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7[[quoteright:300:[[Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/muchado.png]]]]
8
9->'''Rachel:''' You were our Fred and Ethel Mertz!\
10'''Katie:''' Funny, I thought ''you'' were ''our'' Fred and Ethel Mertz.
11-->-- ''The Story Of Us'', referring to ''Series/ILoveLucy''
12
13The Beta Couple is present in the backdrop of many Romantic Comedies and Dramas with TheHero of the story looking at wooing their LoveInterest. The purpose of this second relationship is to provide a narrative {{Foil}}, showing a "what might be" in the form of close friends who have a remarkably conflict-free relationship. This "simpler" pairing is the Beta Couple.
14
15The Beta Couple is always a secondary pairing (and {{foil}}) to the relationship that the TheProtagonist and the LoveInterest desire. Often they are friends or confidants of one or both of them, it's not uncommon for TheHero and their [[RomanticWingman wingman]] to simultaneously try to hook up with a pair of close friends.
16
17Usually, they serve as a barometer for how well or poorly the main (alpha) couple is doing, and offer a route to discovering a solution to the current problem. When one or both members of the primary couples have a problem, their first outside source of support will often be one of the Beta Couple. Hit a PoorCommunicationKills? The Beta Couple had that but worked it out. Losing "the spark" for your LoveInterest? The Beta Couple had that, and here's how they got through it. In addition to all of that, if there is [[{{UST}} sexual tension]] that the OfficialCouple is [[SelectiveObliviousness oblivious about]], the Beta Couple is all the more aware of it and will try to help them embrace it.
18
19For these reasons, things tend to go [[HappilyMarried more smoothly]] for them, letting them work as catalysts for the [[OfficialCouple alpha couple's]] romance. That said, the Beta Couple is usually a source of comedy, and as such have more freedom to be unconventional and kinky and ''less'' problem (or at least [[TheMasochismTango conflict]]) prone than the alpha couple.
20
21While the Beta Couple usually consists of secondary characters, sometimes the roles will reverse, with the main character's relationship being the Beta Couple, either temporarily or permanently, and the bulk of the romantic conflict in the story concerns another relationship. In stories that are particularly long, or have an EnsembleCast, the roles will often rotate with the story arc, with a different arrangement of currently struggling and currently supportive relations.
22
23Because having multiple couples is convenient for writing musical numbers in contrasting styles, adapted musicals often develop characters absent or barely present in the source material into Beta Couples. Musicals traditionally assign the Alpha Couple better singing voices than the Beta Couple, who get more opportunities to dance (especially if they're the juvenile type) and/or crack jokes.
24
25Compare TokenRomance and BickeringCouplePeacefulCouple. See also HookedUpAfterwards. Totally not related to BetaTestBaddie, but sometimes related to PairTheSpares or RomanticFalseLead. Compare AloneAmongTheCouples, another foil to the main character's romantic life.
26
27Has absolutely nothing to do with [[Music/TheMountainGoats The Alpha Couple]], surprisingly.
28
29----
30!!Examples
31
32[[foldercontrol]]
33
34[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
35* [[{{Jerkass}} Agito]] and [[NiceGirl Yayoi]] from ''Manga/AirGear''. By the half-way mark of the series, they had already reached a level of intimacy that took the main couple [[WillTheyOrWontThey thirty-five volumes of story to reach]].
36%%* Chitaru and Hitsugi in ''Manga/AkumaNoRiddle''. [[spoiler:They don't end well.]]
37* ''Manga/AstraLostInSpace'': [[TheStoic Zack]] and [[{{Tsundere}} Quitterie]] aren't yet a definite couple when the story begins, but unlike [[OfficialCouple Kanata and Aries]], they've known each other (and harbored feelings for one another) for a long time beforehand, causing their formal relationship to take shape a lot more quickly.
38* In ''Manga/{{Bakuman}}'', Akito Takagi and Kaya Miyoshi are the Beta Couple. Their down-to-earth approach to love and marriage and their frequent bickering is a nice contrast to the romantic idealism of the Alpha Couple, Moritaka Mashiro and Miho Azuki. The contrast between the two couples is not lost on any of the people involved, as Mashiro wonders if he and Azuki should be more like Takagi and Miyoshi (who have gotten married despite confessing their feelings later than Mashiro and Azuki), before resolving to keep his promise.
39* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': ''[[HowWeGotHere Everything but the Rain]]'' is Isshin and Masaki's MeetCute story, featuring Uryuu Ishida's parents, Ryuuken and Kanae, as the Beta Couple. Ryuuken and Kanae provide a [[BroodingBoyGentleGirl quiet, dignified, and very intense]] contrast to Isshin and Masaki's [[BirdsOfAFeather wild, crazy, and unconventional]] romance. [[spoiler:However, the beta couple's fate [[StarCrossedLovers is even more tragic]] than the alpha's, setting up vitally important plot points.]]
40* ''Manga/BloomIntoYou'' is about the budding romance between Yuu and Touko, but there's also a secondary couple- Miyako Kodama, the manager of a small cafe, and Riko Hakozaki, Yuu's homeroom teacher and assistant advisor for the student council(Touko is the StudentCouncilPresident and Yuu is an officer). Riko and Miyako have been together since college, and while they keep their relationship secret, Sayaka eventually finds out.
41* In ''Anime/BlueCometSPTLayzner'', [[spoiler:David Rutherford and Simone Reflane]] eventually become this (and a BattleCouple) towards [[spoiler:Eiji Asuka and Anna Stephanie.]] It's also an interesting example since [[spoiler:Simone started as the Veronica in a BettyAndVeronica triangle with Anna and Eiji, but David's AnguishedDeclarationOfLove ''and'' a three-years TimeSkip eventually began to change things quite a bit...]]
42* ''Manga/BoardingSchoolJuliet'' has two of them, and both are more out in the open than the OfficialCouple (who spend most of the series as a SecretRelationship). Aby Ssinia and Somali Longhaired, and Cait Sith and Ann Sieber. [[spoiler:By the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue, Aby and Somali have already married and have two children, while Cait and Sieber are mainly in a working relationship (pediatrician and nurse, respectively), and Sieber turned down Cait's on-the-spot proposal. However, she later tells Cait that she rejected him only because she wanted him to propose more properly and seriously.]]
43%%* Yuki and Sojiroh to a varying extent in the manga and J-Drama of ''Manga/BoysOverFlowers''.
44* ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'':
45** Yamazaki and Chiharu, despite being [[PuppyLove they're both fourth-graders]], they have been together for years, contrasting Sakura's and Syaoran's uncertainty about how they feel about each other.
46** Touya and Yukito are similar, in that they're much more low-key and self-assured than Sakura and Syaoran. They might not be sure about how the other feels yet, but they're both pretty sure where they stand, and there's no real drama in their story.
47* ''Manga/CaseClosed'' has Heiji/Kazuha, as well as Makoto/Sonoko and Takagi/Miwako. The three couples have their own quirks (BelligerentSexualTension in Heiji and Kazuha's case, a LongDistanceRelationship in Makoto and Sonoko's, and WillTheyOrWontThey in Miwako and Takagi's), but they all share one huge trait: running in parallel with Ran and Shinichi's borderline StarCrossedLovers deals.
48* Souichi and Morinaga (the first wants to keep it JustFriends, the second is hoping for a RelationshipUpgrade) in ''Manga/{{Challengers}}''. The mangaka enjoyed writing about them enough to eventually give them their own [[SpinOff spin-off]] series, ''Manga/TheTyrantFallsInLove''.
49* ''Manga/ChimidoroIceCream'': In this YuriGenre series, Ema Tachibana and Nene Sasaki form the secondary couple. Ema is a GyaruGirl who's into fashion and teasing people, while Nene is a nerdy recluse who loves zombie movies. Nene has no idea why Ema is even interested in her, but Ema says that they're both weirdos who have fun together.
50* Though there are several couples in ''Manga/{{Clover}}'' the only seemingly happy pairing [[spoiler:in which both members are still alive at the present time]] are Gingetsu and Ran [[spoiler:and even they are probably doomed in about five years.]]
51* ''Anime/CodeGeass'':
52** Suzaku Kururugi and Euphemia li Britannia could be this... if there was an alpha to begin with. The typical beta couple is the couple involving the most important people after the couple involving the protagonist. But here, main protagonist Lelouch vi Britannia is a CelibateHero (though several girls do pursue his affections), so Suzaku and Euphemia were the only couple displayed in some openings.
53** Kaname Ohgi and Villetta Nu also qualify, kind of beta for Suzaku/Euphie, but actually the only couple which ends well [[spoiler:(not that Suzaku stopped loving Euphie or vice versa: she dies tragically near the end of the first season)]].
54* ''Anime/CrossAnge'': The main romantic focus of this series is FallenPrincess Ange and her BadassNormal "Knight of Ange", Tusk. However, a romantic subplot is also present between the yuri pairing of Chris and Rosalie. While originally part of a harem, they end up choosing to be girlfriends to each other. [[spoiler:When Chris later [[FaceHeelTurn joins]] [[BigBad Embryo]], Rosalie makes it her personal mission to either kill Chris or [[HeelFaceTurn bring her back to the side of good]]. While she does attempt to do the former after Chris kills one of Rosalie's charges, Rosalie ultimately succeeds in the latter, and they reconcile.]]
55%%* [[spoiler:Nanami and Yuzuru]] in ''Manga/DanceInTheVampireBund''.
56* Lots of couples in ''Anime/EurekaSeven''. Namely Holland x Talho, Ray x Charles, Sakuya x Norb. Dominic x Anemone is probably the most popular. Subverted by Dominic x Anemone. They face loads of troubles in their relationship throughout the series (mostly for Dominic, who spends almost the entire anime trying to get Anemone to notice him), and thus their relationship is more of a parallel to the main pair than a mere Beta Couple. The same may also be said for Holland x Talho. A true Beta Couple from the series would be Moondoggie x Gidget or, as suggested above, Norb x Sakuya.
57%%* ''Anime/FutureGPXCyberFormula'' has Shinjyo/Miki, Osamu/Clair, and [[CanonImmigrant Shiba/Rena]], if you're going to take them to account.
58* Austria and Hungary (despite being "divorced"... it's complicated) are this to [[HoYay Germany and North Italy]] in the Valentines strip of ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers''.
59* Akane and Subaru provide some much-needed sweet romance in the midst of [[LoveMartyr Hatsumi]] and [[FetishizedAbuser Ryoki's]] twisted relationship in ''Manga/HotGimmick''.
60* ''Manga/HyperPolice'' uses this trope later on in the series when Tommy and Poe hook up. Tommy is already Banten's [[RomanticWingman wingman]], and Poe takes Natsuki under her wing (And her slippers, yeouch!) to try and save her relationship.
61* ''Anime/ImGonnaBeAnAngel'': Raphael and Mikael are somewhat an inverted HoYay Beta Couple to Noelle and Yuusuke as it's implied that they have been in a relationship long before the series actually started and their relationship is...a lot less innocent than Noelle and Yuusuke's.
62* Watanuki and Karuta in ''Manga/InuXBokuSS''. Being [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friends]], they have a rather casual dynamic to contrast Ririchiyo and Soushi's MistressAndServantBoy relationship. It becomes even more emphasized in the second part of the series, where [[spoiler:the cast gets killed off and reincarnated several years later. Both Ririchiyo and Karuta have to try and restart their relationships with their boyfriends who don't remember their past lives. While the new Ririchiyo and Soushi don't manage to make their relationship work, the new Karuta and Watanuki get along pretty nicely in comparison; their only issue is that now she is six years older than him.]]
63* Miroku and Sango from ''Manga/InuYasha'' are a slightly more mature couple who contrast with their companions [[OfficialCouple Kagome and Inuyasha]].
64* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'': Koichi and Yukako, the former being a major character but not the main protagonist and the latter being a supporting character, get together in a side-plot.
65* ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'':
66** Kashiwagi and her boyfriend. While they have their issues and come to the Student Council for help; they are dating and openly communicate with each other. Meanwhile, Kaguya and Shirogane refused to admit their feelings and are stuck in a constant war to make the other confess. [[spoiler:Chapter 48 even implies that they did something [[TheirFirstTime intimate]] over summer break, which was outright confirmed in chapter 138.]]
67** Among the student Council, Ishigami and Miko Iino serve as the heavily teased foil to Shirogane/Kaguya. They are equally as stubborn to each other as Kaguya and Shirogane were in the beginning, but where the latter two tried to hide their feelings through little tricks, the former two are always unknowingly helping each other out.
68%%* Tsuyoshi and Aya, classmates of Alpha Couple Sana and Akito in ''Manga/{{Kodocha}}''.
69%%* The scarily fervent matchmaker friends to the leads of ''Manga/LovelyComplex''.
70* ''Anime/{{Macross}}'': Several shows in the franchise feature a secondary couple to the main LoveTriangle that tends to meet a rather unfortunate end, specifically [[spoiler:the male half]].
71** ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'' Roy Focker and Claudia [=LaSalle=], who are notable for being one of the first instances of an interracial couple in anime. Unfortunately for them, [[spoiler:Roy gets killed by way of MentorOccupationalHazard]].
72** ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' ends up PlayingWith the franchise's handling of the trope. There are two secondary couples in the show, Ozma Lee and Catherine Glass and Michael Blanc and Klan Klang. In the case of the former, Ozma is set up to be ''Frontier'''s equivalent of Roy and [[spoiler:his death is heavily telegraphed in the same fashion as his, [[SubvertedTrope only for him to survive]]]]. In the case of the latter, [[spoiler:it is Michael who ends up dying instead of Ozma, and even then Michael's death only happens in the anime continuity; in the movie continuity, Michael is SparedByTheAdaptation]].
73** ''Anime/MacrossDelta'' has Messer Ihlefeld and Kaname Buccaneer. Like Roy before him, [[spoiler:Messer is killed in action]]. Notably, the show also has a rare {{Yuri}} example with Makina and Reina, who end up being an {{Aver|tedTrope}}[=sion=] of the franchise's usual handling of this trope in that [[spoiler:they manage avoid the tragic fates of the previous examples in both the anime and movie continuities]] .
74* ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'': Caldina and Lafarga offer a more or less stable romance, compared with Hikaru and Lantis' troubled relationship and implied LoveTriangle[=/=]OneTrueThreesome stuff with Eagle Vision.
75* The ''Franchise/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' series's non-LesYay couples, Chrono/Amy and Erio/Caro. Note that Erio and Caro fall for each other very fast. One reason is that [[PuppyLove they are still kids]].
76* Several couples in ''Manga/MarmaladeBoy'', but specially Ginta Suoh and Arimi Suzuki (who had previously [[OperationJealousy tried to break Yuu and Miki up]], but [[PairTheSpares found solace with each other when it failed]]), as well as [[HotForStudent Meiko Akizuki and Namura-sensei.]]
77* From ''Manga/Mars1996'', we have [[spoiler:Harumi and Tatsuya, best friends of Kira and Rei respectively, who hook up later on in the series. Their relationship isn't focused on that much and is lampshaded in universe as being more casual than Kira and Rei's.]]
