Riley lights up Season 4

[TheMaster666]

That may be a popular sentiment among writers, but there were a number of shows like MacMillan and Wife where domestic needs were written into the story in a way that the writers in Buffy could not comprehend. Committed relationships are almost never smooth sailing and you run into situations that do not happen with boyfriend or girlfriend. There are a lot more sweet spots in writing couples, such as money woes, bedroom woes and basic compatibility.

I don't speak from any personal or industry knowledge as a writer or anything, just my personal observation from all the tv I've watched over time. The only shows that come immediately to mind where I have actually seen a married couple in the manner you describe, and they are the stars of the program not the parents of the stars, are a) The Simpsons, in which much like you describe there are often hurdles to conquer from marital, financial, etc. and Homer and Marge always manage to reconcile the problem and love each other by the end or b) Married with Children, which was intentionally the polar opposite end of the spectrum, an inversion of the "Father Knows Best" type trope of the 50s nuclear family which inspired Matt Groening growing up. That show also has non-stop financial problems, unfulfilled sex lives, and all sorts of trouble, but unlike 99% of sitcoms at the time, you can rest assured things will always return to an unhappy end. Most shows have the plot of problem/hardship -> hardship overcome. On Married with Children the cast go from uncharacteristic bout of good fortune -> losing it all and back to square one, with all characters constantly trying to screw each other over in some delightfully hilarious way.


So yes, of course, there are families in television of course that can be portrayed but the VAST MAJORITY of television and movies will typically deal with young, attractive men and women as those are the faces that get us to watch. And we the viewers are not as interested when the protagonists' love story is already over. We want to be in the grey area.

Winning the mate or marriage is seen as the end goal. If it's ever reached, it's like the conclusion of the love story. Of course in real life it's just a new beginning, but in Hollywood it's "Happily Ever After."

How many sitcoms have done the "Will they? / Won't they? " routine?

Sam & Diane on Cheers
Mulder & Scully on X-Files
Castle & Det. Beckett on Castle
the characters on Friends

Literally every romance movie ever

They always show the stages of dating and attraction leading up to the happily ever after. Once you're there, it's game over, in terms of the narrative.

Speaking of the X-Files, I think it was quite noteworthy and bold of Chris Carter to put such a hot leading couple of actors together, and make a point not to add any sexual tension there but keep it purely platonic and professional, but friendly for as long as possible. We came to see Scully as the scientist and leader first, and I think that cements her as a bit of a feminist role model at the time. She wasn't just another love interest; she was an equal.

 

[silvermoon]

IMHO Riley was a doomed character from the get-go. no idea how it turned out in the writers' drawing room table . if they planned all along to get rid of him . but his blandness seemed deliberate. i didnt dislike him, he was a welcome antidote to the angel/angelus obnoxiousness (to the more triggered angel fans , please note this is my opinion. no need to draw blood). but he was never going to last because spike got it right when he said to him that buffy needed a little monster in her man. not entirely fair to riley, of course, but i dont think he was ever going to last. as a stand alone character, he was actually charming, they just never really gave him a backstory or enough heft. him running to female vamps felt desperate not organic