Top 10 TV Couples with Ridiculous Age Gaps
Age is just a number right? For these TV couples that is definitely true. For this list, we'll be looking at famous TV couples who have a massive age gap between them. For the purposes of this list, we'll be using the ages of the characters themselves, but if this information is unavailable, we'll use the ages of the actors. They're usually close enough, anyway. We've included couples from shows like Big Love, The Walking Dead, Northern Exposure, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Dawson's Creek, Downtown Abbey, Friends, Gilmore Girls, Hill Street Blues, One Tree Hill, Desperate Housewives, Pretty Little Liars and Modern Family.
#10: Roman & Rhonda “Big Love” (2006-11)
“Big Love” was a show that aired on HBO following a polygamist Mormon family in Salt Lake City. One of the show’s major characters was Roman Grant, a self-proclaimed prophet portrayed by Harry Dean Stanton. Roman was born around 1927, which would make him roughly 80 years old, the same age as his actor. Roman is betrothed to 15-year-old Rhonda Volmer, which gives them an age gap of roughly sixty years. However, their marriage has never been consummated, so we suppose that counts for something.
#9: Abraham & Rosita “The Walking Dead” (2010-)
In the show, Rosita and Abraham have a sexual relationship, despite a 20-odd year gap between the two of them. While their ages aren’t precisely nailed down, Abraham is assumed to be in his mid to late 40s, and Rosita in her mid to late 20s. While there’s a pretty big gap there, the show takes place during the end of civilization as we know it, so we can’t really blame them for seeking solace in each others’ arms. As Abraham tells Rosita, “When I first met you, I thought you were the last woman on Earth.”
#8: Holling & Shelly “Northern Exposure” (1990-95)
“Northern Exposure” was an acclaimed television show that ran for six seasons on CBS in the early 1990s. Two of the main characters were Holling Vincoeur, a bar owner, and Shelly Tambo, a young beauty pageant winner. Upon arriving in Alaska, Shelly falls in love with Holling, despite Holling being 40+ years her senior. The two were played by 60-year-old John Cullum and 25-year-old Cynthia Geary, respectively, giving them a real-life age gap of 35 years. Despite this gap, the two charming characters were eventually happily married, proving that age doesn’t come before love.
#7: Ted & Georgette “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1970-77) “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” was a sitcom that aired on CBS throughout the 70s. It’s often considered to be one of the most revolutionary shows ever due to the character of Mary Richards, a strong, independent woman in a time when that was a rarity on television. However, for this entry we’re concerned with Ted and Georgette. The writers paired Ted and Georgette together to add a further dimension to Ted’s character, as his actor, Ted Knight, found him to be too one-note. The two share a 25-year age gap, as Ted Knight was born in 1923 and Georgia Engel in 1948. Despite this, the two characters love each other and eventually marry and have children.
#6: Pacey & Tamara “Dawson’s Creek” (1998-2003)
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Student-teacher relationships are to be expected in most teen dramas, and “Dawson’s Creek” is no exception. Tamara Jacobs is a character who appears in nine episodes of the show and works as an English teacher at Capeside High. Pacey falls in love with Tamara and eventually loses his virginity to her, but the relationship is forced to end after rumors of their courtship circulate around the school. At the time, Tamara is 36 years old and Pacey is a sophomore, so we can assume that he is around 15, giving them a roughly 20-year age gap.
#5: Monica & Richard “Friends” (1994-2004)
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While Frank and Alice’s relationship was certainly a strange one, we’re giving the massive age gap award to Monica and Richard. This one is just…odd. Throughout much of Season 2, Monica is in a relationship with her parents’ friend Richard Burke, who is twenty-one years her senior. Ross berates Monica for her relationship with Richard because of the age gap, and it gets even worse when Monica realizes that he is a grandfather, and that she was friends with his daughter in high school. The two eventually break up after a fight regarding their future children, so in this case, love doesn’t conquer all.
#4: Lady Edith & Sir Anthony “Downton Abbey” (2010-15)
Lady Edith and Sir Anthony certainly have an interesting relationship. In the first season, Edith and Anthony are a happy couple, but Anthony fails to ask for her hand in marriage after being tricked by Mary. They then reconcile after the war, but Anthony declines the relationship due to his debilitating injury. They are finally engaged in season three (despite protestations from Edith’s family), but Anthony leaves Edith at the altar. Throughout this back-and-forth, the two also deal with their age gap. Anthony was around 30 in 1896, making his birth-year roughly 1866. Edith was born in 1892, giving them an age gap of 26 years.
#3: Paris & Asher “Gilmore Girls” (2000-07)
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What did we say about teacher-student relationships being a mainstay in teen dramas? In the fourth season of “Gilmore Girls,” Paris breaks up with Jamie and has an affair with one of Yale’s literature professors, Asher Fleming. Asher was a classmate of Rory’s grandfather, and is a notoriously horny man with a preference for younger women. While the relationship starts as purely sexual, the two eventually fall in love with each other, despite protestations from Rory. At the time of the fling, Asher was 60 and Paris a college freshman, making her around 17 or 18 years old. Now that is a serious age gap.
#2: Sgt. Esterhaus & Cindy “Hill Street Blues” (1981-87)
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“Hill Street Blues” is a hugely revolutionary cop drama that aired on NBC throughout the 80s. The show was notable for its gritty and risqué storylines and morally complex characters. One of the show’s chief characters is the 50-something Sgt. Phil Esterhaus, the desk sergeant who does roll call at the beginning of every episode. Throughout the show, Esterhaus is the subject of many a woman’s lust, despite having a girlfriend. Who is 18 years old, by the way. The two nearly marry, despite the 30-odd year age gap, but Esterhaus eventually calls it off. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Aria & Ezra “Pretty Little Liars” (2010-17) Gabrielle & John “Desperate Housewives” (2004-12) Dan & Rachel “One Tree Hill” (2003-12)
#1: Jay & Gloria “Modern Family” (2009-) In the early seasons of this show, one of the major storylines revolved around Jay’s newfound love for Gloria, his trophy wife from Colombia. While Phil certainly has no problem with Gloria, their relationship greatly upsets Jay’s daughter Claire, who goes so far to call her a gold digger. Jay was born in 1947, making him 62 when the show premiered in 2009. Gloria was born in 1971, making her 38 and giving them an almost 25-year age gap. Despite the gap, they are perhaps the most stable couple on the show, again proving that love is not bound by age.
