Coupling (2000–2004)

On average, men and women think about sex every six seconds. Shorten that to every second, and you've got Coupling. It's more than just a one night stand! When a couple gets together, it's ... See full summary »

Stars:

Jack Davenport, Gina Bellman, Sarah Alexander

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
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)

Storyline

On average, men and women think about sex every six seconds. Shorten that to every second, and you've got Coupling. It's more than just a one night stand! When a couple gets together, it's never just the two of them - they also bring baggage - and Susan and Steve are no exception. Their baggage is a crowd of best friends and exes who talk about all aspects of sex and relationships on their never-ending quest to find true love. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps... Susan Walker is a beautiful go-getter with an uninhibited attitude who used to date Patrick Maitland, the sextet's charismatic, cocky player, London's king of conquests - a guy who's just too cool to worry about being smart. Attractive Sally Harper is a beauty therapist who is Susan's unashamedly vain best friend, who aggressively battles aging with heavy doses of moisturizer and men - including Patrick. Meanwhile, Steve Taylor, while getting together with Susan, can't seem to shake loose from his vivacious and slightly vacuous ...

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Plot Keywords:

sex | friend | aging | commitment | bar | 

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Taglines:

The naughty new comedy about nothing...but SEX!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

BBCi [uk]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 September 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Parovi

Filming Locations:

Chiswick, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hartswood Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Most of Steven's aggressive rants were done on a long take.

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Quotes

[Angus, staring at Mariella, opens a can of soda, which sprays all over Mariella]
Angus Deayton: Sorry about that.
Mariella Frostrup: Oh, don't worry about it. It happens to a lot of guys.
[beat]
Mariella Frostrup: Did I really just say that?

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Connections

Remade as Coupling (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps"
Written by Osvaldo Farrés, Joseph Davis
Performed by Mari Wilson

User Reviews

OMFG -- Brilliant!!

I'm a Yank who is only now catching the show on local PBS, courtesy of BBC America. I never saw the (aborted) NBC attempt and, having seen about a half dozen episodes, I'm glad I *didn't* As someone old enough to remember "Monty Python" from it's original run, I must agree with other posters that I feared that truly hysterical "Brit wit" was a thing of the past. I never really cared much for "Fawlty Towers" (as much as I love Mr. Cleese), and only the medieval episodes of Black Adder really tickled me fancy.

But "Coupling" -- hoo hah! Anyone who compares this to "Friends" has clearly never watched more than an episode. At the height of its mild amusement, "Friends" never equaled the least of this absolutely *brilliant* series. For all the stereotypes of Brits as dry, stuck-up and stodgy, I've found that, humour-wise, we across the pond can't hold a candle...

"Coupling" is the height of "cultured rudeness" in the vein of "Absolutely Fabulous" -- one of the most adult Brit-coms I've ever seen. Every episode is consistently ROTFLMAO funny. I couldn't even begin to pick a fave character.

Patrick plays the "stud" character in an amusingly original manner: he has his way with the chicks, and yet is dim enough to not *totally* emasculate us lesser males. The episode where one of the gals has him bring out the "big guns" in the loo, to intimidate a bloke, is something you'd NEVER see on American TV.

Jeff is.... well, the most creatively addled loon since Seinfeld's Kramer, albeit *nothing* like him. Almost a child-man, he reminds me of the Frasier line in "Cheers" - "What color is the sky in *your* world?" Jane is so annoyingly self-absorbed and yet, like Jeff, also such a waif that you don't totally despise her. It amazes how the series' creators walk the edge, crafting characters that *ought* to pluck your last nerve but, unlike George and Kramer from Seinfeld, could actually be tolerable in real life.

The other three characters are brilliantly crafted as well, but these three stand out after the limited viewing I've been exposed to. I have never even considered purchasing a TV series on DVD but, in addition to wanting to see at least the entire first three seasons (I have read here that Jeff is not in the fourth season, and I don't think I could warm up to a substitute), I really must turn on many of my close friends to this marvelous show.

For those of you Yanks out there who only know of this show from NBC's feeble attempt to import it, you *must* catch this on your local PBS station if and when it airs, or pester them incessantly until it does. You'll not only understand why the attempt at translation failed, but you'll finally get to see what the fuss was all about.

If *anything* on the American telly was this consistently funny, we wouldn't have to suffer the endless rot of "reality" TV, and the "dead in half a season" warmed over '70s-era situation (non)comedies. Twelve out of ten... a *MUST SEE*!!!