The 50 Best CW Ships

We all know The CW is the prime destination for vampires, superheroes, space travel, but one thing all the networks shows have in common are their epic romances. We love love here at TV Guide, so obviously we jumped at the chance to rank all our favorite ships.

Whether you love The Flash, Supergirl, or Arrow, we can all agree that the Arrowverse has ships that are absolutely to die for like Olicity, Westallen, or Sanvers. If you think the heroes are going to run away with this list though, you might be surprised to find out how high some of The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and Legacies ships rank. Franchises aren't the only ones with sexy romances though! Riverdale and Reign both have multiple ships on this list, and dramas like All American and Dynasty also got some love.

Check out our official ranking of the best 50 ships of all time on The CW! As a reminder, this is a ranking of canon ships, so some our faves like SuperCorp and Bellarke did not qualify since they haven't happened on-screen -- yet! 

Sometimes a show pairs two unlikely characters together and you're like, "What in the fresh hel– oh no, now I'm in love." That was pretty much the case with Bash and Kenna. Their marriage certainly didn't start out as a loving relationship, but the romance between them grew into something so real that it plucked Bash right out of the love triangle he'd been in with Mary and Francis. Things may not have ended well between them, but we still ship the hell out of this pairing. 

Does it get more epic than Lois Lane and Clark Kent? This iconic couple was first introduced into the Arroverse late in the love story when they'd already gotten together and cleared most of the romantic hurdles we're used to seeing in a superhero romance. We're not mad at it though, since now we get to see them as supportive partners who love and respect one another through anything. And even better, we now get to explore them as parents on their own spin-off, Superman and Lois. 

Who doesn't love a tale as old as time? Granted, this version happens to have genetic experimentation, shady government organizations, and a lot of death... but at its core it's still a love story! One of the best things about Cat and Vincent is that no matter what went wrong or who screwed up, you were still inevitably left rooting for this couple, which is more than some of the others on this list can say. There's definitely something to be said for keeping the fans happy and invested, and Beauty and the Beast did that at every turn.

Not only is Brainy and Nia The CW's first ship involving a transgender character, but they're also one of the cutest damn romances the network has ever created. Nia and Brainy's respective awkward tendencies somehow synced up perfectly with one another, and they've both learned so much from each other -- both good and bad -- over the course of their relationship. Supergirl doesn't often spend enough time exploring this relationship, which is the only reason it's not ranked higher. 

This ship kind of came out of left field, but the best ones always do! Sure, Harry and Macy have had more ups and downs than most ships could manage in just two seasons, but that hasn't stopped us from falling head over heels in love with their love. And yes, we've watched the scene of them dancing more times than is probably but healthy, but honestly – totally worth it. 

Blaine and Peyton walk the line between sexy and scary extremely well, and while we're all aboard this ship, it's also kind of nice that iZombie hasn't attempted to water Blaine down to make his romance with Peyton more palatable. That being said, the mutual feelings between these two allowed us to see a wilder side of Peyton, and a more subdued, domestic side of Blaine, which was a nice change-up for both of them. Great characters are all about seeing the dimensions, and though they're not together anymore, we wouldn't rule out a rekindling... eventually.

LaVon and Lemon started off as star-crossed lovers, and even though their affair ended up hurting George, there was no denying the couple was meant to be together. They were Blue Bell town royalty and had the kind of can't-eat-can't-sleep kind of love that dreams are made of. Plus, Lemon is the only one who could keep LaVon in line and he's the only one that could find her demanding nature endearing. No one else made as much sense as these two.

Mikita is one of those completely and totally underrated ships that we just had to put on this list. While the relationship admittedly got a little stale towards the end of the series, Season 1 has some of the greatest shipper scenes of all time. Starting them off on opposite sides of the Division takedown juxtaposed with their past mentor/mentee relationship was the perfect formula to make us fall in love with this romance.

It may have taken them FOREVER to get together, but Luke and Lorelai are pretty much the perfect example of a friends-to-lovers romance that feels organic and earned. Luke never pressured her to be more, though it was clear he always held a candle for her, and once Lorelai realized her own feelings, she was all in on their relationship. It's rare to find a ship that's just as amazing in the series finale as they were when they were introduced in the pilot, but Luke and Lorelai managed to pull it off.

