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*[[Cory Matthews]] and [[Characters of Boy Meets World#Topanga Lawrence Matthews (Danielle Fishel)|Topanga Lawrence]], ''[[Boy Meets World]]'' [http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/02/14/the-five-great-tv-couples/]
*[[Cory Matthews]] and [[Characters of Boy Meets World#Topanga Lawrence Matthews (Danielle Fishel)|Topanga Lawrence]], ''[[Boy Meets World]]'' [http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/02/14/the-five-great-tv-couples/]
*[[Angel (Buffyverse)|Angel]] and [[Buffy Summers]], ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2806463]
*[[Angel (Buffyverse)|Angel]] and [[Buffy Summers]], ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2806463]
*[[Spike]] and [[Buffy Summers]], ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''
*[[Sam Malone]] and [[Diane Chambers]], ''[[Cheers]]'' [http://www.avclub.com/content/node/45176/print/]
*[[Sam Malone]] and [[Diane Chambers]], ''[[Cheers]]'' [http://www.avclub.com/content/node/45176/print/]
*[[Cliff Huxtable|Cliff]] and [[Clair Huxtable]], ''[[The Cosby Show]]'' [http://tv.ign.com/articles/764/764349p1.html]
*[[Cliff Huxtable|Cliff]] and [[Clair Huxtable]], ''[[The Cosby Show]]'' [http://tv.ign.com/articles/764/764349p1.html]

Revision as of 16:27, 12 July 2007

The term supercouple in American soap opera, a neologism coined in the early 1980s to describe popular pairings, has two meanings. It may refer to a romantically involved couple featured on a television series that captivates the audience's attention, exceeds the network's expectations and transcends the normal pairings on the show. Often, this pair will become a de facto symbol for the show itself, granting them the title of either elite, popular, or true supercouple. The second type of soap opera supercouple, while encompassing the same factor of fighting through turmoil for years and finding their way back together in the end as an elite supercouple would, do not have a significant pull on television ratings, therefore this type of couple is referred to as a regular supercouple.[1]

Reference to the term supercouple eventually spread to other forms of media in the means of describing other exciting and or highly intriguing pairings, resulting in the title becoming quite prolific, though usually not as elaborate in definition, such as within prime time (also titled primetime) dramas as well. Extremely popular romances in film often also naturally contribute to the supercouple angle[2], sometimes producing memorable catch phrases in which can be cited as "Here's looking at you, kid"..."Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"..."You had me at hello"...etc. In further regard, certain celebrity couples may also carry the supercouple title, and the reference has even entered psychology, with certain psychologists describing a type of mental stress, Supercouple Syndrome, as a syndrome where two overachieving individuals within a romantic pairing strive to be super in union.[3] However, despite supercouples existing in other forms of media, it can be argued that the success of the title was greatly due to the soap opera genre.

Soap opera

Becoming a supercouple

Usually, a supercouple storyline will involve the initial courtship of the couple, with the couple facing seemingly insurmountable challenges via plot devices such as differing socio-economic backgrounds, family opposition, simple misunderstandings, marriages to other people, children with other people, etc. In the end, though, the two characters that make up the supercouple will usually reunite and marry. However, since the soap opera genre is neverending, there can be no happy ending unless both characters leave the show together. As a result, after the usual fairytale wedding, if the supercouple remains on the show, they cannot live happily ever after as a couple in a fairytale would, but rather they are subjected to a continual cycle of being separated and reunited. This often leads to two characters of a supercouple divorcing and re-marrying each other several times.

Notable supercouples

While the term was not coined until the early 1980s, and early supercouples could be noted as Jeff Baker and Penny Hughes and Bob and Lisa Hughes on As the World Turns, the first supercouple is primarily considered to be Doug Williams and Julie Olson on Days of our Lives.[4] From 1970 until 1976, Doug and Julie trodded the thin line between love and hate. The chemistry that the two actors exhibited became evident off-screen; the real-life couple, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth, were married in 1974. This set off a commotion among fans, thousands, who wrote endless letters to the show asking that the couple also be allowed to marry in the story, since the actors were married already. NBC milked the tension for all it was worth, lengthening the anticipation of the wedding, but eventually caved in to the audience's pressure and the characters Doug and Julie were married in October 1976.[5] Doug and Julie were also the first soap characters to grace the cover of Time Magazine.[6]

File:Lnlwedding.jpg
Luke and Laura's record-breaking wedding - November 16, 1981

Perhaps the most famous supercouple is that of Luke Spencer and Laura Webber, played by Anthony Geary and Genie Francis on General Hospital. Their romance enthralled viewers, and, when they wed on November 16, 1981, daytime television recorded its highest-ever ratings, with 30 million people tuning in to watch them say "I do".[7] As a result, Luke and Laura have arguably become daytime's quintessential and most iconic couple.

