History Main / TrueLoveIsBoring

* Creator/SamRaimi's ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' resulted like this. The first film had the relatively simple dilemma of Mary Jane reciprocating Peter's affections, but Peter turning her down because he doesn't want to tell her he's Spider-Man and put her in danger. The second film upped the complication, with Mary Jane getting engaged, Peter quitting Spider-Man and wanting to be close again, but it ended on the seemingly simple note of the two of them getting together, with Mary Jane aware of his SecretIdentity. But then the third film overcomplicated everything, with the two getting engaged but then cutting it off because Evil Harry Osborn, then a LoveTriangle with Gwen Stacy, followed by Peter becoming a girl-punching jerk due to an alien symbiote, and holy cow, who cares about them anymore?? Nobody, apparently, as the series was then [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan rebooted]], with the much better received Peter and Gwen Stacy instead.

In fiction, "love" means conflict. If a work has a "love story", that story usually cares only for extremes: falling in love and falling out of it in short order.

This trope is often used to prevent or reverse ShippingBedDeath, and as justifcation for never resolving WillTheyOrWontThey, or as justification for turning the couple's RomanceArc into a YoYoPlotPoint by having them do the on-again-off-again thing. If it happens offscreen between sequels/episodes, it's a DowntimeDowngrade. If the characters ([[{{Shipping}} and their fans]]) are "lucky", the DivorceIsTemporary. If not, the next best thing is to hope to be AmicablyDivorced.

* ''{{Series/Friends}}'': Played straight with Ross and Rachel. They have the classic UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo courtship but few storylines when they do get together. Then they break up over [[{{BrokenBase}} Ross's so-called "cheating"]] and spend the rest of the series arguing about it. They almost get back together several times, but only succeed [[spoiler:in the final episode]].
** Averted with the unwaveringly stable [[{{HappilyMarried}} Monica and Chandler]]. Early seasons hint of attraction but they're portrayed as best friends who comfortably accept each other, averting the WillTheyOrWontThey drama. They Out have a [[FriendsWithBenefits one-night stand]], start a relationship, and eventually get married with little drama. A lot of focus is given to their day-to-day problems, but they're ridiculously happy together and don't break up once while still managing interesting storylines.
** Particular aversion as their relationship benefited the show hugely and opened up a ton of storylines. Them moving in together forever changed the living dynamics of the gang, their engagement gave a whole season's worth of wedding storylines and the relationship helped their CharacterDevelopment as well.

* In ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'', before Nightwing and Oracle was Nightwing and ComicBook/{{Starfire}} (Koriand'r). Not only were they engaged as well, they even made it to the altar before a possessed ComicBook/{{Raven}} interrupted the proceedings. Interestingly, this is also an EnforcedTrope, as ExecutiveMeddling at the last minute scrapped the original plan of the two of them being HappilyMarried, though not because of this trope: The Bat Office demanded control of Dick Grayson’s character and refused to let him bring Starfire with him, forcing the writers to break them up by changing the happy wedding to a disaster wedding, as well as inserting drama and OutOfCharacter arguments before then as buildup. Their relationship never really recovered from that, with Dick even taking it as a sign that they were too young and weren't ready to take the next big step to marriage (Kori herself thought they were rushing to begin with), and that eventually led to them drifting apart and breaking up for good. Even so, they still slept together occasionally, and Koriand'r stands about as good of a chance as Barbara Gordon of being Dick's OneTrueLove.

* This sums up the relationship between Han Solo and Princess Leia in the official ''Franchise/StarWars'' canon. The classic trilogy is three movies' worth of SlapSlapKiss; a TimeSkip to ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' reveals that they got married and had a son [[spoiler:who fell to TheDarkSide, ruining their marriage]]. Oh, and [[spoiler:Han is now dead by his son's blade, though not before reconciling with Leia]].

* In ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'', before Nightwing and Oracle was Nightwing and ComicBook/{{Starfire}} (Koriand'r). Not only were they engaged as well, they even made it to the altar before a possessed ComicBook/{{Raven}} interrupted the proceedings. Their relationship never really recovered from that, with Dick even taking it as a sign that they were too young and weren't ready to take the next big step to marriage (Kori herself thought they were rushing to begin with), and that eventually led to them drifting apart and breaking up for good. Even so, they still slept together occasionally, and chances are that if Barbara Gordon isn’t Dick's OneTrueLove, then Koriand'r is.