Who would have thought Sam Winchester would actually find a stable and solid relationship 15 years into the series? Definitely not us! Women seem to come and go in Sam's life (typically tragically) and for a while it seemed like Eileen would be more of the same. When it comes down to it though, Sam and Elieen have something mature, real, and not destined for heartbreak, and this point, they both deserve exactly that! 

Walt and Bennet's relationship might not have received as much screen time as it deserved on the '80s-set The Carrie Diaries, but it was remarkable in that it also propelled Walt's thoughtful coming out story. It took a little while for the two of them to get on the same page because of their differences, but they made it there eventually, and it was one of the things we loved most (and still miss!) about this canceled-too-soon coming-of-age story.

Let's pour one out for this epic ship we loved and lost. Zari and Nate stole our hearts (and created one hell of ship name with SteelHacker) before timeline shenanigans got in the way and gave us a whole new Zari. And now she's hooking up with Constantine, and our feelings are very confused. Is it weird that we kind of just want the three of them to be a thruple so we can ship ALL the things? 

We all love a good teen romance, but it's pretty rare to find a relationship that's as nuanced as Spencer and Layla's considering they're technically still just kids. Even though Spencer's had so many ups and downs in his life, he's still been endlessly supportive of Layla and he's tried to stand by her, even when she didn't want him to. That's pretty selfless for a 16-year-old kid. As for Layla, well, she doesn't trust many people enough to let them in, but Spencer seems to be the exception to that rule, which is just beautiful. 

We'll be the first to admit, when Katy Keene first premiered, we weren't too hot on the romance between Katy and KO. The couple that's already together in the pilot never lasts long, right? Boy do we feel silly now. Katy and KO may have had to navigate rocky waters, but through it all they've remained deeply in love with each other. So in love, in fact, that they're both willing to sacrifice being together so that they each can chase the opportunities they need to pursue their dreams. Talk about sacrifice!

When Julian was first introduced as a love interest for Brooke, we were more than a little worried she was about to be drawn into another love triangle with Peyton. Luckily, these ladies didn't have to fight it out over a boy again, and Brooke ended up finding her soulmate in the one guy who understood her better than anyone else. 

Let's be real, Anissa is a thunderstorm of a woman, and there aren't many people that could handle a relationship with someone as headstrong and passionate as her. Grace absolutely can though, and over the course of the series, we've seen both girls be so caring and vulnerable with one another that it's hard to imagine either of them fitting so perfectly with anyone else. When you're in a bad mood, just go watch all their scenes on repeat -- it's sure to turn your day around!

Yes, we put Clark Kent and Lois Lane on this list twice. What of it? While Lana dominated the first few seasons of the series as Clark's love interest, Lois definitely took over (with much more success) when she arrived on the scene in Season 4. Despite a totally longer than necessary arc where Lois didn't realize Clark was also the Blur, this relationship shone through as the best ship on the show and one of the top to ever grace The CW network.

Although we're still brokenhearted over the end of Rebecca and Greg's relationship, we also acknowledge how problematic it was and that Rebecca's relationship with Nathaniel, while also filled with obstacles to overcome, was somehow even more fulfilling. They understood one another in a way that no one else does and watching them support one another and work through their problems was half the fun.

Though this steamy romance only lasted one season due to Ruby Rose's exit from the series, we're still putting Sophie and Kate's relationship on this list because reasons. Despite prejudice, other partners, and even the law getting in the way of their love, Kate and Sophie's undeniable chemistry just kept drawing them together again and again. It's not every day you get an LGBTQ ship in the superhero genre, much less one that's got a powerhouse duo like this in it!

Falliam is nothing if not a true testament to how epic the "fake dating" trope can be. Though he was originally hired by Fallon's father to be her husband (and thus prevent her from marrying someone else), Liam wormed his way into her heart, and now their relationship is one of the best the show has ever created. When a girl like Fallon tells you she'd choose you, you know you've got a real romance on your hands.