Supercouple Golden Age: The 1980s

The 1980s is known as the "Golden Age" of supercouples and shows such as All My Children (AMC), As The World Turns (ATWT) and along with the aforementioned General Hospital and Days of our Lives were well known for their supercouples.

Days of our Lives in particular had a particularly large number of them - Bo and Hope, Shane and Kimberly, Steve and Kayla and Jack and Jennifer all going on at roughly the same time.

All My Children was represented by Cliff and Nina, Greg and Jenny and Jesse and Angie, the first African-American supercouple.

As the World Turns had the immensely popular couples Craig and Sierra, Tom and Margo, and Steve and Betsy, with Betsy Stewart being played by future star Meg Ryan.

Along with Luke and Laura, General Hospital also boasted Alan and Monica and Frisco and Felicia.

The phenomenon even spread to foreign shores around this time, with Scott Robinson, played by Jason Donovan and Charlene Ramsay played by Kylie Minogue on the Australian soap Neighbours and "Dirty" Den and Angie Watts played by Leslie Grantham and Anita Dobson on the British soap Eastenders generating an audience response similar to that of the supercouples on American soaps. Den and Angie are renowned as arguably Britans most iconic soap couple, having broken the record for episode ratings to 30.1 million viewers on the episode of their divorce, a record that remains unbeaten by any British soap episode.[8]

Supercouples today

While there are many popular couplings on soap operas today, very few earn the right to be called a supercouple by fans and the soap media alike. Usually, the term is reminiscient of the 1970s and 1980s. As such, the few supercouples that are still on serials today were from the 1980s, or at the latest, the early 1990s. After that, the supercouple phenomenon slowly faded and the nature of soaps today allows few characters and couples to truly define the nature of the show anymore, as the original supercouples once did.[9] Shows have attempted to revive the success of the supercouples through modern couples, but only a few, such as Zach and Kendall (All My Children), J.R. and Babe (All My Children), Will and Gwen (As the World Turns), Shawn and Belle (Days of our Lives), Lucas and Sami (Days of our Lives), Lucky and Elizabeth (General Hospital), Rafe and Alison (Port Charles), have resonated with fans. Though these couples are popular with fans, they have yet to reach true "supercouple status." The case for couples such as Ethan and Theresa and Luis and Sheridan leaves their status as supercouples in doubt, as the soap opera on which they appear, Passions, didn't exist during the "supercouple era." However, the inordinate emphasis placed on them in the show, as well as their overwhelming popularity, suggests that (by at least Passions standards) they are supercouples.

There are some instances where a character becomes a part of two popular pairings, where both couples in which include the character develop the same or close to the same amount of positive fan reaction from viewers, causing a certain rivalry between the two couples with both vying for the title of supercouple, as only one of the two can be crowned as such. This was especially evident with the early 1990s storyline of General Hospital's Sonny Corinthos, Brenda Barrett, and Jasper "Jax" Jacks, often referred to as "the hottest love triangle in soap opera history" by the soap opera media.[10] The couple combinations within the love triangle of either Sonny and Brenda or Jax and Brenda were equally in demand, and which of the two is the actual supercouple remains in dispute to this day, though Sonny and Brenda gain reference as a supercouple often, with Yahoo! TV commenting:

Vanessa Marcil’s coupling with Benard, gave 'GH' its first legitimate heir to the 'Luke and Laura' throne of soap coupledom. Marcil’s Brenda Barrett, a spoiled, troubled beauty drawn to danger and dangerous men, ignited explosive sparks with reputed gangster Corinthos, the likes of which had not been seen on daytime television in some time – if ever. The 'Sonny and Brenda' pairing, along with the return of Luke and Laura after a decade-long absence, ushered in the soap’s second golden age of being thee daytime appointment television.[11]

The character Sonny eventually acquired definite supercouple status in the pairing of Sonny and Carly, as he also became a part of two successful romances to viewers.

Other instances of a character being a part of two equally popular couplings, of course, don't involve a love triangle. Samantha "Sami" Brady of the soap opera Days of our Lives, while romantically desired by the two men Lucas Roberts and EJ Wells, is not considered to be actively involved in a love triangle featuring the two. Yet the excitement for the couple Lucas and Sami and the couple EJ and Sami appears to be equal in comparison.[12]

In today's medium, there are couples which come close to gaining supercouple status in terms of popularity. Although these pairings have explosive chemistry and immense potential, the couple's story is cut short often due to the actors leaving to pursue jobs outside of soaps or due to the writers changing direction in a storyline. These wildly popular couples simply don't last long enough on-screen to garner the long history of a true supercouple. Such couples include Leo and Greenlee (All My Children), Ryan and Gillian (All My Children), Dusty and Lucy (As The World Turns), Simon and Katie (As the World Turns), Jonathan and Tammy (Guiding Light). These couples were or are extremely popular with critics and fans, and with time, they arguably would have become beloved supercouples.