In fiction, "love" means conflict. If a work has a "love story", that story usually cares only for extremes: falling in love, and falling out of it in short order.

So your favorite OfficialCouple (or BetaCouple) finally answered WillTheyOrWontThey: TheyDo. Our couple has fallen madly in love, carted off to their honeymoon and are probably getting started with that whole "BabiesEverAfter" thing. [[HappilyEverAfter A happy, feel-good time is had by all, right?]] '''Nope.'''

This must not be taken as that happy couples can't face conflict at all, mind you. They might face difficulties like paying bills together or learn how to be parents, and that doesn't really affect what they feel for each other in the slightest. Problem is, then the relationship itself ceases to be a source of conflict, and rather becomes an asset for the characters to face ''other'' conflicts. Romance plots are not a superior form of conflict, but they are very familiar and emotionally powerful--and thus easy. Removing romance as conflict means that other conflict has to pick up the slack, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools but this doesn't mean those are lesser stories because of it]].

Related to VictoryIsBoring and FailureIsTheOnlyOption, which cover plot conflicts ''not'' associated with romance. DisposableWoman and DeathByOriginStory are cases where this is done preemptively, before the story proper even begins. May be PlayedForLaughs in an AwfulWeddedLife comedy.

* [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] and [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} Barbara Gordon]]. Creator/ChuckDixon's run on ''ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}'' made them an OfficialCouple. The ShipSinking started during Devin Grayson's run and continued up to and beyond ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''. Unlike most other examples, this actually had quite a bit of build up. This also became an EnforcedTrope by way of ExecutiveMeddling: Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson became engaged in order to create drama for Dick's impending death. Dick Grayson wasn't supposed to survive ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', but since he did (the writers ''[[WriterRevolt refused]]'' to kill him), the editors wanted him to be a swinging bachelor and free to do his solo thing.

** Chase and Gert are a happy, mostly well-adjusted couple at the beginning of the second series. Naturally, the events of the second series puts their relationship under strain... and then Gert dies.

* The reason Ripley was the only survivor at the beginning of the [[Film/{{Alien 3}} third movie]] in the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' series. Newt, Hicks and Bishop were all killed off in part 3 because it was feared the story would be boring otherwise.

* Creator/SamRaimi's ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' resulted like this. The first film had the relatively simple dilemma of Mary Jane reciprocating Peter's affections, but Peter turning her down because he doesn't want to tell her he's Spider-Man and put her in danger. The second film upped the complication, with Mary Jane getting engaged, Peter quitting Spider-Man and wanting to be close again, but it ended on the seemingly simple note of the two of them getting together, with Mary Jane aware of his SecretIdentity. But then the third film overcomplicated everything, with the two getting engaged but then cutting it off because Evil Harry Osborn, then a LoveTriangle with Gwen Stacy, followed by Peter becoming a girl-punching jerk due to an alien symbiote, and holy cow who cares about them anymore?? Nobody, apparently, as the series was then [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan rebooted]], with the much better received Peter and Gwen Stacy instead.

* In the ''Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures'' novel ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNewAdventuresHappyEndings Happy Endings]]'' Franchise/BerniceSummerfield, as the title suggests, goes off to live HappilyEverAfter with her husband Jason. When it became apparent that Virgin Publishing weren't going to get the licence to continue making ''Franchise/{{Doctor Who|Expanded Universe}}'' novels, ''Eternity Weeps'' splits them up, so that Benny will be single as a main character.
* The first three ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' novels are as much about Vlad and Cawti's relationship and marriage as anything else. The series starts with "phase two" as they are HappilyMarried but Cawti shows up mostly just to provide support for Vlad's latest job, backtracks to "phase one" as the next book shows how they got together in a violent take on SlapSlapKiss, and then hits "phase three" in the third book when they start to develop serious differences and slowly fall apart.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'', the title character's love life perfectly follows the pattern. He has an unrequired crush on Cho Chang who's dating someone else during ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Goblet of Fire]]''. When they do get together in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'', they immediatly start arguing over [[spoiler:her deceased boyfriend and Cho's best friend's betrayal]] and break up. In the [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince next book]], Harry falls for his best friend's sister Ginny who's dating someone else. They finally have their RelationshipUpgrade ''just'' before the climax after which Harry break up with her [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies for her sake]]. Their happy relationship is glossed over a paragraph. [[spoiler:They do get back together and get married but it happens during the TimeSkip between the last chapter and the epilogue]].
** Justified, since they are mere teenagers who are supposed to have crushes and short relationships.Ron likes Fleur then Lavender; Hermione crushes on Lockhart then likes Viktor Krum.

