Coupling
Also known asCoupling U.S.
GenreSitcom
Based onCoupling by Steven Moffat
Developed byPhoef Sutton
Written by
Directed byAndrew D. Weyman
Starring
Opening theme"Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps"
ComposerRalph Schuckett
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 (6 unaired)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Michael E. Stokes
  • Liz Astrof
  • Paul Corrigan
  • Brad Walsh
  • Robert Peacock
Editors
  • Joe Bella
  • Danny White
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 25 (2003-09-25) –
October 23, 2003 (2003-10-23)
Related

Coupling is an American sitcom television series, a remake of the British show of the same title, which aired on NBC from September 25 to October 23, 2003.

Production

By 2003, three series, or seasons, of Coupling had been broadcast on BBC Two, all written by the show's creator, Steven Moffat. The show was loosely based on the beginnings of Moffat's real-life relationship with Sue Vertue.[1]

NBC commissioned a remake of the show for the American market, reportedly as a replacement for Friends, which was nearing the end of its run.[2] Moffat and original producers from Hartswood Films, Sue and Beryl Vertue, served as executive producers on the NBC adaptation, alongside Phoef Sutton and Ben Silverman.[3]

Unlike most adaptations, the NBC adaptation would reuse Moffat's original scripts, although these were adapted by Sutton and were shortened to comply with the reduced running time (NBC has multiple advertisement breaks compared to the original broadcaster, BBC Two, which has none).[4] Other writers, such as Danny Zuker and Paul Corrigan worked on episodes later in the series.

The original unaired pilot starred Breckin Meyer as Jeff, Melissa George as Susan and Emily Rutherfurd as Sally. NBC then fired the writers and replaced Meyer, George and Rutherfurd with Christopher Moynihan, Rena Sofer and Sonya Walger, respectively.[5][6] George later commented that she "dodged a bullet" by being replaced before the show aired.[7]

Thirteen episodes were commissioned. However, due to poor critical reception, NBC announced the show's cancellation on October 31, after only four episodes had been broadcast. The final three planned episodes were not filmed, with the remaining six episodes unbroadcast.[3]

Reception

The show received a dismal reaction from viewers and failed to perform in the ratings, being canceled before the November sweeps, with six episodes remaining unaired despite heavy publicity by the network.[3] It was immediately panned as a poor imitation of the original UK series by viewers and critics. BBC America even ran commercials noting that they would play the original British versions on their station just after the American equivalent episodes on NBC aired, so that viewers could see instantly just how superior the original was. Miscasting and stilted delivery of a nearly identical script were believed to be the reasons for the failure, though creator Moffat blamed the show's failure on NBC's intervention during the creative and production processes. In 2007, he said: "The network f--ked it up because they intervened endlessly."[8]

The American adaptation came at a time when NBC was having success with remakes of BBC shows, such as The Weakest Link and Dog Eat Dog. NBC would find success in 2005 with a remake of another BBC series, The Office, which aired for nine seasons.

Because of what was deemed to be indecent content, two affiliates of NBC refused to air the program; KSL-TV (Channel 5) in Salt Lake City, and WNDU-TV (Channel 16) in South Bend, Indiana. Both stations were owned by religious organizations, as KSL is owned by the Bonneville International division of the LDS Church, while WNDU was at the time owned by a subsidiary of the University of Notre Dame. In those markets, WB affiliate KUWB (channel 30) and a UPN digital subchannel of CBS affiliate WSBT-TV (channel 22.2, now affiliated with Fox), respectively, aired the series after their network's primetime lineups, while nearby affiliates KENV (in Elko, Nevada, now an affiliate of Comet) and WISE-TV (in Fort Wayne, Indiana, now a CW affiliate) aired the series in accordance with the rest of the network.

Jeff Zucker, former President and CEO of NBCUniversal, later said of Coupling that it "just sucked".[9]

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
1"The Right One"Andrew D. WeymanSteven Moffat (original UK episode: "Flushed")September 25, 2003 (2003-09-25)15.30[10]
2"Size Matters"Andrew D. WeymanSteven Moffat (original UK episode: "Size Matters")October 2, 2003 (2003-10-02)12.93[11]
3"Sex, Death & Nudity"Andrew D. WeymanSteven Moffat (original UK episode: "Sex, Death & Nudity")October 9, 2003 (2003-10-09)10.74[12]
4"Check/Mate"Andrew D. WeymanDanny ZukerOctober 23, 2003 (2003-10-23)9.56[13]
5"Present Tense"Andrew D. WeymanPaul Corrigan & Brad WalshUnaired (Unaired)N/A
6"A Foreign Affair"Andrew D. WeymanTeleplay by : Phoef Sutton & Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat (original UK episode: "The Girl with Two Breasts")		Unaired (Unaired)N/A
7"Object Lessons"Andrew D. WeymanLiz AstrofUnaired (Unaired)N/A
8"Holiday"Andrew D. WeymanPaul Corrigan & Brad WalshUnaired (Unaired)N/A
9"Dressed"Andrew D. WeymanTeleplay by : Phoef Sutton & Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat (original UK episode: "Dressed")		Unaired (Unaired)N/A
10"Nipple Effect"Andrew D. WeymanJ.J. PhilbinUnaired (Unaired)N/A

References

  1. ↑ Sternbergh, Adam (2003-09-07). "Selling Your Sex Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
  2. ↑ BIANCULLI, David (17 January 2003). "WITH THIS SIX, YOU GET SEX Brit gang back for fun & frolic". Daily News. New York. p. 126.
  3. 1 2 3 Griffin 2008, p. 51
  4. ↑ Griffin 2008, p. 53
  5. ↑ "Coupling: Season 1, Episode 0 Original Pilot (2003)". IMDb.
  6. ↑ "Coupling (2003– ) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb.
  7. ↑ "The Light from the TV Shows: A Chat with Melissa George (Cinemax's "Hunted")". Bullz-Eye. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  8. ↑ Sodano, Todd Michael (2008). All the Pieces Matter: A Critical Analysis of HBO's "The Wire". ISBN 978-0549998891.
  9. ↑ Crupi, Anthony (June 14, 2011). "Mormon Station Refuses NBC's 'The Playboy Club': Second time church-owned affiliate dumps a series". Adweek. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  10. ↑ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 22–28)". The Los Angeles Times. October 1, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  11. ↑ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 29–Oct. 5)". The Los Angeles Times. October 8, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  12. ↑ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 6-12)". The Los Angeles Times. October 15, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  13. ↑ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 20-26)". The Los Angeles Times. October 29, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon

Bibliography

  • Griffin, Jeffrey (2008). "Coupling Crosses the Atlantic: A Case Study in the Format Adaptation of a Fictional Series". Warsaw Journal for the Study of the United States. 24.
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