Look, let's not mince words. Annie and Liam had their problems, that's for sure. On a show like 90210, where kidnappings, pill switches, and teenage prostitution are common occurrences, there's virtually no way to have a normal relationship, but Annie and Liam came as close as they could. Watching their romance grow out of a genuine friendship was a nice change-up for this series, and all the drama that came after was worth it when we saw Liam go down on one knee in the finale. 

Nancy Drew decided to say "screw the best friend and the ex-boyfriend" rules by putting Nick and George together, and honestly, we're so glad it did. George and Nick complement each other so well! George is grumpy on the outside and soft and gooey inside, and Nick is the exact opposite, but somehow they just work. And for the most part, the series has avoided pitting Nancy and George against each other for the sake of pointless drama, which only made us love the show more!

When the reboot first debuted, we were kind of worried that the new Liz and Max wouldn't live up to the epic romance of the original Roswell. How foolish we feel now! The chemistry between these two has been off the charts since the pilot episode, and they're the kind relationship that you just know is endgame no matter what. They've had their fair share of problems -- secrets, dead sisters, secrets about dead sisters -- but when push comes to shove, nothing can truly keep Max and Liz apart. 

It's not often The CW makes us ship "the parents," but Joe and Cecile are absolutely the exception to that rule. Their relationship has arguably been the most supportive and loving marriage we've ever seen on network TV, even though both of these characters are still learning and growing amidst all the chaos happening every week in Central City. This ship is also a great example of how wonderful it can be to discover your soulmate later in life when you're finally ready to meet the one. 

This one might seem a little predictable, but we're suckers for canon-compliant romances. Archie and Veronica were an iconic ship from the Archie comics, so naturally watching them get together on Riverdale was pretty awesome. Not to mention, these two have had some of the steamiest love scenes we've ever seen -- is The CW even allowed to pair two people this beautiful together? 

They were on and then off and then on again and then… OK, so we lost track of how many times Thea and Roy broke up and got back together again, but when you've got chemistry like theirs, it doesn't really matter. In the end, we were thrilled to see them get engaged, and we firmly believe they're living a heroic happily ever after out there somewhere. 

When we first met Asher, we were ready to hate the obligatory ignorant bully stewing in his own white privilege, but then something totally nuts happened. He turned out to be a kind of OK person? Made more and more OK every time he interacted with Olivia to the point where we actually like this kid now! That's just the effect someone as beautiful and resilient as Olivia has on people, we guess. Never underestimate the power of a guy who brings you ice cream and then asks for your consent before kissing you! 

Royal love affairs are the best love affairs, and Mary and Francis could put Meghan and Harry to shame any day of the week. Frary didn't just have to tackle the typical obstacles of young love during their time together, they had to deal with assassination plots, warring countries, and shaky alliances on top of it all. Despite all the pain and suffering they experienced in their lives, they finally got to reunite in the afterlife when Reign came to a close in a montage that -- admit it -- absolutely made you cry.

Honestly, it was pretty hard choosing between Jane and Rafael and Jane and Michael for this list, but that's just a testament to how great the writing on Jane the Virgin is. Ultimately though, Jane and Rafael won out because they both brought out the best versions of themselves in each other. They're friends, they're co-parents, and they're soulmates.

Honestly, we're not all that hot on most of the canon ships in the Supernatural universe, but Dean and Jo is always going to feel like the one that got away. They had chemistry off the charts, some serious shared trauma about losing their dads to hunting, and very similar personalities – maybe that's why they were always bumping heads? For whatever reason, the show decided not to pursue this relationship even though it had laid all the perfect groundwork, and then Jo died and that was that. Are we still bitter? You bet your ass. 

As polar opposites with a deep, almost spiritual understanding of each other, there's no denying that Ava and Sara are the 'ship of DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Sara's a resurrected assassin who isn't one for settling down and Ava is a clone of, well, many, which should have made their relationship a total non-starter. However, their sizzling chemistry and heartfelt conversations made them a definite favorite, and we're confident that this ship is endgame, no matter where the Waverider takes them.

