5 TV Couples That Elevated Shows (And 5 That Ruined It)

Couples That Elevated Their Show...

5. Mike & Eleven - Stranger Things

Netflix's Stranger Things is a triumph in just about every way possible, so it's understandable if you read this and laugh because it never needed to rely on a couple. And you'd be right: it doesn't need a couple to elevate it - it just needs Mike and Eleven, because whether they are together or apart, they are the heart of the show.

El may be the hero of Stranger Things but, as each season reminds us, she is still learning about human interaction, and the fact of the matter is that she wouldn't have gotten as far as she has without Mike in her life. However, on the other hand, Mike wouldn't be the heroic and selfless hero he is today without knowing her.

Two sides of the same coin, these kids learned a lot about themselves as they grew up in each other's company. Mike taught El the importance of communicating with people and, in the process, taught himself that very same lesson as, for the first time in his life, he fell in love.

Unlike a lot of the couples on this, the endearing relationship between Mike and El never overshadowed the show itself. It's always been there, playing a supporting role to the supernatural narrative because it is one of the foundations on which said supernatural narrative (and the show in general) is built. It's far more integral to the story than you would think and, without it, Stranger Things just wouldn't work.