78* Akane Higurashi and Kazuya Kurauchi act as a Beta Couple to the LoveTriangle in the ''Manga/MyHime'' manga. And also to an extent in the anime: [[spoiler:the scene where both Akane and Mai use their [=CHILDS=] makes it clear they are very similar. Akane is then defeated by someone she thought was a friend (Miyu), resulting in Kazuya's demise. Same thing happens to Mai (she gets attacked by Shiho, with whom she was friends before Shiho found out she was a contender for Yuuichi's heart, then Shiho's child gets destroyed by a brainwashed Mikoto, killing Yuuichi).]]
79%%* Junko and Kyosuke in ''Manga/{{Nana}}''.
80%%* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
81%%** Naruto/Hinata serve as this to Sasuke/Sakura in ''[[Literature/SakuraHidenThoughtsOfLoveRidingUponASpringBreeze Sakura Hiden]]''.
82%%** Sai/Ino serve as this to Shikamaru/Temari in ''[[Literature/ShikamaruHidenACloudDriftingInSilentDarkness Shikamaru Hiden]]'', and Sasuke/Sakura in ''Sakura Hiden''.
83* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'':
84** Konoka and Setsuna. They're close friends of the leads, Negi and Asuna, and are childhood friends who are just starting to bond again after years of estrangement. One of Setsuna's main issues is her questioning whether she can protect Konoka better if she keeps her distance, but she always resolves to stay close to her. Also, she doesn't have romantic rivals, unlike all the girls who like Negi. At the end of the manga, [[spoiler:while there is NoRomanticResolution for Negi, the epilogue states Konoka and Setsuna both married in the same year, it just doesn't say to each other (though it is implied).]]
85** While Negi has to deal with a large UnwantedHarem that only keeps growing, his [[TheRival rival]] Kotaro only has a mildly dysfunctional relationship with his roommate Natsumi. As of the conclusion of the manga, in contrast with the couples mentioned above, [[spoiler:Natsumi/Kotaro are set in stone, given that they are explicitly stated to have married in the epilogue.]]
86* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' has both Kaji/Misato and Toji/Hikari in addition to the primary LoveTriangle involving Shinji, Asuka, and Rei. Toji/Hikari develops in a more straightforward and stable manner than the others, while [[spoiler:Kaji/Misato meets a tragic ending]].
87%%* [[spoiler: Romeo's best friend Benvolio and Juliet's adoptive sister Cordelia]] in ''Anime/RomeoXJuliet''.
88%%* ''Manga/PhantomDream'' ends with [[spoiler:Hideri and Eiji getting together and having a child together.]] On a lesser note, Migiri and Tokiwa get together with an unknown man and woman.
89* Rosalie and Bernard in ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles''. The main couples are StarCrossedLovers; Oscar and André are separated by [[UptownGirl their social classes]] and Queen Marie Antoinette has a secret affair with Count Fersen without being allowed to let their love become known to the public. Since Rosalie and Bernard are both commoners, they get married almost right away. [[spoiler:They're also the only couple to survive at the end.]]
90* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'':
91** Haruka/Sailor Uranus and Michiru/Sailor Neptune. Interestingly, they are probably more stable and certainly more mature than the Alpha Couple consisting of Usagi/Sailor Moon and Mamoru/Tuxedo Kamen.
92** Usagi's friends Naru and Umino in TheNineties [[Anime/SailorMoon anime]], once they got their RelationshipUpgrade.
93** Makoto and Motoki become one in the [[Series/PrettyGuardianSailorMoon live-action series]] only, even getting engaged in the finale special.
94%%* Shizuku and Kotone in ''Manga/SakuraTrick''.
95* In ''Manga/SlamDunk'', Ryota and Ayako are this to Hanamichi and Haruko to an extent. Ryota makes his affection for Ayako very clear and Ayako generally doesn't mind it (unless it interferes with basketball or gets him in trouble). Sakuragi even [[LampshadeHanging shows some distress when he notices Ryota's made more progress with Ayako then he has with Haruko.]]
96* Princess Amelia of ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' definitely has feelings for Zelgadis but, due to his quest to recover his human body and being the only serious guy of the group, for the most part, he [[ObliviousToLove doesn't remark on it or doesn't care]]. However, she does make him blush a lot, and there are many hints that he cares for her quite deeply, especially in the second season. And the fact that we see that [[spoiler:one of Amelia's wristbands is tied to Zel's canteen in the credits of the last episode of the third season.]]
97%%* [[BadassBookworm Ox]] and [[CuteWitch Kim]] of ''Manga/SoulEater'', although right now they're the ''only'' couple.
98%%* ''Manga/StoryOfADumbPrefectAndHighSchoolGirlWithInappropriateSkirtLength'':
99%%** Akina and Izubuchi. She's been into him ever since he saved her from falling down the stairs. He seems to be almost as ObliviousToLove as Sakuradaimon, though.
100%%** Yamato and Kogori. She [[TheTease loves teasing him]], and he's [[LovesMyAlterEgo head over heels for her "gal version"]].
101* Orie and Hinako from ''Manga/SweetBlueFlowers'', who Fumi sees as having the ideal happy lesbian relationship.
102* ''Manga/TonariNoKashiwagiSan'' has Sayaka and Kazuki who often help Kotone and Yuuto along with their stumbling more-than-friends-but-not-quite-going-out relationship, both through direct advice and as a DoubleDate couple to keep the two from being too nervous, although mostly Yuuto, as Kotone is [[ObliviousToLove even more innocent]] than that.
103* ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'' has somewhat of an inversion. The main protagonists Sakura and Syaoran were actually the ones with the more simplified relationship as opposed to the [[HideYourGays ambiguously canon]] Beta Couple Fai and Kurogane, possibly attributed to the fact that Sakura and Syaoran were carry-overs from the already canon version of themselves in ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'', so there was no question that they'd get together. Whereas Fai and Kurogane were entirely new characters who got their CharacterDevelopment over the course of Tsubasa. Even so, they still frequently acted as parental figures to Sakura and Syaoran, as well as parallels/foils to them in various official artwork and in-story plots and jokes, such as their Outo Country names: Big Dog (Kurogane), Little Dog (Syaoran), Big Cat (Fai) and Little Cat (Sakura).
104* ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'': [[Anime/MazingerZ Kouji]] and Maria are the secondary couple, starting from the last season where Maria was introduced.
105%%* ''Manga/VampireKnight'': [[spoiler:Ruka and Kain, Rima and Shiki]]. In a bonus chapter released after the ending, [[spoiler:Aidou and Yori are revealed to have been a couple.]]
106* Duero and Parfait in ''Anime/{{Vandread}}''. Considering that he's a medic and she's a mechanic onboard a LivingShip, their jobs allow them to be close at all times. [[NoHuggingNoKissing Not that they ever do anything beyond compliments and awkward touches...]] especially because they both grew up in societies that shunned the other gender as subhuman, leaving them unable to come to terms with their feelings.
107%%* Amue and Ryo Shirogane in ''GoLion''. AKA Romelle and Sven in ''Anime/{{Voltron}}''.
108* Takenaga and Noi from ''Manga/TheWallflower'' are the lovey-dovey couple with legitimate romantic moments, contrasting the irremediably ObliviousToLove Sunako and Kyohei being stuck in neverending WillTheyOrWontThey.
109* It's kinda... ''complicated'' in ''Manga/YandereKanojo'', since the supposed first couple (Reina and Manabu) is went out without hitch. The ''secondary'' couple (Hijiri and Shiratori) is the one who shown the growth. A better example might be The Manager/Hiromichi and Mayami, who get together quite late in the story, but never really face any major obstacles, and even get the Tanaka family's approval quite easily. There are other, less significant Beta Couples as well, like Reina's parents, and The Principal and his wife.
110* ''Manga/YuriIsMyJob'' has Kanoko and Sumika. The main couple is Hime and Mitsuki, a pair of former friends from elementary school who, after reuniting by chance, gradually work out their issues and fall in love. Meanwhile, Kanoko tries to come to terms with her unrequited feelings for Hime and her jealousy of Mitsuki, and while Sumika helps Kanoko through that process, Sumika starts falling for Kanoko. The series alternates between arcs focusing on Hime and Mitsuki and arcs focusing on Kanoko and Sumika.
111[[/folder]]
112
113[[folder:Comic Books]]
114* Taye and Marty in ''{{ComicBook/Circles}}''. They remained together nearly the entirety of the story, however they are not the main focus of the story and Paulie and Douglas have been together much longer than them and way before the story took place.
115* ''ComicBook/DruidCity'' features the main character's homosexual brother, Mike, in an OppositesAttract relationship with PetHomosexual Dusty Crocker. While they have their own problems, Mike and Dusty's relationship spans the entirety of the series and serves as a contrast to the far more tumultuous relationships that the main character, Hunter Hastings and female lead Becky Fink, engage in separately.
116* Post-issue #50 in ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', Antoine D'Coolette and Bunnie Rabbot became the beta couple to Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Sally Acorn.
117[[/folder]]
118
119[[folder:Comic Strips]]
120* ''ComicStrip/MandrakeTheMagician'': Mandrake's best friend Prince Lothar and his girlfriend Karma are this to Mandrake and Princess Narda.
121[[/folder]]
122
123[[folder:Fan Works]]
124* ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust'': The alpha couple is Shinji and Asuka, and the beta one is Touji and Hikari, the former ones' best friends. Their relationship developed mainly in chapters 6 and 7.
125* In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/8028913/chapters/18384769 All Tomorrows]]'', Jim and Spock serve as the HappilyMarried {{Foil}} to Nyota and T'Pring's rather more uncertain InterspeciesRomance.
126* ''Fanfic/{{Bloom|Mogatrat}}'': The alpha [[{{Polyamory}} trio]] is [[VideoGame/LifeIsStrange Max, Chloe, and Rachel]], with Kate/Dana and Victoria/Taylor as the Beta Couples. They both develop in the background of the main fic, and get their own spin-off one-shots ''Handle With Care'' and ''In the Night We Trust''.
127* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': Penny and OC Joe become sweethearts starting with "The Coffee Shop" and get married a year later in "The Rings," though their relationship is of secondary focus in the series. (Bolt and Mittens serve as the OfficialCouple.)
128* ''Fanfic/BoysUndSenshado'' is mainly about [[Anime/GirlsUndPanzer Miho]] and [[OriginalCharacter Akio]], but there's also Hoshino from Leopon Team and Tsubasa. The two of them get together in Chapter 12, while Akio is still denying his feelings for Miho.
129* ''Fanfic/TheChildOfLove'': Misato and Kaji. In the past, they faced similar troubles to Shinji and Asuka's, and now they are slowly rekindling their relationship.
130* ''Fanfic/ChildrenOfAnElderGod'': Touji and Hikari developed as the same time Shinji and Asuka started out their relationship. At the end, they chose [[spoiler:to remain among normal human beings unlike Shinji and Asuka, who could not fit in human society anymore.]]
131* ''Fanfic/ACodetteWorldTour'': Izzy/Ezekiel is this to Cody/Bridgette. While they don't get a lot of focus compared to the eponymous pairing, they hook up with each other far faster and far more easily.
132* ''Fanfic/CobysChoice'': While the main romantic pairing is Luffy/Nami, a major ongoing plot thread is Coby and Grace awkwardly developing feelings for each other over time. There's also Usopp's long-distance relationship with Kaya, and a romance gradually developing between Gin and Amy.
133* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'': The Alpha couple is Shinji/Asuka. One of the beta couples is Daniel/Rayana, the HappilyMarried {{God Emperor}}s of Avalon that give much-needed advice and counseling to the alpha couple. Later show up [[spoiler:Misato/Kaji, Toji/Hikari... and two story characters -Ching and Bir- gradually get into a relationship.]]
134* ''Fanfic/CrossAngeTheKnightOfHilda'': Despite being the focus of the fic, Rio and Hilda serve as beta while Ange and Tusk are the alpha couple.
135* [[Literature/HarryPotter Sirius]] and [[OriginalCharacter Aletha]] in the Fanfic/{{Dangerverse}}--quite literally, since they live in a "Pack" and are considered the Beta male and female.
136%%* [[Anime/YuGiOh Kaiba and Yugi]] in Fanfic/DecksFallEveryoneDies (the alpha couple is Joey and Tristan).
137%%* In ''Fanfic/ADelicateBalance'', [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Lyra and Bon Bon]] are a Beta Couple to Twilight and Applejack.
138* ''Fanfic/DoingItRightThisTime'': Hikari and Touji. Shinji, Asuka, and Rei run into them for the first time when they were about to go out. It turns out that [[spoiler:they had got together after Touji got maimed during the war and had been dating for a while before the world ended and they were sent back to the past, too.]]
139* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'': The alpha couple is Ami and [[spoiler: Jadeite]], the beta is Cathy and Jered. However, there ''are'' other couples meantioned, most noteably for humor: [[OurElvesAreDifferent Venna]] and [[WhiteMage Snyder]], and [[CombatTentacles Tserk]] and [[WingedHumanoid Cerasse]].
140* ''Manga/{{Evangelion 303}}'': The main couple is Shinji/Asuka. Rei/Kaworu and Hikari/Touji are the beta couples, often talking about Shinji and Asuka's troubles and even giving occasional advice.
141%%* In the ''Manga/FairyTail'' fandom, Gajeel/Levy is often the Beta Couple to Natsu/Lucy.
142* ''Fanfic/FromShizunesPerspective'' is primarily about [[VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo Shizune]] gradually falling in love with Emi, but there's a surprising secondary couple- Misha and Hisao.[[labelnote:Explanation]]The fic was written before the full game's release, so it takes some liberties with the setting. Unlike in canon, Shizune used to be in love with Misha, while Misha is heterosexual.[[/labelnote]]
143* ''Fanfic/GhostsOfEvangelion'':
144** Misato and Kaji are Shinji and Asuka's adult version.
145** Touji and Hikari get together and become parents before their friends did.
146** [[spoiler:Asuka's mother and Misato's father]] rekindle their relationship after he returns from Instrumentality.
147* ''Fanfic/{{HERZ}}'': Hikari and Touji. Whereas Shinji and Asuka have been married for five years and have a daughter, they are still engaged.
148* Taniguchi and Yanagimoto in ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'' have officially stated that Taniguchi is trying to paint themselves as the Beta Couple to Kyon and whichever girl he's being shipped with. There's Haruhi, Mikuru, Yuki, Kanae, Tsuruya so far...
149* In ''Fanfic/LePapillonRising'', Gabriel and Bridgette don't get nearly as many scenes as [[WesternAnimation/{{MiraculousLadybug}} Adrien and Marinette]], but they're pretty much the only other couple that gets them at all, so they count.
150* The ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/ManOfDreams'' contains an example of beta HeterosexualLifePartners. Tobirama and Sasuke Sarutobi have a healthy and stable friendship. This contrasts with the main pair of HeterosexualLifePartners, Hashirama and Madara, which is tainted due to the latter's distrust of the former and the former's [[{{starboarding}} one-sided attraction]] to the latter.
151-->People started to jokingly wonder how long it would take before Sasuke's wife realized he was cheating on her. Tobirama responded by putting on an offended expression and saying, "What are you talking about? Sasuke-san would never cheat on me."\
152Hashirama always wondered how Tobirama brushed those jokes off so easily. If anyone had said the same things about himself and Madara... Hashirama supposed such jokes hurt more when you knew there was some truth to them.
153* Averted in ''Fanfic/MortalKombatKhronicles'', where the author brings up the possibility of Jade and Kung Lao becoming this to Liu Kang and Kitana. But he ultimately decided to keep their relationship [[PlatonicLifePartners very friendly, but platonic]].
