Be it a sitcom or an hour-long drama, the will-they-or-won't-they relationship struck up between two wildly appealing characters who seem fated to end up in each other's arms is one of the most reliable, ratings-driving plot devices in television. Like Sam Malone and Diane Chambers on "Cheers" and Maddie Hayes and David Addison on "Moonlighting," the chemistry generated by these characters kept viewers tuning in week after week to see if this was the episode where they finally gave into their carnal desires and, predictably, made an even bigger mess of their already messy lives.

This narrative tradition has extended into the 21st century with such notable examples as Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth on "Bones" (they did), Don Draper and Joan Holloway on "Mad Men" (never happened!) and Tony Dinozzo and Ziva David on "NCIS" (they did it offscreen). One will-they-or-won't-they that proved especially tantalizing for medical procedural fans...