Like her father before her, Hope has about as many ships as one character can handle, both canon and otherwise! She found an epic love in her teenage sweetheart, Landon, who helped her learn to open her heart again and let people in. After tragically losing both her parents and searching for a reason to connect again, that was a tall order, but with patience and kindness (and a song or two), Landon proved worthy of her vulnerability and love.

Who knew one wild night in the back of a limo would launch one of the greatest ships The CW has ever seen? Chuck and Blair's relationship on Gossip Girl always walked the line between tantalizing and toxic, but they were really a perfect match in the end. Whether they were manipulating the goings-on of the Upper East Side or jetting off for a laid-back European vacation, Chuck and Blair navigated their tumultuous romance with class and style.

Supergirl hasn't always paid much attention to Kara's romantic life, which we're 100 percent cool with, but the biggest exception to this rule was her relationship with Mon-El. These two fell fast and hard for each other, and their love story was just so precious. They really had it all from passionate kisses to goofy fights to heartbreaking goodbyes. Karamel will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Falling in love with your foster sister might sound like an odd way to find your one true love, but everything about Barry and Iris' relationship on The Flash has been super weird. Their first kiss was erased by time travel, Nazis stormed their wedding, and their grown-up daughter from the future briefly joined their crime-fighting team. Weird is relative. What we love most about this ship is the way Barry and Iris' partnership shines through strongest of all. Super powers or not, these two are truly a team in everything they do, and we should all be so lucky as to find a love like theirs.

Though Penelope eventually transferred schools and left us (and Josie) heartbroken, we still absolutely adore Posie, and will ship it until the day we die. Penelope may have looked like a an evil ex at first glance, but it quickly became apparent that she was using her mean girl tactics on people who didn't treat Josie the way she deserved. We shouldn't find that attractive, but we totally do. If they'd been given more time together, we have faith that Josie would have tempered Penelope's harsher tendencies and Penelope would have pushed Josie to be more outgoing and independent.  

Sanvers is and always will be one of the best ships Supergirl ever created, and we're still a little bitter about watching it come to an end. Alex (Chyler Leigh) got to explore her sexuality and come to terms with it in a beautiful story arc for her character, made even more beautiful by the genuine friendship and love she found in Maggie during that journey. Ultimately, their difference of opinion on having kids drove these two apart, but we're holding out one last kernel of hope that they'll find their way back to each other one day. The greatest ships take time, patience and fans that make a whole lot noise on Twitter, after all.

Nathan and Haley had the kind of relationship we all wish existed but probably know doesn't. It had drama, passion and its fair share of ups and downs, but at its core, this romance was built on high-school love that turned into unwavering devotion. While love triangles and cheating scandals kept other ships on One Tree Hill busy, Naley tugged on our heartstrings by showing us two people who could and would overcome any obstacle because they were simply meant to be -- plus a few rain kisses, who doesn't love those?!

When your ship name is LoVe, is there any doubt that it's meant to be? To be honest, if someone told us that Logan and Veronica would be endgame after watching the first few episodes of Veronica Mars Season 1, we would have thrown serious shade since he totally lived up to his reputation as Neptune High's "obligatory psychotic jackass." Despite all odds though, these two just seemed to fit together though, and Logan was always the only one that could really keep up with Veronica's quick wit. We almost loved watching them banter as much as watching them make out in the girls' bathroom. And yeah, we're all going to just ignore what happened to this couple in the revival.

Everyone totally had Murphy pegged as a loner (and kind of an ass) until Emori showed up and changed everything. For the most part, there's very little Murphy won't do, or anyone he won't sacrifice, to stay alive, but the line gets drawn firmly at Emori. He'd probably sacrifice his own life for her at this point, and considering his reputation as the cockroach of the group, honestly, that's just beautiful. And yeah, he'd probably burn the world down if anything happened to her, but like... same. Protect Emori at all costs. 

Their relationship may have gotten off to a rocky start (kidnapping does that to a couple sometimes), but Freya and Keelin managed to develop a rock-solid relationship built on trust, love, and respect in a city where that's hard to find among family, let alone strangers. These lovely ladies walked down the aisle before The Originals ended, and there's seriously no one who deserves a happily ever after more!

