History Main / ShippingBedDeath

* Averted by Marshall and Lily on ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', who became actually ''more'' interesting (not that they had actually been dull before...just less prominent) when they stopped being Ted's roommates and got embroiled in the realities of married life. Also averted with Barney and Robin. Barney's basically just his crazy, funny self no matter what...but the writers didn't anticipate the chemistry they had and wrote the break-up into the show before seeing it. Eventually, they put them back together, though [[spoiler:Robin ultimately getting back together with Ted was the plan since the end of season 2 when the child actors playing Ted's future children filmed their last scene, so their relationship was always doomed in a way.]]

* Averted by Marshall and Lily on ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', who became actually ''more'' interesting (not that they had actually been dull before...just less prominent) when they stopped being Ted's roommates and got embroiled in the realities of married life. Also averted with Barney and Robin. Barney's basically just his crazy, funny self no matter what...but the writers didn't anticipate the chemistry they had and wrote the break-up into the show before seeing it. Eventually, they put them back together.

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' revival is an interesting case here ([[JustForFun/TropeOverdosed as usual]]). The first season of the new series had a fair bit of {{UST}} between Rose and the Ninth Doctor, culminating in a romantic kiss in the finale. Then he became David Tennant. The relationship became a straight-up romance and lo, the flame wars started. Some loved it, some thought Rose had become a RelationshipSue, some thought the whole thing was a badly handled RomanticPlotTumor, some hated the idea of romance in ''Series/DoctorWho'' at all; it didn't ''kill'' the show, but the fights are still going on. Increasing the effect was that whether the Doctor was romantically interested in Rose varied hugely, depending on who had written any given episode. It got even worse from Rose's brief return in Series 4. Her haters hated her appearing again, while many of her fans felt it negated one of the best companion departures.
** It got even worse with Clara, to the point that the show was focusing much more on her than the Doctor. Some fans even began to sarcastically call the show "Clara Who."

* Unpleasantly {{averted}} (and perhaps {{inverted}} as well) on the BBC's ''Series/RobinHood''. In the two-part finale of Series 2, OfficialCouple Robin and Marian exchange their wedding vows and Will and Djaq declare their love for each other. These developments were largely celebrated by fans, who were eager for the Robin/Marian/Guy LoveTriangle to end and for Will and Djaq to act on their obvious feelings for each other. But then [[spoiler:Marian is abruptly murdered by Guy]] when she reveals her RelationshipUpgrade with Robin and Will and Djaq are PutOnABus, never to be seen or [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome heard from again]]. Needless to say, this did ''not'' go down well with the fanbase, and the creative decision in Series 3 to pair Robin first with [[BitchInSheepsClothing Isabella]], and then [[TheMillstone the universally-hated Kate]] was met with further anger and frustration by the fans, who would have ''infinitely'' preferred the risk of ShippingBedDeath in depicting the original OfficialCouple and BetaCouple in happy, stable relationships than to sit through two contrived and ultimately meaningless attempts at giving [[KilledOffForReal Robin]] a SecondLove.

* Notable for its {{aversion}} on the BBC's ''Series/RobinHood''. In the two-part finale of Series 2, OfficialCouple Robin and Marian exchange their wedding vows and Will and Djaq declare their love for each other. These developments were largely celebrated by fans, who were eager for the Robin/Marian/Guy LoveTriangle to end and for Will and Djaq to act on their obvious feelings for each other. But then [[spoiler:Marian is abruptly murdered by Guy]] when she reveals her RelationshipUpgrade with Robin and Will and Djaq are PutOnABus, never to be seen or [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome heard from again]]. Needless to say, this did ''not'' go down well with the fanbase, and the creative decision in Series 3 to pair Robin first with [[BitchInSheepsClothing Isabella]], and then [[TheMillstone the universally-hated Kate]] was met with further anger and frustration by the fans, who would have infinitely preferred the risk of ShippingBedDeath with the original OfficialCouple and BetaCouple than sit through two contrived and ultimately meaningless attempts at giving Robin a SecondLove.

