Emily in Paris and Doctor Odyssey are perfect examples of TV shows with iconic love triangles that would be better off introducing a throuple.
The hit Netflix series, which debuted in 2020, followed Emily (Lily Collins) as she made the move from the U.S. to France, and the challenges that come with that. Emily found herself caught in a love triangle and season 4 showed her trying to face the truth about her romance with Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) and her feelings for Gabriel (Lucas Bravo).
Emily and Gabriel were able to make their timing work briefly during season 4 before calling it quits. Gabriel, however, realized later that he didn’t want to give up on a future with Emily and Bravo had some suggestions of his own.
“From what I gathered, it should end up in a threesome,” Bravo told Extra in August 2024. “Everybody is happy and the world is reunited.”
When the outlet tried to clarify whether Bravo meant “a throuple,” he quipped, “A throuple. Sorry! Poor choice of words. Or maybe not.”
Doctor Odyssey faced a similar predicament when season 1 introduced the dynamic between Avery (Phillipa Soo), Max (Joshua Jackson) and Tristan (Sean Teale). Both Max and Tristan had their own connections with Avery, which subsequently turned into a threesome. Things took a turn for the more complicated, however, when Avery subsequently realized she was pregnant.
“I was actually really delighted by it because I think it’s the kind of relationship that we haven’t seen yet on procedural television,” Soo told TV Insider in November 2024. “I’m always excited by something that’s new and challenging, and it was really such a collaboration in terms of understanding the nuance of this relationship between the three of these people, this medical team, and all of the ups and downs that come with having a relationship — or relationships — with people you work with so closely.”
She continued: “I love that it was Avery [who was rooting to keep it going]. I think she’d be really content to keep exploring and trying to understand it. What I love about her is she’s a woman who has discovered her own sense of agency and freedom in the world and has carved that out for herself based off of having some really hard trying times with her own personal relationships.”
Keep scrolling to see which TV couples could have been throuples instead:
Emily, Alfie and Gabriel (‘Emily in Paris’)
Max, Avery and Tristan (‘Doctor Odyssey’)
What felt like a love triangle as old as time took an interesting turn with that surprise threesome. And then Doctor Odyssey doubled down by having Avery find out she’s pregnant — without knowing who the dad is. If you ask Us, the universe seems to be pushing Max, Avery and Tristan’s tangled situationship into a proper throuple.
Lucien, Caroline and Annie (‘Cruel Intentions’)
The TV adaptation doesn’t actually have Us rooting for one couple over the other yet. But maybe the answer is to just combine Lucien (Zac Burgess), Caroline (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Annie’s (Savannah Lee Smith) individual chemistry together instead of having them fight it out apart.
Nancy, Steve and Jonathan (‘Stranger Things’)
Netflix’s Stranger Things is nearing its end and it isn’t any more clear where the show’s biggest love triangle is heading. Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) were together for three seasons by the time Steve (Joe Keery) stepped back into the picture. Instead of wasting time during the last season, Nancy shouldn’t have to pick one over the other.
Pippa, Wrigley and Diana (‘Tell Me Lies’)
Season 2 of Tell Me Lies made Us think Pippa (Sonia Mena) and Wrigley (Spencer House) were the only semi-healthy relationship on the show. Until Pippa and Diana’s (Alicia Crowder) romance was introduced. Obviously based on the scenes in the present day, Pippa chooses Diana and Wrigley can’t get over her. That doesn’t seem right and since Wrigley deserves better, this is where a duo could turn into a trio.
Archie, Betty and Veronica (‘Riverdale’)
Imagine the time and energy (and ship wars) that would have been avoided if The CW’s Riverdale just committed to the bit by not having Archie (KJ Apa) toggle between Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Veronica (Camila Mendes). The trio should have taken one for the team and gotten together — perhaps with Reggie (Charles Melton) joining the mix as well.
Jane, Rafael and Michael (‘Jane the Virgin’)
When in doubt between two fictional relationships, why not bring them together? It was hard to choose between Michael (Brett Dier) and Rafael (Justin Baldoni) for Jane (Gina Rodriguez) because both worked in different ways. They were the perfect example of refusing to choose for the greater good of the characters.
Olivia, Fitz and Jake (‘Scandal’)
Olivia (Kerry Washington) was all in with both Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) and Jake (Scott Foley) — so why did she have to go with just one of them? For Us, Fitz and Jake would have been better off committing to a future with Olivia together.
