Sexual tension is the bread and butter of many dramas and sitcoms. Week after week, the two characters trade barbs and tease the audience with “will they or won’t they” situations in which they come so close to getting together but never quite take the leap. The classic example of this show is Moonlighting, starring Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd. Much of the series’ appeal was the tension between the two leads, and the show was never more popular then when they were bickering.

However, Moonlighting is also cited as a show killed by the two leads answering the “will they?” question with a definitive “yes.” Whether that’s the true reason for the show’s decline in ratings and quality is up for debate, but ever since, series decline after two leads get together is referred to as the “Moonlighting Effect.” This is why many shows are leery of letting their characters get together.

Fortunately, not all series suffer when the leads finally resolve the sexual tension, and some actually get better because of it.

The Couple: Niles and Daphne

The Tension: From the very first season, Niles was in love with Daphne and she had no idea. His was a legendary unrequited love, and it took them seven seasons for her to find out. At the end of the seventh season, they finally became a couple.

Why it didn’t kill the show: Getting together wasn’t simple. Niles was married and Daphne left a fiance at the altar. After that (to cover actress Jane Leeves’ pregnancy) Daphne developed an overeating problem and had to spend time away getting help. As with Monica and Chandler, getting together wasn’t the end of things, just the beginning of a long and difficult journey, making them very interesting.

It also helped that they were just tertiary characters. Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) was the star of the show, and supporting players usually have more freedom to make big life changes without upsetting the nature of the show. Their coupling pleased longtime fans and kept them interested, and it helped the show avoid getting stale while maintaining the status quo for Frasier, as he was never in a serious relationship until the end of the series.

http://www.thenoobnews.com/uploads/2011/12/Frasier-Niles-and-Daphne.jpg

http://thenoobnews.com/editorial/pcc/six-couples-who-didnt-kill-their-show/

Sexual tension is the bread and butter of many dramas and sitcoms. Week after week, the two characters trade barbs and tease the audience with “will they or won’t they” situations in which they come so close to getting together but never quite take the leap. The classic example of this show is Moonlighting, starring Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd. Much of the series’ appeal was the tension between the two leads, and the show was never more popular then when they were bickering.

However, Moonlighting is also cited as a show killed by the two leads answering the “will they?” question with a definitive “yes.” Whether that’s the true reason for the show’s decline in ratings and quality is up for debate, but ever since, series decline after two leads get together is referred to as the “Moonlighting Effect.” This is why many shows are leery of letting their characters get together.

Fortunately, not all series suffer when the leads finally resolve the sexual tension, and some actually get better because of it.

The Couple: Niles and Daphne

The Tension: From the very first season, Niles was in love with Daphne and she had no idea. His was a legendary unrequited love, and it took them seven seasons for her to find out. At the end of the seventh season, they finally became a couple.

Why it didn’t kill the show: Getting together wasn’t simple. Niles was married and Daphne left a fiance at the altar. After that (to cover actress Jane Leeves’ pregnancy) Daphne developed an overeating problem and had to spend time away getting help. As with Monica and Chandler, getting together wasn’t the end of things, just the beginning of a long and difficult journey, making them very interesting.

It also helped that they were just tertiary characters. Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) was the star of the show, and supporting players usually have more freedom to make big life changes without upsetting the nature of the show. Their coupling pleased longtime fans and kept them interested, and it helped the show avoid getting stale while maintaining the status quo for Frasier, as he was never in a serious relationship until the end of the series.

http://www.thenoobnews.com/uploads/2011/12/Frasier-Niles-and-Daphne.jpg

http://thenoobnews.com/editorial/pcc/six-couples-who-didnt-kill-their-show/

I love this article. Thanks for posting! I agree that the show didn't really suffer after Niles and Daphne got together. If anything it made the show more successful. There are a lot of people out there that think uniting Niles and Daphne was a bad idea but they really aren't true Niles and Daphne fans. Those of us who are fans knew it was the right thing to do, we waited seven years for them to unite, we weren't going to wait any longer. If they hadn't been united that would have been a big mistake. The show would have lost viewers. So uniting Niles and Daphne was the smartest move the show ever made. Thy were one of the most successful and realistic couples:heart: on television-EVER! (And not to mention the sweetest!) :D ;)

P.S. Another website listed the worst couples of all time and Niles and Daphne were on the list. How stupid is that? They were certainly not the worst couple of all time. :mad: :rolleyes:

I love this article. Thanks for posting! I agree that the show didn't really suffer after Niles and Daphne got together. If anything it made the show more successful. There are a lot of people out there that think uniting Niles and Daphne was a bad idea but they really aren't true Niles and Daphne fans. Those of us who are fans knew it was the right thing to do, we waited seven years for them to unite, we weren't going to wait any longer. If they hadn't been united that would have been a big mistake. The show would have lost viewers. So uniting Niles and Daphne was the smartest move the show ever made. Thy were one of the most successful and realistic couples:heart: on television-EVER! (And not to mention the sweetest!) :D ;)

P.S. Another website listed the worst couples of all time and Niles and Daphne were on the list. How stupid is that? They were certainly not the worst couple of all time. :mad: :rolleyes:

One of the first Frasier episodes I watched was "Something Borrowed Someone Blue" (the second half), and that's what really got me interested in seeing the rest of the episodes and how Niles and Daphne came to be. I'm always one for a good love story, and IMO Niles and Daphne is one of the most unique and definitely the best!