* Rachel and Finn on ''Series/{{Glee}}'' initially managed to invert this; it was the constant ''delaying'' of them getting together that made them boring to shippers, because [[TheyDo the conclusion]] was so inevitable. This was especially true when, after the creators promised that for Season 2 they would keep them together and "shift the focus to other couples," they instead broke them up again and did an ''exact repeat'' of their storyline in Season 1, dragging up the same two {{romantic false lead}}s. In Season 3, the trope was played straighter; the two remained together for the bulk of the season, but they continued to get the most focus, with the resentment over it such that when [[spoiler: Finn proposed]] in a mid-season episode, #[=RachelSayNo=] became a Twitter trending topic. It probably wouldn't be quite as fraught if it weren't for the fact that some {{fan preferred couple}}s (e.g. Brittany/Santana, Quinn/Puck) remained in various stages of WillTheyOrWontThey during Finn and Rachel's never-ending, increasingly more and more contrived arcs. Only the untimely death of actor Cory Monteith, and the show's [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim decision to have Finn killed off out of respect]], brought an end to this.

* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'':
** Luke and Lorelai spent four seasons as JustFriends and the most popular ship of the show, with most viewers dying to see them get together, but they just didn't work as a couple. The writers went on by literally shipping off Luke for several episodes, giving the couple [[IdiotBall forced conflicts]] and at best having the characters putting their engagement on-hold because of unrelated circumstances (such as Lorelai's conflict with Rory in Season Six), overall leaving the impression that the pair worked ''better'' as friends than in an actual relationship.
** To be fair, Luke and Lorelai's relationship was pretty well-received initially and popular when they were actually together throughout Season 5 and the first half of Season 6, plus fans were happy when they got engaged. It was only when the writers threw in the angst of Luke lying about April, Lorelai sleeping with Chris and their breakup during Season 7 that people turned on the relationship. It was more the pair worked well as friends and a couple, just not as exes.

* While it was a popular ship in Season 1, some fans of ''Series/StrangerThings'' were rather displeased with how [[spoiler:Jonathan and Nancy]] got together in Season 2, thanks to [[spoiler:Murray acting as a ShipperOnDeck until he practically prods them into it. It makes their hook-up a lot more stilted than it could've been]].
** Not helping the bed death was the CharacterDevelopment Steve, Nancy’s previous boyfriend, received in the same season. In the first season, he was a JerkJock (though with hints of a HiddenHeartOfGold), and most fans were disappointed when Nancy stayed with him at the end of the season. In the second season, he developed into a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, with elements such as his OddFriendship with Dustin, his genuine affection towards Nancy, and BigBrotherInstinct towards the younger kids making him much more likable. Suddenly, a lot of fans found themselves wishing that Nancy would go back to Steve.

** Not helping the bed death was the CharacterDevelopment Steve, Nancy’s previous boyfriend, received in the same season. In the first season, he was a JerkJock (though with hints of a HiddenHeartOfGold), and most fans were disappointed when Nancy stayed with him at the end of the season. In the second season, he developed into a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, with elements such as his OddFriendship with Dustin, his genuine affection towards Nancy, and BigBrotherInstinct towards the younger kids making him much more likable. Suddenly, a lot of fans found themselves wishing that Nancy would go back to Steve.

* An odd case happens between Duncan and Gwen of ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama''. Their friendship was realistic and well-received, though Gwen always tried to make it clear that [[HesNotMyBoyfriend they were only friends]]. Due to this, Duncan suddenly kissing Gwen in ''World Tour'' not only felt like it [[StrangledByTheRedString came completely out of nowhere]] but resulted in the infamously disliked Gwen/Duncan/Courtney love triangle storyline. When it was time to actually show Duncan and Gwen as a couple, their every interaction was awkward and forced, with none of the [[BetterAsFriends charm or chemistry that they had when they were just friends]]. To make matters worse, the writers couldn't help from dropping hints that Duncan was still into Courtney the entire time, which [[FridgeLogic makes you wonder why the hell he cheated on her with Gwen in the first place]].

