History Main / SleepingSingle

* In ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'', Al would love nothing more than to sleep separately from Peg. Consdering that one episode establishes that their sleeping position involves Peg strangling Al from behind while she digs her feet into his back, this shouldn't be surprising. He goes so far as to replace their usual bed with ''bunk'' beds with him taking the top bunk so he won't even have to look at Peg at night. However, Peg dislikes this and physically kicks Al out of his bunk, causing him to fall off and through the floor into their living room.

* Inverted on ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD''. When Jemma is stranded on an alien planet and meets an American astronaut who had been there a while, they work together for several weeks before falling in love, and we get a SexyDiscretionShot of them making out before the commercial break. After the break, we see their two cots pushed together, clearly implying that they had sex.
* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment''. Tobias and Lindsey are shown sleeping in two different beds in season 4 after getting a new, oversized house. The trope is used here to show their failed marriage.
* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. In "City At The Edge Of The World", an ActionGirl takes a fancy to Vila, takes off her gunbelt and puts her arms around him. Next time we see them, they're lying on separate beds [[RightThroughHisPants fully clothed]], [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vila_after_7243.jpg bathing in the afterglow.]]
* On ''Series/CitizenKhan'', Mr. and Mrs. Khan sleep in separate beds. Mr. Khan reacts in shock when he sees Mrs. Khan pushing their beds together in the middle of the day and shrinks back in fear when she insists he fulfill his "husbandly duties". Turns out she just wanted him to fix the plumbing in their room and moving the beds provided easier access to the pipes.

'''Lady Mary:''' No. Never mind.
** (Lady Mary, when she did marry years later, never did sleep separate from her husband.)

* On ''Series/GameOfThrones'', King Robert and Queen Cersei have separate bedchambers due to their loveless marriage.

* Zig-zagged in ''Series/GreenAcres'' – The Douglases had no furniture when they first moved into Green Acres and for a short time temporarily rented Mr. Haney's single cots. A little later, Lisa brings over their lavish double bed.

* On ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', Marshall and Lily tried this - not because they're sexually estranged (Marshall and Lily have a ''lot'' of sex - the two were even planning to buy a third bed ''just'' for sex) but simply to try and get a better night's sleep. It actually works for a while, but both decide that they're more comfortable sharing a bed.

* Averted on ''Series/TheMorecambeAndWiseShow'' where the two protagonists, for no reason which was ever explained other than RuleOfFunny, shared a bed. Ernie Wise took inspiration from Creator/LaurelAndHardy in their short ''Early to Bed''.

* On ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', Frank and Estelle Costanza have separate beds. But as Frank explains, it's because Estelle has the "jimmy arms" and this was the only way either of them would get any sleep.

** In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS1E14ThirdFromTheSun Third from the Sun]]", William and Eve Sturka's bedroom has two single beds.
** In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS1E17TheFever The Fever]]", Franklin and Flora Gibbs sleep in separate beds in their UsefulNotes/LasVegas hotel room.
** In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS2E58LongDistanceCall Long Distance Call]]", Chris and Sylvia Bayles sleep in separate beds.
** In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E126LivingDoll Living Doll]]", Erich and Annabelle Streator sleep in single beds.

* The couple in ''Film/{{Seconds}}'' is having single beds which underpins their loveless marriage.

* Used to contrast the protagonist's two marriages in ''Film/TheCaptainsParadise''.

Although (as noted above) it wasn't strictly forbidden to show men and women in bed together, it almost never happened in practice after 1934. This trope carried over to television in the 1950s and remained in effect until censorship standards loosened and The Hays Code became a dead letter in the 1960s, replaced by the MPAA ratings system for films and FCC censorship for television. The first live-action TV couple to share a bed on television, whose actors were not a married couple in real life, were Darrin and Samantha Stephens on ''Series/{{Bewitched}}''.[[note]]The reason for [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative those qualifiers]] is because the first couple to ''ever'' share a bed on tv were ''Series/MaryKayAndJohnny'', but they were [[RealLifeRelative married in real life]], and when the show aired in the late 40's, the Hays Code hadn't been fully adopted by television yet. And [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Fred and Wilma Flintstone]] started sharing a bed before Darrin and Samantha.[[/note]] Also, By the early '70s, the trope had been discarded entirely on such series as ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' and ''Series/TheBobNewhartShow''.

