Coupling 

Six best friends talk about all aspects of sex and relationships on their never-ending quest to find true love.

Stars:

Jack Davenport, Gina Bellman, Sarah Alexander

Top Rated TV #198 | 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete 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:

friendship | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | sitcom | couple | british comedy | 

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Taglines:

Up for a threesome?

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

In season 4, during a usual bit of wackiness, Steve comments that this kind of thing doesn't happen as "this is not an American sitcom". In fact, there was an extremely short-lived American version of the series (Coupling (2003)) that was abhored by viewers and critics alike, resulting in the show's cancellation after only four episodes.

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Quotes

Sally: [trying to explain to Patrick what platonic friendship with a woman is] What do you call people you go out with but don't try to sleep with?
Patrick: [beat] Men.

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Connections

Referenced in Doctor Who Confidential: Do You Remember the First Time? (2007)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

The UK trumps the Yanks in the sitcom dept.

I'm an American who just saw Season 1 of "Coupling" on DVD for the first time. Based on those first six episodes, I think the BBC's "Coupling" -- along with a new US series over here called "Arrested Development" -- is possibly the sharpest, funniest, and best-written situation comedy since the golden days of Norman Lear and MJM Productions.

The cast chemistry is amazing. The archetypes are extremely identifiable, even over here, which is why the series translates so well. In comedies the subject of sex is often treated adolescently, and it's true that the characters in "Coupling" have some childish, "American Pie" reactions to sexual politics, but they're still, clearly, adults. As with "American Pie," there's a big heart behind the hormones and phermones. But the gags in "Coupling" are brilliantly written and executed. The writers don't take the easy way out; the bawdiness of their humor is cut with intelligence and a really, REALLY great sense of left-field punch lines. Maybe naysayers have to wander through the bereft nature of many American sitcoms to understand why "Coupling" is so appreciated by a cult American audience, but it's the real deal.

Episode 4 of Season 1, called "Inferno," contains an extended monologue in which an embarrassed male character attempts to outline the plot of a lesbian porn film. He is forced to defend his affection for the stuff by being asked to give a cogent plot summary. He's squirming under this challenge -- he's got to defend his proclivities, maintain a balance between self-defense and self-effacement, and STILL intellectualize the plot of the film enough to prove he's smart enough to rise above it. This whole sequence is, possibly, the best-written and funniest 5-minute quasi-monologue ever to be televised.

"Coupling" takes a traditionally pubescent subject matter, the puerile male fascination with sex, opposes it with the progress of rational thought, and is extremely funny in the process. Lots of US sitcoms (and some UK ones) are lucky if they get one horse laugh from the viewer every three minutes. "Coupling's" ratio is more like one horselaugh every thirty seconds. It's that good.

(I never saw the NBC version of this show, incidentally, and have no interest -- apparently it sucked. I can understand why someone would want to use the BBC version as source material, though.)

Details

Official Sites:

BBCi [UK]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 September 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Coupling

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