The RomanceArc is the gift that keeps on giving. Whole fandoms have been known to run solely on the fuel of [[ShipToShipCombat shipping vitriol]] for years on end. Though they won't admit it, people ''will'' continue watching through a boring scene just to see whether this guy can work up the nerve to ask out that girl over there. But, for some reason, as readily as they attach themselves to potential couples, they shrug at the successful conclusion of the romance and move on. Yes, for all the grand arguments and fights over who will get with who that reach ridiculous levels of SeriousBusiness, when everything is said and done and the characters [[TheyDo do become an item]]? Past that climax point, you'll find that most of the audience [[TrueLoveIsBoring has completely lost interest.]] On a basic level, you can blame human WishFulfillment mentality which romanticizes the exact phase of "getting together with someone" beyond all reason (see also WantingIsBetterThanHaving).

* Look at one of the major complaints from the fandom of the first season of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', and one of the major points will Superboy and Miss Martian's RomanticPlotTumor. Come the season 2 premier, [[spoiler: the two have broken up, meaning the viewers will get a rinse, lather, and repeat of the previous season.]] By season 2, their romance (and romance in general really) received much less focus thus averting much of the annoyance it caused in the previous season. Instead it was used to heighten the two's character development over the TimeSkip. Superboy matured much more and MM [[spoiler: grew colder due to an off-screen death of her pseudo-mother, leading her to become a LOT more loose with her telepathic intrusion which is what leads to their breakup.]]

* ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'' did not get worse at the end of the first season when Richard and Kahlan said "[[ItMakesSenseInContext Fuck it, we just won't have sex]]" and got together for good. In fact, it got considerably ''better'' -- although it helped that the RelationshipUpgrade was accompanied by a general GrowingTheBeard that was only partially caused by said upgrade. Possibly helped by the fact that anyone that has read the novels would see this as a foregone conclusion.

* Inverted with Clark Kent and Lois Lane: the status quo of [[TwoPersonLoveTriangle Clark being in love with Lois, who was in love with Superman]] stayed alive for 42 years before ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' radically altered their backstories, and attempts to make it the status quo again fell flat as it would be out-of-character for the rebooted Lois Lane to be infatuated with a superhero, and fans were so fed up with the increasingly lame excuses for TheMasqueradeWillKillYourDatingLife that they were yelling for Clark and Lois to ''get on with it already!''. They ''finally'' got together in 1991, although [[ComicBookDeath Clark's death, resurrection, and subsequent complications]] delayed the marriage until 1995. Siegel and Schuster actually wanted to both have Lois and Clark get together ''and'' for Lois to discover Clark's alter ego and become his SecretKeeper way back in the 1940s, but [[ExecutiveMeddling editors wouldn't let them do it]] precisely because of this trope, probably making them single-handedly responsible for [[TropeCodifier codifying]] LovesMyAlterEgo.

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' sequel trilogy, Rey/Kylo has been a popular ship since ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', but the way it's handled in ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' disappointed a lot of shippers: They're revealed to be a Force "dyad", [[spoiler: they team up following Ben's HeelFaceTurn, they kiss after Ben revives Rey...then Ben ''immediately'' dies]]. Some shippers felt there was little build-up to the 'romance' (the creators [[FlipFlopOfGod can't even seem to decide]] if their relationship ''is'' romantic); Rey and Kylo spend the majority of the film as enemies with few emotionally intimate scenes, so the culmination of their relationship can feel [[StrangledByTheRedString tacked-on]]. Some shippers disliked that the problematic elements of their relationship (such as Kylo being a violent stalker) were never addressed, leading to UnfortunateImplications. It didn't kill off the ship altogether, but many shippers were dissatisfied with the onscreen presentation.

