If you could do a series on a relationship's development...

[Joe Washington]

If you could do a series showing the development of a romantic relationship, how you would develop it in seasons. You would have first meeting/dating in the first season, moving in together in the second season, and buildup to marriage in the third season or would you extend one or more of these phases in a relationship beyond the one season? If so, which of them would they be? And why?

I created this thread out of curiosity because I've been hearing from those who've seen their share of shows like Bones and Grey's Anatomy that the development of the main couple's relationship is either unrealistic, barely existent, or overly drawn out.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

What else will happen on said show? Or is this a show about nothing? Why are watching and well why do we even care about these people if we know the end result? End result being marriage with kids or even in divorce or death even. Personally I think the reason this kind of drama is do relevent in other shows with other premises is because I don't think it can really stand on it's own for that long if at all without the viewer losing interest in the characters or couple or what have you. Like take Lost for example, it was essentially a love story, or so the producers say, but it needed all the mystery of the island and exposition of characters to drive it. And with that said it didn't really feel like your typical love story either. But moreso than an adventure story following a certain group of people, that occasionally had glimpses of romance. Some subtle and some really in your face.

So I think without treading on a plethora of other shows' toes, a series soley based around 2 people whether hetero or homo sexual than it's gonna something more than just about 2 people hooking up. Many different ways you can go about it though. I guess if this wasn't like a reality show with the 2 people as they only interact with each other or friends or break the 4th wall and talk to us the viewers via confessional type interviews than it could also be like a romantic comedy approach say a show like Friends or Coupling or How I met your mother which is pretty much that very premise, although soley on the side of the one character and his friends as he tells the story of as the title suggests How I Met Your Mother. Well maybe I'm gonna retract my point a little bit. I guess it can work on it's own accord as long as the characters and writing (if scripted) is engaging. I wrote this whole thing out on my iPhone and I hate the autospeller on this thing and it's a pain to go back and proof so if you've read all this nonsense then good for you and if I did this without any mispellings or weird choice of wording (blame autospeller) then good for me!

 

[Nerys Myk]

K I S S I N G

Joe and Joey sititng in a tree

First comes love

Then comes Marriage

Then comes Joe with a baby carriage

 

[barnaclelapse]

I'd have vicious, violent fucking for twenty-eight straight seasons.

Seriously. That's all they would do. No getting up to eat, use the bathroom, watch "Futurama" etc. Nothing. They would literally fuck like idiots for twenty-eight seasons, and you would be forced to watch every single second.

(Nods)

It's true. I'm a visionary.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

^refractory period? well time to bust out the chafing cream. TEE HEE!

 

[JoeZhang]

The first scene would be the lead male having a hot lunch with the Lead female's mother. The story would then proceed backwards until we find out how we got to this point.

 

[selina]

I’ve never seen Bones, but I know that I don’t expect Grey’s Anatomy to be realistic. It contains a great deal of soap elements and therefore relationships are built up and destroyed again. But it’s true; I don’t like it if the concept is used too often in the same series. At one point, writers, producers or directors should decide if they want two characters to hook up or not.

That being said I would start with how the male and the female character meet for the first time. And then there’s definitely tension. But there’s a conflict, too. Maybe he thinks that he deserves better. Or she is recovering from a bad relationship and isn’t looking for a man in her life right now. Or one of them has a dark secret and a relationship would jeopardize it. But as the season continues the two will grow closer together and the tension will be released at one point, meaning they will have passionate sex. For a couple of episodes everything’s fine but as we come closer to the season’s cliffhanger more conflicts will arise. And by the last episode of the season they won’t be a couple anymore. Maybe he finally gets it and realizes that his neighbor is more his type. Or she thinks he is having an affair (which he hasn’t) and that she is better off without him. Or (my favorite) one of them discovers the dark secret the other one was hiding and ends the relationship.

In the second season one of them tries to win the other one back. There will be advances but the feeling of betrayal won’t be overcome (yet). In the third season they will get back together, but there still has to be a conflict to keep the drama up. Maybe one of them had to make a deal in order to win the other one back. And he/she can’t talk about it because if the partner knew about it he/she would probably be gone for good. But no worries, no one finds out anything (yet). Not before the fourth season, in which their relationship will be shaken to the core. And then someone has to make a sacrifice to prove once and for all that he/she really loves the other person. Will there be a death? Will there be a marriage? Maybe. But they will definitely confess their love for each other.

And that’s it. There won’t be more than four seasons because I just realize that this crap is exhausting.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Here's what I'd do:

Kirk and Spock - the TRUE story.

Why are watching and well why do we even care about these people if we know the end result?

Disney's made a fortune doing exactly that.

 

[barnaclelapse]

^refractory period? well time to bust out the chafing cream. TEE HEE!

I'd also try to make sure they were severely deformed in some way and slightly brain damaged from years of drug use.

I'm a romantic.

 

[Kegg]

Scenes from a Marriage is my obvious 'inspiration', so I'd just do a chamber drama about exactly two people, involving a couple of single but very long scenes that occur at important moments in their relationship's development.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

The first scene would be the lead male having a hot lunch with the Lead female's mother. The story would then proceed backwards until we find out how we got to this point.

That's an intriguing idea. The continuity would have to be very tight. Also, considering actors age, the series would have to be short.

Not sure it's a good idea, but anything that borrows from Memento can't be a bad idea.

 

[Silvercrest]

If you could do a series showing the development of a romantic relationship, how you would develop it in seasons. You would have first meeting/dating in the first season, moving in together in the second season, and buildup to marriage in the third season or would you extend one or more of these phases in a relationship beyond the one season? If so, which of them would they be? And why?

Anyone remember "Once and Again"? Seems like it fits the bill.

On a less serious note, would the "Taster's Choice Couple" count?