Soap opera supercouples

Below is a list of regarded past and present American soap opera supercouples:

Primetime

Primetime supercouples, although at first combination might not seem to follow a formulaic road of courtship, often tend to have a paradigm as well, in which sometimes spins the occasional tragic love story. One such love story was that of Buffy and Angel, from the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Voted Number 2 on IGN's list of top ten favorite television couples, the tear-jerker of a romance was described in all of its gloomy angst:

Buffy and Angel were the ultimate star crossed lovers. After all, when you're a Vampire Slayer, it hardly seems like the appropriate person to fall for would be a Vampire. But fall for Angel Buffy did, setting up one of the most involving and tragic love stories we can remember on TV. After all, it's pretty rare for one half of a great couple to go from gentle and caring to sadistic and murderous in the course of a single night…and spurred on by having sex with the girl he loves no less.[13]

Great tragedy came about as Buffy of the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer had to kill her true love[14] Angel in order to save the world, episode Becoming, Part Two.

Of course, not all shows are apt for the telling of a tragic love story. For comedies, there's often the mismatched couple approach[15], and for dramas, there tends to be the will-they-won't-they setup. Cinemablend states, "There’s two general formulas for a will-they-wont-they setup. The first one is when one person pursues the other, then finally gives up and dates someone else, and the other scenario is when the two characters are so different and often do not get along with one another, they fight and argue constantly...but then one thing or a series of 'things' happen and they are forced to put up with each other," citing such popular couples as Buffy and Spike (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Ross and Rachel (of the show Friends), Logan and Veronica (of the show Veronica Mars), etc.[16]

One of the greatest will-they-won't-they setups, arguably, was of the sexual-tension induced relationship of Agent Fox Mulder and Agent Dana Scully, from the show The X-Files.[17][18] Mulder and Scully, two FBI agents investigating cases that involve the paranormal, bordered on the line of subtle hints of romance throughout the entire series, without ever being heavily romantically paired. While the excitement was there with waiting for Mulder and Scully to romantically commit to each other, when the two finally kissed in the year of 1999 after seven seasons of buildup, some viewers couldn't help but feel that the show waited too long for such an event, and were left wondering where to go from there.[19][20] In this case, if a series goes on too long with sexual tension, the downside can be that when the couple finally begins their romance, the best part of watching that pair was all of the years of their will-they-won't-they status. Although, there are some viewers who will love such a situation under any circumstance.

With some fictional supercouples, soap opera or primetime, the couple might have either started out as unexpected, therefore not necessarily following a certain paradigm, but due to viewers citing the chemistry of the two, the show decides to pair the unlikely lovers.

Primetime supercouples

A list of some of the most notable supercouples in primetime follows:

Non-romantic

Film

Given that films inherently have a shorter amount of time in carrying out storylines, the task of convincing the audience that the two main lovers within that film are of true love can be somewhat daunting. With films, if not enough of the plot is focused on the buildup of the two lovers interacting with each other, then the love story can come off as more so contrived than a soap opera or a primetime drama putting together a quick romantic union, but naturally having more time to eventually win over its audience, if at all possible.

Film love stories will often resort to the fairy-tale notion that romance is a solution to life's problems, tapping into the audience's need for love to conquer all[21], as even in tales of doomed romance, the underlying concept may be that the love story was cut short, but that the love itself was not.

Just as within soap operas or primetime dramas, not all romances will have an impact on observers, but on occasion there are two lovers within a film that manage to captivate their audience in such a way that the two are launched into supercouple status, ultimately standing far above any of the deemed average couples.

Film supercouples

The films An Affair to Remember, Beauty and the Beast, Casablanca, Dirty Dancing, Ghost, Grease, Gone with the Wind, Jerry Maguire, The Little Mermaid, An Officer and a Gentleman, The Princess Bride, Titanic, and West Side Story were all featured in AFI's list of 100 Years...100 Passions...100 Greatest Love Stories Of All Time.[22]

Celebrity

The media is known to focus their attention on celebrity couples, but only certain ones in which either seem to fascinate the public or create a power coupling due to finances are granted the title of supercouple. A notable supercouple that spun such media frenzy was the former pairing of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. The highly publicized couple became so popular that not only did they become known by the portmanteux Bennifer (for Ben and Jennifer) to much of the media, as well as to fans combining their first names, but the term Bennifer itself became just as popular, eventually being entered into urban dictionaries or neologism dictionaries as of notability[23], ultimately starting the trend of other celebrity couples being referred to by the combination of each others' names. However, the pairing of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez eventually succumbed to overexposure, and the public interest in their romance resulted in less admiration.[24] Even so, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's former union within its previous popularity serves as a clear example of a celebrity supercouple. The best description of what often defines a celebrity supercouple may be of what sofeminine.co.uk reports.