How do we put this? Darryl and White Josh give us life. It was refreshing to see Darryl come out as a bisexual man and subsequently embark on a loving relationship with White Josh, who might have been the only truly well-adjusted person on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. And although they broke up because Darryl wanted a child and White Josh did not, their breakup actually allowed the show to tell a number of interesting stories. 

Zoe and Wade were a classic "opposites attract" story: she was a self-centered doctor from New York who tried to bring formal shorts to The CW before Petra on Jane the Virgin actually made them work, and he was a sexy, small town bartender from Alabama who appeared to be every bit the stereotypical ladies' man. However, over time Zoe and Wade's love story became the foundation of Hart of Dixie, and as the two learned not only to grow as people but to grow together as well, it only made the show -- and their characters -- stronger.

Black Lightning took a more mature approach to the superhero genre with its middle-aged vigilante Jefferson Pierce, so naturally the series did the same with its main romantic subplot. Jefferson and Lynn's story started at the rekindling of their romance after a long marriage and semi-messy divorce, which made the ship exciting for two reasons. One, there's two decades of history between them for fans to speculate and gush over, making their flashback possibilities endless. Two, Jefferson and Lynn showed us what a mature relationship built on trust and teamwork -- despite its many flaws and uncertainties -- can look like. And holy crap, we LOVE it.

Rory Gilmore has had a few great loves in her life, but none of them ever fit her quite as well as Stars Hollow's own bad boy with a heart of gold, Jess Mariano. Sure, Jess made some serious mistakes in their relationship (bailing on Rory and taking off for California for starters), but he did truly love Rory and complemented the bookworm-ish intellectual side of her. And let's not forget, Rory was the one who actually inspired Jess to get his life in order when all was said and done. If we ever get another Gilmore Girls revival, these two better end up together or TVs will be thrown out of windows.

Klaus and Caroline's love story has been unconventional to say the least, spanning thousands of miles, nearly 20 years, and two different TV shows! No matter what path they take though, it always seems to lead back to each other, which is probably why Legacies even drops the occasional Klaroline Easter eggs here and there. Though they didn't end up together when all was said and done, we'll always remember that he pledged to be her last love, however long it takes.

Clexa was a groundbreaking romance in a lot of ways, but mainly because it finally ushered a bisexual lead into the ranks of CW main characters, and not a minute too soon. The 100 didn't play up or play down the implications of Clarke or Lexa's sexuality -- ain't nobody got time for that in an apocalypse -- choosing to focus instead on the strength of their connection and the beauty of their love story. No matter how you feel about the tragic end that befell this ship, it's hard to deny that the romance between these two women was one of the best things The 100 ever did.

We all thought we knew what shipping was, but then Bughead came along and threw us for a total loop. Maybe it's the way they constantly look at each other with heart eyes, or how they make the perfect investigative duo with tons of sexy vibes, but Bughead somehow turns every moment into a shipping moment. They also happen to be the only ones who could ever understand each other's nutty family drama which is seriously saying something on Riverdale.

Sometimes the guy you love is a sarcastic, blood-hungry murderer who happens to be the brother of the other guy you love, but that's just life in Mystic Falls, right? Damon may have started off as the baddest of the bad, but ultimately his love for Elena -- and her love and faith in Damon -- redeemed him, turning him into a loyal friend, a loving brother and a guy worthy of living happily ever after with the woman he loves. Plus, we occasionally got hotter-than-hot sex scenes on whichever surface happened to be available and a #DelenaRainKiss. This is the ship of dreams, people.

Olicity is one of those weird ships that was probably never in the original plans for the show but somehow became a cornerstone of it. Oliver and Felicity's chemistry was palpable from the get-go, and they've traveled from strangers to friends to husband and wife, despite the seriously rocky road they had to take to get there. They're also one of the rare couples that provide fans with just as much entertainment during their domestic happiness as their angsty breakups, which is not easy. It all worked out in the end though, and thank goodness we got to see their happy ending in the afterlife in the Arrow series finale!