Our Favorite Will They/Won’t They Procedural Romances
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Primetime television is filled with procedural shows — law enforcement and medicine, dramas, comedies, and sci-fi — and something that many of them have is that will they/won’t they relationship that keeps us tuning in to see if something will finally happen.
With Brooklyn Nine-Nine one such case (and returning for its final season on Thursday, August 12) and New Amsterdam‘s couple kissing in its Season 3 finale, when better to take a look at those and other slow-burn romances we’ve loved over the years (both past and present)? In almost all cases, they’re together now, but for one, we’re still waiting for something to happen (and in another, we have yet to see them together onscreen).
Scroll down for our picks for memorable will they/won’t they relationships in procedurals.
Jamie & Eddie (Blue Bloods)
Jamie Reagan (Will Estes) and Eddie Janko (Vanessa Ray) had a unique journey going from partners to now-spouses in that they never dated. Rather, to the Reagans’ surprise at a Sunday family dinner, they announced their engagement. Did anyone see that coming?!
Booth & Brennan (Bones)
We loved watching Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) dance around each other (and get jealous of other significant others), kiss under mistletoe (thanks Caroline!), and shock everyone more than once (their first kiss came years before anyone thought it did, and her pregnancy). Was their relationship ever easy? No, but the journey made it worth it. (Plus, no one went undercover like they did, both before and after they got together.)
Jake & Amy (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
From bets on the number of arrests to bonding on a roof, the early days of Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) made us fall in love with them — and that only continued as they got together, got engaged (during a Halloween heist, of course), got married, and had a baby. And the best part? The comedy of Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a nice reprieve from some of the more dramatic romances on TV.
Brett & Casey (Chicago Fire)
Paramedic Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) and Captain Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) kept taking one step forward, two steps back (especially at the beginning of Season 9, when, mid-hook up, she brought up his ex-wife). Sure, it got very frustrating at times, but how much did we love Brett’s declaration of love in the finale? A lot.
Stabler & Benson (Law & Order: SVU & Organized Crime)
If you’d told us a decade ago that Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) would return to the NYPD, drop an “I love you” to his former partner, (now Captain) Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), and a foe would call her the love of his life, we’re not sure we would’ve believed you. But that’s where we are, thanks to his spinoff and SVU‘s longevity.
Tony & Ziva (NCIS)
Was it almost too frustrating that Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) didn’t kiss (not undercover) until her (first) exit? Yes. (But it apparently set a precedent for future exits.) But we were hooked almost from the beginning and despite that period of time during which she’d been killed off (offscreen), we now know they’re happy together, with their daughter.
Kensi & Deeks (NCIS: LA)
Part of what makes us love Special Agent Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah) and LAPD Detective-turned-NCIS Investigator Marty Deeks’ (Eric Christian Olsen) relationship so much is how far they’ve come. From refusing to acknowledge their “thing” to getting married and discussing having kids, these two have grown as individuals and together. (We’re still partial to them kissing and getting together, in the middle of an ice rink, during a team outing, then thinking no one knew. It worked for them.)
Max & Helen (New Amsterdam)
Their chemistry is undeniable, and the tension kept building until something had to give … and it did, finally, after three seasons of rooftop chats, moments where we couldn’t believe they didn’t kiss, and very flirty voicemails. Dr. Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) ran to Dr. Helen Sharpe (Freema Agyeman), and if the little we saw of the kiss before she shut the door is any indication, their sparks aren’t going anywhere.
Mulder & Scully (The X-Files)
It would be so easy (and corny) to say that the believer (David Duchovny‘s Fox Mulder) and the skeptic (Gillian Anderson‘s Dana Scully) found each other while they were searching for the truth… but it was much more complicated than that (especially in the revival). But there was something special about those early days of their dance, whether while hitting baseballs, being interrupted by a bee, or investigating some really out-there cases.
