'I Hated Sam & Diane'

During last year's PaleyFest panel for "New Girl," the panelists were asked about Jess and Nick's developing relationship. The moderator asked the audience if they'd like to see the two coupled up and the theater erupted in cheers and applause.

I didn't join in the applause. In fact, I think I was the only person in the room whose response to the question was an emphatic "No!" On Tuesday's episode, Nick kissed Jess. The moment had been building over the last few episodes so I knew it was coming. When it happened, though, I cringed a bit.

As I wrote nearly two years ago when Leslie and Ben finally kissed on "Parks & Recreation," I'm generally not a fan of the will-they-or-won't-they storyline. I find it forced and predictable—a woman and man spend any amount of time together so, of course, there has to be this huge build up of feelings.

I choose to believe not. Maybe it's my naïveté, but I don't think that every female/male relationship rides on a current of sexual tension just waiting to swell up and overtake everybody. I think friendships can develop into romantic relationships or stay as friendships, but believe, no matter how common television and movies try to tell us it is, that friends don't continually spiral toward and away from each other, not completely understanding the true depths of their feelings and driving everyone around them absolutely insane.

Despite my problems with this plotline, other fans seem to eat this stuff up, as evidenced both by the number of shows that follow this path (EW.com did a gallery of favorite will-they-or-won't-they couples here) and the super-swoony comments that followed Tuesday's "New Girl." I'd prefer more shows to explore the idea of women and men being friends, mentors/protégés or colleagues, such as has happened on "30 Rock" with Liz and Jack, "Parks & Recreation" with Leslie and Ron, and "The Mindy Project" with Mindy and Danny (please, please, please leave them as friends), but know I'll probably have to suffer through more friends dealing with unexpressed romantic tension on television and in movies.

Blerg.