本剧集是BBC 2台2000年正式推出的以(yǐ )青年人为题材和对象的系列情景喜(🏴)剧，创意和编剧均由Steven Moffat一人担当。三男三女的主要人物构成很容易使人联想到当时正走红（其实已经在走下坡路）的《Friends》，因此很有不少根本没(🖲)看过本剧的媒体人士和评论家想当然(rán )地将本剧称作英(yīng )国(㊙)版的《Friends》，而在那些有幸(xìng )欣赏(shǎng )过本剧的观众们看来，《Coupling》在情节设定、人物表演、喜剧元素的设计和表现等诸多方面所达到的水平，要比《Friends》高几个档(dàng )次。相比之下，《Friends》只能说是一部“业余”水平(🔥)的好作品而已。当然总体来说，英剧(🚻)的水准(🐂)本身就高于美剧，这和英剧注意保持(chí )创意、编剧一体化是分不(🈳)开的，美剧(🌲)的创意一般也就为(👼)最初几集编剧，以后主要(🍾)的编剧工作都是由其它编剧根据最初的(⛎)角色设定来自由发挥，编剧队伍的构成也是不断变化，老的走新的来，造成美剧情节连贯性差甚(🔂)至前后(🏉)矛盾，故事(shì )往往缺乏深(😓)度，人物性格平面化(huà )，缺少发展。这都是题外话了。
　　《Coupling》的主要人(rén )物包括优柔寡断、性格不成熟的帅(🈲)哥Steve，Steve的莫逆之交、举止语言(yán )古怪、总也找不到女(📒)友的Jeff，头脑(👂)简单、外表性(🚰)感的(🈹)“donkey” Patrick三位对Porn、特别是lesbian porn非常热中的男士，以及Steve的前女友、(😀)神(🔝)神叨叨、擅用性感作武器的Jane，Steve的继任女(nǚ )友、Jeff的同事、(🔷)曾经非常“不羁”（包括(📂)和Jeff还有Patrick）过的Susan，Susan的莫(mò )逆、对衰老和(🥟)肥胖极度敏感的美容师Sally三位女士。在第一集中，Steve决定(💑)“再次”和女(nǚ )友(yǒu )(🚁)Jane分手，结果却(què )被Jane三言两语引(🔢)诱到洗(🔰)手间亲热；Patrick想(♑)把和Susan的关系再进一步(bù )，却被告知根本不存在什么“关系”；(🚃) Susan在洗手间碰到匆忙出(⬇)来买Durex的Steve，向他表示好感，两人订下约会以后Steve钻进隔间继续……。本剧的主线包括Steve和 Susan之间逐渐正式起来的关系(xì )，Jeff寻找艳(yàn )遇过程中的种种意外以及(jí )后来和上司发展出来的一段关系，Patrick和(🕐)Sally之间若有若无到若即若离再到情深难舍的感情发展，还有Jane在事业和异(yì )(㊗)性关系中(zhōng )的各种奇事(shì )，等等。
　　本剧在情节设计中所(suǒ )达到(😂)的精致和完美(měi )程度(dù )让人叹为观止，而六位当时并不算大明星的青年演员(yuán )的所展现精湛演技更是具有顶(dǐng )尖(🚸)演员的(🎿)水平，无怪乎播出之后立(🍉)刻走红大洋(yáng )两岸，在IMDB、AMAZON和BBC网站可(kě )以领(lǐng )略到其受欢迎的程度。2002年底(dǐ )，第3季播毕(bì )，故事情节基本告一段落。美国NBC看到这部“英国版(bǎn )《Friends》”在英美两地均广受欢迎，觉得正好可以搬来做2004年终于要关张的《Friends》的接班人，于是(shì )2003年大张旗鼓地(dì )决定翻拍美(měi )版(✂)《Coupling》。美国的fans本(běn )来以为这是件好事，没想到NBC的翻(🏡)拍愚蠢地采用了全台词照搬的方法，虽然个人没看过，不过(guò )也可以想象到(♊)有多恶心，结果(😽)只播出一集Pilot就因为骂声太大而整个计(jì )划搁浅（这点上美国佬是值得学习的，不象中国有些(xiē )搞(🌕)影视(🎖)的骂声越大越要上）。在这里(🎮)http://www.nbc.com/Coupling/可以(🏖)看到这(zhè )个计划的尸(👴)体，还有一(🔺)些彻底走了味儿的剧照。
　　2003年底，本剧(jù )获得英(🧛)国喜剧(jù )奖（BCA）最佳电视(shì )喜剧(jù )奖。BBC已经在2004年正式开拍并播出第4季，不过Jeff这个人物将不(bú )再(zài )出现，而代之(🚁)以新角色——经(🍙)营Sci-Fi书店的Oliver，由Richard Mylan扮演。从已经播出的几集来看，应该说在更换主要角色之(zhī )一的(📏)背景下，基本保持了(le )前(qián )3季(jì )的水准，但是同(🤱)时也流(🤞)露出对前3季中成功情节进(jìn )行拷贝的迹象，希望这仅仅是偶然(🖤)。
　　Two's company, three's a crowd... so what do you do with six? On average, men and women think about sex every six seconds. Shorten that to every second, and you've got Coupling. It's more than just a one night stand!
　　When a couple gets together, it's never just the two of them - they also bring baggage - and Susan (Sarah Alexander) and Steve (Jack Davenport) are no exception. Their baggage is a crowd of best friends and exes who talk about all aspects of sex and relationships on their never-ending quest to find true love. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...
　(🛏)　Susan Walker is a beautiful go-getter with an uninhibited attitude who used to date Patrick Maitland (Ben Miles), the sextet's charismatic, cocky player, London's king of conquests - a guy who's just too cool to worry about being smart. Attractive Sally Harper (Kate Isitt) is a beauty therapist who is Susan's unashamedly vain best friend, who aggressively battles aging with heavy doses of moisturizer and men - including Patrick.
　　Meanwhile, Steve Taylor, while getting together with Susan, can't seem to shake loose from his vivacious and slightly vacuous ex-girlfriend Jane Christie (Gina Bellman), a woman supremely confident in her ability to seduce anyone of either sex, and who refuses to be dumped unless she's the one doing the dumping. Jeff Murdoch (Richard Coyle) is Steve's "porn buddy" who is, in equal parts, obsessed and bewildered by actual sex; charming in his way, but with an uncanny ability to say the wrong thing at the worst possible time. He works in the same office as Susan, with whom he had a disastrous and unsuccessful one-night fling.
　　Coupling has been honoured with the prestigious Silver Rose of Montreux, Best TV Comedy Award, and is recent winner at the 2003 British Comedy Awards.
　　With a new guy on the scene, a baby on the way, commitment in the air, and love on the horizon, the dynamics of the six friends are definitely changing.
　　At the end of last season Susan and Steve discovered they were pregnant (well, mostly Susan), confirmed bachelor Patrick and Sally finally admitted their true feelings for each other, and poor Jane was left on her own, once again.
　　But it's not all doom and gloom for Jane. As the new season opens, things are looking up. There's this guy called Oliver, who has his eye on her. Is it possible that lifetime loser in love Oliver might just get somewhere with lifetime loser in love Jane? Trouble is, his apartment is a little "un-edited" and his living room has lost the battle with magazine nudity...
　　Susan and Steve are now well and truly an item. So why is he dreaming about being executed by a fetus with an axe?
　　Meanwhile Sally and Patrick are settling into their new relationship. But since the dawn of time, men and women have been falling in love - and men have been trying to get home straight afterwards. Can fallen playboy Patrick ever find his way back from the enchanted glade of his one true love and get a decent night's sleep?