* A possible aversion of this occurred in ''Series/RobinHood''. At the end of season one, Robin and Marian admitted their feelings for one another, and in season two they become engaged. In the season two finale, they have an impromptu wedding whilst awaiting execution. Now, despite there being ''plenty'' of material here for Robin and Marian to have spent season three as husband and wife, avoiding the wrath of Guy of Gisborne and battling Prince John's armies together, the episode in question ends with [[spoiler:Marian's death at the hands of Guy]]. According to the writers, they felt that they "had taken Marian's story as far as it could go," the insinuation clearly being that once the Marian-centric LoveTriangle had been resolved, the writers felt that there was no further need for Marian to remain on the show. Two new love interests for Robin were duly trotted out in season three. UnfortunateImplications? You betcha! This policy came back to bite the writers firmly in the ass: Robin×Kate (the ReplacementGoldfish) never got a chance to reach a ShippingBedDeath because no one gave a shit about it to begin with.

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' sequel trilogy, Rey/Kylo has been a popular ship since ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', but the way it's handled in ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' disappointed a lot of shippers: They're revealed to be a Force "dyad", [[spoiler: they team up following Ben's HeelFaceTurn, they kiss after Ben revives Rey...then Ben ''immediately'' dies]]. Some shippers felt there was little build-up to the 'romance' (the creators [[FlipFlopOfGod can't even seem to decide]] if their relationship ''is'' romantic); Rey and Kylo spend the majority of the film as enemies with few emotionally intimate scenes, so the culmination of their relationship can feel [[StrangledByTheRedString tacked-on]].  Some shippers disliked that the problematic elements of their relationship (such as Kylo being a violent stalker) were never addressed, leading to UnfortunateImplications. It didn't kill off the ship altogether, but many shippers were dissatisfied with the onscreen presentation.

* ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'': For some Feyre/[[spoiler: Rhysand]] shippers, their actual relationship became tedious to read about after they got together, especially by ''A Court of Frost and Starlight''. The main criticisms brought up is that the story tends to [[RomanticPlotTumour shift the focus to their relationship even though there's other, more important things going on like the war with Hybern]], and their relationship itself is mostly devoid of conflict and dramatic tension after the second book, consisting largely of them hooking up and constantly reiterating how much they love each other. Some readers also didn't appreciate the way [[spoiler: Tamlin]] got [[DerailingLoveInterests derailed]] as a love interest to make way for [[spoiler: Rhysand]].

* Many fans were nervous ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' would be subject to this once the two leads finally [[RelationshipUpgrade hooked up]] in the movie and found that the series [[SoWhatDoWeDoNow still had another season]]. To their credit, the writers kept the relationship instead of [[ResetButton copping out]]. There are some differing opinions on how well their romance was handled(the general consensus is it was overall well handled), but most fans think it was good enough to [[AvertedTrope avert]] this trope. It helps that, even as a couple, they were still written with the same dynamic as when they were JustFriends; Kim would still snark at Ron or [[DeathGlare glare]] at him if he said/did something she thought was stupid, but it was balanced out with the occasional kiss or other romantic gesture.

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' revival is an interesting case here ([[TropeOverdosed as usual]]). The first season of the new series had a fair bit of {{UST}} between Rose and the Ninth Doctor, culminating in a romantic kiss in the finale. Then he became David Tennant. The relationship became a straight-up romance and lo, the flame wars started. Some loved it, some thought Rose had become a RelationshipSue, some thought the whole thing was a badly handled RomanticPlotTumor, some hated the idea of romance in ''Series/DoctorWho'' at all; it didn't ''kill'' the show, but the fights are still going on. Increasing the effect was that whether the Doctor was romantically interested in Rose varied hugely, depending on who had written any given episode. It got even worse from Rose's brief return in Series 4. Her haters hated her appearing again, while many of her fans felt it negated one of the best companion departures.