** Angel was turned into a human, the thing he wanted most, and could be with Buffy, something he desperately wanted. They had one, glorious love filled day, but they both realized that him being human meant that he wouldn't be able to fight in the potential upcoming apocalypses, which would result in thousands of deaths including hers. So Angel very selflessly decided to turn back time and erase their perfect day and remain a vampire, losing her forever.
** Buffy and Angel's first relationship on ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' also applies. After a over a season of build-up they finally got together, but Creator/JossWhedon felt there was nowhere for the relationship to go after they had sex for the first time. So he decided that them having sex would cause Angel to lose his soul, turning him into a [[JekyllAndHyde sadistic, evil version of himself]] determined to psychologically torture Buffy.

* Happened in ''Series/{{CSI}}'' with Gil Grissom and Sarah Sidle - after several seasons of UST they finally got together, only for Sarah to eventually leave both Grissom, the department and Las Vegas and then for Grissom to go (she eventually returned without him).

** Averted with the unwaveringly stable [[{{HappilyMarried}} Monica and Chandler]]. Early seasons hint of attraction but they're portrayed as best friends who comfortably accept each other, averting the WillTheyOrWontThey drama. They Out have a [[{{FriendsWithBenefits}} one night stand]], start a relationship and eventually get married with little drama. A lot of focus is given to their day to day problems, but they're ridiculously happy together and don't break up once while still managing interesting storylines.
** Particular aversion as their relationship benefited the show hugely and opened up a ton of storylines. Them moving in together forever changed the living dynamics of the gang, their engagement gave a whole seasons worth of wedding story lines and the relationship helped their CharacterDevelopment as well.
* Chuck and Blair on ''GossipGirl'' got hit with this, ''hard'', in season three.

* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'': Ellie Bishop joins the team in Season 11 and is noted to be one of the few, if not only people to join the cast and (a) come from a happy, normal family, and (b) be HappilyMarried. But the writers apparently decided on this trope and turned her initially loving, supportive husband into a cheating SOB who she divorced, thus freeing her to have the same tragic, screwed-up love life that nearly all the other characters do--already, as of Season 14, her new boyfriend has been killed, and adding insult to injury, the ending of a recent episode revealed that she would have accepted his marriage proposal had this not happened.
* Averted, Subverted, Inverted, and played straight in ''Series/OneTreeHill''. Averted with Nathan and Hailey, who have been a constant couple throughout the series, though twice have came close to a divorce due to a non-existent but assumed affair, both times (one from her, one from him), but the two never stopped loving each other. Subverted by Lucas and Brooke, as she originally started off as a RomanticFalseLead, became popular with fans and writers, the two got back together when the two actors got married, then their real life counterparts got divorced and they broke up in-universe shortly thereafter. Inverted by Brooke and Jullian, who started off as a slowly developing BetaCouple, then after the second TimeSkip are happily together and soon to be married. They break up for a little while, but mostly live happily. Played Straight by Lucas and Peton, who after four seasons of going back and fourth between love interests, Lucas and Peyton finally decide to get together forever...only to be broken up ''bitterly'' by the first timeskip, with Lucas now engaged to his editor. They get back together and marry by two seasons, only for their actors to leave soon after. At least they ended up happy, sorta.
* In the season 1 finale of ''Series/{{Rhoda}}'' she and Joe get married. This was one of the highest rated entertainment shows ever. But then they got divorced. Now it's considered to have been a bad idea to have them get married, purely from a business standpoint.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Luann}}'': After a period where Luann finally dated her lifelong crush Aaron Hill, several attempts were made by creator Greg Evans to complicate the relationship, either by introducing various character flaws of Aaron, or at one point implying he "wasn't into girls" (then [[AbortedArc aborting that twist]]), before settling on having his PutOnABus to Hawaii forever. Several teases were made at his return, but none of them went anywhere.

* After HappilyEverAfter begins in ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'', Cinderella and her Prince's marriage quickly falls apart. Cinderella gets emotional whiplash from the rapidness of her RagsToRiches ascent after spending most of her life being abused by her WickedStepmother, [[SpoiledBrat stepsisters]], and [[ParentalNeglect neglectful father]]. The Prince often leaves Cinderella for long periods of time, and is revealed to be a cheater who misses the thrill of chasing a seemingly unattainable woman.

