My perception is this - if the couple is fundamental to the show (their relationship dominates storyline after storyline)... AND you really can't imagine the other person without that other one... even in some occasions after the passing of half of the couple... that to me is super-couple. 

Edited January 14, 20251 yr by Maxim

3 hours ago, titan1978 said:

They did use the cheap version of the formula with Spencer/Esme. The whole Cassadine adventure, the prolonged period of tension between them/keeping them apart, Esme, the banter. And while I believe they improvised the run into each other’s arms, that is about as supercouple as it gets. The biggest difference was due to IMO racism and the stupid FV schedule.

I assume this was a typo and you couldn't edit since Errol removed the ability to edit a post after it has been up for one hour.
Assume you meant Spencer/Trina.

Edited January 14, 20251 yr by janea4old

1 hour ago, janea4old said:

I assume this was a typo and you couldn't edit since Errol removed the ability to edit a post after it has been up for one hour.
Assume you meant Spencer/Trina.

Yes I did mean Trina/Spencer!

I agree with you that Trina/Spencer followed the supercouple formula and that racism and FV scheduling caused interference.

1 hour ago, janea4old said:

I agree with you that Trina/Spencer followed the supercouple formula and that racism and FV scheduling caused interference.

Yes, I also agree that Spencer/Trina had so many of the trappings of supercoupledom. And, they are the only contemporary couple to consider in supercouple terms.

Adding to racism & taping pace & scheduling, I felt the show revealed a very unfortunate kind of valuing Spencer over Trina which I found to be appalling & not sure if it came out of misogyny or was just part of the racism.

5 hours ago, Maxim said:

And thank God we have people like you who remember all these details and bits... and can quote them perfectly with sources. I would never have remembered such a thing with my ADHD. SON continues to be the place where I find the most accurate info. ❤️ Thank you! 

Thanks! I well remember that it was Pat Falken Smith who married them & only after Bill Bell was gone to Y&R.

5 hours ago, Contessa Donatella said:

"Head writer Bill Bell had sworn he would never let Doug and Julie marry.

I still take that as meaning that at that point he didn't want Doug and Julie to marry, as there were still viable obstacles that could be put into place.

If Doug and Julie were never to marry, would that mean they would continue to marry other people?

Bill Bell knew that viewers wouldn't stand for that. So 5/10 years down the line they would still be apart?

And it is Bob Anderson, not Bill.

Edited January 14, 20251 yr by Paul Raven

12 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Could you cite those texts so I can refer? Thanks in advance.

Here's the second one.

Russell, M. (1995). Days of Our Lives: A Complete History of the Long-Running Soap Opera. McFarland and Company, Publishers, Ltd. ISBN 0-7864-0112-5

"Viewers clamored for Doug and Julie's wedding. Head writer Bill Bell resisted, "I continue to be unalterably opposed to any marriage between Doug and Julie. All too soon the proverbial honeymoon would be over, inevitably the spark diminished, the love songs a little less exciting ... It's still my conviction that the most effective love scenes are those in which love is so inherent that in seeing it, feeling it, we don't need to say it."

36 minutes ago, Paul Raven said:

I still take that as meaning that at that point he didn't want Doug and Julie to marry, as there were still viable obstacles that could be put into place.

If Doug and Julie were never to marry, would that mean they would continue to marry other people?

Bill Bell knew that viewers wouldn't stand for that. So 5/10 years down the line they would still be apart?

And it is Bob Anderson, not Bill.

You & I apparently have very different meanings for the word 'never'. And, yes, you're right, it is Bob not Bill. Thanks for that.

Edited January 14, 20251 yr by Contessa Donatella
more

21 minutes ago, Contessa Donatella said:

Head writer Bill Bell resisted, "I continue to be unalterably opposed to any marriage between Doug and Julie. All too soon the proverbial honeymoon would be over, inevitably the spark diminished, the love songs a little less exciting ... It's still my conviction that the most effective love scenes are those in which love is so inherent that in seeing it, feeling it, we don't need to say it."

And he is so right in a way. A lot of these couples hit a dead end after getting married and then the all so predictable problems on the road for divorce start.  And I don't think there is a lot of room for speculation about the meaning of what he said. He said it quite clearly and definitively. As he usually does. He is opposed to ANY marriage between these two characters. 

Well I'll guess I'll have to accept that Doug and Julie would never marry which would make them the only couple that never got together at some point.

