I was just wondering if anyone thought that romance ruins a sitcom. What I mean is sometimes a sitcom is very funny until one of the main characters gets a boyfriend or girlfriend.Then it turns into a soap opera.So what does everyone think? Does it ruin a sitcom or not?

No.Romantic comedies are the best.You get to imagine what it would be like if you were the guy/girl and you can dream about how it would go if it went the opposite way and stuff like that!

The real problem is when the sitcom in question pulls the whole "will they or won't they" scenario - will Ross and Rachel ever get together? Will Daphne and Niles ever get together?
Of course, the tension keeps us coming back week after week. Keeping us interested after they get together is the biggest challenge.
Of course, I do like it when they bring in an outside guest to play a love interest, but since you know the guest star will only be on for a limited time (like Harry Connick Jr's turn on Will And Grace) you know the romance will only last a few episodes.

I'm generally a romantic, so I usually don't mind.

Such is EXACTLY what brought down Perfect Strangers, at least in my mind! Granted, I liked Jennifer Lyons (Larry's girlfriend/wife) all right, but somehow could not stand Mary Ann Spencer (Balki's gf/wife).

Romance also ruined Coach to an extent. The show should have been all about football games, with just Hayden Fox, Luther Van Dam, and Dauber Dybinski (sp?).

Who's the Boss? is a great example. The romance was there from the beginning to the end.

However, sometimes when a sitcom forces romance, it can get irritating.

Originally posted by James
Such is EXACTLY what brought down Perfect Strangers, at least in my mind! Granted, I liked Jennifer Lyons (Larry's girlfriend/wife) all right, but somehow could not stand Mary Ann Spencer (Balki's gf/wife).

Romance also ruined Coach to an extent. The show should have been all about football games, with just Hayden Fox, Luther Van Dam, and Dauber Dybinski (sp?).

Also, I thought after Toni became Jason's beau on The Waltons, the series wasn't the same. Her debut was during the series' last season (1980-1981).

I think it depends on how the sitcom was created. If it was created as a romantic comedy like say Mad About You or even to an extent Friends, it's OK. However, when a show tries a romance just for ratings, it is destined to fail.