154* ''Fanfic/{{Moratorium}}'': Draco and Hermione acts as this to Tom and Harry.
155%%* [[TheScrappy Rhymey]] and Fluttershy in ''Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic''.
156%%* Dib and Tak in the ''Fanfic/MyHostageNotYours'' series.
157* In a lot of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fanfiction that puts Naruto and Hinata in the spotlight, Sasuke and Sakura are usually depicted as the Beta Couple. The inverse is also possible - for example, in ''Fanfic/WhiteRain'', Sasuke and Sakura are the main pairing, with Naruto and Hinata as the Beta Couple. Finally, for those who don't particularly like the Sasuke and Sakura couple dynamic, there are a lot of other pairings that can step up to the plate.
158* In keeping with the story's [[PolyAmory themes]], ''Fanfic/NeonMetathesisEvangelion'' has a beta 'triad': Kensuke, Mana, and Kaworu. Their story is laid out in the canon sidestory to the fic, Life During Wartime.
159* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/OldWest'', the canonical Rango and Beans serve as the secondary couple with the main focus being on the developing relationship between [[{{Outlaw}} Rattlesnake Jake]] and [[DeterminedHomesteader Grace Glossy]].
160* In ''Fanfic/OnceMoreWithFeeling'', Touji and Hikari and Rei and Kensuke. The same as Shinji and Asuka, Touji had a gigantic crush on Hikari, but he was too dense to notice her obvious feelings, and Hikari didn't know how to open up to him. However, Shinji helped them -and Rei and Kensuke- to get together.
161* ''Fanfic/OneYear'' has [[VideoGame/Persona4 Yu and Yukiko]] as the primary couple, and Kanji and Naoto as the beta couple. The former has been going out with each other since midway through the game (although they only tell the rest of the party about their relationship a year later), while the latter only hooks up a year after that, in Chapter 42 of the fic.
162* An unorthodox case is in the ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' fan books, ''Our Own League'', as Conner and Donna become a couple some time before Damian, the main protagonist, even ''meets'' his love interest, Lian. However, as the trope prescribes, Conner and Donna are a stable and mutually supportive couple [[OppositesAttract despite their differences]], while Damian and Lian are TooMuchAlike, and so deep in BelligerentSexualTension that they struggle to work together as teammates, let alone do anything constructive about the attraction.
163* In the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' fandom, a popular practice among fans of "Ferriswheelshipping" (N and Hilda) or "Isshushipping" ([[HoYay N and Hilbert]]) is to make [[CuteClumsyGirl Bianca]] and [[DeadpanSnarker Cheren]] the beta couple. Certainly helped in the sequel, which includes a subtle ShipTease between them (Bianca is wearing glasses that suspiciously resemble Cheren's and Cheren himself is no longer wearing glasses at all).
164** For [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries the main anime series]], Ash is often paired with the girl of the author's preference. For instance, if the Alpha Couple is in [=PokéShipping=] (Ash and Misty) stories, nine times out of ten the Betas are Contest (Drew and May) and Penguin (Dawn and Kenny) or Ikari (Dawn and Paul).
165* Most fanfics of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' center on either Madoka/Homura or Kyouko/Sayaka. The one that isn't the main focus will usually be the Beta Couple to the one that is. ''Fanfic/ResonanceDays'' can't use the former pairing due to [[DeadToBeginWith its setting]], and instead employs [[HappilyMarried Mami/Charlotte]] as the Beta to Kyouko/[[MeaningfulRename Oktavia]].
166* In ''The Sanctuary Telepath'' the POV character, Janine's relationship with James serves as the beta for her brother's tragic love story with Helen. They're not officially together and the nature of the dynamic is somehow a mystery even to them, but despite this (or maybe because of this) they have undoubtedly fewer problems and are very close. Janine even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this.
167-->'''Janine:''' You know it's messed up when ''we'' are the easier to explain...
168* The ''VideoGame/ToukenRanbu'' doujin ''[[https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=manga&illust_id=67839371 Sanjō-ha to Aoe-ha no Kumiawase wa Ii zo]]'' with Mikazuki and Juzumaru as the main couple and Ishikirimaru and Nikkari as the beta couple. The former ''aren't even in an official relationship'' despite [[TheMatchmaker matchmaking efforts]] from the latter in the first half and going on a DoubleDate in the second half (though in one mini-comic between the halves, the two are inexplicably in love, with the author's words lampshading this).
169* In ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'', Touji and Hikari. Their relationship was pretty similar to Shinji and Asuka's: he was dense and oblivious, and Hikari berated him constantly even though she had a raging crush on him. Shinji and Asuka played matchmaker for both, and they eventually got together.
170* ''Fanfic/StoneStreak': The primary couple are 3-years married BattleCouple Marinette and Juleka Stone. The three beta couples each contrast in being different stages of relationships compared to the Stones.
171** The first is their fellow married couple and Miraculous users Alya and Nino, who are already expecting their first child. The sight of which [[AllLesbiansWantKids brings up Juleka's urges to start a family with Marinette]] despite their decision to wait until Duskwing is defeated.
172** The second is Juleka's twin Luka and his fiance Zoe Lee, the latter having recently joined the group as the full-time hero Honey Bee.
173** The last is the Stones' adopted son Adrien and his classmate turn girlfriend Rose, with the story showing their first meeting and the events leading to their RelationshipUpgrade.
174%%* [[Manga/LuckyStar Tsukasa and Miyuki]] in ''Fanfic/StarsAbove''... [[spoiler:or rather, Tsukasa and the Demon disguised as Miyuki...]]
175* In ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' story ''Fanfic/SupermanOf2499TheGreatConfrontation'', Lorile and Fin-El are the beta couple to Alan and [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kath]]. They even hook up before.
176* Hikari and Touji in ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji''. Shinji played matchmaker for them, and they often hung out with the Alpha Couple (Shinji and Asuka). Unfortunately, they became embroiled in the conflict between Shinji and Gendo, and the latter used them as cannon fodder to hurt the former. However, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei made sure that their friends had a "happily ever after" ending.
177%%* Henry and Jeri from the ''Fanfic/TamersForeverSeries''
178%%* [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6524186/1/Project-VOCALOID Project: VOCALOID]] has no less than THREE. Namely, LukaxGakupo, MeikoxKaito, and TetoxTed.
179[[/folder]]
180
181[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
182* ''WesternAnimation/AlphaAndOmega'' has Garth and Lilly, who were spending time together while the Western pack desperately searches for Kate before a pack war starts. While Kate and Humphrey, who were darted and trucked to Idaho and struggling to get back to Jasper, falling in love along the way, Garth and Lilly find themselves hitting it off beautifully. In fact, it gets to the point where the Western pack Alpha prince would be more than happy having Lilly substitute for Kate, even though Lilly is an Omega.
183* Vlad and Sophie in ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'' are happily in love (the thought of her makes Vlad deliriously joyful). It's a fine contrast to our bickering Alpha Couple.
184%%* From the ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'' sequels, we have Cinderella's stepsister Anastasia and the local baker.
185* In ''WesternAnimation/JackAndTheCuckooClockHeart'', Méliès strikes up a romance with a pair of conjoined twins in Andalucia. [[spoiler:We don't know what happens to him by the end of the film, but it at least seems that they stay together.]]
186* ''WesternAnimation/MulanII'' had not one, but ''three'' Beta Couples, as Yao, Ling, and Chien Po hook up with the Emperor's three daughters, Mei, Ting-Ting, and Su, respectively
187%%** Mulan's parents.
188* Tulio and Linda in ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' are this to the main couple of Blu and Jewel. Their relationship mirrors that of the main couple, with them becoming a couple at the end of the first movie, and being married by the second.
189* Though all the couples in ''Franchise/ToyStory'' are on equal standing, Buzz and Jessie are this to Woody and Bo Peep, pairing up at the end of the second movie. And we cannot forget Mr. Potato Head and Mrs. Potato Head. [[spoiler:At least, they ''were'' this to Woody and Bo Peep before the couple got tragically split for good between ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' and ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', anyway.]]
190* John and Mary in ''WesternAnimation/WallE'' play this role to the titular robot and Eve. The parallelism between them helps reinforce the theme: Wall-E and Eve are robots, whereas John and Mary are humans whose upbringing in an impersonal consumerist {{dystopia}} has robbed them of their humanity. In both cases, they (re)discover their humanity partly through connecting with one another.
191[[/folder]]
192
193[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
194* Lucas Belvaux has made a trilogy of movies (a comedy, drama, and thriller) re-telling the same few days from three perspectives. Each of the three couples was the alpha couple in one of them and a beta couple in the two others.
195* ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina''. Margo and Eddie spend a fair chunk of the film [[ShipperOnDeck shipping]] Jack and Gracie, which naturally leads to them hooking up themselves. Ironic because Jack himself ends up shipping Margo and Eddie to keep them out of the way and safe while he and Wang are StormingTheCastle.
196* Balraj and Jaya in ''Film/BrideAndPrejudice.'' They hit it off immediately, without any of the misunderstandings that the main couple go through, and Will Darcy's admission that he was wrong to talk Balraj into leaving Jaya is important CharacterDevelopment for him.
197* ''Film/ChooseLove'': Cami's sister Amalia is happily married to her husband, serving as a contrast to and source of advice for Cami's own romantic woes.
198* In the film version of ''Film/CrazyRichAsians'', Colin and Araminta are happily getting married with little conflict, compared to OfficialCouple Nick and Rachel. They also provide a contrast to the other couples, like Eddie and his wife, Kitty and Alistair and [[spoiler: Astrid and Michael.]]
199* ''Film/DanceOfTheDead'': Jimmy and Lindsay are the main couple, break up, and try to patch things up, while Stephen is flirting with Gwen and trying to win her affections as the secondary romance. While he does succeed, his wooing efforts don't go as smoothly and seamlessly as most {{Beta Couple}}s have it.
200* ''Film/{{DEBS}}''. Scud is Lucy Diamond's second in command and Janet is a junior member of Amy's D.E.B.S. squad. They meet when Lucy Diamond kidnaps Amy and gradually fall in love with each other. At the end of the movie they apparently plan to start dating.
201* ''Film/DownWithLove'''s Vikki Hiller and Peter [=MacMannus=]'s relationship revolves around Barbara Novak and Catcher Block, with one couple getting married at the end inspiring the other.
202* ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'''s Nancy might lose her fiancée Robert to NaiveEverygirl Giselle, but at the end of the movie, she marries Giselle's ex-boyfriend Prince Edward.
203* Rob and Carrie in ''Film/EternalSunshineOfTheSpotlessMind.'' are Joel's best friends and showcase similar relationship issues Joel has with Clementine.
204* Jacqueline/Capt. Laurent are this to Danielle/Prince Henry in ''Film/EverAfter''. Jacqueline is Danielle's kind-hearted stepsister, the only member of her stepfamily to treat "Cinderella" with any decency, and Capt. Laurent is the prince's right-hand man. They meet at the ball where the romantic leads are expected to announce a betrothal and have a few other small scenes where they mostly interact silently - but there's a clear connection between them, and at the very end it's strongly implied that they are together.
205%%* Kit and Ace in ''Failure to Launch''.
206%%* Rusty and Willard (to main couple Ren and Arielle) in ''Film/{{Footloose}}''.
207* ''Film/GameNight'' has Kevin and Michelle, a HappilyMarried couple who have been together since high school, even if they briefly broke up.
208%%* Rizzo and Kenickie in ''Film/{{Grease}}'' are a SlapSlapKiss version.
209* ''Film/GoingTheDistance'' has two, Erin's sister and her husband, who provide more traditional relationship advice, and Garrett's co-worker and her boyfriend (mentioned, but never seen), who provide more long-distance related advice.
210%%* Seaweed and Penny in ''Film/{{Hairspray|1988}} and subsequent adaptations''.
211* Chad and Taylor in ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'', who go through a lot less drama than Troy and Gabriella. However, it's implied they break up, albeit amicably, at the end of ''Senior Year'', while Troy and Gabriella stay together.
212%%** And in ''High School Musical 3'', Ryan and Kelsi.
213* Albert is the dating challenged man that "date doctor" ''Film/{{Hitch}}'' is trying to help get together with celebrity Allegra Cole. Despite his nervousness, things go smoothly for them. While Albert and Allegra's relationship continues to progress, Hitch finds that none of his tried and tested methods are working for him, despite being a master of the art.
214%%* Ezra and Emma in ''Film/TheHauntedMansion2003'', to Edward and Elizabeth (man, Disney likes their "E" names). A rather unromantic Beta Couple, but still more or less Happily Married.
215* Maida and Killjoy, in ''Film/TheIcePirates'', two supporting characters who have tension throughout the movie, until they finally kiss at the end.
216%%* Creator/IngridBergman's character's older sister and brother-in-law in ''Indiscreet'' are the beta couple to Ingrid and Creator/CaryGrant.
217* In ''Film/JasonsLyric'', Lyric's older brother, Alonzo "A-1" and her co-worker as well as best friend, Marti, is the beta to the titular characters' alpha.
218* ''A Kind of Loving'' begins with the wedding of Christine and David, and they provide a tranquil counterpoint to the stormy relationship of Vic and Ingrid throughout.
219* Pete and Debbie to OfficialCouple Ben and Alison in ''Film/KnockedUp''. In this case, the Beta Couple mirrors the Alpha couple's dynamic but exaggerated to the point where it's nearly {{inverted|Trope}}. Alison is a [[OnlySaneWoman smart, driven, competent career woman]] and much of Ben's ([[TheUnfairSex a lazy stoner]]) arc is learning to take responsibility and become worthy of her. By contrast, Pete is more relaxed and laid-back than Debbie, but not to the point of being lazy or irresponsible, and Debbie is neurotic and controlling and her arc is about learning to relax and love Pete for himself instead of trying to "fix" him.
220* Uncas and Alice in ''Film/LastOfTheMohicans'', though they get very little screen time/relationship development together as a couple.
221* Jacques and Lulu in the movie musical ''Film/TheLoveParade'' provide a plebeian contrast to the royal principal couple.
222* The 1998 made-for-television film ''Series/{{Merlin|1998}}'' has [[spoiler: Frik and Morgan le Fay]], whose romance [[spoiler: ends a lot less happily than Merlin and Nimue's.]]
223* In ''Film/MonsoonWedding'', the romance between the day labourer and the maid Alice progresses faster than the one between the husband and wife despite the fact that those two are the ones actually getting married.
224* In the 1998 version of ''Film/{{The Parent Trap|1998}}'', the plot to bring Nick and Elizabeth together is assisted by Martin (Elizabeth's butler) and Chessy (Nick's housekeeper). Martin and Chessy also end up together.
225* ''Film/RedDog'': John and Nancy's relationship borders on LoveAtFirstSight and develops quick and sweet over the next several scenes, [[spoiler:only to end in tragedy when John dies.]] Vanno spends months [[CannotSpitItOut trying to ask Rose out]], [[spoiler:but once he finally does, they soon end up HappilyMarried.]]
226%%* Megan and Joe Dayton (Bonnie Hunt and Jim Belushi) from ''Return to Me''.
227%%* Manny and Gina in ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}''.
228* ''Film/{{Serendipity}}'': Dean and Courtney, according to Jonathan, though they eventually split up. Dean tries to fix things up, though.
