Doomed TV Couples - Imminent Break-Ups Don't Keep Me From Watching

Source: cwnetwork.tumblr.com

I read this article about Reign, a show I've posted about before, and I have to say, I think it is a little ridiculous that any viewer would expect a show on the CW to maintain historical accuracy. (And I don't think the CW has to.)

But all this got me thinking: Surely one fact that the writers won't take creative liberty with is Prince Francis's fate. (He dies two years after they marry. And that's not a spoiler, because it's historical fact.) Knowing this, knowing the inevitable break-up of Mary and Francis's relationship is imminent, should we still watch and/or care?

I say yes, because there have been plenty of doomed relationships in television history, and none of them kept me from watching. There are, of course, the relationships that we expect to fail or hope will fail or fear will fail (like Ryan and Kelly on The Office, The O.C.'s Ryan and Marissa, and Lost's Sun and Jin, respectively.*) But I'm talking about the ones we are certain will fail. Like these:

The Anti-Canonical Couple
This is the category into which Mary and Francis fall: Couples we know won't last because their story has already been written and told. If they ended up together, it would go against the canon. A notable example is Smallville's Clark and Lana.

Source: kryptonsite.com

Everybody knows Clark Kent will end up with Lois Lane. But does that make Clark's relationship with Lana unimportant? Of course not. It was a vital step in his growing up, which is what the show was all about anyway.


The Pilot Betrayal Couple
There are some shows that tell the audience from the very beginning who is going to end up with who. Yes, I'm talking about Rachel and Ross. That's why Rachel and Joey are a couple who betray the pilot of Friends.

Source: Friends Wiki

Cheesy as it was, the pilot's gazing out the window scene set up a romance from which there was no turning back. When Rachel detoured to Joey, fans revolted, but they didn't need to. Rachel and Joey were doomed from the start. Another couple in this category is Gossip Girl's Blair and Dan, since the pilot dictated that the primary romance of the show would be between Serena and Dan.


The Couple Who Wouldn't Have Lasted Much Longer
Then there are the shows that don't last long enough for the couple to fail. The exceptional and delightful show Pushing Daisies (which you must watch if you haven't) offers us an example in this category: Chuck and Ned.

Source: facebook.com/PushingDaisies

Their relationship hinged entirely on the fact that if they touched, she would die. Even though Pushing Daisies is fantastical, the rules of the fantasy were inescapable. If the show had lasted beyond its two seasons, Ned and Chuck's relationship restrictions would have stopped being endearing.

All of these couples remind me that knowing a relationship will end doesn't make watching it play out on screen any less entertaining. In fact, in the best written shows, it can be even more entertaining, because we can focus on the details rather than the overarching "will they or won't they" question.

*All in my humble opinion, of course.

Reign: Totally CW, But for the Lack of Vampires

The CW will be adding several new shows to its line up this fall, and most of them are as supernatural as you'd expect. They've got the Vampire Diaries spinoff, the Romeo and Juliet with aliens thing, and the sci-fi standards. But then there's Reign:

My first thought when I saw ads for Reign was, "This is Gossip Girl. It's Gossip Girl, but with a dash of Downton Abbey." Apparently, I'm not the only one. Huffington Post's Alex Moaba called it "a Game of Thrones meets Gossip Girl thing." Let me be clear, I think this is a good thing. Yes, the plot and setting make it ripe for historical inaccuracy and anachronism, but I will ignore those if Reign proves to be as intriguing a political drama as the trailer promises.

Source: cwtv.com/reign

And I suspect that it will. Here's something interesting: the creators of the show aren't your typical CW stock. Laurie McCarthy and Stephanie Sengupta's past credits include several formula police procedurals like Ghost Whisperer, CSI: Miami, Hawaii Five-0, and Law and Order. (For what it's worth, Sengupta is leaving the show before it even premieres.) I have to wonder if their experience will result in Reign being a mystery-followed-by-solution heavy show, which I believe would greatly benefit the plot. This might balance out the romance/seduction side that's ever-present on this youth-focused network.

As for the cast, I'm most excited to see Megan Follows, who plays Queen Catherine de' Medici. Since her breakout role as Anne of Green Gables (a personal favorite of mine) in the 1980s, Follows has become quite the accomplished actress, both on screen and on the stage. I suspect her stage experience might translate nicely to regal nature of her role on Reign. Again, if the trailer is any indication, this show will be full of some genuinely good acting, which is not always a sure thing on the CW.

The final reason this trailer has me excited for Reign is the music. One of the great advantages to telling a historical story today is that it gives the creators a chance to interpret it through a (literal and figurative) modern lens. The soundtrack of the trailer comes across as classic, but the drumbeats and energy give it a present-day twist.

Reign won't premiere until October. You can catch it Thursday nights on the CW. I know I will.