, wrong, and epic right up until the end.
19. Donna & Eric, That '70s Show
One of the sweetest first love stories ever committed to the small screen, Donna and Eric weren't as flashy as some of the show's other couples, but they were the ones you wanted to make it until the end.
20. Coach Taylor & Tami, Friday Night Lights
No marriage has ever been more perfect or satisfying to watch as the one between Coach Taylor and Tami. Shipping them was just a given.
21. Ephram & Amy, Everwood
Teen love is not always pretty. Ephram and Amy were two angst monsters, but if you watched Everwood you wanted these two to just get together and stay together forever. They were the rare first love that was built to last, and even the show knew it. They are why you still get weepy looking at Ferris Wheels.
You know what's crazy? This is just a handful of the '00s couple who defined the decade. There truly was never a better time to be a shipper.
Images: Sony Television; Giphy (20); personalinterestinyou/Tumblr