229%%* Dianne and David in ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead''. In the end, it turns out to be more complicated than this given that he's still hung up on his ex.
230* ''Film/TheSorcerersApprentice'' has Balthazar and Veronica as the beta to Dave and Becky's alpha. Their relationship is more relaxed and simple despite the fact that Veronica spends most of the movie as a SealedGoodInACan.
231%%* In ''Literature/TheTimeTravelersWife'', we have Gomez and Charisse, which is very different from the book version (see the Literature section below).
232* Marie and Jess in ''Film/WhenHarryMetSally''. Since Harry and Sally are JustFriends, Sally sets Harry up with her best friend Marie, while Harry simultaneously sets Sally up with his best friend Jess. Marie and Jess have more chemistry with each other than either does with Harry or Sally, and they end up getting together. Their relationship progresses to moving in together and getting married while Harry and Sally are still dancing around their romantic interest in each other, and as they experience a successful relationship with its ups and downs, they also coach Harry and Sally through their ups and downs.
233* ''Film/WeddingCrashers'' has Jeremy and Gloria, a mentally unstable nymphomaniac. Despite torturing Jeremy with/during sex, and being desperately possessive and ''scary'', the two end up getting together while John and Claire hit a rough patch. The irony here is that John forced Jeremy to date Gloria so he would have shot with Claire, only for it not to pan out at first. It's even more ironic (and plays the trope straight) considering John and Claire didn't hook up until they were forced to be in the same room with each other during Jeremy and Gloria's ''wedding'' as the best man and maid of honor.
234%%* Toshi and Hanako in ''Film/WildZero''.
235* ''Film/YehJawaaniHaiDeewani'' has Aditi and Avi, at least from her end; generally expected as well, being played by the biggest names in the cast who are not Naina and Bunny. [[spoiler:Subverted in the end, though, as Aditi gets over Avi later, and marries Taran, the man generally expected to be the Romantic False Lead.]]
236[[/folder]]
237
238[[folder:Literature]]
239* Creator/SimonaAhrnstedt:
240** Sofia and Johan in "Överenskommelser" have a much less complicated relationship than what the alphas Beatrice and Seth have.
241** Jacques and Vivienne are another beta couple from "Överenskommelser", but with a more complicated relationship.
242** Magdalena and Gabriel in "De skandalösa" also get two beta couples in the end: [[spoiler: Beata/Ossian and Venus/Nora]].
243%%* Kitty and Levin in ''Literature/AnnaKarenina'', to the Alpha Couple of Anna and Vronsky.
244* Yuuji and Shouko in ''Literature/BakaAndTestSummonTheBeasts'', though their relationship isn't all that different from the main's, lack of a LoveTriangle aside. Voyeur and Aiko are probably a more "normal" example.
245* It's taken to an extreme in the ''[[Literature/TheBelgariad Belgariad]]/Malloreon'': [[spoiler:Hettar and Adara, Silk and Velvet, Durnik and Polgara, Mandorallen and Nerina, Lelldorin and Ariana, 'Zakath and Cyradis, Relg and Taiba, Beldin and Vella, a reunited Belgarath and Poledra]]... granted, for those who love happy-ever-after cliches, Eddings is made to order.
246* It's a [[FourthDateMarriage smooth and quick hook-up]] for Roger and Bonnie in Jennifer Crusie's romance novel ''Bet Me'', compared to the more rocky relationship of their respective friends Cal and Min.
247* In ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'' Cullen and [[spoiler: The eldest Whistler sisters]] are this, falling in love and getting engaged without much fuss, quite contrary to the protagonist and his love.
248* ''Literature/CaptivePrince'': Each book has a couple getting together in the background that serves as a foil to Damen and Laurent.
249** In the first book, [[spoiler:Torveld and Erasmus]] are an "ideal" master/slave pairing, contrasting the extreme hostility and FoeRomanceSubtext between them.
250** In the second, [[spoiler:Jord and Aimeric]] are a rough soldier and a pampered, pretty noble who have an easy, affectionate relationship [[spoiler:that leads to tragedy due to Aimeric's dark secrets]], underscoring Damen's fears about their own relationship.
251** In the last, [[spoiler:Pallas and Lazar]] are an Akielon and Veretian who make an uncomplicated, fun couple who get together based mainly off of physical attraction, whereas Damen and Laurent's relationship is made much more complicated by their national loyalties.
252%%** In the PET short story, [[spoiler:Ancel and Berenger]].
253* The Literature/CharlieParkerSeries has Angel and Louis, who are generally content in their relationship (if not in other aspects of their lives), act as the beta couple to Parker and Rachel. [[spoiler: however, later books reveal that there's something slightly sinister behind Angel and Louis's relationship... Also, once Parker and Rachel split up, the emphasis on Angel and Louis' relationship briefly increases, then falls away almost completely, as does their presence in the books. Between ''The Reapers'' and ''The Wolf in Winter'', their cursory appearances always have them ask after Parker's current love interest, and their very settled relationship provides a nice contrast with Parker's slightly more turbulent love life.]]
254* ''Literature/{{Circleverse}}'': Lark and Rosethorn are in a happy, stable, and open relationship. Although this isn't made explicit until the later books, those are the only books in which the protagonists start exploring romance anyway, usually with a lot of fumbling.
255* In Literature/DoraWilkSeries, the main couple and romantic b-plot is Dora and [[HotAsHell Miron]], but in the background, there's [[BewareTheNiceOnes Leon]]'s budding romance with young wiccan witch, which culminates in him divorcing his {{Jerkass}} wife, to Dora's immense relief and joy.
256* Sparhawk and Kalten in Creator/DavidEddings's ''Literature/TheElenium'' and ''Literature/TheTamuli'' series. Sparhawk marries Queen Ehlana and Kalten falls for her personal maid Alean. Also Melidere and Stragen, and Talen and Danae, and Sephrenia and Vanion.
257%%* In ''Literature/TheFallenMoon'' by K.J. Taylor, Erian and Elkin to Arenadd and Skade. Antagonist/protagonist version.
258* Montmorency and Guiche from ''Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero''. Of course, they're only ''slightly'' less dysfunctional than Louise and Saito, but at least they don't have to worry about love rivals.
259* Kate and Elliot in ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey''. Aside from a bit of tension in ''Fifty Shades Freed'' they're the happy, emotionally healthy couple in contrast to Christian and Ana's constant drama.
260* ''Literature/TheFlightEngineer'' has Chief Petty Officer Paddy Casey and Second Lieutenant Cynthia Robbins. The fact that their relationship is against regulations prompts Casey to try and get into officer candidate school.
261%%* [[spoiler:Maria and Mamoru]] in ''Literature/FromTheNewWorld''.
262* The primary romance of ''Literature/TheHeartsWeSold'' is Dee/James. Dee and James love each other dearly but are held back by various circumstances, mainly Dee being a mess of emotional issues. Gremma and Riley, on the other hand, hook up late in the story, but it's nothing but smooth sailing for them.
263* ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' has an odd case as in a meta sense Jason/Piper and Frank/Hazel are clearly this to OfficialCouple Percy and Annabeth whose relationship is a cornerstone of the series and receives the most focus. However within the books themselves Percy and Annabeth come across as the Beta Couple since they have the strongest, most stable relationship of the group (already having a long friendship and WillTheyOrWontThey history under their belt from the previous series) and act as models and advice-givers to the two fledgling couples, who are a lot less secure.
264* In the ''Literature/HIVESeries'' we have Wing and Shelby, who are the respective roommates of the protagonist and his love interest, Otto and Laura. [[spoiler: their ship becomes canon before the Alpha couple, and there is considerably less drama concerning their relationship.]] Justified in that [[spoiler: the only real drama so far in the Otto/Laura pairing has been Laura's capture and subsequent MindRape at the Glasshouse]], which is not a relationship problem, per se.
265* Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker in ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby''. They don't really work out but compared to the mess of the main LoveDodecahedron, they are pretty normal.
266* ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' is a very odd example, with the ''main character's'' growing romance being ''second'' to that of his best friends. Ron and Hermione get the lion share of romantic focus whenever it arises, while Harry and Ginny's development as a couple works itself out at a faster pace without all the bickering and far less mixed messages. Because they are ''both'' main characters, perhaps Hermione and Ron have more main character credits between them than Harry and supporting character Ginny do, or perhaps Harry has enough problems dealing with Voldemort that the author decided to give him a break in the romance department.
267* ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' has Finnick and Annie. While Katniss and Peeta/Gale are never really sure where they stand, Finnick and Annie are deeply in love, with Katniss envying their certainty. Finnick helps Katniss deal with her worry over Peeta, and in the end, [[spoiler:Finnick's death means they take the Star-Crossed Lovers title well away from Katniss and Peeta]].
268%%* In ''Literature/TheKingdomAndTheCrown'' we have [[TheHero Simeon's]] NumberTwo Yehuda paired up with [[LoveInterest Miriam's]] servant girl, Livia.
269* The Duchesse de Nevers and Coconnas fill the spot in ''Literature/LaReineMargot'', but they are less peaceful than Margot and La Môle.
270* Faramir and Éowyn in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. The relationship is much more present in the books than TheFilmOfTheBook (although there's a deleted scene which makes it clearer); they actually share the only confirmed kiss in the entire trilogy. [[spoiler:Aragorn even makes them Prince and Princess of Ithilien, a province of Gondor.]]
271* Spook and Beldre in ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'', though Spook was originally a MauveShirt that got promoted to main character in the third book.
272* Gyltha and Mansur are this in the ''Literature/MistressOfTheArtOfDeath'' novels.
273* In ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'', Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane are this to the main couple Clary and Jace, having developed largely because of Magnus proving to be a BreakoutCharacter. This has since become an aversion, as Alec and Magnus have become such a fan favorite OneTruePairing that they not only play significant roles in the sequel series ''Literature/TheDarkArtifices'', but they are the protagonists of ''Literature/TheEldestCurses'' side series as well as appearing in multiple other stories set in this verse. Thus arguably making them ''the'' most prominent couple.
274%%* Sachar and Anisya in ''Literature/{{Oblomov}}''.
275* ''Literature/PaperTowns'' has Alpha Couple Quentin and Margo, Beta Couple Ben and Lacey, and ''Gamma'' Couple Radar and Angela. All three are very different kinds of couple: Quentin and Margo are a twisting, turning long-distance relationship between an everyman and (what he thought was) an unattainable ideal; Lacey and Ben are total opposites who ended up together by blind luck [[OppositesAttract and decided they liked it that way]]; and Radar and Angela are the [[OnlySaneMan only sane couple]] in the room who try to stay as far away from the weirdness surrounding the other two as possible. The last of these get [[AdaptationExpansion a bit more to do]] in TheFilmOfTheBook.
276* OlderThanPrint in ''Literature/{{Parzival}}'' by Wolfram von Eschenbach with Gâwân (Gawain) and Orgeluse.
277* Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy in ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice''; the OfficialCouple (the girl who falls for a charismatic TheCasanova before [[WrongGuyFirst discovering his true colors]] before growing to esteem and appreciate a worthy man) and Beta Couple (the man forbidden from proposing to the girl he loves because his family doesn't believe she is rich enough) are essentially reversed from ''Literature/SenseAndSensibility''. Jane and Bingley are a humorous example because they're only the Beta Couple to the ''reader''. Since Elizabeth is the protagonist, she and Darcy of course form the Alpha Couple of the story. However, in the world of the story itself, it's Elizabeth and Darcy who are the Beta Couple, since pretty much from the get-go, the people ''around them'' are waiting to see if Jane and Bingley will hook up.
278* ''Literature/TheRosieProject'' has Gene and Claudia, Don's friends. An interesting example in that the two have problems unrelated to those of Don and Rosie.
279* [[TheLancer Mari]] and [[spoiler: Prince Kieran]] in ''Literature/{{Salamander}}''. [[spoiler: It's an unusual example because he's a WellIntentionedExtremist villain for most of the story, including their courtship. ]]
280%%* Marianne Dashwood and Colonel Brandon to Elinor Dashwood and Edward Ferrars of ''Literature/SenseAndSensibility''.
281* Ogata Matake (Oga-chan) and Tanaka Eita in ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'' serve as a Beta Couple to the LoveTriangle of Yoshida, Shana, and Yuji (although adding Ike in sort of makes it a LoveDodecahedron).
282* ''Literature/SoThisIsEverAfter'': Sionna and Meredith on one side, and Rion and Lila on another. They serve as a contrast with Arek and Matt, who take the entire book to get together, since both couples do it quite fast.
283* Charisse and Gomez appear to be the Beta Couple in ''Literature/TheTimeTravelersWife'' at first, but it is later revealed that [[spoiler: Gomez harbors strong feelings towards Clare]].
284* ''Literature/TortallUniverse''
285** In ''Literature/SongOfTheLioness'' Eleni Cooper and Baron Myles quickly fall for each other while Alanna is sorting out what kind of romance she even wants with Jon, George, and Liam. Jon and Thayet play like this as well (despite him being king) since they pretty much fall in love at first sight.
286** Raoul and Buri start dating and soon become engaged in ''Literature/ProtectorOfTheSmall'''s third book. Kel is busy dealing with her crush on Dom and wondering how far her relationship with Cleon will go given their situations. Neal and Yuki also seem to have a pretty easy relationship.
287** ''Literature/BekaCooper'': Ersken and Kora, a Dog and a criminal who seem to have no trouble dealing with the DatingCatwoman situation. Meanwhile Beka and Rosto have copious amounts of {{UST}} thanks to her unwillingness to bed a criminal.
288* ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'':
289** There's a weird case in ''Barrayar''. Aral and Cordelia Vorkosigan, in all other respects the book's protagonists, play Beta Couple to Koudelka and Droushnakovi in a minor subplot. (They've already had their turn as Alpha Couple in the first book of the series.)
290** Mark and Kareen in ''A Civil Campaign'', both as secondary to Miles and Ekaterin, and due to the planet where they're attending school.
291** Miles and Ekaterin play beta couple to Taura and Roic in "Winterfair Gifts".
292* Sonya/Nikolai/Maria are the [[LoveTriangle Beta Triangle]] of ''Literature/WarAndPeace'', with Nikolai/Maria going on to become the full-fledged Beta Couple.
293* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' has Perrin and Faile, Mat and Tuon, and Nynaeve and Lan serving as this to Rand and his three sisterwives in Elayne, Min, and Aviendha.
294* In Creator/EvaIbbotson's ''Literature/WhichWitch'', [[spoiler:the house ghost who was brought back to life by the protagonist]] is paired off with one of the witches who didn't win the hand of the dark wizard. They fall in love remarkably fast, due to the machinations of the dark wizard's servants, who think they'd be a good match.
295* Conaire and Caitlin are a classic Beta Couple in Jules Watson's ''The White Mare''. He's the hero's right-hand man and she's the heroine's best friend, and their relationship is ''far'' less complicated than that of the main couple.
296[[/folder]]
297
298[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
299* ''Series/ThirtyRock'': While the show puts alpha characters Jack and Liz through an endless parade of romantic troubles, their subordinates get surprisingly stable relationships much more quickly, despite being "the crazy ones" in other contexts. Tracy turns out to have been happily married to Angie the whole time, and Jenna starts seeing her eventual husband Paul in the fourth of seven seasons. Both partnerships have their issues but are basically perfect matches for all of Jenna and Tracy's idiosyncrasies, contrasting with the more "normal" Jack and Liz being unable to find "the one".