This trope may be an extreme reflection of [[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4478040.stm what tends to happen, over time, to real life relationships]]; after the first year, the "honeymoon" of the romance is over. Or rather, when the easy excitement of getting together is over and the couple have to actually ''work'' on the relationship. Few writers seek to capitalize on the RuleOfDrama potential here.

* Fumiya liked Saori from ''Manga/WanderingSon'' since his first appearance. After several in-series years he asks her out properly and she agrees. After that the already minor Fumiya almost never pops up, and when he does it isn't related to Saori. You could easily mistake Takatsuki and Saori for a couple because their friendship was ''significantly'' more important than Saori dating Fumiya.

* ''ComicBook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderThePromise'' runs into this with Aang and Katara. After they hooked up at literally the very end of the original series, the comic continuation has them as a SickeninglySweethearts couple and Katara being reduced to a far more secondary character, killing interest in both fans [[InUniverse and their friends]]. They eventually do move past SickeninglySweethearts, but beyond that there really isn't anything interestingly done with them bar maybe one moment where Katara reflects how their relationship mirrors the multicultural heritage of the colonies over which Aang and Zuko are currently arguing.

* In season 4 of ''Series/{{Community}}'', [[spoiler: Britta and Troy's relationship]] was interesting when it was two seasons of ship teases, but as soon as they got together, fans were unimpressed at the pairing. They wind up having an anticlimactic break up late in season 4.

-->'''[[http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-x-files-season-nine.html Joe Ford]]''': Gillian Anderson is doing her best to sell the doting lover material but I miss that cold steel that she was wielding last season. She's so drippy whenever the subject of Mulder comes up ...I hate to say it but Scully does sound like she has completely fallen under Mulder's spell in he courtroom. She is publicly stating exactly the same sort of science fiction nonsense that she used to criticize Mulder for expressing. When the prosecution consul points out that Mulder and Scully have fallen in love and had a baby [[VillainHasAPoint I couldn't help but agree]] that it appears that she has been bewitched by him and his lifestyle.

* ''Series/ICarly'': The much hyped Sam/Freddie pairing. When ''iDate Sam & Freddie'' showed what an actual [[PortmanteauCoupleName Seddie]] relationship would look like, this was the reaction of many fans. Sam and Freddie's [[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale chemistry as bickering sidekicks]] dissolves as soon as they get romantic and kills the {{UST}} Seddie fans saw before the arc started. Every kiss is identical and not filled with much passion. Their constant fighting is no longer cute and instead shows a dysfunctional relationship. The generally accepted reason for it is Creator/NathanKress and Creator/JennetteMcCurdy's long friendship ruining their ability to show or feel passion for each other. They have both stated they dislike the idea of the Sam/Freddie pairing or that they want their characters to not end up with anyone, and Jennette has said that she dislikes filming romantic scenes and that kissing Nathan feels like kissing [[LikeBrotherAndSister a brother]].

* Both averted and played straight in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}.'' They build on the relationships past the marriage stage with Turk and Carla and ''technically'' with Jordan and Dr. Cox (They're in a long-term non committed relationship with two children) but JD and Elliot have been playing the trope straight for almost the entire series. And did so until the last season, where they hooked up, finally grew up and stayed together for good. Dr. Cox and Jordan also got back together and stayed together.

** Both groups have hardcore rusted on supporters ''and'' they are ShipMates so tend to stick up for each other vocally. Other people (mostly the Dan/Blair and Serena/Nate ShipMates) are tired of the "Chuck does something horrible, they break up, Chuck redeems himself, Blair forgives him, they get back together" and the "Serena redeems herself, Dan forgives her, they get back together" shtick. Which in the case of Chuck/Blair is happening for about the 6th time.

