In the words of Entertainment Weekly, House and Cuddy will “do the deed” this season. The popular television series is about the irascible doctor who is a master diagnostician but who constantly battles with his frustrated supervisor about his disregard of rules, risks, and social conventions. As often happens in fiction and sometimes happens in real life, this friction sets off some romantic sparks and after years of dancing around their mutual attraction they are going to act on it.
This may be satisfying for the characters, but it is unlikely to be satisfying for the viewers, at least not for long. Can you think of a time when resolving the romantic tension between lead characters has made a television show better? I’m thinking of “Cheers,” “Rhoda,” “I Dream of Jeannie” — any others? “That Girl” ended before the wedding of Ann and Don. Is getting together another form of Jumping the Shark?