* In ''Webcomic/DumbingOfAge'', This trope is the reason of why there is no stable and durable relationship in the webcomic. the only working romance is between dina and becky.

** Similar to the Comic Book counterpart, Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon broke up during the two year TimeSkip between ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and ''The New Batman Adventures''. Mostly Batman's fault, as a flashback episode shows. Dick and Bruce had a falling out that led to him quitting as Robin and returning as Nightwing. Barbara chose to stay with Bruce in Gotham.
** Later in ''ComicBook/BatmanBeyond'' we find out that after Dick returned as Nightwing he tried a few times to work things out with Barbara, but after finding out that [[{{Squick}} she had also been romantically involved with Bruce during his absence]] he put an end to his personal and crime fighting partnership with both of them.

* ''{{WesternAnimation/Young Justice}}'' plays with this with its two {{Official Couple}}s. The first season had Conner and M'gann together after the first ten episodes and Wally and Artemis get together at the end after a season of {{UST}}. Post five-year TimeSkip, Wally and Artemis are still a couple, but Conner and M'gann broke up (and it was not pretty). [[spoiler:At the very end, Conner and M'gann are implied to reconcile, but Wally pulls a HeroicSacrifice to save the world, leaving Artemis devastated]].

Related to VictoryIsBoring and FailureIsTheOnlyOption, which cover plot conflicts ''not'' associated with romance. DisposableWoman and DeathByOriginStory are cases where this is done preemptively, before the story proper even begins. See also RelationshipCeiling. May be PlayedForLaughs in an AwfulWeddedLife comedy.

** In season three, Bolin and Opal get together. After the TimeSkip in season four, it's shown that Bolin working for [[FromNobodyToNightmare Kuvira]] has put a strain on his and Opal's relationship.

* ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} and ComicBook/{{Mockingbird}}. Not long after they were married "died", but that turned out to be [[ActuallyADoombot Actually A Skrull]]. Since then, the couple has been reunited... and then promptly divorced.

* After HappilyEverAfter begins in ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'', Cinderella and her Prince's marriage quickly falls apart. Cinderella gets emotional whiplash from the rapidness of her RagsToRiches ascent after spending most of her life being abused by her WickedStepmother, [[SpoiledBrat stepsisters]], and [[ParentalNeglect neglectful father]]. The Prince often leaves Cinderella for long periods of time, and is revealed to be a [[YourCheatingHeart cheater]] who misses the thrill of chasing a seemingly unattainable woman.

* John [=McClane=] and Holly of ''Film/DieHard''. Through the first three films, their breakups are a RunningGag with the two coming closer together at the end of their devastating experience. However, this trope is played morosely straight in the fourth film, where they're finally divorced.

* Creator/SamRaimi's ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' resulted like this. The first film had the relatively simple dilemma of Mary Jane reciprocating Peter's affections, but Peter turning her down because he doesn't want to tell her he's Spider-Man and put her in danger. The second film upped the complication, with Mary Jane getting engaged, Peter quitting Spider-Man and wanting to be close again, but it ended on the seemingly simple note of the two of them getting together, with Mary Jane aware of his SecretIdentity. But then the third film overcomplicated everything, with the two getting engaged but then cutting it off because Evil Harry Osborn, then a LoveTriangle with Gwen Stacy, followed by Peter becoming a girl-punching jerk due to an alien symbiote, and holy cow who cares about them anymore?? Nobody, apparently, as the series was then [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan rebooted]], with the much better received Peter and Gwen Stacy instead.

* ''Film/{{Abominable}}: CJ and Amanda teasingly invoke this during the wedding toast, with Amanda beginning it with “to the first one of us to fall” and CJ adding “ball and chain baby”.

* In ''Literature/WizardAndGlass'', when he tells the story of his first love, Roland says the name of the trope, explaining that "once the tale of encounter and discovery is told, kisses quickly grow stale and caresses tiresome" -- except of course for the ones who exchange in them. Indeed, the focus of the story he's telling and thus the whole novel is a tricky courtship between StarCrossedLovers, and the happy part is rather glossed over.

* In a meta example, this was most readers' opinion of Elizabeth and Anthony's relationship towards the end of ''ComicStrip/ForBetterOrForWorse''. Despite the author claiming that Anthony was the right one for her after several failed relationships by them both, most readers found "Blandthony" to be utterly boring.

