2025-2026: TV Ships We Deserved But Never Flourished

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Shipping is half the fun of watching television.

It helps to get viewers invested in the characters.

We long for our favorites to get together!

Whether they were an unlikely pairing or a slow-burning fan favorite, we’ve grown frustrated by the wait for the next step.

The TV Fanatic staff has rounded up a list of TV ships from the 2025-2026 TV season that we deserved but never quite took off.

Some of these have been stuck in the will-they, won’t-they stage for multiple seasons, and we’re eager for them to take that leap. Others were exes and had difficulty moving forward.

Keep scrolling to read our list of couples.

Maxine Dellacourt-Simmons and Dr. Dusty Magic – Palm Royale

Despite the ri-DONK-ulous premise on Palm Royale, Maxine and Dr. Dusty were a fun couple with aligned interests and a simmering sort of chemistry.

Sure, she was married, and he had a second (third?) job running money to revolutionary forces around the world. Still, her marriage was such a toxic codependency that she would’ve been better off playing at international espionage.

In the end, she probably did end up with the best possible outcome: independently wealthy and married to her gay best friend. Although her new stepson’s secret alliance with Cuban forces may come as a surprise.

As for Dr. Dusty, he remains the stuff of legends, always a moving target, spreading legal and gynecological expertise everywhere he goes. Maybe he’ll pop back into Palm Beach (and Maxine) one day. – Diana Keng

Michael Ormewood and Faith Mitchell – Will Trent

Ormewood and Faith progressed from co-workers and friends to roommates in Season 3. Many fans had hoped they’d evolve to a romantic connection, especially with her helping him after his brain tumor.

Will Trent Season 4 hinted at it when Faith fell for a criminal, and Ormewood was torn between feeling jealous and hoping he’d have a chance with her.

None of us will forget the angst when he handcuffed her when she was undercover. But after that, it seemed the series returned to them being platonic friends.

We had one sliver of hope when Ormewood wanted to confess something to Faith if they made it out of the hostage situation alive, but we never learned what it was, only to see them share a relieved hug.

With the one-year time jump, we never learned Ormewood’s intentions and are eager to see where their relationship stands.

Max Mitchell and Cole Ellis – Wild Cards

Yes, some of us are still fuming about this one! Max and Ellis have had a nice, slow-burning dynamic that Wild Cards has been earning for at least two seasons.

And then Wild Cards Season 3 happened. With Vivienne, Max’s mother, returning from the dead like some fashionable zombie, we should’ve had Max and Ellis closer than ever. Especially when he realized that the ONLY reason Max didn’t show up at his boat to sail away with him was because of this development.

But nope. Instead, the season carries out with Max and Ellis barely feeling like the best friends that they had become, let alone two people who were on the cusp of giving in to the feelings we all know they have for each other.

They just barely felt like cordial coworkers as the chemistry between them goes on a weird hiatus, and the addition of Ellis’ new girlfriend, Jessica, does nothing to help the situation.

By the time we got to that lackluster finale, the Max and Ellis reunion after her kidnapping and his risking everything for her should’ve felt like their moment. Sadly, that wasn’t in the cards.

The fatigue is real when it comes to waiting for these two to get on the same page, but here’s to hoping we’ll get what we need next season! – Jasmine Blu

Shane Florence and Bex Henderson – The Hunting Party

Shane and Bex are the epitome of a slow-burning relationship. They seemed more like flirty friends in Season 1, but after Oliver died, their relationship blossomed more, and he became her safe haven.

They trusted each other during the dark times, and Shane even called Bex his light.

Things seemed firmly rooted in the friend zone until they sang karaoke together. As they belted out “Time After Time,” it felt like a tribute to their relationship.

Shane and Bex shifted in flirting more, and warning each other if they ever went off alone. The teasing phone calls at night were fun to watch, too.

But their true test occurred when Shane’s birth mother shot Bex. Shane thought he’d lost her, and when Bex came too, they collapsed in an emotional embrace.

