History Series / Coupling

* EarlyInstalmentWeirdness : in the pilot Susan's implied to be more of the player that Patrick eventually became, whereas Patrick is totally into his monogamous relation with Susan, even "saving up" for Susan instead of masturbating.

* ExecutiveMeddling: The original pilot for the U.S. version was based off the episode "Inferno" and was more faithful to the original show, which confused NBC execs, so they gave showrunners Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont and original series director Martin Dennis the heave-ho, along with Kaplan's husband, Breckin Meyer (Melissa George had also been fired and replaced by Rena Sofer a month earlier) and Emily Rutherford, ''Cheers'' executive producer Phoef Sutton was subsequently brought in to redevelop the show.

* MissConception: Jane apparently believed that you couldn't get pregnant 'if you didn't really know the man'
* MissingEpisode: Only four out of ten episodes of the U.S. version aired on NBC before the show was cancelled. Though the remaining episodes did air in Europe, the original pilot for the U.S. version (which featured Melissa George as Susan) has never aired.

* WordOfGod: Responding to a message board request, ''Coupling'' creator (and sole writer) Steven Moffat wrote a breakdown of the characters' lives several years after the fourth and final series. This gave Moffat the chance to write an "ending" for the character of Jeff, despite actor Richard Coyle leaving the previous year. Unfortunately, because the primary source (an old Series/DoctorWho forum called Outpost Gallifrey) has closed, TheOtherWiki wouldn't keep it on the show's page anymore because of lack of citation, so if it pleases the crowds, here is the text to be preserved for everyone to read:
--> "Sally said yes to Patrick, they got married and are very happy... especially as Sally beat Susan to the altar, and finally did something first. Patrick is now a completely devoted husband, who lives in total denial that he was anything other an upstanding member of the community. Or possibly he's actually forgotten. He doesn't like remembering things because it's a bit like thinking.

-->Jane and Oliver never actually did have sex, but they did become very good friends. They often rejoice together that their friendship is uncomplicated by any kind of sexual attraction - but they both get murderously jealous when the other is dating. Jane has a job at Oliver's science fiction book shop now - and since Oliver has that one moment of Naked Jane burnt on the inside of his eyelids, he now loses the place in one in every three sentences. People who know them well think something's gotta give - and they're right. Especially as Jane comes to work in a metal bikini.

-->Steve and Susan have two children now, and have [[IShouldWriteABookAboutThis recently completed work on a sitcom about their early lives together]]. They're developing a new television project, but it keeps getting delayed as he insists on writing episodes of some old kids show they recently pulled out of mothballs. She gets very cross about this, and if he says "Yeah but check out the season poll!" one more time, he will not live to write another word.

-->Jeff is still abroad. He lives a life of complete peace and serenity now, having taken the precaution of not learning a word of the local language and therefore protecting himself from the consequences of his own special brand of communication. If any English speakers turn up, he pretends he only speaks Hebrew. He is, at this very moment, staring out to sea, and sighing happily every thirty-eight seconds.

-->What he doesn't know, of course, is that even now a beautiful Israeli girl he once met in a bar, is heading towards his apartment, having been directed to the only Hebrew speaker on the island. What he also doesn't know is that she is being driven by a young ex-pat English woman, who is still grieving the loss of a charming, one-legged Welshman she once met on a train. And he cannot possibly suspect that (owing to a laundry mix-up, and a stag party the previous night in the same block) he is wearing heat-dissolving trunks.

-->As the doorbell rings, it is best that we draw a veil."
* WriteWhoYouKnow: As implied in WordOfGod above, Steve and Susan are based on Steven Moffat and Sue Vertue.

** In fairness, the above alluded view on homosexuality was Jeff suggesting that: (paraphrased) "Sex is easier for gay men, because all of the masturbating men do in their lives turns out to be practice. All the while they have a 'practice kit' for the real thing, but straight men don't get any practice women". While this certainly IS a somewhat bizarre view, its perhaps not as offensive as it seems without details. It's also worth noting that this was supposed to be a drunken conversation, after a dozen pints very late in the evening and both of the guys are visibly drunk acting. Howard may well have been winding Sally up anyway, because she got really snarky about him being a Tory earlier in the scene.

* MusicalPastiche: In the intro to Jane & Oliver's segment of the episode "Nine and a Half Minutes", shortly after Steve elaborates on "[[{{Film/Alien}} the John Hurt scene]]", the show's jazzy score quotes the eerie, echoing, siren-like {{Leitmotif}} from ''Alien(s)''.

--> '''Susan:''' Did you tape that woman over me?\\
--> '''Patrick:''' I can explain. Yes, I did\\

->''Ha, I love this bar.''

* AuthorAvatar: Steve.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Discussed several times, perhaps most amusingly when it's revealed that Patrick's manhood has been used as the model for a sex toy - ''without him knowing'' - and one such toy makes its way to Susan's mother.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Discussed several times, perhaps most amusingly when it's revealed that Patrick's manhood has been used as the model for a sex toy - ''without him knowing'' - and one such toy makes it's way to Susan's mother.

* ADateWithRosyPalms: Discussed several times, perhaps most amusingly when it's revealed that Patrick's manhood has been used as the model for a sex toy - ''without him knowing'' - and one such toy makes it's way to Susan's mother.

