Plenty of television shows love to portray a forbidden, or almost forbidden, romance. It adds to the stakes and forces the audience to either root for or against it. While many romances in television shows are controversial, some cross lines in ways that are a little too familial. While not every showutilizes incest to the degree ofGame of Thrones, plenty of shows advertise teenagers and their single parents dating simultaneously. Although not every relationship ends up working out, it suggests that the kids in that circumstance could end up being step-siblings one day. Sometimes, a previous affair between parents has led to the teenagers in a relationship sharing a half-sibling.
Many shows find loopholes in such storylines to try to avoid issues. InThe Flashcomic books, Barry and Iris never grew up together in the same house, which is a massive change from the television iteration, where they were both raised by Joe from the age of eleven. InThe Originals, Elijah falls for Hayley while she is pregnant with his brother’s child. InThe Fosters, a series about found family, spreads out into a forbidden romance between foster siblings Callie and Brandon. Sometimes, there are ways these shows and relationships could have avoided potentially awkward or uncomfortable situations.
10The Flash - Barry and Iris
The Flashtries to make it as direct as possible that childhood friends Barry and Iris are not brother and sister. They may have grown up together in the same house, but Barry and Iris only describe themselves as friends. Their relationship eventually turns romantic, andBarry and Iris become the most significant dynamic inThe Flash.
Barry and Iris Grew Up in the Same House
Even though the comic book counterparts of Barry and Iris did not grow up together, not all television fans could get behind Iris and Barry’s romance when, at times, it felt that they had been raised as siblings.The Flashcould have gotten around this by creating another character for Barry to live with while he and Iris remained lifelong friends. Even though Barry’s love confession states that he had a crush on Iris before he moved in with her, when looking at how Joe views them both as his kids, and Joe’s father-son relationship with Barry, it may have made Iris and Barry’s romantic connection difficult to get behind at times.
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9The Fosters - Callie and Brandon
The Fostersimmediately places Callie and Brandon in the awkward position of growing romantic feelings as Callie grows to be a part of the Adams-Foster family. Callie wants a family more than anything, butThe Fosterscan not resist experiencing the forbidden romance between Callie and Brandon.
Callie and Brandon Were Foster Siblings
Stef and Lena took Callie in as their foster daughter and someone they wanted to adopt. At times, Callie seems uncertain about how to proceed because her romantic feelings for Brandon would prevent her from being adopted.Callie and Brandon’s romanceis eventually explored in quiet moments and hidden secrets. However, as much as their connection may have been present in their interactions, the fact that they were basically family and that Callie’s brother Jude had been adopted by Stef and Lena while Callie and Brandon’s romance occurred only added to the growing conflicts surrounding their relationship. Eventually, Callie’s adoption puts an end to Callie and Brandon’s romantic relationship. As adults, they determined that their relationship, had it continued, would likely have burned out anyway.
The Fosters
Stream on Hulu
8Riverdale - Betty and Jughead
Betty and Jughead get together early on in the series, having bonded over their investigation into Jason Blossom’s murder. They became an on-again-off-again couple and one of the biggest fan-favorite romances in the show. Their connection in investigating and writing offered them an intellectual match that was backed up by years of being childhood friends.
Everything about Betty and Jughead’s romance was fine, up untilRiverdalerevealed that FP and Alice had a child together. The introduction of Charles suddenly makes Jughead and Betty’s romance awkward. Additionally, at one point, Jughead and Betty are living in the same house with their parents, FP and Alice, who were also dating at the time. No one ever addresses how uncomfortable that would be or how likely it would have affected any of these relationships.Riverdaleacts as if Charles is Betty’s brother and Alice’s son, and rarely ever addresses that Jughead and FP are Charles' biological family too. Still, that does not prevent people from forgetting the growing connections within the familial and romantic dynamics of the Cooper-Jones household.
A darker take on Archie, Betty, Veronica, and their friends from the Archie Comics series, Riverdale is a CW supernatural mystery series that sees the group trying to illuminate the truth surrounding various strange occurrences and murders in the titular town. When a teenage girl is found dead in the once-quiet town, the event starts a series of ever-growing mysteries that ultimately lead to darker secrets in the town’s history. Led by Archie, the Riverdale gang will attempt to navigate their new normal while dealing with all of the drama that comes with being high school teenagers.
RELATED:10 Toxic Relationships in Movies and TV Shows That Were Romanticized
7The Vampire Diaries - Stefan, Elena, Damon, and Katherine
Stefan and Damon undergo two main love trianglesthroughoutThe Vampire Diaries. Their mutual interest in Katherine was a problem, given how it resulted in hurting their relationship and how she had compelled and manipulated them. But it only gets worse when they meet Elena.
Salvatores and Petrovas Have too Many Shared Bloodlines
Elena is Katherine’s descendant, while Stefan and Damon are brothers. Stefan and Damon each had a romantic and sexual relationship with Katherine. Elena had a romantic and sexual relationship with Stefan and Damon as well. Between Katherine and Elena sharing a bloodline while Stefan and Damon are brothers, there are far too many overlapping lines between these four. Had anyone taken a minute to think about how uncomfortable this would be, maybe these love triangles would never have gotten as intense as they did.