Although (as noted above) it wasn't strictly forbidden to show men and women in bed together, it almost never happened in practice after 1934. This trope carried over to television in the 1950s and remained in effect until censorship standards loosened and The Hays Code became a dead letter in the 1960s, replaced by the MPAA ratings system for films and FCC censorship for television. The first live-action TV couple to share a bed on television, who were not already married in real life, were Darrin and Samantha Stephens on ''Series/{{Bewitched}}''.[[note]]The reason for [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative those qualifiers]] is because the first couple to ''ever'' share a bed on tv were ''Series/MaryKayAndJohnny'', but they were [[RealLifeRelative married in real life]], and when the show aired in the late 40's, the Hays Code hadn't been fully adopted by television yet. And [[WesternAnimation Fred and Wilma Flintstone]] started sharing a bed before Darrin and Samantha.[[/note]] Also, By the early '70s, the trope had been discarded entirely on such series as ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' and ''Series/TheBobNewhartShow''.

* Famously averted by [[ComicStrip/{{Blondie}} Blondie and Dagwood Bumstead]] in a rather daring move at the time (1933) that was anyway supported by religious figures.

* In a ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' episode Al makes separate beds because he hates sharing the bed with Peg.

Although (as noted above) it wasn't strictly forbidden to show men and women in bed together, it almost never happened in practice after 1934. This trope carried over to television in the 1950s and remained in effect until censorship standards loosened and The Hays Code became a dead letter in the 1960s, replaced by the MPAA ratings system for films and FCC censorship for television. The first live-action TV couple to share a bed on television, who were not already married in real life, were Darrin and Samantha Stephens on ''Series/{{Bewitched}}''.[[note]]The reason for [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative those qualifiers]] is because the first couple to ''ever'' share a bed on tv were ''Series/MaryKayAndJohnny'', but they were [[RealLifeRelative married in real life]], and when the show aired in the late 40's, the Hays Code hadn't been fully adopted by television yet. And [[WesternAnimation Fred and Wilma Flintstone]] started sharing a bed before Darrin and Samantha.[[/note]] Also, [[By the early '70s, the trope had been discarded entirely on such series as ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' and ''Series/TheBobNewhartShow''.

Although (as noted above) it wasn't strictly forbidden to show men and women in bed together, it almost never happened in practice after 1934. This trope carried over to television in the 1950s and remained in effect until censorship standards loosened and The Hays Code became a dead letter in the 1960s, replaced by the MPAA ratings system for films and FCC censorship for television. The first live-action TV couple to share a bed on television, who were not already married in real life, were Darrin and Samantha Stephens on ''Series/{{Bewitched}}''. By the early '70s, the trope had been discarded entirely on such series as ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' and ''Series/TheBobNewhartShow''.

* On ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', Marshall and Lily tried this - not because they're sexually estranged (Marshall and Lily have a ''lot'' of sex) but simply to try and get a better night's sleep. It actually works for a while, but both decide that they're more comfortable sharing a bed.

* Soundly averted in ''Film/MyReputation'' with Ginna and Cary.

[[quoteright:320:[[Series/ILoveLucy https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/abf27349_0e15_4c76_9806_7d5164bc366f.jpeg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:320:"Great news, honey! Our nightstand is expecting!"]]

* Seen in the epilogue of Creator/{{CLAMP}}'s ''Manga/ManOfManyFaces'', in spite of some previous [[TheyDo knot-tying]]. This is likely related to the manga's "All Ages" rating (in the US).

* ''Literature/TheTwits'', and it isn't hard to see why.

* Played with on ''Series/FatherTed'' -- Ted and Dougal have twin beds in the same room, Justified due to them not being a couple, meaning it would be very wierd (even by the shows standards) if they shared a bed.

* On ''Series/FawltyTowers'', Basil and Sybil do this, although by then they could have easily shared a bed. They just hate each other. In the same episode, Basil refuses to let an unmarried young couple have a double bed, saying it's against the law of England, and nothing to do with him.