300%%* Chris and Shaz in ''Series/AshesToAshes2008''.
301%%* In ''Series/BabylonFive'' Marcus and Ivanova could be considered this to Sheridan and Delenn. Subverted, since Marcus dies before Ivanova can ever reciprocate.
302* Helo and Athena in ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' are one of the only couples that remain steady throughout the series.
303* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Both Bernadette/Howard and Amy/Sheldon are relatively stable compared to Penny and Leonard's relationship. As of "The Herb Garden Germination", [[spoiler: Howard and Bernadette are engaged]] -- and in the Season 5 finale, [[spoiler:they tied the knot.]]
304* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Angela/Hodgins to Booth/Brennan. Granted, Angela/Hodgins are in many ways far from a stable couple, but they get married at the end of the fifth season while Booth and Brennan continue their WillTheyOrWontThey [[spoiler:even after having a baby together]].
305* Once Angela was added to ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'', Shawn and Angela became this to the OfficialCouple Cory and Topanga. However, unlike most Beta Couples (who tend to be low-key and stable to contrast with the histrionics and angst of the OfficialCouple), Shawn and Angela were perhaps ''even more'' dysfunctional than Cory and Topanga, and got about as much screentime and storyline - making them in effect a second "Alpha" The traditional functions of the Beta Couple were instead handled by the HappilyMarried Alan and Amy, along with Mr. Feeny and Dean Bolander.
306* ''Franchise/{{Buffyverse}}'':
307** ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': At various times Willow and Xander would be in a relationship to contrast Buffy's various relationships. Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia in the earlier seasons, then Willow/Tara and Xander/Anya in the later seasons (and Willow/Kennedy in the last).
308** On ''Series/{{Angel}}'' this was modified with a LoveTriangle for the Beta Couple between Gunn, Fred, and Wesley, while Angel began a relationship with Cordelia. Gunn and Fred were the Beta Couple on their own during seasons 3 and 4. While Angel and Cordy were trying to figure out that they were in love with each other in the third season and god knows what happened to Cordy in the fourth, Gunn and Fred had a fairly stable relationship from the time they got together until "Supersymmetry".
309*** Spike and Drusilla were this to Angelus and Darla in several flashback sequences.
310* In ''Series/{{Carrusel}}'' Susana and Rene have a smooth and stable relationship...as compared to Valeria and David having so much drama!
311%%* As of season 3, [[spoiler: Lanie and Esposito]], Alexis and Ashley, and Ryan and Jenny count as Beta Couples to the alpha couple, Series/{{Castle|2009}} and Beckett.
312%%* Piper and Leo in ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' are this for most of Phoebe's or Paige's relationships - especially Phoebe and Cole in seasons 3 and 4.
313* ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' featured three beta couples in Frasier and Lilith, Carla and Eddie, and Woody and Kelly, all of whose relationships went rather more smoothly than those of alpha couples Sam and Diane and later Sam and Rebecca (though they were not without their strained moments) and ended in marriage (though in the first case, the marriage ended in separation and eventual divorce, while in the second case, the marriage ended with Eddie's death and unmasking as a bigamist).
314* In ''Series/ChinesePaladin'', Tang Yu and Ah Nu are this, although they fulfill the "foil to the main couple" role only in being equally dysfunctional.
315%%* Found on ''Series/{{Chuck}}'': Both Morgan/Anna (and later Morgan/[[spoiler: Alex]]) and Captain Awesome/Ellie are Beta Couples to Chuck and Sarah's [[OfficialCouple alpha couple storyline]].
316* In the first season of ''Series/{{Community}}'' Troy and Annie are presented as a Beta Couple to [[BelligerentSexualTension Jeff and Britta]] with Annie as a StalkerWithACrush and Troy as ObliviousToLove, but these are both eventually dropped once the show [[AffectionateParody finds itself]]. Later seasons revel in [[ShipTease Ship Teasing]] Jeff and Annie and eventually actually [[PairTheSpares get Troy and Britta together]] for a while, making Troy and Britta the traditional "find love more easily" Beta Couple to Jeff and Annie's non-stop UnresolvedSexualTension.
317* In the Venezuelan telenovela ''Cosita Rica'' (2003), although Diego Luján and Paula C were the alpha couple, their respectives siblings -- Verónica and Cacique -- being the beta couple, attracted a lot more attention than the alpha one, to the point the actress who played Paula C almost left the show because of this. In fact, the actors who played Verónica (Marisa Román and Cacique (Edgar Ramírez) became very famous. Ramírez even made his way into Hollywood, appearing alongside Keira Knightley in Domino and in Bourne Supremacy.
318%%* Patrick and Sally on ''Series/{{Coupling}}''.
319* ''Series/Daredevil2015'': Foggy Nelson and Marci Stahl have a very stable romantic relationship, compared to [[OfficialCouple Matt Murdock and Karen Page]], who have a rocky relationship filled with WillTheyOrWontThey and {{UST}}.
320%%* Sol Star and Trixie in HBO's ''{{Series/Deadwood}}'' are the beta couple to Seth Bullock & Alma Garrett and later Seth & Martha Bullock.
321* Several episodes of ''Series/DoctorWho'' have Jenny and Vashtra filling this role for [[MerlinAndNimue Clara and the Doctor]], complete with the former two matchmaking, and later advising Clara when she and the Doctor hit a rough spot. Both are [[InterspeciesRomance interspecies couples.]]
322* Victor and Sierra in ''{{Series/Dollhouse}}'' are the beta couple to Paul and Echo. Subverted in that Paul and Echo never got beyond the {{UST}} phase, while Victor and Sierra ended up with a kid.
323* D'Argo and Chiana in ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', though theirs is a tempestuous, mostly physical relationship that's more off than on[[spoiler:, and is ultimately doomed]]. Nevertheless, both Chiana and D'Argo often dispense relationship advice to Crichton and Aeryn. A (marginally) less dysfunctional example is the [[spoiler: tragically brief]] relationship between Stark and Zhaan.
324* ''Series/FellowTravelers'': The secondary romantic relationship of the series is between Marcus and Frankie.
325%%* ''A Fine Romance'': Helen and Phil are the Beta Couple to main couple Laura (Helen's sister) and Mike.
326* ''{{Series/Firefly}}'' has Zoe and Wash, a happily married couple, as the Beta Couple to Mal/Inara and Simon/Kaylee (Gamma couple?) though neither Mal/Inara nor Simon/Kaylee are actually a couple throughout the series.
327* Relatively speaking, Jesus and Emma are this on ''Series/TheFosters''. While their relationship had no shortage of drama as is to be expected from a SoapOpera (Emma [[spoiler:getting an abortion without even telling Jesus she was pregnant]], Jesus's difficulties recovering from his TBI), they stay together for most of the series, and their first appearance in the SpinOff reveals that they're engaged.
328* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': Monica and Chandler become this to main couple Ross and Rachel in the later seasons. However, they vary from the classic Beta couple mould as a lot of screen time is given to their developing relationship and they certainly face problems. (Rather than having it 'all figured out' from the beginning). The difference is they learn to deal with their issues while [[TheMasochismTango Ross and Rachel bicker and fight]]. Ironically this means you see more of their relationship (spanning over half the series) than Ross and Rachel who were only together for about a season.
329* Smithy and Nessa in ''Series/GavinAndStacey''. However, in later seasons Gavin and Stacey's relationship stabilises considerably, while Smithy and Nessa's provides most of the drama, essentially making the eponymous Gavin and Stacey the Beta Couple.
330* ''Series/GenseishinJustiriser'': All of the main characters get paired with someone. While Shouta and Yuka are the pairing the gets the most amount of [[ShipTease tease]], Shinya and Mio are close behind. There's also a ''Gamma'' couple in Reika and [[spoiler:Jinno, after he turns good]].
331* In ''Series/GilmoreGirls'', Lorelai Gilmore's best friend Sookie has a much easier time finding a mate in Jackson than Lorelai has making it work with any of her boyfriends. Rory Gilmore's best friend Lane also has a much easier time making a permanent relationship than Rory does.
332* ''Series/{{Glee}}'':
333** Artie/Tina was this for the first season, compared to the Rachel/Finn/Quinn/Puck mess and Terri/Will/Emma. In the second season, after breaking up with Artie over the summer, Tina and ''new'' boyfriend Mike became this, compared to the Rachel/Finn/Quinn/''Sam'' mess and Holly/Will/Emma/Carl. In the second half of the season, Puck/Lauren and later Kurt/Blaine have also assumed this role.
334** After [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim Finn died]], the remaining romances on the show were bumped up in importance: Kurt/Blaine became ''Glee's'' Official Couple with Brittany/Santana and Sam/Mercedes as the Betas.
335* ''Series/TheGoodPlace'' plays with this and even goes into deconstruction territory. At first, it appears that Jianyu (a Taiwanese Buddhist monk) and Tahani (a wealthy Pakistani-British socialite) are the Beta Couple to Eleanor and Chidi, whose supposedly more compatible relationship exists to make Eleanor feel inadequate as she isn't Chidi's true soulmate. However, Tahani is revealed to be increasingly frustrated by the fact that Jianyu still keeps to his vow of silence and then it turns out that Jianyu is [[spoiler:actually a petty criminal from Florida named Jason who was also apparently mistakenly sent to the eponymous heavenly afterlife]]. As the series progresses, the two of them actually do develop a genuine friendship with each other and even briefly have a sexual fling but he ultimately ends up [[spoiler:officially getting together with Janet]] and she stays single up to the GrandFinale.
336* ''Series/HappyEndings'''s Brad and Jane were this to every other couple in the show. While they had conflicts, their marriage was portrayed as healthy and loving.
337** Subverted in one episode when Penny and her fiance Pete appear to be more compatible, causing Jane to doubt her marriage. However, Jane composes herself once Penny [[spoiler: confesses that she wants to break up with Pete]].
338* Cal and Chloe on ''Series/HarpersIsland'', often pulling double duty as the PluckyComicRelief. [[spoiler:They both die. It's a murder mystery.]]
339%%* Billy Bob and Mavis Davis in ''Series/HeartsAfire''.
340* ''Series/HighSchoolMusicalTheMusicalTheSeries'' has Carlos and Sebastian, and in the second season Big Red and Ashlyn, acting as more-stable counterparts to the various entanglements of Ricky/Nini/E.J./Gina.
341* ''Series/TheHoneymooners'': The show which inspired ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' has its own beta couple -- Ed and Trixie Norton are effectively the Barney and Betty to the lead Kramdens's Fred and Wilma.
342* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' has Marshall and Lily, getting engaged in the pilot episode and having been together for some 8 years prior. Besides a temporary break-up in the early second season, they act as a unit and are seen by Ted as the perfect couple that he wants to model himself after. This forms a contrast to Ted's several complicated relationships, as well as the will-they-won't-they relationship between Barney and Robin; arguably the alpha couple after season 4. Before, Ted and Robin were the alpha couple.
343%%* ''Series/ICarly'': Gibby/Tasha, to either Carly/Freddie or Sam/Freddie. Appear to have broken up when Tasha's actor went off to become a lingerie model, leaving Tasha as a victim of ChuckCunninghamSyndrome for season 4.
344* ''Series/ILoveLucy'': Likely the UrExample for television, beta couple Fred and Ethel Mertz are older and well set in their ways. They have a dynamic that seems mildly hostile at first, but they are consistent and settled, serving as a foil to the younger Lucy and Ricky Ricardo whose relationship experiences more ups and downs.
345* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': It's [[RelationshipReveal unveiled]] in [[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E7TheThingLayStill the Season 1 finale]] that Louis de Pointe du Lac and Armand are lovers in 2022, and according to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1DNtxOO0DI&t=39s the extended Season 2 trailer,]] they've been a couple for 77 years.
346* Stanley and Mimi in ''Series/Jericho2006''. Oddly enough, however, their pairing became the only major romance of focus throughout most of season one and all of season two pummeling the hell out of the pretty much forgotten (by the writers) Heather/Jake/Emily triangle, which from a story-telling standpoint, should've been the romance arc of focus.
347* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' has Hardison and Parker to Nate and Sophie. Hardison and Parker have minor problems, but mostly as a result of Parker being [[TheWoobie emotionally troubled.]]
348%%* In ''Series/LieToMe'', Torres and Loker are now confirmed to be this, to Lightman and Foster's Alpha.
349%%* [[spoiler: Hale and Kenzi]] in ''Series/LostGirl''.
350* In ''Series/MadAboutYou'', Fran and Mark (although in a "what not to do" sense), and later in the series, Debbie and Joan. Or alternatively, one could consider Paul and Jamie to be the Beta Couple to those guys, as they were more stable than Fran and Mark, and they were together for longer than Debbie and Joan.
351* ''Series/ManhattanLoveStory'': David and Amy Cooper. David is Peter's half-brother, and Amy is Dana's former sorority sister (along with her roommate).
352* On ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'', Marcy and Steve (or later, Marcy and Jefferson) to Al and Peggy. PlayedWith in that Al and Peggy loathed each other ([[TheyReallyDoLoveEachOther most of the time.]])
353** Subverted in that, while Marcy and Steve seem much happier together than Al and Peggy, Al and Peggy stay together at least around 27 years (having their 16th anniversary in the first season and then the show running 11 seasons), while Marcy and Steve's relationship deteriorates from happy newlyweds to toxic rather quickly. After only four seasons Steve dislikes Marcy enough to leave her.
354** Marcy's relationship with her second husband, Jefferson, is quite toxic from the get-go as well, just in somewhat different ways from Al and Peggy's relationship.
355* Tristan and Isolde on ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'' serve as the catalyst for getting Arthur and Guinevere back together.
356* Curtis and Alisha during the first season of ''Series/{{Misfits}}'', despite also being the OfficialCouple and having a fair bit of relationship drama in their own right. Whether or not the show ''itself'' actually treats them as a beta couple is debatable, but the fandom indisputably saw Nathan and Kelly as the alpha couple, despite them not getting past the UST stage. Come the second season, things change entirely, with [[spoiler: Alisha and Simon]] becoming the alpha couple (both in-universe and in the eyes of the fandom), and Nathan and Kelly's awkward almost-romance fizzling out as they decide to just be friends -- although they're still a hugely popular pairing among fans, so whether this is ''really'' the end for them has yet to be seen.
357* ''Series/MissFishersMurderMysteries'': Dot and Hugh take their time, but are still this to Phryne and Jack by way of being much more functional. It is notable that Dot and Hugh are engaged before Phryne and Jack are even a couple.
358* Constable Crabtree and Dr Grace in ''Series/MurdochMysteries'' (to Murdoch and Dr Ogden). He's a bright by-the-book police officer, she's a New Woman pathologist. He's sometimes shocked by her modernity, but usually finds she inspires him, she can get exasperated by some of his more old-fashioned values, but respects that he sticks to his principles. And yes, that's also a perfect description of William and Julia.
359* On ''Series/TheNanny'', Niles and CC play this role after they [[PairTheSpares were hooked up together]]. They were quite a fun Beta Couple since they hated each other as much as they were in love, so they were always attacking the other.
360%%* In ''Series/NeverWipeTearsWithoutGloves'' Seppo and Lars-Åke serve as Beta Couple to Rasmus and Benjamin's alpha.
361* ''Nikki'': In Season 1, Nikki and Dwight set up her coworker and "[[VitriolicBestBuds friend]]" Mary with his boss Jupiter, and they are in a committed relationship from then on. The two are a SlapSlapKiss couple compared to their HappilyMarried friends, but they are more mature and don't suffer the same amount of pitfalls brought on by trying to dodge adult responsibilities.
362%%* ''Series/NoahsArc'': Alex+Trey and Chance+Eddie typically play this role to Noah+his boyfriend at the time.
363%%* Larry and Megan on ''Series/{{Numb3rs}}''.
364* For the first two seasons of ''Series/TheOC'', Seth and Summer were the Beta Couple to the OfficialCouple of Ryan and Marissa. In the third season, Ryan and Marissa break up for good and there is no real OfficialCouple. In the fourth and final season, both Seth/Summer and Ryan/Taylor are given about equal weight.
365* In ''Series/TheOfficeUS'', any prominent relationship outside of Pam and Jim, who get together at the end of season three and later marry, becomes this by default. Most notable are Dwight and Angela, who begin secretly dating in season two, though unlike most beta couples their relationship is very turbulent, with several other love interests coming in during their on-again-off-again relationship. [[RelationshipUpgrade They ultimately get married]] in the GrandFinale, by which time they have a child together.
366%%* ''Series/OnceUponATimeInWonderland'': Will and Anastasia are this to Alice and Cyrus.
367* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': The alpha couple was Miss Brooks' '''slow''' romance with ObliviousToLove Phillip Boynton. In the background, was the often goofy teenaged romance of beta couple Walter Denton and Harriet Conklin.
368* On ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'', Andy and April have become this to Leslie and Ben, even giving the latter couple relationship advice on a few occasions.
369** Subverted with Ann and Chris, whose relationship is not in focus as much as Leslie and Ben's, but is shown to be far more complicated than Leslie and Ben's healthy relationship. The first time they broke up Ann didn't ''notice''.
370** Ann and Mark was possibly an attempt at one of these that led to Mark written off. Mark's only notable traits[[note]][[ShipTease Ship Tease]] with Leslie and some womanizing behavior[[/note]] had to be dropped for his character to fit into this trope. He subsequently became too bland for the writers to bother with. Ben and Chris were introduced around the time he was written off.
371* ''Series/{{Psych}}'': Lassie and Marlowe become this to Shawn and Jules. Lassie marries Marlowe and becomes a father before the SeriesFinale, which is when Shawn gets around to proposing to Jules.
372* Will and Djaq from the 2006 series of ''Series/RobinHood''. Their relationship ends up being much more successful than Robin and Marian's.
373* Michael and Maria on ''Series/{{Roswell}}'', respectively the best friends of [[OfficialCouple Max and Liz]] and as another [[InterspeciesRomance alien-human-hybrid/human relationship]], embody this trope, in getting together first and with less angst, and typically providing more comedy with their [[ShutUpKiss totally different kind of relationship]], but somewhat subvert it, acting more as a reverse barometer- when they were doing well, Max/Liz usually weren't, and vice versa.
374* Adam and Jennifer (engaged to be married) in ''Series/RulesOfEngagement'' to the main, married couple Audrey and Jeff.
375%%* Slater and Jessie on ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' (to main couple Zack and Kelly).
376* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'':
377** Turk and Carla. At multiple times J.D. has mentioned that they act as a unit giving advice to others, to the point in one fantasy-based episode they were portrayed as a two-headed witch.
378** Dr. Cox and Jordan are a Beta Couple as well and in fact become way more stable than Turk and Carla once they get back together permanently in Season 2.
379** Drew and Denise were created to be this in Season 9.
380* In ''Series/{{Skins}}'', despite its numerous couples in every generation, only Grace/Rich in Generation 3 truly fit this trope, as they've had relatively smooth sailing compared to every other possible coupling in their cast. In the previous generations, both ''intended'' Beta Couples (Sid/Cassie and Naomi/Emily) proved to be far more popular than their generations' Alpha Couples (Tony/Michelle and the Freddie/Effy/Cook Triangle of Doom), and thus were promoted to Alpha status in their second series, with the attendant [[ConflictBall Conflict Balls]] being thrown their way. And it wasn't like they were without conflict to begin with anyway.
381%%* Twist and Brian are the Beta Couple to Tim and Daisy's Alpha in ''Spaced''.
382* ''Series/TedLasso'': AFC Richmond's Director of Football Operations, Leslie Higgins, has been married to his wife Julie for almost 30 years. They're raising five sons and by all accounts are a loving and happy couple who welcome their home to the team. This is in contrast to recent divorcees Ted and Rebecca, Beard's toxic on-and-off with Jane, and new couple Roy and Keeley. Lampshaded when Rebecca is considering meeting with her dating app match and complains that Keeley and Leslie are comfortable telling her to go for it because they're both in annoyingly perfect relationships. The show rebuts that claim about Keeley and Roy (since he isn't giving her any space) but not about Leslie and Julie.
383%%* In ''Series/That70sShow'', Kelso/Jackie and later Jackie/Hyde to Donna/Eric.
384%%* In ''Series/{{Tinsel}}'', Chuks and Ene are the Beta Couple to Soji and Telema for the first three seasons.
385%%* [[TheWoobie Toshiko]] and Owen to Gwen and Rhys in ''Series/{{Torchwood}}''. Jack and Ianto start out as the Beta Couple and become the official one in Season 3, replacing Gwen and Rhys.
386%%* In ''Series/TrueBlood'', Sam and Tara are an off-again, on-again Beta Couple, as well as Arlene and Terry.
387* Caroline and Matt were one to [[OfficialCouple Stefan and Elena]] on ''Series/TheVampireDiaries''. Possibly subverted as it was always made pretty clear that Matt still had a thing for Elena. A more traditional Beta Couple would be Alaric and Jenna. Season 2 has two Beta Triangles to the main Stefan-Elena-Damon one: Tyler-Caroline-Matt and Jeremy-Bonnie-Luka.
388* ''Series/WeAreLadyParts'': Bisma and Wasim's stable marriage contrasts Amina's UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo with Ahsan and Saira's CommitmentIssues with Abdullah.
389* ''Series/WeddingSeason'': Stefan's longtime friends Anil and Leila, whose worst conflict is that Leila is frustrated with Anil's fixation on wedding planning. They contrast Stefan's dangerous liaison with Katie and their other friends' inability to hold down relationships. In Stefan's best man speech, he contrasts the difficult time he's having finding love (including looking pointedly at Katie) with how easy Anil and Leila make a good relationship look.
390* Although there wasn't any one official couple for the show, Jed and Abby, on ''Series/TheWestWing'' are this trope to ''everyone'' else, as they were HappilyMarried with the ups and downs of a normal, well-adjusted couple (or as normal as possible for a President and First Lady). This was in contrast to [[WillTheyOrWontThey Josh and Donna]], [[DatingCatwoman CJ and Danny]], [[AmicablyDivorced Toby and Andi]], [[BelligerentSexualTension Sam and Ainsley]], [[BodyguardCrush CJ and Simon]], [[TheMasochismTango Josh and Amy]], [[HelicopterParents Sam and Mallory]], [[MarriedToTheJob Leo and Jenny]], and Charlie and Zoe, all of whose romances were constantly trampled by politics, ethics, and DysfunctionJunction. But mostly politics. Except for [[spoiler:Josh/Donna and CJ/Danny]] of course, who were upgraded to OfficialCouple and ended up together in the final season.
391* ''Series/WithoutATrace'''s Danny and Elena were the happy stable couple, who were together for 3-4 years before marrying in the series finale. This is in stark contrast to Samantha and Jack (an affair that ended roughly a year before the show began, resumed after seven years, then ended again when she decided to make it work with her son's father) or Samantha and Martin (ended when he got fed up with her keeping him at arm's length and suspecting that she was still in love with Jack).
392* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'':
393%%** Harper and Zeke have developed an adorable relationship.
394** Alex and whomever she is dating, and Justin and whomever ''he'' is dating. True to form, Harper and Zeke (who got together at the end of season 2) have outlasted their best friends' more passionate but more fleeting relationships.
395** At one point, even Juliet and Mason were a Beta Couple, due to the fact they had been in a romantic relationship before each one became Justin and Alex's girlfriend and boyfriend respectively.
396* ''Series/TheWhiteQueen'': Anne Neville and [[UsefulNotes/RichardIII Richard of Gloucester]] get far less screen time than leads Elizabeth Woodville and UsefulNotes/EdwardIV, but they go from kids in PuppyLove to a CorruptTheCutie RulingCouple.
397* John Doggett and Monica Reyes on ''Series/TheXFiles'' could be considered the beta couple to Mulder and Scully's alpha, though their relationship and UST started mostly after Mulder and Scully were already an established couple. Unfortunately for fans of the ship, the show didn't run long enough with them as head investigators of the X-Files for their relationship to be fully established (though there was a good dose of shippiness in season 9); it is unclear what became of them after the series finale. They did not appear in ''Film/TheXFilesIWantToBelieve''.
398%%* On ''Series/YesDear'', it depends on the episode. It's twice as likely Greg and Kim serve the position than Jimmy and Christine, however.
399* ''Series/YouMeHer'': Carmen and Dave. Friends of Jack and Emma, they are HappilyMarried, serving as a {{foil}} somewhat with their far less complicated relationship (although they have some spats). Though in a secondary role, they get some focus to a lesser degree.
400[[/folder]]
401
402[[folder:Theatre]]
403%%* Jimmy and Snookie from ''Theatre/OneTenInTheShade''; less so in the original non-musical play it was based on, ''The Rainmaker'', in which Snookie [[TheGhost does not actually appear]].
404* ''Theatre/AllShookUp'' has Dean and Lorraine, who noticeably stay out of the major LoveDodecahedron that makes up the plot.
405%%* Jeeves and Deeda in ''Theatre/{{Amaluna}}''.
406* The stage adaptation of ''Theatre/{{Anastasia}}'' gives us Vlad and Lily, in a parallel to Dmitry and Anya. Both couples consist of a con man and an aristocratic woman, although Vlad and Lily seem to have a ''much'' easier time of rekindling their romance than Dmitry and Anya have of admitting theirs.
407%%* ''Theatre/AnimalCrackers'' had Winston and Arabella. The movie eliminated Winston and made Arabella a CompositeCharacter with the other love interest.
408* ''Theatre/AnnieGetYourGun'' originally had Tommy Keeler and Winnie Tate as a juvenile secondary couple. The 1966 revival eliminated their parts, along with their two song-and-dance numbers.
409%%* Christine and Dell in ''The Beautiful Game'' and its rewrite ''The Boys in the Photograph''.
410%%* Sue and Sandor in ''Theatre/BellsAreRinging''.
411%%* Behind Fiona and Tommy in ''Theatre/{{Brigadoon}}'' there are some very dysfunctional pairings (which are very AllLoveIsUnrequited). Meg and Jeff, with Jeff not into Meg at all. Then there's Maggie who is in love with Harry who is in love with Jean who is marrying Charlie.
412%%* Hugo and Kim in ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'', though the movie makes them less secondary.
413* Schultz and Schneider from ''Theatre/{{Cabaret}}'' are the older-and-wiser type, only they're much older than Cliff and Sally and not much wiser.
414* In ''Theatre/CanCan'', the drama of Pistache and Aristide's struggle to admit their feelings for each other and then find a way to reconcile their differing worldviews is counterpointed by the comedy of Pistache's star employee Claudine and her long-time boyfriend Boris, a jealous SmallNameBigEgo artist.
415* ''Theatre/{{Carousel}}'': Behind Billy and Julie are Mr. Snow and Carrie. Only Carrie is really a comedic character, but they stand out for marrying each other right away while the Billy and Julie CannotSpitItOut. The original play ''Film/{{Liliom}}'' had these as Wolf and Marie, though it played them far less for comedy.
416* In ''Theatre/TheCatAndTheFiddle'', Alexander and Angie Sheridan are the comically bickering and dancing second couple to the piano-vocal Victor and Shirley.
417%%* Prince Valiant and Lucy the Maid in ''The Christmas Princess''
418%%* ''Theatre/TheDesertSong'' had reporter Benjamin Kidd and his good-girl sweetheart Susan, but all film adaptations after the 1929 one removed either or both characters.
419* In Act One of ''Theatre/{{Falsettos}}'', Trina and Mendel are this; they're definitely not the healthiest couple in the world, but at least they don't [[spoiler: break up over a game of chess like Whizzer and Marvin do.]]
420** In Act Two, Cordelia and Charlotte, the "lesbians from next door" also take on this role.
421%%* ''Fame'' has either Nick and Serena to Schlomo and Carmen... or Schlomo and Carmen to Nick and Serena, depending on how you look at it.
422* ''Theatre/{{Fiorello}}'' has Dora and Floyd as a comic secondary couple. Dora is mostly content to allow Floyd to profit from the sort of municipal corruption that Thea is proud to have Fiorello crusading against.
423%%* Gloria and Jimmy in ''Film/{{Flashdance}}: The Musical''.
424%%* Rusty and Willard, as well as Shaw and Vi in the musical of ''Film/{{Footloose}}''.
425* Nathan and Adelaide from ''Theatre/GuysAndDolls'' are an odd case: they play a typical comic secondary couple, but in stage time and importance, they are equal to the principal singing couple of Sky and Sarah. It also should be noted that they were never paired in Creator/DamonRunyon's original stories.
426%%* Penny Pingleton and Seaweed J. Stubbs to Tracy Turnblad and Link Larkin in ''Theatre/{{Hairspray}}''.
427* ''Theatre/InTheHeights'' has two couples but both are given equal prominence. If one had to be picked it would be Nina and Benny behind Usnavi and Vanessa since Usnavi is clearly the main character.
428* In ''Theatre/TheKingAndI'', the StarCrossedLovers Tuptim and Lun Tha contrast with Anna and the King's non-romantic, frequently antagonistic but nevertheless strong relationship. This is an unusual case of the secondary couple having the stronger singing parts.
429%%* Bill Calhoun and Lois "Bianca" Lane from ''Theatre/KissMeKate''.
430%%* Marcello and Musetta are a [[TheMasochismTango Masochism Tango]] variety of this in the opera ''Theatre/LaBoheme''.
431* Papageno and Papagena in ''Theatre/TheMagicFlute'', a more down-to-earth sort than the heroic principal couple of Tamino and Pamina. Both couples resolve all their problems in the multi-scene second act finale.
432* In [[Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical StarKidPotter's]] ''Theatre/MeAndMyDick'', the main Beta couples are the alpha couple's body parts, Dick and Miss Cooter and Joey and Sally's hearts, and Joey and Sally can only get together when they are happily paired off. There are a couple less prominent beta couples too, like The Old Snatch and Big T.
433%%* Gratiano and Nerissa from ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' seem to fit into this category rather nicely, if we take Bassanio and Portia as the "alpha couple".
434%%* ''Me and Juliet'' has Mac and Betty, though in the ShowWithinTheShow Don Juan (played by Jim) and Carmen (played by Betty) end up as a secondary couple.
435%%* Helena and Demetrius in ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream''. Oberon and Titania also qualify.
436* ''Theatre/TheMisanthrope'': Philinte and Éliante, by way of CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds. They have the only honest and uncomplicated relationship in the play.