Would love to see how Bill was going to keep them apart for the next 10 years or so.

Yet he married off Chris/Snapper, Brad/Leslie, Victor/Nikki and many more.

Guess Doug and Julie were in a class of their own.

20 minutes ago, Maxim said:

And he is so right in a way. A lot of these couples hit a dead end after getting married and then the all so predictable problems on the road for divorce start.  And I don't think there is a lot of room for speculation about the meaning of what he said. He said it quite clearly and definitively. As he usually does. He is opposed to ANY marriage between these two characters. 

Yes, there can be no doubt. And, I get it that on soaps there's no such thing as a happy couple, not for long, anyway. Soaps are about busting couples up, not putting them together. Just look at today's GH. They've blown up almost every couple that exists.

Just now, Contessa Donatella said:

Yes, there can be no doubt. And, I get it that on soaps there's no such thing as a happy couple, not for long, anyway. Soaps are about busting couples up, not putting them together. Just look at today's GH. They've blown up almost every couple that exists.

And thank YOU for taking out of your time in getting these two quotes for us. And citing where they're from.  🙏

1 minute ago, Maxim said:

And thank YOU for taking out of your time in getting these two quotes for us. And citing where they're from.  🙏

You're very welcome. And, I mean, Paul asked.

 

Totally subjective reactions to the DIGEST "50 Greatest Couples"

GH Spencer & Trina 50 👍

DAYS Roman & Marlena 44 Too Low

AMC Bianca & Maggie BAM the only same sex couple 40 👍

DAYS Lucas & Sami 39 👍

Santa Barbara Cruz & Eden 36 Too Low

Santa Barbara Mason & Julia 23 👍

AW Mac & Rachel 35 👍 but more couples should have been included

DAYS Justin & Adrienne 33 👍

OLTL Bo & Nora 31 👍

GH Lucky & Liz 29 I like this one because of the picture.

GH Alan & Monica 26 👍👍

ATWT Jack & Carly 24 👍

AMC Greg & Jenny 22 👍But they killed Jenny!

DAYS Doug & Julie 19 They should be Top 10!

GH Sonny & Carly 18 meh IDK Not a CarSon fan

GH Robert & Holly 17 They look amazing!

DAYS Patch & Kayla 16 👍👍

GH Stone & Robin 15 Should be higher

AMC Tad & Dixie 13 👍👍

DAYS John & Marlena 12 Also belong in Top 10

ATWT Holden & Lily 11 👍

B&B Ridge & Brooke 8 Okay

AMC Jesse & Angie 7 👍👍

GL Josh & Reva 6 Okay

GH Sonny & Brenda 4 👍👍

DAYS Bo & Hope 3 👍👍

Y&R Victor & Nikki 2 Okay

And, of course, you know who is left

GH Luke & Laura 1 All I can think to say is it was predictable.

Thank you for indulging me. Sorry it's so long.

 

Edited January 15, 20251 yr by Contessa Donatella
pic

On 1/13/2025 at 12:36 PM, titan1978 said:

In more modern storytelling a supercouple is more like Steve/Alice and Doug/Julie. I consider GH’s Robin/Patrick a modern supercouple, but not Carly/Jax for example.

Yes! For the relatively short time the pairing was on GH, the "good" writers did write Robin/Patrick in the vein of the old supercouples, and even in that brief time, they had a lot of obstacles - internal and external - thrown their way. Honestly (and I know I may be biased as a fan of the couple), I think Robin/Patrick were the last to be written by that formula.

Not to say there aren't popular couples (although I find most of the current crop boring), but the writing is missing that "big" quality.

Although - even if I'm not a fan - I know many love Liz/Jason and/or Liz/Ric, too. So, perhaps an element of subjective feelings plays a role, too, even if just a little. As an example, I loved original Zander/Emily (Amber Tamblyn) back in the day, but even I don't think they'd be classified as a supercouple. (And considering how the show s-h-i-t on them for Nik/Emily once Emily was recast, neither did the show itself, apparently.)

Conversely, I was/am also a big fan of Mason/Julia from Santa Barbara and think they do qualify with everything they had to endure. Cliff/Nina, my first 'ship at 8-years-old (ha!) from AMC...well, I think they came just before the "supercouple" trend, but they may qualify, too...

Edited January 15, 20251 yr by Wendy