Definition: "Relating to or characterized by prolonged uncertainty about whether something is going to take place; spec. relating to whether a romantic relationship will develop between two people."
I see it counts as a TV trope:
I see it counts as a TV trope:
This is a Fan Speak term used to describe any relationship that is obviously filled with Unresolved Sexual Tension but the characters resist going into a full blown relationship for a rather long time. Usually the two characters will be presented so that "they will" is the conclusion to root for; only rarely is the question of whether the writers think they should is in any real doubt....
"Will-they-won't-they" reminds me of "The Mock Turtle's Song": “Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?”
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28 comments:
That's the Moonlighting curse. Once they did it, the show was over.
Maybe, baby. Baby, maybe. The suspense builds.
They waited forty years to include that phrase
Are they counting that as a word? What the hell language is this, German?
"will-they-won't-they."
List of Trump promises that have not quite come to pass.
Slashing Energy and Utility Bills
National Debt and Deficit Reduction
Ending the Ukraine War in 24 Hours
No New Wars
Instant Mass Deportations
Ending Birthright Citizenship
You forgot about fighting against the globalists and the Epstein files.
I don't remember him promising to make George Soros right hand man the Treasury Secretary either.
I first saw that word while Reagan was President. In connection with "Moonlighting."
imTay has woken up from his sobbing over the failure of his Islamic buddy to kill a plane full of Jews!
The "Moonlighting Curse" is something of a myth. For off-set reasons (she was pregnant and bed ridden, he was filming "Die Hard" and then had a skiing accident) they had to shoot Cybil Shepperd and Bruce Willis separately for about the first half of Season 4, which rather killed the chemistry of the show.
Did "Remington Steele" have a curse?
I don't believe they got together.
TV show "Cheers" did the longest comedic will they or wont they.
A recent example was "Suits" with Gabriel Macht and Sarah Rafferty. Of course, Meghan Markle was there, too, but Sarah stole the show.
Bruce Willis and Sybill sheppard. Never watched it, but was amazed at the star power used in a TV show.
Pillow talk and the follow-ons weren't really "Will they or wont they" more like "How the hell is Rock Hudson going to try to score, then get caught in his own trap?"
"Never watched it, but was amazed at the star power used in a TV show."
He wasn't "Bruce Willis!" yet, or rather he was, but nobody knew it. "Moonlighting" was his first real gig, and he arrived fully formed. It was very cool to tune in to the pilot and be confronted with this total star no one had ever seen before. The show is still great fun today, particularly by the end of season one when they've finally bludgeoned the network into just letting them do whatever they want.
hey Ficta,
Thanks for that link!
Maybe you had to be there, but the show was so bad after they did it. So, so bad. All the sexual chemistry disappeared. All the insults went out the window. Suddenly Bruce Willis was simpering like a hurt puppy. They tried to do a romantic triangle with the Coors guy, the astronaut, whathisname. Mark Harmon. This show actually launched two film careers. Not Cybil Shepherd, she had a film career. Now she was stuck running a damn detective agency.
Anyway, they dumped all the screwball antics, all the humor. A great witty show turned into this stupid emotional drama, ugh. So bad. The chemistry died right after they did it. Literally the tone of the show changed overnight. And they never recovered. They went from the #1 show to so, so bad.
It really has nothing to do with sex. His Girl Friday, which is 1000 times better, one of the finest movies ever made, created the template for the bickering screwball. And they used to be married!
I think they could have pulled it off if they just kept the same tone. But they felt, in the 1980's, that sex changed a relationship dynamic. Which it does, in my experience. But it doesn't have to be worse! They made it worse.
Possibly, if the triangle was two women competing over Bruce Willis, that would have been funny. Cybil Shepherd was the mean one! Seeing her hatred over a rival would have been good stuff, I think. I can't speak for all men, but they really lost me with that sad pathetic Bruce Willis in season 3. War of the sexes and he lost, and turned into a puddle of heartbreak and goo-goo boo-hoo.
They launched three film careers if you include Booger's appearance in Revenge of the Nerds
Hollywood was raiding this show for talent.
Cybill Shepherd: "What about me?"
Hollywood: "You are too old."
That's some mean, ugly shit, Hollywood. But that's the way they rolled back then. Also, once you go from the big screen to the small screen, to Hollywood it's like you did a porn or something. You can bust out of the small screen into the big screen. Tell them, George Clooney! But, you want to talk about curses, going from film to TV was the kiss of death for decades.
One day, it will be “6 or 7”.
“A new addition to the OED: "will-they-won't-they."
Why did we have to wait so long for that?”
It took a while for our culture to become so degraded that it was deemed appropriate for the OED. Kind of like Dylan and the Nobel in literature.
So apparently michael douglas admittec he had a affair with kathleen turner who didnt he havd one with
Unresolved Sexual Tension Is the cause of and the solution to, all of life’s problems.
h/t Homer Simpson.
Excellent link, Ficta. Thanks.
At its best, Moonlighting was such a stylish, fun and funny show. Nostalgia flows.
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