Learning From The Marriage Ref

The other night my husband discovered a TV show called The Marriage Ref. Naturally, we were sucked in for an episode–and it wasn’t just because Jerry Seinfeld was one of the referees. Nope, it was because of the characters.

The show’s premise is basically that married couples often have a ‘fight’ that go on for some time. And thus, in order to help resolve this ‘fight,’ once and for all, you need three celebrities to step in and weigh in on either the wife’s side or the husband’s side. In theory, this should end the ‘fight’ once and for all.

The episode we watched had a husband who is obsessed with growing giant pumpkins. Yep, seriously. This man knows about a billion types of pumpkins, grows world record breaking sized fruit, and even sneaks off to grow them in the neighbour’s yard. But the best was the husband who partakes in crazy bets with his friends. For instance, mowing his lawn dressed as Elvis, (how perfect is that?) jogging around the neighbourhood in his wife’s exercise gear (yes, that includes her sports bra–and, yes, he stretched it out.) Naturally, his wife was suitably appalled by her mate’s behaviour. Personally, I was somewhat delighted by the ingenuity and creativity of some of the bets. (As well, some of these quasi-humiliating bets might be something I’d be prone to do in the right setting.)

So, what can writers learn from a show life this?

Well, think about it. Why are these folks on TV? Because these are good, one-of-a-kind, interesting characters that entertain the bejesus out of the audience. Moral of the story, when building characters, build them deep, quirky, and real. And if you get stuck, watch The Marriage Ref.

Good luck and have fun!