The central cast of three male and three female characters inevitably invited comparisons with ''{{Friends}}'' and led to a certain amount of disappointment among some viewers when it wasn't in fact much like ''Friends'' at all (although some of the parallels you can draw between each respective SixStudentClique is pretty astounding.) This comparison, along with the short-lived American remake, were {{Lampshaded}} in series 4 during the episode "Nightlines", when Steve states that their lives are not "an American sitcom" (the comparisons were being made because the remake came right around the time ''Friends'' was winding down, and people were hoping to make lightning strike twice.)

''Coupling'' was a British SitCom from 2000 to 2004 about a circle of friends and their complicated sex lives. Written by Creator/StevenMoffat, produced by his wife Sue Vertue, and based very loosely on their early relationship. (The WordOfGod is that Steve and Susan went on to make a sitcom about their lives, and Steve is now working on "[[Series/DoctorWho some old kids show they recently pulled out of mothballs]]".)

The series was notable for its meticulously-crafted plots, revolving around lies and misunderstandings in the FawltyTowersPlot and ThreeIsCompany veins, and hilarious cases of DiggingYourselfDeeper. Each episode was very detailed and expansive on matters such as impotence, masturbation, pornography and lesbianism. It's different to other 'traditional' British comedy and certainly isn't anything like ''{{Blackadder}}'' or ''FatherTed''.

** Steve Taylor almost shares a name with Steven Taylor, a companion on ''DoctorWho''. Oliver also has ''Doctor Who'' merchandise in his bookshop, and when going to a dinner with the gang in "Bed Time", wears a sweater reading "Bring Back Doctor Who" on the back.

* BecomingTheMask: According to Jane, this is how she got [[CloudCuckooLander the way she is]]. She went on holidays, pretended to be her own imaginary insane twin sister, and eventually it just stuck.

'''Patrick:''' (''laughs'') [[HehHehYouSaidX Terrified pants!]]\\

* UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}: The setting of the U.S. version

* DiggingYourselfDeeper - Jeff, in spades - the trope was formerly [[TropeNamer named]] for Jeff's epic "Bucket of Ears" speech in "The Girl With Two Breasts". Steve has his moments, too.

'''Steve:''' You keep bringing it up! I can't get it out of my head... it's expanding!\\

'''Sally:''' As Susan's best friend, I am, to you, a bit like Australia.\\

* RealityHasNoSubtitles: PlayedWith in the episode "The Woman with Two Breasts". The Israeli woman that Jeff is talking to speaks no English, and no subtitles are provided because he, like we, has no real idea what she's saying. Then, in the second half, when the whole sequence is run again with her speaking English and Jeff speaking nonsense, we again get no subtitles, and have to rely on our memories of what his side of the conversation was. Plus, we get to find out that some of his assumptions about what she was saying were...less than accurate.

--> Steve: I don't know, Patrick - I don't keep some sort of self-abuse diary.
--> Jeff: ''Well, neither do I.''

--> '''Steve:''' This pause is just expanding and expanding like, this out-of-control thing!\\

** Happens twice in "Her Best Friend's Bottom" after Steve inadvertently sees Sally naked:
--> '''Sally:''' Steve?\\
'''Steve:''' Yes?\\
'''Sally:''' Could you stop thinking about my bottom, please?\\
'''Steve:''' I'm not!\\
'''Sally:''' You're picturing it!\\
'''Steve:''' I am not! I've moved on!\\
'''Sally:''' It's still in there!\\
'''Steve:''' Well, it's in there now! You've reminded me!\\
'''Sally:''' Well, get rid of it!\\

\\

'''Steve:''' I thought it was about having a lot of convicts. (''crosses his eyes'')\\

'''Jeff:''' Completely rubbed off the television!\\

* OneHourWorkWeek: Neatly averted, as most episodes either take place at night or show the characters at or leaving work.

** Happens in "The Girl with One Heart" to Sally with Patrick's GirlOfTheWeek Jennifer - Sally thinks Jennifer was fooling around with Jeff, but that she's aware that Sally is in love with Patrick. Jennifer thinks Sally is a lesbian and is coming on to her.

* UnusualEuphemism: Jeff has one for everything sex-related. In the first episode ("Flushed") he introduces "The Boyfriend Zone"[[hottip:*:the stage of a relationship where the man is entitled to certain sexual favors from the woman]] and "Unflushable"[[hottip:*:a person who just can't seem to be dumped]] in the opening five minutes.
** There's also the Sock Gap[[hottip:*:the point where a man who's undressing has to deal with removing his socks lest he end up naked except for them]], the Nudity Buffer[[hottip:*:the time period between seeing a woman for the first time and getting stuck with the mental image of them naked]] and the (non-sex-related) Giggle Loop[[hottip:*:a thought during a mandated silence where you contemplate the awkwardness of you laughing in the midst of the silence, and every time you suppress that thought, the laugh you're holding back gets bigger and bigger]].
** The others got in on it, too. Susan explains "The Fuck-me Fork"[[hottip:*:a man's dilemma of either agreeing to sleep with a woman he isn't supposed to or implying to her that he doesn't find her attractive]] in the episode "Unconditional Sex".

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