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* SNK can be pretty guilty of this as well. Ever since ''VideoGame/FatalFury 3'' they did do ship tease regarding [[TheHero Terry Bogard]] and Blue Mary. SNK did enjoy using it at first with ''Fatal Fury 3'' and the ''Real Bout'' series and the earlier ''KOF'' games as well. However, over the course of the 2000's, while Terry is considered iconic for SNK he didn't really have any role in the ''KOF'' series anymore and is pretty much just there to appease older fans. Some have even feared that SNK would kill off Blue Mary since unlike Terry who used to be a main character Mary was always a secondary one. That and Terry's girlfriends have a tendency to end up dead (in the anime, anyway). Fortunately that hasn't happened yet.

* An odd case happens between Duncan and Gwen of ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama''. Their friendship was realistic and well-received, though Gwen always tried to make it clear that [[HesNotMyBoyfriend they were only friends]]. Due to this, Duncan suddenly kissing Gwen in ''World Tour'' not only felt like it [[StrangledByTheRedString came completely out of nowhere]], but resulted in the infamously disliked Gwen/Duncan/Courtney love triangle storyline. When it was time to actually show Duncan and Gwen as a couple, their every interaction was awkward and forced, with none of the [[BetterAsFriends charm or chemistry that they had when they were just friends]]. To make matters worse, the writers couldn't help from dropping hints that Duncan was still into Courtney the entire time, which [[FridgeLogic makes you wonder why the hell he cheated on her with Gwen in the first place]].

* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'': Kirito and Asuna [[spoiler:get together in the first volume/by episode 10 of the Anime and are married (due in part to the ease of marriage in an online game) in a few scenes and less than a day in universe. Chronologically they then adopt a daughter within two weeks and thus the majority of the series has them in a stable relationship with a budding family.]] Far from killing the ship, this simply shifts the focus to the relationships between them and Yui, along with the emotional impact of their various trials.

** The ''ComicBook/New52'' reset eliminated the relationship for a time, but with ''ComicBook/{{Convergence}}'', the original Lois and Clark (with a son) were shown and as of ''ComicBook/DCRebirth'' they are back to part of the main continuity.
* Subverted in ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}''. While some fans thought that putting a man like John Constantine on a stable relationship, specially after almost all his friends and lovers have died horrible horrible deaths, was a really bad idea, the last years of Hellblazer comics are worth reading as his partner, Epiphany Greaves, is a reckless young alchemist rebel woman that knows that his life has been tainted by all the deaths and dangers that his lifestyle provides, not to mention she's a real ActionGirl. Some may say that they're a perfect couple. Also, John is still John, grumpy, bastard and asshole, but saw some character development while living with his wife.

* ''Series/TheNanny'' averted this. After a couple of seasons of WillTheyOrWontThey and {{Moment Killer}}s, Fran gets married to Max, and the show keeps being as good as it was before. This is because the show's main focus was not on their relationship, but on all the [[SliceOfLife silly things that happened to them]]. Combine that with a big cast of characters which can divert the audience attention, and you have a series that doesn't depend that much on WillTheyOrWontThey anymore.
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'' averted this with Chandler and Monica. We get to see them go from SecretRelationship to EverybodyKnewAlready to officially an item, get married, bickering, getting over it, eventually adopting children, and remaining in love the whole time. All of this without diminishing public interest in the couple. It helped that they had really good chemistry and that they sort of worked as BetaCouple to Ross and Rachel, ironically resulting in more people caring about them than [[SuperCouple Ross and Rachel]] because Monica and Chandler were actually happy, interesting and y'know together. But the SliceOfLife and EnsembleCast nature of the show helped the most.

* Inversions of this trope are known to occur too: For instance, pretty much everyone agrees that Dave and Lisa from ''Series/NewsRadio'', after subverting WillTheyOrWontThey by starting an intimate relationship in the second episode, are much more intriguing and entertaining when they're together as a couple, and that their break-up was a possible JumpTheShark moment.

* Lampshaded in ''Series/GossipGirl'' by Blair, who tells Chuck that she's worried they'll be boring now they're in a relationship (a major concern for the fans). He replies that they could "never be boring" and was proven right - their subversion of SickeninglySweethearts was dramatic, heartwarming and hilarious, and the main fan displeasure was that the cameras cut away whenever they started to roleplay or pulled out handcuffs.