Vampire Diaries
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6Brothers and Sisters - Justin and Rebecca
Justin Walker and Rebecca Harper’s close friendship eventually transformed into a romance. Rebecca grew to become loved by Justin’s family. Even though Holly had numerous issues with the Walkers, ultimately, they all wanted Justin and Rebecca to be happy. Justin and Rebecca eventually get married, and even when they hit many obstacles,Brothers And Sisterswants to portray this friendship transform into a romance. But, there is at least one detail that makes things uncomfortable.
Justin and Rebecca Thought They Were Siblings
Justin and Rebecca are not brother and sister, but for a long time, they believed they were due to William Walker’s long-time affair with Holly Harper. Wouldn’t that be enough to turn people off from being in a romantic relationship? Justin’s father and Rebecca’s mother had an affair for twenty years. Rebecca had been welcomed into the family. WhileBrothers and Sisterstries to justify the change by stating that Justin realized his feelings for Rebecca were romantic after believing that William was not her biological father, and they never act on anything until they both know they are not related, it is still a little too close for comfort.
5The Originals - Elijah and Hayley
Elijah does not even get the opportunity to meet Hayley first. Instead, Hayley gets involved with the Mikaelsons by manipulating Klaus into killing his twelve Hybrids. Klaus and Hayley eventually sleep together, resulting in Hayley’s pregnancy. Only then doesElijah meet and fall in love with Hayley.
Elijah Falls for His Niece’s Mother
Even though Klaus and Hayley were never in love or in a romantic relationship, it is still uncomfortable for Elijah to fall for Hayley, especially knowing her child is his brother’s son. The idea that Elijah would become Hope’s father figure based on his relationship with Hayley angered Klaus. Even though Hayley and Elijah never had the opportunity to fully enter a relationship, there were too many ties. Each of them were offered other love interests throughout the show that did not include familial connections. Although Elijah and Hayley’s inability to truly be a couple was a part of the tragedy of their relationship, at times it felt overly complicated, regardless of if the complications were due to Klaus or Hayley’s marriage to Jackson.
The Originals
Rent on Apple TV
4Riverdale - Polly and Jason
One of the biggest plot twists inRiverdale’sfirst season was that Polly was pregnant with her and Jason’s baby, and she was not aware he had died. They had agreed to run away from Riverdale, only for that plan to never come to fruition.
Polly and Jason Were Related
Considering Polly and Jason turned out to be biologically related, this relationship was far too familial. Even though Polly and Jason were unaware of being blood-related, it still makes their twin children the product of incest. Jason’s death prevents Polly and Jason’s relationship from going further than it had. Still, it did not help whenRiverdaleplayed off Jason’s relationship with his sister Cheryl to feeling a little closer than it should have been as well.
RELATED:Riverdale: Every Main Character’s Ending, Ranked
3Gossip Girl - Dan and Serena
Dan and Serena’s romance began as a poor boy meets rich girl dynamic. Whilethe biggest red flag of their relationship would not be revealed until the series finale, there were still plenty of issues that corrupted this couple’s relationship.
Dan and Serena Became Step-Siblings
At one point, Dan and Serena become step-siblings due to his father and her mother’s relationship. However, it actually goes further than that. Serena and Dan eventually discover that they share a half-brother, Scott. Although Scott’s storyline never really goes anywhere, it is still a reality that a previous romance between Rufus and Lily had resulted in a brother that Dan and Serena shared. Although Rufus and Lily divorce before Dan and Serena’s eventual marriage, their wedding still happens after they had been step-siblings.
Gossip Girl
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2Shadowhunters - Jace and Clary
Shadowhuntersmirrors its novel counterpart by creating the inevitable romance between Jace and Clary that takes up most of the story. Their dynamic is meant to be electric. But, just as in the book, the series reveals the unexpected twist that changes everything for this already-established couple.
Jace and Clary Believe They Are Siblings
To make a romantic couple genuinely believe they are brother and sister is horrifying, especially given they had already taken steps in their romantic relationship by that point. The novel goes very far, detailing a particularly intimate scene between Jace and Clary when they believe they are siblings. Luckily, in both the novel andShadowhunters, Jace and Clary eventually learn that they are not, and never have been, biological siblings. Still, such a scare may have been enough to never be able to return to normal.
1Wayward Pines - Jason and Kerry
In this case, due to cryosleep in a dystopian future,Wayward Pinesactually takes this romance way too far.Wayward Pines, in its desire to keep the mystery afloat in its second season, ups the ante in ways it never should have, crossing lines that should have remained uncrossed.
Jason Is Kerry’s Biological Son
In their original lives, Kerry had given birth to a baby, and then they both had gone into cryosleep and woken up at different points. They had, as adults the same age, fallen in love. Except, Jason is horrified and disturbed to discover the truth that his wife is actually his biological mother. This romance is mind-boggling, as neither had known the truth beforehand and then had to deal with the ramifications after discovering the truth.
Wayward Pines
