Every great TV sitcom romance has to have a third wheel. Just like the classic romantic comedies of the 1930s and 1940s, the whole idea of these romances between two characters that the audience (hopefully) adores is that there have to be some obstacles to the moment of happily ever after. Although the iconic and oft-awarded sitcom "Frasier," now in its second season of a revival on Paramount+ (read /Film's review), was itself a spinoff of the equally iconic NBC show "Cheers," both of them ended up being anchored in a way by long-running romances between two core characters.

In the case of "Cheers," of course, the romance was that of the charmingly doofy bartender Sam Malone and his well-read barmaid Diane Chambers, which sparked in the pilot episode and didn't truly conclude until the series finale in season 11. "Frasier" went in a slightly different direction; while title character Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) was often looking for his one true love, it was his even more effete brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) who served as one-half of the key romance. Niles quickly fell for his dad's home health-care worker Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves), and it felt pretty one-sided for years. It was only when Daphne pursued a serious romance with Niles' divorce lawyer Donny Douglas (Saul Rubinek, the man behind one of the most evil villains on "Star Trek") that the possibility of falling for Niles instead became serious. But while Donny was a recurring character for a few seasons, it turns out he was originally only supposed to be part of the show for a few episodes.