The 5 best sad-sack singles on TV

Ted Mosby's just the beginning -- TV's full of the hilariously (and poignantly) unlucky in love

Published October 10, 2013 5:06PM (EDT)

"The Broken Code" -- Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) takes his frustrations out on Ted (Josh Radnor) during the best man poker game, on the final season of How I Met Your Mother, Monday Oct 7 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.Photo: Richard Cartwright/CBS © 2013 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.     (Richard Cartwright)
"The Broken Code" -- Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) takes his frustrations out on Ted (Josh Radnor) during the best man poker game, on the final season of How I Met Your Mother, Monday Oct 7 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.Photo: Richard Cartwright/CBS © 2013 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Richard Cartwright)

After nine seasons, CBS's hit "How I Met Your Mother" is finally going off the air, and with it departs prime time's perennial bachelor Ted Mosby. The show struggled with funny in its last few seasons, and so its lovelorn architect's desperate efforts to find the right woman grew wearying. Whether or not you're happy to see Ted settle down and cash out, there are plenty of other TV singles currently slogging through ill-fated dating (or non-dating) exploits every week. After all, a great romance can be inspiring, but there's nothing like commiserating with the unlucky in love. Here are five of my favorites this season and one for good measure.

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By Neil Drumming

Neil Drumming is a staff writer for Salon. Follow him on Twitter @Neil_Salon.

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