437* In ''Theatre/TheMostHappyFella'', Cleo and Herman become the comic secondary couple to the principal singing couple of Tony and Rosabella.
438* ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'' plays with the conventions. Initially, Claudio and Hero are the happy beta couple, and Beatrice and Benedick are the bickering alphas. The rest of the cast decides to trick the latter couple into admitting their love for each other, with amazingly quick success--by the midpoint of the play, everyone's soppy in love. Then Claudio is led by slander into accusing and abandoning Hero, and Benedick agreeing to challenge him on Beatrice's behalf. The play ends with both couples getting married.
439* In ''Theatre/TheMusicMan'', Tommy Djilas and Zaneeta Shinn play the juvenile secondary couple. Unusually for a musical, they don't get anything to sing ({{Cut Song}}s excluded), though they dance together a few times.
440%%* Natalie and Henry in ''Theatre/NextToNormal''.
441* Subverted in ''Theatre/OfTheeISing''. Jenkins and Miss Benson, respectively Wintergreen and Mary's secretaries, usually appear together but have no love plot of their own.
442* ''Theatre/{{Oklahoma}}'': Behind Curly and Laurey are the comic secondary couple of Ado Annie and Will. Whereas Laurey has trouble making her mind up, Annie cain't say no.
443%%* George and Lucy in ''Theatre/OnceInALifetime'' to May and Jerry's Couple A.
444%%* Harry and Lady Larkin in ''Theatre/OnceUponAMattress''.
445%%* Tragic example: Iago and Emilia in ''Theatre/{{Othello}}''.
446%%* Hines and Gladys from ''Theatre/ThePajamaGame''.
447%%* ''Ragtime'': Behind Coalhouse and Sarah, there are "Mother" and "Father". [[spoiler:And then Mother and Tateh after Mom and Pop are splitsville.]]
448* Both [[MagicalQueer Angel and Collins]] ''and'' Maureen and Joanne from ''Theatre/{{Rent}}'' qualify as this. The former is [[HappilyMarried Happily Committed]] until [[spoiler: [[TragicAIDSStory Angel succumbs to advanced AIDS]] ]], while the latter is trapped in a [[MasochismTango "Tango: Maureen"]] that is played for laughs. Important to the sexual and ethnic [[FiveTokenBand All Token Band]].
449* ''Theatre/{{Ruddigore}}'' has Despard and Margaret play a comic secondary couple to the central LoveTriangle, once his HeelFaceTurn in the first act finale lets them get together.
450%%* Gideon and Alice from ''Film/SevenBridesForSevenBrothers'', as well as the other five, less-prominent brothers and brides.
451%%* Steven Kodaly and Ilona Ritter in ''She Loves Me''.
452* In ''Theatre/ShowBoat'', Frank Schultz and Ellie May Chipley play a dancing secondary couple to the operetta-like leading couple of Ravenal and Magnolia. Joe and Queenie are a sketchily characterized tertiary couple.
453* ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic'': Behind the Captain and Maria are the juvenile secondary couple of Liesl and Rolf, which doesn't work out in the end. [[ThoseWackyNazis Max and the Baroness]] are a comic tertiary couple.
454* ''Theatre/SouthPacific'' has Liat and Lt. Cable, a classic [[MightyWhiteyandMellowYellow Mighty Whitey and Mellow Yellow]] couple meant to further the commentary on racism.
455%%* ''Film/StateFair'' has Abel and Melissa, though Blueboy manages to find love as well.
456* ''Theatre/SpringAwakening'' has both Moritz/Ilse and Hanschen/Ernst as the Beta Couples to Melchior/Wendla. Subverted in that both relationships are as twisted and messy as the main one: [[spoiler: Moritz kills himself, and while Hanschen and Ernst end the story slightly better off, WordOfGod says they weren't going to end up well either.]]
457%%* Dinah and Greaseball in ''Theatre/StarlightExpress''.
458* In ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'', the two couples are Anthony and Johanna as well as Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett, but it's not straightforward which couple is which. Anthony and Johanna have the more conventional romantic arc, with Todd and Lovett helping them out, and Mrs. Lovett's courting of Todd being more in the way of comic relief. On the other hand, Sweeney Todd ''is'' the title character and lead role, and it's Mrs Lovett's doomed crush [[{{Yandere}} on him]] that brings about the tragedy of the play.
459%%** Bianca and Lucentio in ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'' who are played by Beta Couple Bill and Lois in Theatre/KissMeKate.
460* Subverted in ''Film/ThoroughlyModernMillie''. As a way of CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds it seems like Miss Dorothy and Trevor are going to hook up (which they actually did do in the original movie). Instead [[spoiler: Dorothy hooks up with one of the ThoseTwoGuys that rescues her instead]]. Then in an equally funny PairTheSpares [[spoiler: The other half of ThoseTwoGuys becomes Trevor's new employee, replacing Millie after she leaves.]]
461%%* Sir Toby and Maria in ''Theatre/TwelfthNight''. Sebastian and Olivia, too -- more so than Toby and Maria, since the former are tangled with the main plot and the latter are subplot characters.
462%%* Valentine and Silvia in ''Theatre/TwoGentlemenOfVerona''.
463* A standard feature of any ''Creator/{{USLES}}'' pantomime - the main love interests usually have friends, advisors, or servants who fall for each other. Sometimes this doesn't happen until the very end of the show when it can also end up as a case of PairTheSpares.
464%%* In ''Theatre/{{Waitress}}'', [[{{Meganekko}} Dawn]] and her eventual husband [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Ogie]] are this to the main couple of Jenna and Dr. Pomatter.
465* ''Theatre/TheWeddingSinger'', which makes Sammy and Holly an on-again, off-again couple.
466%%* ''Theatre/WestSideStory'': Behind Tony and Maria, there are Bernardo and Anita, to whom tragedy strikes first.
467* Deconstructed in ''Theatre/WhosAfraidOfVirginiaWoolf''. At first, newlyweds Nick and Honey appear to be this to the severely dysfunctional marriage of George and Martha. By the end, however, it's become apparent that though George and Martha are indeed a dysfunctional couple, they also have a very strong bond holding them together. By contrast, Nick and Honey have dealt with problems by ignoring or hiding them, and are implied to be on the road to an even more miserable marriage.
468%%* Boq and Nessarose from ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' are probably the single ''most'' dysfunctional Beta Couple in this entire list.
469[[/folder]]
470
471[[folder:Video Games]]
472* ''VideoGame/AgarestSenki2'' has two of them. The first couple is Janus and Chloe in the first generation, and the second couple is Ignis and Cynthia in the second generation. Both couples then had a child each (Jude, and Lizerotte respectively).
473* ''Bubble Symphony'', aka ''VideoGame/BubbleBobble [[NonLinearSequel II]]'', introduces Cororon and Kululun, two female characters both who also get forcibly turned into bubble dragons alongside the male duo Bub and Bob. Coro and Kulu are magenta and orange, respectively. They never appear in any other ''Bubble Bobble'' game.
474** And Pab and Peb[[labelnote:(source)]]The detailed Title Operations Guide, provided via Wii Shop Channel[[/labelnote]], the ''new'' Beta Couple in ''Bubble Bobble Plus'' (UsefulNotes/WiiWare). They're still magenta and orange and both female. Oddly, Pab and Peb became a [[DubNameChange Subtitle Name Change]] for Cororon and Kululun in an official "Bub's Broadcast" video ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h61yWIBL8t4#t=3m5s this one at 3m5s]]).
475* Another subversion: ''VideoGame/Contra4'' for the DS not only brought back Bill and Lance, the original ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}'' duo but also introduced a Beta Duo in the form of Mad Dog and Scorpion, whose names are {{Shout Out}}s to Bill's and Lance's former nicknames from the American localization of the NES games. While Bill and Lance wear blue and red (their colors from the NES games), Mad Dog and Scorpion wear green and purple, which were Bill's and Lance's colors in the arcade version of ''Super Contra''.
476%%* Troy and Anesha in ''VideoGame/CrossEdge''.
477* ''Franchise/DragonAge'' has a few:
478** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has the odd example of Oghren and Felsi, who are a beta couple to the player character and their love interest. Oghren actually needs the Warden's help to get Felsi to resume their relationship, which had broken off before he met the Warden; but if they help him and have strong enough persuasion skills, Felsi will take him back. By the end of the game, she's pregnant and they marry.
479** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' has [[TheStoic Aveline]] and [[SatelliteLoveInterest Donnic]]. Notable for requiring an extremely silly sidequest to bring about, and for the even sillier lines the whole thing draws from the rest of your team. It has the potential to be subverted too; completing Act 2 without doing this quest means that Aveline is still single in Act 3, and incredibly bitter about WhatCouldHaveBeen. Also, [[TroubledButCute Fenris]] and [[LovableRogue Isabela]] can develop a rather stable and happy FriendsWithBenefits relationship if Hawke doesn't romance either of them.
480** In ''Videogame/DragonAgeInquisition'', if neither Dorian nor Iron Bull is romanced by the player character, the two will fall for each other - first as FriendsWithBenefits, then an actual relationship.
481%%* Prince Henry and Marina from ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV''.
482* Lulu and Wakka from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', who have a bit more of a harder time getting together than Tidus and Yuna, who were pretty much in LoveAtFirstSight. Though understandable, as Lulu had previously been with Wakka's brother (who had died). But interestingly enough, [[spoiler: Lulu and Wakka get married and have a kid before Tidus and Yuna, seeing how Tidus was the fayth's dream and had to leave Yuna.]]
483%%* Lance and Lilly in ''VideoGame/IllusionOfGaia'', to main couple Will and Kara.
484%%* Ashelin and Torn from ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter''.
485* Guy and Jessy in ''VideoGame/LufiaIIRiseOfTheSinistrals'' contrast Maxim and Tia, to demonstrate that they're not quite compatible. Their relationship is more prominent in ''[[VideoGame/LufiaCurseOfTheSinistrals Curse of the Sinistrals]]'', which also adds another Beta Couple: [[spoiler:Tia and Dekar]].
486* Kyle and Jessica in ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar''. However, they subvert the usual dynamics in that they're quite a bit more [[SlapSlapKiss dysfunctional]] than the game's Alpha Couple of Alex and Luna, who get along really well and have little to no issues they need to work on in comparison. Nash and Mia, too.
487* [[spoiler:Tali'Zorah vas Normandy and Garrus Vakarian]] at the end of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', should you not romance either one of them. It's especially prevalent if your romance is Liara. Joker and EDI also become an item after the latter gains a {{Fembot}} body.
488** The Citadel DLC hints at a couple more potential relationships between non-romanced characters during the party sequence: [[spoiler: Ashley and James can sneak into the back, while Zaeed makes a pass at Samara.]]
489* ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'':
490** ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'' has Chester and Arche as the Beta to the official couple of Cress/Cless and Mint. Their relationship's somewhat more tumultuous though, given their SlapSlapKiss nature and the fact that [[spoiler:time travel means Arche will have to wait 100 years to hook-up.]]
491** ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2'' has Loni and Nanaly to Kyle and Reala. Loni gives Kyle relationship advice when he asks, and Nanaly is essentially Reala's CoolBigSis, though Kyle and Reala have a much calmer and stable relationship than Loni and Nanaly's SlapSlapKiss.
492** ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'' has ''barely'' enough evidence to give the Beta Couple designate to [[spoiler:Pascal and Hubert.]] The amount of ShipTease and the [[ShipperOnDeck shippers on deck]] should make this really obvious...except [[spoiler: the game [[MaybeEverAfter yanks any romantic conclusion away at the last minute]] because Pascal is so ObliviousToLove.]]
493** ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' has [[spoiler: Natalia and Asch]] playing Beta to Tear and Luke. Note that this doesn't fit the idea of the Beta Couple as having a simpler or more easy-going relationship. ''At all.''
494* ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' has Lars Alexandersson and Alisa Bosconovitch; serving as the stark contrast of Jin Kazama and Ling Xiaoyu. It is a Downplayed relative case as both couples have relatively stable relationships but they differ in that Jin and Xiaoyu have been separated from each other since ''Tekken 4'' after Heihachi betrays Jin. Xiaoyu desperately wants to help him out but Jin doesn't want her to join him to protect her. Lars and Alisa however, have been battling with each other side by side in all of their appearances.
495** Their special win poses in ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'' show the more apparent differences; Both Xiaoyu and Alisa trip and fall over to start, and their respective partners have different reactions to it. Jin's reaction is PlayedForLaughs but when he approaches Xiaoyu, he just stares at her crossed arm in disappointment. Lars immediately approaches Alisa to lend a helping hand, allowing the latter to get up.
496* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' has Largo and Eleanor. After helping Eleanor find closure with the murder of her previous boyfriend, the two hit it off and eventually get married after the game. There's also a Gamma Couple with two rank-and-file Squad 7 members, Karl and Lynn, who are lovers at the start of the game and also get married after the war ends if they're both still alive.
497[[/folder]]
498
499[[folder:Visual Novels]]
500* In ''VisualNovel/HeartOfTheWoods'', Madison and [[CuteGhostGirl Abigail]] are the prominently advertised couple, with the two characters appearing on the title screen, but the game soon establishes Madison's best friend Tara and Morgan, the girl who invited them to Eysenfeld, as a secondary couple. The two of them grow closer over the course of the game, and in the end, [[spoiler:they get together in two of the three endings and are shown getting married in the "Freedom" ending, in which Madison and Abigail disappear. In the "Sacrifice" ending, Morgan dies performing a HeroicSacrifice to defeat [[BigBad Evelyn]], and Tara is devastated by her death.]]
501* ''VisualNovel/{{Melody}}'' shows an unusual example: the lesbian couple of Sophia and Xianne are the beta couple for the protagonist and Melody (a heterosexual couple). Sophia and Xianne are in a relationship come the end of the story.
502* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'''s [=EP6=], [[MindGameShip Battler and Beatrice]] are the main couple, but Battler is struggling to accept Beatrice's feelings for him [[spoiler:after she loses her memories, which causes her to act very differently from the Beatrice that Battler is familiar with]]. Meanwhile, the gameboard follows Battler's cousins' romances with the servants; George with Shannon and Jessica with Kanon. [[spoiler:The Episode ends with the wedding of Battler and Beatrice who give their blessings to George/Shannon and Jessica/Kanon.]] It all looks very simple at first glance, but massive MindScrew happens when later arcs reveal [[spoiler:Beatrice, Shannon and Kanon are the same person, Sayo Yasuda. The real point of [=EP6=]'s game is exploring Sayo's conflict with being in love with three people at the same time.]]
503[[/folder]]
504
505[[folder:Web Comics]]
506* Abbey and Daisy in ''Webcomic/BittersweetCandyBowl''. This is in stark contrast to the angst, anger, heartbreak, confusion and jealousy experienced by the (many) other characters on an almost daily basis, though Abbey certainly has some personal issues.
507* Fox and Collin in ''Webcomic/BoyMeetsBoy'', as loving as a cheerful HandsomeLech and a [[TheStoic stoic]] DeadpanSnarker can be. They become the main couple in the SpinOff webcomic ''Webcomic/FriendlyHostility''.
508* Casey and Mary in ''Webcomic/CaseyAndAndy''. Subverted somewhat in that Andy Weir ditches the "one for romance" part of the idea and just plays both couples (Casey/Mary and Andy/Satan) for laughs.