Since The Hunting Party‘s fate is up in the air, we don’t know if we’ll get more of these cuties.

Mickey Fox and Travis Fraley – Sheriff Country

Okay, so I may be cheating a little on this one, since they technically did get back together.

That lasted a whole episode until their own stubbornness got in the way of it, and it was all over before it really began.

One of the great things about Mickey and Travis getting together was the hope that exes can make things work on Sheriff Country.

While they didn’t quite make it the first time, they had the chance to look back. Travis even had a beautiful speech about change.

We deserved more than we got. I could have accepted a couple of episodes for them to realize they weren’t right together, but one-and-done didn’t even give either of them a chance to try to change for the better. – Alexandria Ingham

Oliver Wolf and Josh Nichols – Brilliant Minds

After the emotional writing Oliver and Josh received before, fans thought the dating docs would work their way back to each other.

However, Brilliant Minds ripped that dream away and officially ended the pairing, with Josh saying he couldn’t wait forever for Oliver to get his life in order.

That made sense, but it still broke our hearts when Oliver realized it, wanted another chance, and Josh had already moved on.

The fans only saw a few emotional moments between them during Season 2, such as when Oliver silently comforted Josh after Josh lost a patient.

Here’s hoping that when Carol and Josh eventually rescue Oliver from Hudson Oaks, they’ll have a much-needed conversation.

The fans deserve for these two to be reunited when Brilliant Minds ends.

Morgan Gillory and Adam Karadec – High Potential

I mean, this one goes without saying, right?

But we’re still going to say it. Morgan and Karadec need to set sail expeditiously!

These two have been circling around each other with the type of chemistry that keeps us glued to the screens, but High Potential Season 2 really kicked them into overdrive when it comes to their deep connection.

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They’ve become one another’s “person,” and that’s the most gratifying nature of their dynamic yet.

Whether it was Karadec soothingly talking her through a panic attack or Morgan picking out all of the chocolate chips from his cookie after a gnarly explosion nearly killed him (and her for having witnessed it), these two are clearly meant for each other.

And not even Wagner or Lucia can quite break through the special bond that is Morgan and Karadec, and what very much feels inevitable. – Jasmine Blu

Martin Best and Louisa Gavin – Best Medicine

Martin and Louisa spent most of Best Medicine Season 1 denying their feelings for each other.

Martin wasn’t used to being vulnerable with others, and Louisa only recently ended her relationship with Mark.

While she wasn’t ready to jump into something serious, it hurt when Martin finally opened up, kissed her, and then wanted to forget it as soon as it happened.

Since Port Wenn is a small town, and there’s Mark and Martin’s ex to deal with, everything turned upside down.

Martin and Louisa deserved a chance to be happy before it came crashing down. We got one episode.

Michelle Mackey and Jim “JD” Dempsey – NCIS: Sydney

If you weren’t a believer in Macksey, then NCIS: Sydney Season 3 absolutely sold the possibility of these two in so many ways.

Mackey and JD have always kept their interactions fun and flirty, but we’ve officially reached the point where they are willing to go through hell for one another, and their intimacy has reached new heights.

Mackey calls JD “Jim” now during softer, high-stakes, or generally more intimate moments. And by now, we’ve all probably caught that woman’s hooded heart eyes in his direction or the disappointment when we had to hear about the mysterious Mercedes.

Mackey’s entire past has now been laid bare to her partner, and she’s been there for him in his most vulnerable moments. The simmering tension between them has officially gotten to the point of being unbearable.

Seriously, mates!

After that finale moment on the couch where they were openly flirting and staring into each other’s eyes before they got interrupted by Mackey’s ex, if these two don’t flourish into the hot, sexy, hilarious, badass power couple we know they can be, WE’RE going to spontaneously combust from all that chemistry!

Over to you, TV Fanatics. Did your favorites make the list? Who else would you have included?

Let us know in the comments below.

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