* Possible in ''Videogame/TheSims'', and mandatory if the relationship between Sims isn't high enough.

[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'' this is normal ... mainly because it would get very crowded with [[ExoticExtendedMarriage ten to thirty wives per husband.]] The women take turns visiting their husband.
* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', this is standard for noble families. The queen and king have an arranged marriage, and may not even have consummated the marriage, as king Jakoven prefers young men. He ''encourages'' other men to start affairs with queen Tehedrato ... only to then assassinate the nice young men, and leave the queen heartbroken. He's ... not a nice person.
* ''Literature/FireAndBlood:'' King Viserys I and Queen Allicent Hightower not only slept in separate bedrooms, but her bedroom was on an entirely separate ''floor'' from his. Says a lot about their marriage... and maybe his very sudden death. Then again, Viserys was overweight and in seriously bad health. Not the sort of person you'd want to share a bed with (or possibly be ''able'' to share a bed with).
* In the ''Literature/ImagerPortfolio'' series by L.E. Modesitt Jr, all married imagers are ''required'' to have separate quarters from their spouses. This is because Imagers sometimes Image in their sleep, which could be dangerous for anyone else in the room. This rule only applies to the literal act of sleeping, as several married Imagers (including the main characters in both subseries) are shown to have children.
* ''Literature/TheNakedSun'' by Creator/IsaacAsimov takes place on Solaria, a planet with a population so small that every individual gets their own estate of several hundred to thousand square miles. They communicate only through holographic communicators and see physical presence as disgusting. Even spouses rarely come into physical contact with one another, each having their own half of a huge mansion. This is quite common with Spacers, humans that don't live on Earth, as the Spacer buildings near New York City in ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel'' are expansive domes that house small buildings inside in contrast to the City domes that Earth has.
* Literature/{{Spenser}}'s FriendOnTheForce Quirk once tells Spenser that once their kids left the house, he and his wife started sleeping in separate rooms. Everyone thinks the marriage is in trouble, but it's just for comfort's sake, and "it makes the time together more special". Author Robert B. Parker [[RealLifeWritesThePlot actually did this]] with his wife Joan in RealLife, though to a greater extent - actually building a two-part house where they could live separately, but visit whenever they wished. He once said, "I never want to sleep with my wife again, but I hope to continue making love to her forever."
* ''Literature/TheTwits'', and it isn't hard to see why.
* In ''Literature/AYellowRaftInBlueWater'', Christine and Elgin Taylor as a married couple both have their own beds to sleep in since [[JustifiedTrope they're renting out a hotel room to live in together]]. They try to combine them into a double bed, but Christine ends up falling between the beds and struggling to get herself out without accidentally waking up Elgin. Eventually she decides to leave the beds single as Elgin would end up coming home later than usual, a sign of her husband's infidelity that would show up as the marriage progressed.
[[/folder]]

* Averted by Lord and Lady Grantham on ''Series/DowntonAbbey''. As British aristocrats of their day and master and mistress of a great house, they would be expected to not only sleep in separate beds but in separate rooms. And technically, they do have separate rooms with separate beds—it’s just that Lord Grantham only uses his bedroom to change and then goes to Lady Grantham’s room to sleep in their common bed, the Granthams having had the great fortune to fall in love with each other [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage about a year into their marriage]]. The only time his bed gets any use is when she exiles him from hers (or on one occasion, he feels he has shamed himself and exiles himself), or when Lady Grantham is ill. His daughter gives him cheek about it in Series 1:

* Averted by Lord and Lady Grantham on ''Series/DowntonAbbey''. As British aristocrats of their day and master and mistress of a great house, they would be expected to not only sleep in separate beds but in separate rooms. And technically, they do have separate rooms with separate beds—it’s just that Lord Grantham only uses his bedroom to change and then goes to Lady Grantham’s room to sleep in their common bed. The only time his bed gets any use is when she exiles him from hers (or on one occasion, he feels he has shamed himself and exiles himself), or when Lady Grantham is ill. His daughter gives him cheek about it in Series 1: