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

3. Lana & Lex - Smallville

During the first half of Smallville's run, Lana Lang had always been portrayed as the sweet genuine and kind-hearted first love of the Man of Steel himself, Clark Kent, so you can imagine how the relationship between her and Lex Luthor turned out in Season 6. Well, if you can't, it went down like a led balloon and, in a way, it took the show with it.

Lex was the charismatic best friend of Clark, who desperately wanted to be seen as more than just a Luthor. Though he tried hard, there were some that he just couldn't convince - and it certainly didn't help that he was jealous of everything that Clark had. Thus, the creative decision to have him fall for, and ultimately marry, the one person that he knew his best friend loved more than anything in the world was pretty twisted - and not the cool evil Lex Luthor kind of twisted.

Though the pair had gotten on really well in the earlier seasons, there was something more naive about their dynamic. Unfortunately, that all went out the window here as they were forced together in what apparently turned out to be a highly-sexual relationship between two people that never had that kind of chemistry in the first place.

It was wrong on all counts and just felt like another contrived way of prolonging the Clark and Lana drama because he couldn't just tell her his secret after six long years! This, however, this was not the answer as it damaged Lana's character beyond repair (and her relationship with Clark) - and it ultimately made Season 6 the least enjoyable season of Smallville's entire run.