The “Will They Won’t They Get Together Romance” is possibly one of the most annoying– yet extremely addicting if used effectively- plot device on television today.

You know what I’m talking about. There’s two characters with a history, introduced from the beginning. They flirt, allude to their complicated past, and quickly establish that even if they did still have feeling for each other (they obviously do), there’s nothing they can do about it because some aspect of their lives makes their relationship ‘forbidden’. And so, us viewers have to endure 2-6 seasons of these two characters longing for each other. Those stolen glances. Those distracting new love interests that you and I grow to hate. The forbidden romance that is not quite pursued but is oh-so-idealized.

And then, finally, the two get together after some tragic, near-death experience that makes them realize that nothing in the world matters but each other.

So, the audiences are happy, and then, inexplicably, the ratings drop, and the network pulls the show off the air. Is this model archaic? To give shows a longer lifespan, do we have to abandon this plot tactic?

WHY THE MODEL IS BROKEN [Read more…]