"Coupling" (2000) TV series 2000-2004

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

1 September 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Up for a threesome?

Plot:

On average, men and women think about sex every six seconds. Shorten that to every second, and you've got Coupling...

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Friend | Aging | Commitment | Boyfriend

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Jack Davenport	...	Steve Taylor / ... (28 episodes, 2000-2004)
Gina Bellman	...	Jane Christie / ... (28 episodes, 2000-2004)
Sarah Alexander	...	Susan Walker (28 episodes, 2000-2004)
Kate Isitt	...	Sally Harper / ... (28 episodes, 2000-2004)
Ben Miles	...	Patrick Maitland / ... (28 episodes, 2000-2004)
Richard Coyle	...	Jeffrey 'Jeff' Murdock (22 episodes, 2000-2002)

Also Known As:

Coupling (Argentina) [es]
Coupling - Wer mit wem? (Germany) [de]
Páran párban (Hungary) [hu]
Paritellen (Finland) [fi]
Six sexy (France) [fr]

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:TV-14 | USA:TV-MA (one episode) | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-7 (DVD) | Australia:M | UK:15 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Chiswick, London, England, UK

Company:

Hartswood Films

Trivia:

NBC's adaptation of the show was considered such a sure thing that when the second season UK original was released on DVD in the States it featured a sticker reading "The original UK version of the SMASH NBC hit!". Unfortunately the DVD came out the very same week that the US version was canceled.

Quotes:

Jane: He works in pizza delivery, which just answers all your prayers, doesn't it? Man, motorbike, has own food!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Little Britain: Most People in a Mini (#1.8)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps

apples and oranges

First, this show is nothing like Friends. Comparing Coupling to Friends is comparing apples and oranges. They've both got three male and three female leads, and that's about the only similarity. To those who think that that's enough to call the two shows variations on the same theme I would like to say: congratulations, you can count to six. You are slightly smarter than a rabbit.

Friends is about friendship. You could develop an allergy to hugging by just watching one episode. Coupling is about sexual attractiveness; how we exploit it and how we deal with getting stung by it. The jokes may be cheap at times, but the telling is never crude; nakedness is suggested, rather than shown.

Coupling could have been, say, five gay guys and a straight one. The jokes would have worked as well (different jokes, of course), but then the series probably would have been compared to Kids in the Hall. Sigh. I guess I should just be glad that Coupling does not (yet) play in New York, because then we would be in a comparitivational quagmire.

Also, the Jeff character is not all that brilliant. Sure, he's the crackpot, the clown. They had them in circuses, you know? Where Seinfeld's Kramer is off the map, Jeff is just normal abnormal. The true funniness of this show--and it is funny, let me assure you of that!--stems from the sharp observations, and these are made by all the cast, including but not limited to Jeff.

I liked Rob Belcher's review. He wrote: "this show will speak to anyone who's ever dated, been in a relationship, or just noticed that men and women are different creatures." But if you really want to get a taste of the show, don't rely on these reviews, but visit the official web site, which has clips and quotes (including the 'breasts with brains' and 'sock gap' bits). Judge for yourself.

If you want to see similar British humour, I recommend "Game On!"

(P.S. I like Friends too, but for totally different reasons, which is just as well, as it is a totally different show.)