Ricky Gervais Says if ‘The Office’ Aired Now It ‘Would Suffer Because People Take Things Literally’

Lily and Marshall, "How I Met Your Mother": Forget Ted and how he met his kids' mother, the true love story at the heart of this comedy was Marshmallow and his Lilypad. 

Buffy and Angel, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer": Theirs is a forever love. (Shut your mouths, Spuffy shippers.)

Randall and Beth, "This Is Us": Listen, Jack and Rebecca are great -- and they are on this list, too -- but R&B are the real #CoupleGoals in this NBC family drama.

Jim and Pam, "The Office": "To waiting."

Lucy and Ricky, "I Love Lucy": We love Lucy -- and Ricky.

David and Patrick, "Schitt's Creek": They're simply the best.

Eleanor and Chidi, "The Good Place": The definition of soulmates. 

Archie and Edith, "All in the Family": Back when these two were on our screens, those were the days.

Snow White and Prince Charming, "Once Upon a Time": He will always find her -- and we will always stan.

Dwight and Angela, "The Office": Monkey and D were always meant to be, even if it took them until the series finale to finally tie the knot.

Jin and Sun, "Lost": Jin and Sun drowned us with their love. (Sorry, sorry, sorry.)

Kevin and Winnie, "The Wonder Years": What would we do if we didn't have these two?

Leslie and Ben, "Parks and Recreation": We love them and we like them.

George and Louise, "The Jeffersons": This married couple moved on up into our hearts in the '70s and have lived there ever since.

Homer and Marge, "The Simpsons": The only cartoon couple on this list, Marge and Homer have 31 seasons' worth of animated love under their belts and are still going strong.

Monica and Chandler, "Friends": Ross and Rachel may have kept us entertained with their drama, but Monica and Chandler taught us what a healthy, stable, loving relationship should look like.

Stef and Lena, "The Fosters": Inspiring mothers, inspiring lovers.

Coach Eric and Tami, "Friday Night Lights": Clear eyes, full hearts, these two can't lose.

Tara and Willow, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer": An important couple both in-universe and for the LGBTQ community in general, as Tara and Willow famously shared their first kiss in one of the most heartfelt and yet casual of ways, a moment that helped humanize same-sex relationships on television before such acts were treated as commonplace.

Cory and Topanga, "Boy Meets World": From childhood best friends to high school sweethearts to happily married, Cory and Topanga taught us the meaning of commitment. Like, serious commitment. 

Mitch and Cam, "Modern Family": Mitch and Cam's love gave us so many beautiful moments, and a few cringeworthy situations, sure. But mainly beautiful moments, yes.

Rory and Jess, "Gilmore Girls": Reading is sexy. 

April and Andy, "Parks and Recreation": He's an adorable goofball, she could not be more cynical if she tried -- and we couldn't be more obsessed. 

Fran and Maxwell, "The Nanny": Marrying your nanny probably wouldn't be seen as adorable in this day and age -- but it definitely was for viewers of "The Nanny," who shipped these two hard for years.

Sam and Diane, "Cheers": TV writers owe a debt of gratitude to the couple that started the "will they or won't they?" dynamic that has been used time and again by so many shows since.

Paul and Jamie, "Mad About You": We're still mad about them -- in an endearing way, of course.

Cece and Schmidt, "New Girl": Nick and Jess are cute for sure -- but Cece and Schmidt are the real alpha couple from Fox's "Friends"-esque sitcom.

Veronica and Logan, "Veronica Mars": We still hear the bells.

Mike and Carol, "The Brady Bunch": Here's the story of a quintessential married couple whose biggest problems could be resolved in under 30 minutes.

Martin and Gina, "Martin": On-set drama between the actors aside, Martin and Gina gave broadcast viewers something they desperately needed in the '90s and still don't have enough today: an African-American relationship at the center of a show.

Piper and Leo, "Charmed": Obstacles both supernatural and everyday got in this couple's way throughout the show's entire eight-season run. But in the end, there was nothing they could not overcome.

Seth and Summer, "The O.C.": Complete opposites that completely complemented each other in the cutest of ways.

Mulder and Scully, "The X-Files": Proof that the truth is out there -- and that if you write enough fan fiction about a potential couple then they will eventually get together on screen.

Elaine and Puddy, "Seinfeld": We can't do this couple justice by summing them up in a few words -- so here's a video compilation that we think accurately sums up their charm and dysfunction.

Dre and Rainbow, "Black-ish": We got the very definition of "ride or die" right here.

Zack and Kelly, "Saved by the Bell": Arguably the most iconic high school sweethearts in the history of TV.

J.D. and Elliot, "Scrubs": What's meant to be will always find a way -- even if it takes many, many seasons.

Joey and Pacey, "Dawson's Creek": If you're a Joey-Dawson shipper, you definitely don't know chemistry when you see it, because these two had it bad for each other and deserved the happy ending they got.

Meredith and Derek, "Grey's Anatomy": He may have never been her person -- and isn't even alive anymore -- but Derek will forever be Meredith's one true love.

Carrie and Mr. Big, "Sex and the City": While you could say that Carrie and Mr. Big are far from a perfect -- or even healthy -- couple, they are clearly a perfect match.

Kurt and Blaine, "Glee": A stunning small-screen example of not just lovely young love -- but of a same-sex couple experiencing all the same firsts as any heterosexual first loves.

Nick and Jess, "New Girl": These roommates-turned-lovers turned us into mush when they finally got together.

Ross and Rachel, "Friends": There were a lot of problems with this pairing over the years, for sure -- but he *is* her lobster.

Roseanne and Dan, "Roseanne": In this particular case, we're gonna ignore the behind-the-scenes drama that ended this on-screen couple's relationship in the revival and focus on the joy they brought us during the sitcom's original run.

Jack and Rebecca, "This Is Us": An everlasting love that only a slow cooker could kill. (Too soon?)

Booth and Brennan, "Bones": A woman of science, a man of faith, but make no bones about it, this couple belonged together from the start.

Niles and Daphne, "Frasier": Sometimes pining pays off.