* A possible aversion of this occurred in ''Series/RobinHood''. At the end of season one Robin and Marian admitted their feelings for one another, and in season two they become engaged. In the season two finale, they have an impromptu wedding whilst awaiting execution. Now, despite there being ''plenty'' of material here for Robin and Marian to have spent season three as husband and wife, avoiding the wrath of Guy of Gisborne and battling Prince John's armies together, the episode in question ends with [[spoiler:Marian's death at the hands of Guy]]. According to the writers, they felt that they "had taken Marian's story as far as it could go," the insinuation clearly being that once the Marian-centric LoveTriangle had been resolved, the writers felt that there was no further need for Marian to remain on the show. Two new love interests for Robin were duly trotted out in season three. UnfortunateImplications? You betcha! This policy came back to bite the writers firmly in the ass: Robin×Kate (the ReplacementGoldfish) never got a chance to reach a ShippingBedDeath because no one gave a shit about it to begin with.

* ''Series/{{Bones}}'':Bones and Booth have remained interesting even after getting together. Angela and Hodgins were more mixed with a lot of ups and downs.
* This trope is the reason why Howard and Vince of ''Series/TheMightyBoosh'' didn't get together. The creators stated they originally planned on them becoming a couple during the TV show, but decided against it for fear of ruining the dynamic of the characters. Creator/NoelFielding says if Howard and Vince do ever get together, it wont be until he and Creator/JulianBarratt know for sure they're done with the characters.

* ''Series/WhosTheBoss'': Tony and Angela getting together was less the start or cause of the show's demise and more of the show's last ditch effort to stay alive. At that point, Tony and Angela resolving their {{UST}} was the only card they had left to play. But by then, the audience had grown bored of the whole thing and the RelationshipUpgrade was met with a collective yawn and cancellation.
* ''Series/{{Castle}}'': It was widely speculated that the show would never put Castle and Beckett together, as the show was powered by the UST between the two leads, and the fandom is powerfully driven by shipping. Even Castle's actor, Creator/NathanFillion, was openly against it. However, the two finally hooked up (although they haven't married yet) at the end of Season 4, and have been happily in a relationship all through Season 5. Even Fillion admits he was wrong and the "Moonlighting Curse" has been broken. Season 4 (and season 3 to a lesser extent) are considered weak points, because the attempts to keep Castle and Beckett apart were pretty flimsy anyway. A good example is "The Limey". Castle and Beckett were each given a new RomanticFalseLead in the episode. Interestingly, instead of audience anger being directed toward the false leads (which happened previously with False Leads such as Detective Demming and Josh Davidson), the majority of the frustration instead landed on ''Castle and Beckett'', since they stubbornly refused to have a mature conversation about their feelings for each other, making it a rather obvious attempt to artificially extend the tension, leading fans to simply say "get on with it!"

* ''Series/TheFlash2014'' avoided the scorn that befell its parent series, ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' with the romantic subplot of its main characters, Barry Allen/The Flash and Iris West. The two hooked up and became engaged in Season 3 and were married in Season 4 (with Iris changing her name to Iris West-Allen) with the full support of the fanbase. Although not without tension and a minor case of ShipToShipCombat (Barry + Caitlin, the so-called "Snowbarry" was a popular alternative), the pairing is handled gracefully and never detracts from the show's direction. Rather than dumbing them down to angsty teenagers, these two ''matured'' as they started the relationship, another reason why there is little reason for people to hate.

* In ''VideoGame/LufiaIIRiseOfTheSinistrals'', at around the halfway point of [[TheHero Maxim]] actually ''marries'' [[ActionGirl Selan]] after narrowly beating what seems to be the big bad at first. A year passes and it is revealed there's still a lot more to the game. It could be said that the trope is fully inverted, because in this story the leading up to the romance is fairly underplayed but in the latter half of the game their relationship is important to the plot.

