I completely agree with you Julie. When they drag the relationship out so long it gets unrealistic. After being manipulated so much, the audience doesn't care anymore. I'm not a huge "Bones" fan but I think it's going to end up that way.
What is rapidly starting to annoy me about certain shows is the will-they-won't-they thing. There's only so long you can stretch it out for til the viewers can't take it anymore, haha. XD (I have to mention that the X-Files is an exception, because I LOVE that show - not getting the partners together til S7 and only hinting that it was happening offscreen - but I also watched it within a few weeks rather than over the course of its original run, so I couldn't say how it would have felt then. But also they weren't intended to be a potentially romantic couple at first.)
I don't know if TV writers on the whole know how to portray happily married couples. Or if networks are interested in that. Admittedly, you need some conflict to keep things interesting. But like Andreia pointed out a few posts back, look at what our L&C fanfic writers have come up with. It can be done.
Joan
