Television leaned hard on the love triangle this summer, and not every romantic rivalry earned its screen time. In a season crowded with competing suitors, a new critical ranking sorts the most prominent small-screen triangles from those that fizzled to the one that still lingers in the mind long after the finale.
The ranking places Elle, Dustin, and Miles at the bottom. The trio anchored eight episodes of high school backstory, but the forbidden-love conflict between Elle and Miles never generated heat, and the opposites-attract dynamic with Dustin felt forced enough to make the flirting uncomfortable to watch. The verdict is blunt: neither love interest earned a spot in the protagonist's romantic future. What did work, according to the ranking, was the unexpected chemistry between Elle and Liz, whose scenes together crackled with a natural, fresh energy that the show's movie-persona framing may never allow it to explore properly.
Next up is the Ted Lasso triangle involving Roy, Keeley, and Dr. Erin. The show needed a way to stretch out Roy and Keeley's reconciliation, so it introduced a brilliant, gorgeous romantic prospect who could match Roy's gruff banter. The ranking argues this triad functioned less as a story engine and more as a hurdle delaying an inevitable ending. Still, the arc resolved with the show's characteristic emotional intelligence, including a raw moment between Roy and Erin that illustrated how unexpectedly opening your heart can teach you about yourself. The verdict is unsurprising: Keeley wins, because Erin was never developed as a comparable character in her own right.
In the middle of the pack sits Crew Girl's Teagan, Josh, and Cam. The choice between the two boys formed the heart of the first season, yet the ranking found it hard to track Teagan's true desires or to invest in either suitor for a second season. Teagan seemed utterly unbothered that both boys were tripping over themselves for her attention, which the ranking concedes is somewhat iconic, but the lack of visible internal conflict meant the decision carried no real stakes. Cam and Josh came across as thin sketches rather than fleshed-out figures, leaving the central romance without a compelling anchor.
The ranking's criteria were consistent across all five entries. A compelling triangle, it argues, depends on whether the viewer waits with bated breath for the protagonist's choice, whether one love interest consistently earns rooting interest, and whether the central dilemma is understandable rather than merely asserted. When a triangle works, it functions as a story engine that generates narrative momentum while keeping the audience invested in the protagonist's internal conflict. When it fails, it becomes a delay tactic or a chemistry experiment that never ignites.
The top of the list remains a mystery in the ranking's framing, with the author promising that the number one pick is the triangle still impossible to stop thinking about. The full order and the reasoning behind each placement are laid out in the complete ranking, which invites readers to compare their own loyalties against the final verdict.