Throughout its 7 seasons, Pretty Little Liars delivered some incredibly memorable romances, even if many were memorable for the wrong reasons. In the grand tradition of teen dramas, the main characters enter into all sorts of romantic pairings, from the incredibly ill-advised to the sort of adorable. No matter what threats present themselves, the Liars always find time to romance people who don’t appear too frightened by the fact that their lives are pretty much controlled by a violent stalker.
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Romance is at the forefront of the series from its first episode when Aria (Lucy Hale) hooks up with a guy who turns out to be her high school English teacher. Also, immediately in the running for unluckiest-in-love was Spencer (Troian Bellisario), who had a PG affair with her older sister’s fiancé. There were of course some fan-favorite couples who were less controversial, and today we’re here to talk about the best love interests that the Liars had.
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11. Jordan Hobart
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After the time jump in Season 6, Hanna was shown to have left Rosewood, and returns with a fiancé who is notable for shockingly not being Caleb. This man, Jordan Hobart (David Coussins), is handsome, wealthy, thoughtful, and seems to genuinely care for Hanna. He's even supportive of her when she's caught up in a murder investigation, which is exactly the kind of thing that's caused breakups for the Liars in the past. Jordan was a nice guy, but fans knew it was only a matter of time before Hanna found her way back to Caleb.
10. Alex Santiago
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Alex Santiago (Diego Boneta) was the perfect act of rebellion for Spencer. She came from an upper-class family, and he worked at the country club they frequented. This relationship pretty much wrote itself, but thanks to interference from A, it wasn’t meant to last. However, when the alternatives are men way too old to be dating high school girls or, in Spencer’s case, already dating her older sister, sometimes the cute, forgettable ones rank the highest.
9. Samara Cook
Sure, anyone who hasn’t seen The Vampire Diaries probably forgot about that time when Emily (Shay Mitchell) dated Samara Cook (Claire Holt). They were cute together, but Emily had much more of a connection with some other girls on this list. Still, Samara was kind, and a nice, uncomplicated girlfriend for Emily amid all the drama.
8. Jake
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Jake (Ryan Guzman) was clearly a temporary love interest for Aria during one of her many breakups with Ezra (Ian Harding), as he wasn’t even given a last name. Though their relationship was never as popular as her romance with Ezra, Jake’s standard network TV good-looks earned him his own fan following. He was also surprisingly laid-back about all the secrets Aria was involved with while they were dating (and her apathetic attitude towards him in general), and he wins points for that.
7. Travis Hobbs
Without the Ravenswood spinoff, we might have never been treated to the adorable gentleman cowboy that was Travis Hobbs (Luke Kleintank). Of course, once Caleb returned to Rosewood, we knew Travis’s days with Hanna were numbered, but he was nice while he lasted. He looked after Hanna and never acted shady, and in Rosewood, sometimes that’s about as good as it gets.
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6. Lorenzo Calderon
Lorenzo Calderon (Travis Winfrey) was easily the nicest guy Alison (Sasha Pieterse) dated. He was the least crooked cop in Rosewood and possibly could have helped protect Alison and her friends from A. Before their connection could go very far, she went behind his back to use his police privileges for her own gain. Lorenzo quickly figured out that Alison would never be someone trustworthy, and ended things between them.
5. Jason DiLaurentis
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Jason DiLaurentis (Drew Van Acker) is both very handsome and very (relatively) unproblematic, by Rosewood standards. We can’t be the only ones who always hoped something would happen between Jason and Aria (almost anyone is preferable to a high school teacher who dates his students, really), but sadly, their relationship was short-lived and mostly off-screen. Despite the buildup to the relationship, they were never serious. Jason looked suspicious at times, but he was never on Team A, which is a major bonus. However, for some, the mystery surrounding Jason’s motives only made him more attractive. We think that this is the guy Aria should have ended up with!
4. Paige McCullers
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One of Emily’s strongest (and longest) relationships was with Paige McCullers (Lindsey Shaw). Their relationship was so healthy (relatively) that we can almost forget that one time that Paige sort of tried to kill Emily. Bygones, right? Seriously, it’s hard to reconcile the couple they became with the rivals they were at the start of the series. Paige was always admirably concerned for Emily’s safety and proved trustworthy enough to be told things about A.
However, by the end of the relationship, Paige’s protectiveness of Emily turned into a stubborn unwillingness to listen to her girlfriend, which led to broken trust between them. Paige’s attitude ultimately ruined her relationship with Emily. Still, she was Emily’s longest and most solid relationship. They don’t go down with the likes of Caleb and Hanna, or Spencer and Toby, but they did have their supporters. After all, not every high school romance could make it out intact.
3. Toby Cavanaugh
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The relationship between Toby Cavanaugh (Keegan Allen) and Spencer was an all-time fan-favorite on the show. They remained mostly solid throughout the period before the time jump, during which they broke up. Though they each moved on with other people during this time, they ultimately found their way back to each other in the end. Throughout the series, nearly everything Toby did was for Spencer. They’re the only couple that joined the A-Team for each other. Toby was always a little off but proved time and time again that he had Spencer and her friends’ best interest at heart.
2. Maya St. Germain
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The ending of Emily’s sweet romance with Maya St. Germain (Bianca Lawson) was one of the first major heartbreaks the show served up. She went missing and was found dead, and it took some time for the surrounding mystery of her sudden death to be cleared up. It turns out she had a stalker who killed her when he couldn't have her. Maya had some personal issues that caused problems in their relationship, but she was Emily’s first great love. It seemed like they could have made it work in the long run if Maya hadn’t met a tragically early end. No romance Emily had after Maya had quite as much chemistry. Maya seemed to be a genuinely good person who actually cared for Emily without any other agenda (or attempted drowning). Ultimately, homophobic parents and a crazed stalker got in the way.
1. Caleb Rivers
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Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) dated not one, but two of the Liars. You could view his relationship with Spencer as a betrayal by both of Hanna (Ashley Benson), or as a sign of what a good boyfriend he is to have had two of the main characters fall in love with him. His relationship with Hanna was a fan favorite, but over the time jump, it was revealed that they broke up and that he started seeing Spencer.
For some, it was odd, but others quickly got on board with their chemistry. It helps that Caleb is one of the best love interests on the show, always proving to be a good partner to whomever he’s dating. It’s no accident that many of Pretty Little Liars' most romantic moments include Caleb. The fact that his attitudes towards Spencer seem so genuine that people actually were able to ship him with someone other than Hanna speaks volumes as well. but, it was Hanna he ultimately ended up with. Caleb came in clutch for the Liars many times. You can always count on Caleb (unless he’s off filming a spinoff series).
