I think the Cousin Oliver curse is a lot more real and worrisome than the Moonlighting one, too.

it happens a lot more often. Moonlighting was having other problems... I think CS and BW weren't getting along and one or both had pissed off some writers, too? I only watched it a few times, though.

I seem to be in complete agreement with ita today.

The stars weren't getting along, and the writers had to write around a pregnancy and Bruce being unavailable due to a movie. Absolutely nothing intrinsic to romantic tension caused that plotline to fail.

And even if it had all hinged on will-they-won't-they, why decide that's a pattern for all romantic tension? Isn't it just a marker of poor writing?

Well, I think because that happened in Moonlighting because the show was bailing out of a mess, it's kind of become an urban legend to say that's always why you bring the battling leads together. But I don't think it is. Although I've barely watched any "Bones" so I can't comment on this particular one.

What bothers me about the Moonlighting "curse" is that it implies that there's no potential drama or interesting storylines for a happy couple. I wouldn't go so far as to blame the ever-decreasing marriage rate on the lack of television role models, but I don't think it's too far fetched to think it has some influence.

I have never been a Bones-Booth shipper, because they're an impossible couple and any sexual attraction between them is invisible to me. However, in some of the scenes where they have drinks after a case, they come across as wonderful friends.

That leads me to another rant, the one about how men and women can have a good working relationship without falling into bed with each other.

that's always why you bring the battling leads together

They were tsundere on Moonlighting, but often the curse is used to predict doom for shows where they weren't--Bones and Booth have their conflicts, but they're obviously devoted to each other, as are Castle and Beckett. The shows don't hinge on their antagonism in the least. I just don't get the journalistic preoccupation with it. Not at all.

Gotta say I love that Patrick Jayne is so messed up that you never have to worry about this stuff on Mentalist.

I don't either, ita. Ginger, I'm not sure why that is, either. Getting them together doesn't mean their conflict can't be interesting.Although I think Hope and Michael on Thirtysomething are more boring than their single friends, at least in the parts where the single friends are NOT talking about how awesome Hope and Michael are and how much they wish they could be like that.

TWO new-baby storylines going on at once, all through the next season? If I'd ever watched, I'd stop. Excruciating.