As i was watching tv the other day, i began to take notice of the many families that are portrayed in sitcoms and tv in general. To be more specific, I was thinking about all of the fathers of these sitcoms and the beautiful women that they end up marrying. Even though sitcoms are fictional, as are the characters, i feel like putting each of these characters together is unrealistic, even in a fictional setting. So I'll start with the character that sparked this idea, Homer Simpson.
Homer and Marge Simpson: After years and years of watching this show, I've seen how every week Homer seems to screw up something and ultimately jeopardize their marriage in most episodes. In a normal marriage, this would not fly. People who continually think for themselves first, then apologize when they realize how they've been acting generally don't stay married for very long. I can draw plenty of commonalities between this line of behavior, and the more serious behavior of spousal abuse. Moments of selfishness followed by apologies do not pan out in the long run.
The personality gap between Marge and Homer is so great, it amazes me that Marge's love for Homer keeps them together, because in real marriages, love alone wouldn't keep a wife from staying married to a Homer-like person. And that's exactly how this marriage is staying together, by Marge being so blindingly in love with Homer.
Peter and Lois Griffin: Peter and Lois are so similar to Homer and Marge, that i could almost cut and paste the entire paragraph above. Most episodes, Peter ends up doing something that jeopardizes the marriage, and then ultimately apologizes and gets forgiven for his sins. The only difference is that Lois isn't quite as nice as Marge, so i find this marriage to be less likely to be true in the real world. Lois is a much stronger woman, so i feel like she could "toss aside" Peter easier than Marge could.
Doug and Carrie Heffernan: The King of Queens eh? I doubt it. While Kevin James does indeed rule, I don't believe his character in this sitcom could've EVER gotten Carrie. In almost all of the episodes i've seen, there's been a problem between the two, and neither of them want to be around each other. Carrie is ALWAYS mad/upset/pissed/angry at Doug, and I don't see how they can survive. It seems like a hellish life to live being in a relationship where it's ALL drama and dysfunction. Drama and dysfunction are manageable, but not everyday like the sitcom implies.
Carl and Harriet Winslow: This show (from what i remember) was more about the relationships between the parents and the kids, and the kids and Urkel. Nonetheless, i think Harriet and Carl probably wouldn't have gotten together in the beginning. Carl is hard-headed, and Harriet is strong willed. Like the previous 3 husbands, Carl is also "big-boned," which is surprising, because he is a cop. Don't cops have to run and stuff? Anyways, the way that the two interacted with each other makes me believe that he would've had a hard time picking her up.
Ray and Debbie Barone: The thinnest of my list here, Ray is really just a bafoon. He and his "fed up wife" (as imdb.com says) live across the street from his parents. This really wouldn't be that big of a deal if the parents were easy going and nice, but they're not. They are terribly annoying and a huge stress on the marriage. The biggest problem of this marriage IS the parents. If Ray had ANY sense, he would move away from his parents and SAVE his marriage. With an overbearing mother bearing down on his wife day in and day out, the marriage seem to me to be on the rocks. I would think that most couples who end up living within walking distance of their parents are going to have some problems that stem from said parents.
Now while most mothers and fathers might take offense at my observation about their beloved sons and daughters, i think if they examined their own marriages and placed their parents next door or across the street, they would see my point. I love my parents, but i'm not too sure moving next door is the best environment for a marriage (sorry).
I also want to point out that even though i have doubts about these husbands and wives, their idiosyncrasies are what makes the shows entertaining. It creates drama and laughs, and that is what TV is all about. I like these shows (even if just a little bit) and they wouldn't be the same if they were all functioning loving families. No one wants to watch a show where nothing happens. So be thankful that the marriages are as crazy as they are on tv and hope that none of that travels over to your real life.