* In the season 1 finale of ''Series/{{Rhoda}}'' she and Joe get married. This was one of the highest rated entertainment shows ever. But then they got divorced. Now it's considered to have been a bad idea to have them get married, purely from a business standpoint.
* ''Series/DesperateHousewives''
** Mike and Susan finally married in season 3 ending. They were divorced at the beginning of season 5. And back together in season 6.
* Happened in ''Series/{{CSI}}'' with Gil Grissom and Sarah Sidle - after several seasons of UST they finally got together, only for Sarah to eventually leave both Grissom, the department and Las Vegas and then for Grissom to go (she eventually returned without him).
* ''Series/{{Cheers}}'': After five years of on-again/off-again {{UST}} they're about to get married, then Diane leaves Sam at the altar, only to come back 6 years later for the GrandFinale to ''almost'' marry him again.

* Infamously, the ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'' series finale. Turns out, the series was a fictional story written by the eponymous star, after her husband died years ago. Things get ''worse'' from there.
* Dialed UpToEleven in ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'': over Seasons 1-2, Xena and Gabrielle get closer and closer until ... Seasons 3-4 wrench them apart, they get back together, wrenched apart, rinse, wash, repeat. In seasons 5-6, Xena and Gabrielle are '''always''' apart and Xena shags the GirlOfTheWeek to emphasize the point.

* Averted, Subverted, Inverted, and played straight in ''Series/OneTreeHill''. Averted with Nathan and Hailey, who have been a constant couple throughout the series, though twice have came close to a divorce due to a non-existent but assumed affair, both times (one from her, one from him), but the two never stopped loving each other. Subverted by Lucas and Brooke, as she originally started off as a RomanticFalseLead, became popular with fans and writers, the two got back together when the two actors got married, then their real life counterparts got divorced and they broke up in-universe shortly thereafter. Inverted by Brooke and Jullian, who started off as a slowly developing BetaCouple, then after the second TimeSkip are happily together and soon to be married. They break up for a little while, but mostly live happily. Played Straight by Lucas and Peton, who after four seasons of going back and fourth between love interests, Lucas and Peyton finally decide to get together forever...only to be broken up ''bitterly'' by the first timeskip, with Lucas now engaged to his editor. They get back together and marry by two seasons, only for their actors to leave soon after. At least they ended up happy, sorta.
* In the Accel spin-off movie of ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'', Ryu Terui is forced to go on the run with a female thief, leaving his new wife Akiko to think that he has left her for another woman and threaten him with divorce. [[spoiler:The trope is ultimately averted when Ryu and Akiko do stay together, but the writers clearly felt that conflict needed to be introduced into the relationship.]]

* Flirted with but ultimately subverted in ''Series/DoctorWho'', when the first episode of a new series showed Rory and Amy about to get divorced. At first it appeared that Amy couldn't settle down to normal life after travelling in the TARDIS for so long, but eventually the breakup turned out to be down to a communication breakdown: since Amy [[spoiler:can't have more children after the events of Demons Run]] she was [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy nobly sacrificing the relationship]] because she knew that was important to Rory. It was, but not as important as she was.
* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'': Ellie Bishop joins the team in Season 11 and is noted to be one of the few, if not only people to join the cast and (a) come from a happy, normal family, and (b) be HappilyMarried. But the writers apparently decided on this trope and turned her initially loving, supportive husband into a cheating SOB who she divorced, thus freeing her to have the same tragic, screwed-up love life that nearly all the other characters do--already, as of Season 14, her new boyfriend has been killed, and adding insult to injury, the ending of a recent episode revealed that she would have accepted his marriage proposal had this not happened.
* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' Season 8 episode, "The Autumn of Break-ups", Future Ted lampshades this regarding the relationships of him and Victoria, Lily and Marshall, Barney and Quinn, Robin and Nick. He narrates that for the past three months, they were all contented and happy...which he pointed out that those events don't matter in the present and that brings us to the episode proper where all the couples are arguing. At the end, Barney and Quinn ended their engagement. The following episodes have Ted/Victoria and Robin/Nick breaking up too; though in Ted's case, it's due to his feelings with Robin which is the same reason Victoria broke up with him in the first place. The three-month timeskip was most likely done due to the first eight seasons of the show taking place in real time and the show needed an excuse to pick up in September after the last season ended in June.