Media and public interest in the super-rich, famous and beautiful, and their equally beautiful offspring, is at an all-time high, and mono-monikers are just one sign that the supercouple is becoming a virtual phenomenon of the society we live in. When magazines are prepared to pay millions of dollars just for the first baby pics of your little Suris and Shilohs, and the paparazzi start setting up camp outside your doorstep, you know you've gone from A-listers to fully-fledged supercouple. There's something about a celebrity love match that really captures the imagination and brings out the voyeur in us: when rich, famous and successful meets rich, famous and successful, does it equal a passionate relationship based on mutual understanding and respect, or a showcased play-act lived out in front of the cameras? Let's face it, in the plastic world of stardom it's been known for celebs to fake entire relationships with other celebs just for the tabloid space that's in it.[25]

Celebrity supercouples

Celebrity supercouples of past and present:

Platonic

Supercouples in other media

Literature, mythology, and legends

Comic book

Toys, video games, and other

In the popularity of message boards, fans have used portmanteux for their favorite couples, including supercouples from the past. For example, Josh and Reva becomes "Jeva," Jack and Kate becomes "Jate," or Michael and Sara becomes "MiSa," and so on. Seth Cohen of the show The O.C. parodied this when he talked about real couples' overexposure to one another; he wondered whether or not his pairing with Summer Roberts would be called "Summereth" or "Sethummer".[26] Occasionally, even anti-fans come up with names for couples, such as General Hospital's Sonny and Emily. The unpopular pairing of the mob boss and his enforcer's sweet younger sister became known as "Soily."

As the press is also known for coining the names of popular and unpopular celebrity pairings, the existence of such nicknames can ultimately seem inescapable in their usage.

See also

References

  1. ^ "The "Popular" Supercouple". ghthesoap.com. Retrieved June 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "How Hollywood Movies skew our view of relationships". afterabortion.com. Retrieved June 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Supercouple Syndrome: How Overworked Couples Can Beat Stress Together". amazon.com. Retrieved June 26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Days of our Lives. Like sands through the hourglass". Soap Opera History.com. Retrieved June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Gilbert, Annie, All My Afternoons, page 112, continued on page 116, published in 1978.
  6. ^ "Susan Seaforth Hayes". POP tower. Retrieved June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Luke and Laura's Altared State". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "A history of festive soap misery". BBC NEWS. Retrieved June 14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "The Rise and Fall of the Supercouple in Soap Operas". Associated Content. Retrieved June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "SOAPNet's Brenda Brenda Brenda! Benard, Marcil, Rademacher - Ultimate Triangle". soapdom.com. Retrieved June 27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Maurice Benard Biography". tv.yahoo.com. Retrieved June 27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "LUMI Wedding Looming, but Many Fans Want Sami & EJ". soapdom.com. Retrieved June 27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "IGN's Top 10 Favorite TV Couples". IGN. Retrieved June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Sword of Angelus. A hunk of a vampire regained his soul, but lost his life, thanks to a hellish sword wielded by his one true love". scifi.com. Retrieved June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ "Mismatched couples are a staple of TV sitcoms". the.honoluluadvertiser.com, John Maynard, Washington Post. Retrieved July 4. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help); line feed character in |work= at position 42 (help)
  16. ^ "The Clicker Examines Great TV Romances". Cinemablend. Retrieved June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "The Exquisite Heat of Sexual Tension". likesbook.com. Retrieved June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "The X-Phile Facts". metroactive.com. Retrieved June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "When a Show's in Trouble, Don't Try Sexual Healing". thehoya.com. Retrieved June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "Does the End of Sexual Tension Mean the End of Your Favorite TV Show?". sophiecunningham.com. Retrieved June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ ""You don't WANT to be in LOVE...You want to be in LOVE in a MOVIE"". CSW update. Retrieved June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions...100 Greatest Love Stories Of All Time". afi.com. Retrieved June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Neologisms. These are neologisms collected by an undergraduate linguistics class at Rice University during the fall of 2003". ruf.rice.edu. Retrieved June 22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "Newsletter. The 'Lo' Blows: Learning From The Dull Buzz Around J.Lo And Ben". RLM PR. Retrieved June 22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ "Spotlight on the celebrity supercouple". sofeminine.co.uk. Retrieved June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ "The O.C. Report: FashionClub Looks at the Style & Fashion in the TV show". fashionclub.com. Retrieved June 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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