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LOVe is in the
airwaves
BY JENNIFER GODWIN
WHEN TV FANS dish about their favorite
shows, the romantic status of their fa
vorite on-screen couples often is Topic A.
Because fans can be so, well, passionate
about small-screen hookups, we asked three love ex
perts relationship columnists Paige Wiser of the
Chicago Sun-Titties and Cara Pesek of Nebraska's
Lincoln Journal Star along with USA WEEKEND’S
own Relation Tips writer. Dennie
Hughes to reveal their picks for
TVs best and worst couples.
The results may surprise some
die-hard TV fans. Meredith and
McDreamy of Grey’s Anatomyl
Nowhere on these lists. Ditto Lost’s
Sawyer and Kate. But Homer and
Marge Simpson? They’re top-five
“Best” material! During the re
cent gabfest, our three experts also
looked ahead to shows debuting this season and re
vealed which couples they think will capture fans’ ar
dor as well as their disdain.
As the discussion begins, one couple rises quickly to
the top of the “Best” list: Pam Beeslv and Jim Halpert.
Says Wiser of The Office duo: “Pam and Jim
don’t realize how intimate they are. They
almost have their own language already. I
They have in-jokes and the same sense m
of humor. I think they're farther along fl
than they even know, but it’s sweet to I
watch them find their way.” W
The stilted courtship between gawky V;
magazine assistant Betty and shy, buttoned
up accountant Henry' on Ugly Betty has a /.
similar sweetheart appeal. As Wiser says, C
“It’s old-fashioned and a little corny.” j
The married couples that round out the
“Best” list all have challenging relation
ships, but still, season after season, these hus
bands and wives do their best to show their en
during devotion. Hughes notes that Scrubs’
fiery nurse-doctor duo, Carla and Turk, are
particularly good at working through their
difficulties. “Turk has his immature moments.
12
USA WEEKEND • Sept 28-30,2007
Preview
and so does she, but they always find a
way to think things out and work with
each other later,” Hughes says. “They al
ways apologize.”
On the other end of the spectrum,
the standout relationship catas
trophe is the May-December
romance last season be
tween CSTs forensics ex-
perts Gil Grissom and
Sara Sidle, w'hich, Wiser
says, “seemed forced.”
The runner-up train
wreck? The reality
romance between
socialites Heidi Mon
tag and Spencer
Pratt of The Hills. +
Says Pesek of the »
latter couple: “Those
Die-hard
TV fans
might be
surprised
by the
results.
two are not even good
at faking it It’s so obvi- —» j
ous they just want story |
lines.” For that matter, the "fc k
group writes off all reality
LOVEBIRDS
Homer and
Marge Simpson
of The Simpsons
Relationship experts
name TV's best
and worst couples.
romances, with spe
rial demerits for any
show that includes a mar
k riage proposal (hello,
| The Bachelor).
Best relationships
' % I.Pamßeesly
r\ > & Jim Halpert
-£y [The Office, NBC)
2. Carla Espinosa & Dr. Chris
Turk ( Scrubs, NBC)
3. Ari Gold & “Mrs. Ari”
| [Entourage, HBO)
4. Homer & Marge Simpson
[The Simpsons, Fox)
5. Betty Suarez & Henry
Grubstick [Ugly Betty, ABC)
In this season’s new crop of shows, full as they are
of nascent love affairs, Wiser already has fallen hard
i for one leading man, Pushing Daisies’ mysteriously
k gifted pie maker Ned (newcomer Lee Pace). “I’d watch
I him with anybody,” she says. “He has the sexiest eye
i brows on TV!” Ned’s complicated relationship with
his childhood sweetheart, a girl named Chuck, is
CUTE COUPLE
Betty Suarez and
Henry Grubstick
Of Ugly Betty
Worst relationships
1. Gil Grissom & Sara Sidle
[CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation, CBS)
2. Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt
[The Hills, MV)
3. Susan Mayer and anybody
[Desperate Housewives, ABC)
4. Drs. John Dorian & Elliot Reid
[Scrubs, NBC)
5. Reality relationships, especially
any show in which someone is
supposed to propose marriage
bound to hook viewers,
i Meanwhile, on this season’s re
k make of Bionic Woman, Jaime
■ Sommers and her bionics-
M expert boyfriend. Will, al-
ready get the thumbs-down.
Notes Pesek: “Will was this
lovey-dovey guy who turned
, totally evil! So, clearly, he
w'on’t be in the picture
B for long.”
m So, does our group of
experts have any advice
■k for TV’s newest cou
ples? Hughes shares
one rule she says
applies to every
one, real or fic
tional: “Never jump
jt into bed on the first date.”
® Wiser’s suggestion: “Keep
p the dialogue going, no mat
k ter w'hat which should
be easy, because peo
ple talk a lot on most
TV shows!” C 3
Jennifer Godwin
writes about the small
screen for E! Online.
Mlm ■
MISMATCH
Desperate
Housewife
Susan Mayer
isadisaster
when it
comes to
• ueu a
KWCf win ner
marriage to
Mike Delfino
stick? Our
experts don’t
think so.
UGIY BETTY ABC/MICHAEL DESMOND. THE SIMPSONS FOX- DESPEMTt HOUSEWWtS ABC/RON TOM