509* Jacques and Ginger are technically this in ''Webcomic/CobwebAndStripes'', but it's an odd case. The Alpha Couple is supposed to be the two leads, who aren't actually a couple yet and won't be for some time yet (according to the artist). In all other respects, however, the HappilyMarried skeleton and spider duo fulfill the roles of this trope.
510* ''Webcomic/DumbingOfAge'': Becky and Dina to most other characters. While everyone else's relationships fall through at one point or another (be it because of IncompatibleOrientation, lack of communication, unbalanced relationship dynamics, or irrational behavior), Becky and Dina's relationship remains stable and kindhearted, with both of them able to speak their mind to each other, even about subjects they are usually not comfortable talking about (such as Becky's own worries about having actual sex) and helping each other grow as a person
511* A literal [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-07-23 Beta Couple]] from ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive''. Okay. That was an awful pun. In-universe, though, Elliot and Sarah take this role, and maybe [[spoiler: Susan/Catalina, although they aren't a couple.]] Tedd and Grace serve as the main couple, [[spoiler:or Ellen and Nanase,]] as a large part of the storyline revolves around their relationships. Later on, this is reversed, as by that point Tedd/Grace [[spoiler:and Ellen/Nanase]] have been happily, stably together for a while and worked out most of their issues already as [[spoiler:Elliot's post-Sarah-breakup relationship with Ashley]] takes the forefront and the lion's share of drama.
512* Several in ''Webcomic/{{Girly}}'': Officers Policeguy and Hipbone, Chuy and Autumn, and Lucy and Yumi. A few others are heavily implied to have HookedUpAfterwards, and there are a fair share of HeterosexualLifePartners. Let's just say this comic has a lot of love to give.
513* In most [[Webcomic/GirlGenius Heterodyne stories]], while Bill is canonically paired with Lucrezia, his brother Barry is paired with whoever the "High Priestess" character happens to be this time.
514* ''Webcomic/TheLawOfPurple'' subverts this trope in an odd way; there are two clearly defined couples amongst the main characters, which take turns being the Alpha and Beta couples depending on which pair contains the character(s) who are the focus of the current arc. At the time of this writing, [[spoiler: Blue and Lette]] are the designated Beta Couple. And that's not even considering what the rest of the cast is up to...
515* Erika and Largo in ''Webcomic/MegaTokyo'' are a classic case of a Beta Couple used to provide a light, humorous contrast (most of the time) to the much more dark and dramatic main couple: Piro and Kimiko.
516* Melissa and Kurt from ''Webcomic/{{Multiplex}}''. Outside of Kurt's habit of pulling pranks on Melissa, they're the rock of love compared to the Jason/Jay/Becky/Angie quagmire.
517* [[spoiler:Mell and Caliban]] in ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'' are a nice, steady evil couple who provide nice contrast to the main pairing of [[spoiler:Dave and Helen]].
518* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
519** Roy and Celia, who are quite upfront about their mutual attraction and get together relatively smoothly. This contrasts how long it took [[CannotSpitItOut Haley]] to admit to her feelings about Elan, and is in spite of [[spoiler:the fact that Roy spends a large proportion of a plot-arc ''dead''.]]
520** The role is also played by MauveShirt couple Kazumi and Daigo, who are happily married (and expecting) already, despite having only gotten together ''after'' Haley and Elan got together.
521* Subverted in ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'' when alpha couple Faye and Marten doesn't happen and Beta interest and Alpha character end up forming a strange mix between Alpha and Beta couple -- Dora and Marten.
522%% * ''Webcomic/SandraAndWoo'' has Larisa and Landon.
523* In ''Webcomic/{{Starfighter}}'', although it's clear there's a whole mess of love stories happening on the background of Abel and Cain's relationship, the leads of the Sleipnir ship, Keller and Encke, seem more like this, to the point in which they seem to have the most loving and respectful relationship on the comic so far.
524* ''Webcomic/{{Sunstone}}'' has the happily married Cassie and Tom make the various romantic heroes look like the shambles they are.
525%%* ''Webcomic/WalkyVerse'': Billie and Danny to Joyce And Walky.
526%%** And [[spoiler: Jason and Sal possibly count as well.]]
527%%** For another "main character in beta couple" example, Ethan and Drew.
528[[/folder]]
529
530[[folder:Western Animation]]
531* Libby and Sheen from ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' have a PuppyLove thing going on that is actually somewhat more explicit compared to Cindy and Jimmy, largely because Libby is more emotionally mature and Sheen is more open about his feelings.
532* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': Jake the Dog has a fairly stable long-term relationship with Lady Rainicorn, contrasting Finn's difficult growing into puberty and dealing with unrequited crushes.
533* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': While Gumball and Penny have a RelationshipUpgrade to OfficialCouple in the third season, Darwin and Carrie later get together as well.
534* ''Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
535** Zuko/Mai and Sokka/Suki of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' to OfficialCouple Aang/Katara, which went through a decent amount of WillTheyOrWontThey (plus ShipToShipCombat with Zuko/Katara). Where Aang's feelings for Katara begin as a PrecociousCrush, while Katara is too focused on the whole war situation to actually figure out her feelings on the matter, the other pairings occur a lot more smoothly. Zuko and Mai get together with little fanfare and go through only a momentary rough patch when Zuko makes his HeelFaceTurn and breaks up with her by letter, at which point Mai quickly decides she "loves Zuko more than she fears [[[TheDragon Azula]]]" and joins him. Sokka and Suki hit a bump when he has trouble getting over his FirstLove Yue, but after working through that, things go smoothly once Suki joins the Gaang [[EleventhHourRanger late in the final season]]. Both couples even manage to sneak in some late-night trysts.
536** In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': [[BigFun Bolin]] and [[TheCutie Opal]] would normally be this to the main official couples of either Mako/Asami or Mako/Korra - except both relationships failed miserably the season before. Only in the {{Grand Finale}} is there an alpha couple: [[spoiler: Korra and Asami.]]
537* ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'': Gandhi and Marie Curie become the beta couple to Joan and JFK near the end of the show. Gandhi and Marie get together just minutes before its ending.
538* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'': Jeremie and Aelita are the Beta Couple for the Yumi/Ulrich relationship and the William/Yumi/Ulrich/Sissi love square, and they in fact become an OfficialCouple while the love square [[NoRomanticResolution never gets resolved]].
539* There's a strange variant in ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor''. For most of the series, there was some sort of inversion, with Numbuh 1 being in an official relationship with his girlfriend Lizzie; while they usually had their problems because he was usually too busy with his job as a KND operative to spend time with her, they always seemed to work it out and remain together. The primary WillTheyOrWontThey was instead occupied by Numbuh 4 and Numbuh 3. By the end of the series, however, Numbuh 1 and Lizzie's relationship falls apart when she finally gets fed up with competing with the Kids Next Door for his attention, while Numbuh 4 and Numbuh 3 are revealed to have ended up together in the DistantFinale.
540%%* Skeeter and Beebe from ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'', to the title character and Patti, eventually.
541%%* Bonnie and Joe Swanson and briefly Brian and Jillian in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' to Peter and Lois Griffin.
542* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'': Barney and Betty Rubble are a classic example, playing the generally happier, conflict-free Betas to Alpha Couple Fred and Wilma Flintstone. Whenever the former pair does get into a rift, chances are it's due to Barney simply finding himself (again) pulled into one of Fred's many crazy schemes. In 1973, Charlton comics gave Barney and Betty their own book.
543* Amy Wong and Kif Kroker from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' to OfficialCouple Fry and Leela. The latter go through a lot of WillTheyOrWontThey before finally settling down, while the former are mostly kept apart by circumstance (Kif effectively being a military man who's often away on deployment).
544* Gerald and Phoebe from ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold''; unlike Arnold and Helga, this one isn't (mostly) one-sided. WordOfGod mentioned that they would have been an explicit Beta Couple in ''[[SpinOff The Patakis]]'', had the series been green-lighted. They would've been the "cool couple" to contrast with the more complicated relationship of Helga and Arnold.
545** In "[[WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheJungleMovie The Jungle Movie]]", [[spoiler:both pairings get a RelationshipUpgrade and at the end, we see a nigh perfect contrast that cements this status. When Arnold and Gerald are walking to school, they bump into Helga and Phoebe--at which point Gerald and Phoebe wordlessly hold hands and walk away smiling while Arnold offers to hold Helga's hand...[[{{Tsundere}} an offer she swoons over, then rejects]]]].
546* Beezy and Saffi, paired up by WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes, who is himself [[ObliviousToLove not yet aware of Heloise's feelings for him]]. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, they break up in a Season 2 episode when Beezy decides to chase after a GirlOfTheWeek. It was PlayedForLaughs though.]]
547* The second season of ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'' introduced a new character, Eugly, who became Quack Quack's girlfriend almost instantly. Kaeloo and Mr. Cat, on the other hand, have an extremely complicated relationship with each other, though WordOfGod has suggested that by the end of the show they will be an OfficialCouple.
548* Alya and Nino from ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug''. They get together relatively quickly, and are not tangled up in the SecretIdentity-induced [[TwoPersonLoveTriangle relationship]] [[LovesMyAlterEgo drama]] that ensnares [[TheHero Marinette]] and [[TheLancer Adrien]]. Slightly subverted in season 4, as both Alya and Nino started being involved in the relationship drama and even aruged every once in a while to get a bit more development between them.
549* Hunter and Willow from ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse''. While the majority of the focus is on Luz and Amity for most of the show, Hunter is shown to develop a crush on Willow in the background throughout the latter half of season 2. [[spoiler:As Luz and Amity's relationship settles into comfortable stability in season 3, Hunter and Willow's relationship takes center stage as Willow starts developing a crush on Hunter in return, and their personal arcs in "For the Future" are about learning to rely on one another. And while they are never specifically stated to have a RelationshipUpgrade, the DistantFinale in "Watching and Dreaming" [[MaybeEverAfter implies that the two of them are now together.]]]]
550* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'':
551** Ferb and Vanessa. Ferb is shown many times throughout the show to have a crush on Vanessa. Meanwhile, Phineas is [[ObliviousToLove utterly oblivious to Isabella's very obvious crush on him]]. In season 4, episode 47 [[Recap/PhineasAndFerbActYourAge Act Your Age]], [[spoiler:Ferb and Vanessa end up together at the same time that Phineas and Isabella finally become a couple]].
552** Stacy and Coltrane, too. Since both of them are rather laid-back, their romance is meant to be a contrast to Candace's neurotic attempts to get Jeremy's attention. However, Coltrane rarely appears.
553%%* Matrix and [=AndrAIa=] in ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot''.
554* In ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'', Mordecai's constant relationship drama with both Margaret and CJ is frequently contrasted by Rigby and Eileen's happy and healthy relationship. It's lampshaded in "Dumped at the Altar", where Rigby reveals he's been hiding the fact that they've been dating from Mordecai (and the audience) for months because they didn't want to shove their happiness down his throat.
555%%* ''WesternAnimation/RoswellConspiraciesAliensMythsAndLegends'': The [[ThoseTwoGuys Detail Team]], Fitz and Neema, form the beta as opposed to [[TheHero Nick]] and [[LoveINterest Sh'lainn]].
556* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': [[spoiler:Bow and Glimmer end up being this to Adora and Catra. Like Adora and Catra, Bow and Glimmer are extremely close ChildhoodFriends, but Bow and Glimmer being raised by good parents allows them to comfortably express their feelings and can generally just enjoy each other's company without overthinking it. Like Catra though, Glimmer has problems with jealousy and can take it out on her friend instead of dealing with it in a healthy way. We also see that like Catra and Adora, a major change causes unresolved issues to surface leading to an angry split that causes even more anger and bad decisions. Though again being more emotionally mature than Catra, Glimmer is able to see the error of her ways faster and apologizes.]]
557%%* Ned and Maude in the early seasons of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' (before Maude's death), Apu and Manjula in later seasons.
558* ''WesternAnimation/SuperRobotMonkeyTeamHyperforceGo'' has an [[InvertedTrope inversion]]. The protagonist Chiro and his girlfriend [[RobotGirl Jinmay]] enter a relationship in the very first episode and while there's few episodes with Jinmay in them, they look like a fairly stable couple when they're together. Meanwhile, Sprx and Nova get more screen time together that's mostly dedicated to their BelligerentSexualTension and WillTheyOrWontThey, and they don't even get together [[LastMinuteHookup until the final episode]].
559* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'':
560** ''Island'' has three pairings that get together with some amount of drama -- [[TheSnarkKnight Gwen]]/[[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan Trent]], [[TroubledButCute Duncan]]/[[WellExcuseMePrincess Courtney]] and [[SurferDude Geoff]]/[[GranolaGirl Bridgette]] -- while [[LovableJock Tyler]]/[[DumbBlonde Lindsay]], [[{{Geek}} Harold]]/[[SassyBlackWoman Leshawna]] and [[BigFun Owen]]/[[CloudCuckooLander Izzy]] all manage to hook up with relatively little interaction.
561** In later seasons, the original pairings' comparative dynamics and focus change only a little. Owen and Izzy break up with the same ease with which they once got together, while the other three do go through some rough patches: Geoff/Bridgette have mutual infidelity and jealousy issues, Leshawna backs out of romantic commitment with Harold, and Lindsay's lesser mental capacity means she only remembers Tyler as a concept. However, they all work through it wholesomely (while Harold and Leshawna don't officially get back together, their feelings don't diminish), with the semi-volatile Geoff/Bridgette in particular being confirmed as stable in ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace'' and Lindsay/Tyler stay together without any drama or arguments. Meanwhile, Gwen/Trent and Duncan/Courtney crash and burn in favor of Duncan/Gwen, which then crashes and burns too with more than a few unresolved elements.
562** The ''Revenge of the Island'' cast has the relative stability of [[GiveGeeksAChance Sam]]/[[AttentionWhore Dakota]] versus all the problems that [[SplitPersonality Mike]]/[[ExtremeDoormat Zoey]] face.
563** The SpinOff, ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace'' has [[{{Goth}} Crimson and Ennui]], who are together from the beginning and are unwaveringly devoted to each other, and casually-flirtatious [[FunPersonified Brody]]/[[CowboyCop MacArthur]] against the more dramatic couples, [[DeadpanSnarker Noah]]/[[IceQueen Emma]], [[GentleGiant Ryan]]/[[CompetitionFreak Stephanie]] and [[ObliviousToLove Devin]]/[[VictoriousChildhoodFriend Carrie]].
564* ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' has at the end of season 1 two Beta Couples: Stella and Brandon, and Tecna and Timmy. By the end of season 2, Musa has hooked up with Riven, while Flora is dating Helia. At the end of season 3, there are ''five'' with Aisha and Nabu dating each other. All of the couples have gone through their rough spots and struggles, while Musa and Riven have almost as much conflict as Bloom and Sky, the main couple. [[spoiler:At the end of season 4, there are only four due to [[HeroicSacrifice Nabu's death.]] And at the end of season 6, there are only three since [[BelligerentSexualTension Musa and Riven]] have broken up and Riven's been PutOnABus.]]
565* Rogue and Gambit in ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' (unlike their comic counterparts) are portrayed as having a relatively stable relationship. Their romance plays backup to the much more complicated, drama-filled love triangle between Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Wolverine.
566[[/folder]]

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