Why do couples on sitcoms always hate each other?  It's usually a dense, sloppy, unattractive underemployed guy and his cute, smarter, competent wife who looks down on him (and married him why?).

King of Queens
Yes Dear
Home Improvement
Everybody Loves Raymond
there's others, but I can't think of them right now (what are they?)

The only family sitcom with a good husband-wife relationship was "Roseanne".  Even when she and her hubby got on each other, it was in fun, and they treated each other like equals and you could tell they really loved and respected each other.

What do you all think?

Don't forget the Bundys on Married With Children, but she was just as crude as he was.  They didn't like each other either, though.

All sitcom couples argue back and forth.  That's what adds to the humour :)

One of my favourite sitcom couples is Rodney and Trina on the sitcom "Rodney"

art imitates life? Edith & Archie Bunker, The Jefferson's, The Huxaby's now they really seem to like each other in spite of all the squabbles, Lucy & Ricky Ricardo, Alice & Ralph (?)(Jackie Gleason), The Fresh Prince of Belair is about him, but that couple seems ill matched, but 'in love', The Brady Bunch, Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, Happy Days....lot's of sitcoms with couples....I have no idea why we find stuff funny...but there won't be anything to laugh at if the couples got along & suited each other...dunno

Conflict creates humor.
Funny sitcoms--lots of conflict
Dan and Roseanne (Roseanne, they had a symbiotic relationship, but they usually had some issue to work out each episode.)
Archie & Edith (All In The Family)
Al & Peg (Married With Children)
Sam & Diane (Cheers)
Marge & Homer (The Simpsons)
Elaine & Jerry (Seinfeld)
Frank & Estelle Costanza (ibid.)
Morty & Helen Seinfeld (ibid.)
Ralph & Alice (The Honeymooners)
Lucy & Ricky (I Love Lucy
Stanley & Helen (Three's Company)

Sh*tty sit-coms--little conflict, generally "functional" relationships
Ward & June (Leave It To Beaver)
Mike & Carol (The Brady Bunch)
Howard & Marion (Happy Days)
Cliff & Claire (The Cosby Show)
I'm sure there are plenty more for this column, but I prolly didn't watch them 'coz they sucked.

Bonus remark:  Ever notice how Eddie's father never got courted on The Courtship of Eddie's Father?  Wassup widdat?
???

Kiddie cartoons would also count with Cosmo & Wanda (Fairly Oddparents) and the parents from "The Proud Family"

I studied this in English. It's the discourse of comedy. Adds to the humour

"The Cosby Show"  had conflict as well - children misbehaving, social conflict, etc.. - I was watching it last night in a rerun from probably 1990-1991, which I probably had seen in it's original airtime since I watched it all the time at that age.

They just showed a loving couple who could tease one another without being demeaning and live with their differences and I always thought of the Huxtables' relationship as really genuine. It's the sort of relationship I wanted to strive for and that I still strive for.

"The Cosby Show"  had conflict as well - children misbehaving, social conflict, etc.. - I was watching it last night in a rerun from probably 1990-1991, which I probably had seen in it's original airtime since I watched it all the time at that age.

They just showed a loving couple who could tease one another without being demeaning and live with their differences and I always thought of the Huxtables' relationship as really genuine. It's the sort of relationship I wanted to strive for and that I still strive for.


See, to me, this is similar to both sets of parents on Seinfeld, and Roseanne.  They teased each other, but it always seems like they love each other.  

It's not that way with Raymond or King of Queens or Yes, Dear and some of the others.  Those women think their husbands are idiots.  And they are, to be honest.

It's not that way with Raymond or King of Queens or Yes, Dear and some of the others.  Those women think their husbands are idiots.  And they are, to be honest.


That's what makes those shows so funny :)

Sh*tty sit-coms--little conflict, generally "functional" relationships
Ward & June (Leave It To Beaver)

Are you nuts? Leave It To Beaver was funny as hell! OK, so maybe there wasn't much comedic tension between Ward and June Cleaver, but the show never was really focused on them anyway. It was mainly about the misadventures of Wally, Beaver, and their friends, and I always got a kick out of how they were always calling each other "creeps" or how Beaver would accuse Eddie Haskell of giving him "the business."
    Was Leave It To Beaver an idealistic portrayal of 1950's white-bread America? Sure. Sh!tty? Not by a long shot.

It's not that way with Raymond or King of Queens or Yes, Dear and some of the others.  Those women think their husbands are idiots.  And they are, to be honest.


But at least the wife on Yes Dear has a great body. :P

And that's about ALL that show has going for it.  ;)

But at least the wife on Yes Dear has a great body. :P

And that's about ALL that show has going for it.  ;)


You mean the one married to the slobbier guy?  Yeah, she's such a hottie.  Or are you talking about the skinny one?

You mean the one married to the slobbier guy?  Yeah, she's such a hottie.  Or are you talking about the skinny one?


I'm talking about the skinnier one with the bodacious rackage.

On XM satellite radio, the (clean) comedy channel will occasionally play episodes of an early 50's radio show called The Bickersons. It starred Don Ameche and Frances Langford as John and Blanche Bickerson, a married couple who are always nagging and arguing with each other. The humor in it was quite a bit more rude than I might have expected from a show of that era, especially when they start arguing about his drinking (bourbon is his drink of choice). Very funny show, and I can't help but wonder how much influence it had on later TV shows that featured arguing spouses.

the one I remember the sitcom couples who don't like each other was raymond and debra ray is childish and debra was mean