Ranking 11 ‘Glee’ Couples Ahead of the ‘Glee’-boot
Get in, Lima Loser, we’re going back to William McKinley High School. No, really.
On October 21, Disney+ officially ordered a reboot of Glee, reviving legions of retired theater kids from their showtune-less lives and (hopefully) ushering in a new generation of Gleeks. But we have to say, now that the Glee-boot is officially on its way, we’re feeling rather nostalgic about the original series. After all, what other TV show was brave enough to show a teenager giving birth set to her school’s rival show choir performing “Bohemian Rhapsody”? That was art.
However, while we’re still jamming to “Teenage Dream” and “Smooth Criminal,” Glee version, of course, we’ll be the first to admit that hearing Hamilton, Olivia Rodrigo, and Chappell Roan in the upcoming series for the first time isn’t what makes us most excited about the Glee-boot. It’s returning to some of the romances that stuck with us from the original series, like a slushie thrown into our faces that’s grown a little too sticky by the end of the day.
Since we, much like Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), have plenty of opinions about the couples who have walked the hallowed halls of McKinley High, we’re taking matters into our own hands ahead of the Glee-boot and ranking our favorite couples and exploring where they could be today.
Glee, All Seasons, Streaming Now, Disney+ and Hulu
Honorable Mention: Sue Sylvester & Herself
Remember when Sue Sylvester decided to marry herself? We’re hoping they bring this kind of energy in the Glee-boot. Pleak.
11. Quinn & Finn
The series needed to start somewhere, and Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) and Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron) were the perfect “it couple” at first. Of course, nobody expects the school’s “it couple” to get pregnant, least of all the fella in the couple who’s never done the deed. While we’re grateful for Finn and Quinn’s short-lived romance for establishing the series’ status quo, we’re even more grateful that it ended.
10. Sam & Mercedes
Say it with us: Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley) deserved better! Mercedes deserved better than one show-stopping note at the end of every Regionals performance, and she definitely deserved better than a will-they/won’t-they relationship with the guy who founded Lima’s hit cover band “The Justin Bieber Experience.” No shade to Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet). Love that guy. But Mercedes’ best romance is yet to come, and that‘s what you missed on Glee.
9. Will & Emma
Sorry to Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) and Mrs. Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), but this couple was boring. For a while, their slow-burn relationship was cute, but once they got married, they lost their charm, and we lost our interest. You don’t have to be Sue to see that.
8. Mike & Tina
Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.) and Tina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz) were a classic high school couple, so unfortunately, it makes sense that they didn’t make it. Still, they gave us quite a few memorable moments — who could forget their chaotic “Sing!” duet — so we’ve still got a bit of love in our hearts for them.
7. Rachel & Jesse
If someone egged me — not my car, not my house, but my actual body — I simply would not get back together with them. While Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff) getting married was a delightful nod to their IRL friendship, everyone knows that Rachel should have had a different endgame. (We’re not crying, you’re crying!)
6. Sam & Brittany
Should Sam Evans and Brittany S. Pierce (Heather Morris) have ended up together? No. Absolutely not. However, that one episode (Season 4, Episode 10) where they got (unofficially) married because they thought the world was ending on 12/12/12 was an absolute banger. In an alternate universe, that could have lived happily (enough) ever after.
5. Artie & Tina
TBH, we completely forgot that these two became a thing in the eleventh hour of this show. They’d been besties since Day 1, so honestly, it wasn’t a bad (new) direction to go in, but we would have loved to see Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale) and Tina Cohen-Chang live out their full rom-com. Glee-boot, take notes!
4. Marley & Jake
While we’ve mostly chosen to focus on the characters introduced in Seasons 1 and 2 of Glee, our OG New Directions, there is something to be said for the introduction of Marley (Melissa Benoist), Jake (Jacob Artist), Ryder (Blake Jenner), Kitty (Becca Tobin), and Unique (Alex Newell). Out of that group’s equally messy web of relationships, Marley and Jake had the most chemistry by far. However, since most of them were randomly written off the show before Season 6, none of them saw an endgame relationship. Hopefully, the Glee-boot will remedy that.
3. Rachel & Finn
Finnchel was, and forever will be, everything. From the very first episode, Glee made it clear that Rachel and Finn were made for each other, and we didn’t stop believin’ until the very end of the series, even though Cory Monteith died before the final season. Rachel and Finn captured the truest essence of an opposites-attract romance, and we will be forever grateful that we got to see their love play out on screen. May we all find the “I want to get married. Now,” to our “I have gym.”
2. Kurt & Blaine
The episode where Kurt (Chris Colfer) first meets Blaine (Darren Criss) at Dalton Academy will forever live rent free in our minds. When they were together, Klaine was the best couple in the series. However, all of their messy splits have bumped them down to number two in our ranking. After all, during their Season 6 breakup, Blaine started dating Kurt’s high school bully. That is decidedly not our “Teenage Dream.”
1. Brittany & Santana
You already know that Brittany and Santana (Naya Rivera) have earned the top spot on our ranking. Brittany and Santana’s friends-to-lovers arc, which was just as emotional as it was hilarious, deserves its flowers. Now that Morris has confirmed her return for the Glee-boot, fans are hoping that the series will honor Rivera’s legacy without giving Santana an untimely end. Hopefully, in the Glee-boot, it’s revealed that Santana is still happily married to Brittany, just vacationing in Lesbos or starring on Broadway at the moment.