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'' is an illustration of the flipside of this trope: using the RomanceArc as the core of the show means {{postscript season}}s when the OfficialCouple gets together. The writers managed to stretch out the RomanceArc between Castle and Beckett for four seasons before they finally got together, and another two and a half before they married, with several false starts along the way. The show was cancelled a season and a half later. The BetaCouple of Esposito and Lanie doesn't even get that far: they get together offscreen, break up offscreen, get ''back'' together offscreen, then finally break up again onscreen.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' concluded its first season with Korra and Mako getting together. Five episodes into the second season, they broke up. By the season finale [[spoiler:they make it clear they still love each other, but that their romance is too toxic to salvage and decide to settle into AmicableExes.]]
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** Similar to the Comic Book counterpart, Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon broke up during the two year TimeSkip between ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and ''The New Batman Adventures''. Mostly Batman's fault, as a flashback episode shows. Dick and Bruce had a falling out that led to him quitting as Robin and returning as Nightwing. Barbara chose to stay with Bruce in Gotham.
** Later in ''ComicBook/BatmanBeyond'' we find out that after Dick returned as Nightwing he tried a few times to work things out with Barbara, but after finding out that [[{{Squick}} she had also been romantically involved with Bruce during his absence]] he put an end to his personal and crime fighting partnership with both of them.

* After HappilyEverAfter begins in ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'', Cinderella and her Prince's marriage quickly falls apart. Cinderella gets emotional whiplash from the rapidness of her RagsToRiches ascent after spending most of her life being abused by her WickedStepmother, [[SpoiledBrat stepsisters]], and [[ParentalNeglect neglectful father]]. The Prince often leaves Cinderella for long periods of time, and is revealed to be a [[YourCheatingHeart cheater]] who misses the thrill of chasing a seemingly unattainable evil.

* Averted in ''{{Series/Chuck}}''. After running a WillTheyOrWontThey for about 3 years, Chuck and Sarah finally get together, become a BattleCouple they remained together with little to no jealousy or other relationship problems.
** Actually, played straight in those first three seasons, mainly by the protagonist and his sidekick, then completely inverted after Chuck and Sarah's engagement. Possibly because the show had at least three {{Series Fauxnale}}s that completed the character arcs that were this trope.

[[DowntimeDowngrade In the next season]], it turns out that [[AwfulWeddedLife married life isn't what they thought it was]]. He lost his job and became TheAlcoholic? [[YourCheatingHeart She started having an affair]] with the [[GoodAdulteryBadAdultery handsome postman?]] They drifted apart after that [[ConvenientMiscarriage disastrous (but convenient) miscarriage?]] She divorced him and remarried four years ago!?

In one tragic way, this is TruthInTelevision. The greatest highs and lows of a relationship are at the beginning and end; the parts in-between tend to become mundane because it's just everyday life. Love is easier when you're [[LoveMakesYouStupid high off of emotion]] and the excitement of something new and forbidden. But, once you've got it, you're forced to ask NowWhat Romantic relationships need to be worked at, and sometimes people get bored or burned out with their status quo and [[ToiletSeatDivorce argue about petty things.]] On the other hand, where this trope comes into play is that the there's rarely any sign of these mundane good times. Instead, fiction skips straight to the good stuff.

->''"Kids, the summer of 2012 was the summer of love. Barney and Quinn, me and Victoria, Robin and Nick, Lily, Marshall, and Marvin. Everyone was happy as can be. Which means there are absolutely no good stories. Let's skip ahead to October 2012, the official kickoff of what came to be known as the Autumn of Breakups."''

->''"Audiences are only interested in the beginnings and endings of relationships, not all the tedious good times in the middle."''
-->-- '''Website/{{Cracked}}''', [[https://www.cracked.com/blog/4-flawed-life-lessons-movies-accidentally-taught-us/]]

** Averted with [[HotScientist Liara]] ([[DiscountLesbians both gender]]), [[EnsembleDarkhorse Tali, Garrus]], [[BloodKnight Jack]] (provided you didn't cheat / break up with them) and, ironically enough, [[BiTheWay Kaidan]] / Male Shepard (the option was DummiedOut in the first game and not made legitimate until the third, by which point Shepard had died and came BackFromTheDead, and they have substantial scenes on their time together in the Citadel DLC that is roughly equal to the time they have being angsty, all on the virtue that you can't get together with him as M!Shepard in the first game, no matter how much HoYay involved, unlike F!Shepard, forcing them to deal with their drama while they were JustFriends).