* Quite markedly averted in a certain route in ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngel''. In Forte's route, somewhere between the three games, Tact and Forte has somehow skipped the "I love you" phase to each other (or rather, replacing it with "I got your back, you watch mine.") and went straight to a decidedly mature take of living together as adults. The second and especially the third tests their resolve of being together as a commander and a soldier in a relationship. The third game's "breaking point" event is notable in that Forte's route is the only one not featuring relationship problems with Tact as a result of said event, instead having PTSD as a central theme.
* Inverted in ''VideoGame/TimeAndEternity''. Toki and the MC are already a couple by the time the game starts, and how they met and became a couple is hardly brought up, yet their wedding is a central plotpoint (in fact it's so central that, due to TimeTravel, it happens five times).

* ''Webcomic/CheckPlease'' averts this beautifully, with two years of intense ShipTease culminating in [[spoiler:Jack and Bitty]] finally getting together. Year three has their relationship on spotlight, with several heartwarming and tearjerking moments resulting from it. Some of the best chapters of the entire comic came after their relationship got serious and received the spotlight, such as the updates that focus on [[spoiler:Jack revealing about his relationship to some of his teammates and to his own parents]].
* ''Webcomic/MenageA3'' habitually averts the trope by being a SexComedy much more than it's any sort of romance, whatever some fannish shippers might want. The characters get into ''[[EveryoneHasLotsOfSex relationships]],'' but these are generally short-lived or incredibly unstable, and are frequently obviously bad ideas from the first; hence, they may crash and burn, or just fizzle due to bad communication. Any pairing that the shippers might suggest (''[[EveryoneIsBi any pairing]]'') can happen, but it probably won't end anything much. Even when the lead character who started the comic as a desperate virgin got laid, it involved a previously minor character, the relationship promptly crashed, and the ex-virgin didn't change much as a person. Most of the fan base accurately predicted that most of the main cast would end up in long-term relationships towards the end of the comic, with any shipping discussions to be had being predictions on what the final pairings would ultimately be, though strong bets were avoided until the the creators alerted the readers about the approaching finale.
* ''WebComic/GirlsWithSlingshots'' has generally averted this when dealing with [[BetaCouple secondary characters' relationships]], like Thea and Mimi, Chris and Melody, and Maureen and Jameson...etc (although probably because they did not receive as much focus as the main characters), but this was interestingly played with in its treatment of the relationship between main character, Hazel, and Zach: At first they started with tons of UnresolvedSexualTension and WillTheyOrWontThey moments, then they finally hooked up and became a couple. But problems started to arise in that Hazel received no CharacterDevelopment whatsoever and continued to be the same [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist selfish]] and [[ManChild immature person]], at first this was PlayedForLaughs and for a large chunk of the webcomic's run, Zach was portrayed as the infinitely patient and perfect wish-fulfilment boyfriend who selflessly put up with a girlfriend who gave nothing back to the relationship other than sex and the sight of being drunk, this caused a lot of [[WhatDoesSheSeeInHim What Does He See in Her?]] and NoAccountingForTaste reactions in the readers. The author must have realized this, so [[AuthorsSavingThrow this was taken]] to its [[{{Deconstruction}} logical conclussion]] when Hazel's antics pushed Zach too far and made him break up with her. The webcomic ended with Hazel and Zach settling BetterAsFriends and walking together to the sunset.

* One of the running plot threads in the first season of ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'' is [[TheNarrator Cecil's]] (apparently unrequited) crush on HotScientist Carlos. Then, in the one year anniversary episode the two share a tender moment, and go on a first date a couple episodes later. The show is perfectly content in having the two of them be an adorable OfficialCouple, all while dealing with usual relationship difficulties (like the occasional missed date) along with the difficulties of living in a place like [[EldritchLocation Night Vale]]. In the first half of the year 2017, [[spoiler:the two of them finally tied the knot.]]