History Main / OffscreenBreakup

* In the second season premiere of ''YoungJustice'', [[spoiler:Superboy ans Miss Martian]] broke up during the five year TimeSkip.

* In ''{{Community}}'' episode [[Recap/CommunityS1E18BasicGenealogy Basic Genealogy]] Jeff and Prof. Slater. When we last saw them together, their relationship was doing okay, but they break up before the opening credits. WordOfGod, this development occurred to have Jeff get together with the Guest Star of the week.

* ''KingOfTheHill'' had a season finale where Khan's mother moved in with him and began dating Bill. At the start of the next season she was gone and Bill had gone back to his losery loneliness.

* ''IndianaJones'': Indy and Marion between ''Raiders'' and ''Last Crusade''.

* ''JamesBond''. All part of the formula.

* In ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'', Sam's previous girlfriend from the first two films, Mikaela Banes is given a simple mention early on, that she broke up with Sam at some point between the second and third film.

* ''TheKarateKid Part II'' used this to explain the disappearance of the first film's love interest character.

** Subverted in the Austin Powers series, where Austin and love interest Vanessa get married in the first movie. At the beginning of the second movie, Vanessa is revealed to be a kamikaze exploding fembot sent by Dr. Evil, thus making room for Felicity Shagwell.

** Subverted in the Austin Powers series, when Vanessa Kensington, Austin's love interest in the first movie, becomes his wife in between the first and second movies, but is exposed as a fembot at the beginning of the second movie, making room for Felicity Shagwell.

* ''JamesBond''. All part of the formula.* ''TheKarateKid Part II'' used this to explain the disappearance of the first film's love interest character.

* In the ''DieHard'' series, John [=McClane=] makes up with ex-wife Holly in the first two films, but he's single again at the start of the third.

* ''{{NCIS}}'': We get hints that Abby and [=McGee's=] relationship is in trouble during early seasons, but we never get to see them actually break up.

* ''PowerRangers'': the break-up by letter for Tommy/Kimberly. Shippers for that fandom still have trouble accepting that one.

* Guybrush and Elaine during the TimeSkip between ''The Secret of MonkeyIsland'' and ''MonkeyIsland 2: [=LeChuck's=] Revenge''.

* ''JamesBond''. All part of the formula.
* Grace Hart and Eric Matthews, between the first and second ''MissCongeniality'' films.
* ''TheKarateKid Part II'' used this to explain the disappearance of the first film's love interest character.

* ''[=~Pokémon~=]'': Might not fit because we never saw Brock and Professor Ivy dating, but we never really find out what happened between the two.

* ''MenInBlack''. Linda Fiorentino is (kinda) WillSmith's love interest; come the next movie, she's outta there! (Because she apparently ''wanted'' to go back to normal life...)

Can also be related to DowntimeDowngrade if both characters are still involved in the story.

* ''PowerRangers'': the break-up by letter. Shippers for that fandom still have trouble accepting that one.

* * In ''{{Community}}'' episode [[Recap/CommunityS1E18BasicGenealogy Basic Genealogy]] Jeff and Prof. Slater. When we last saw them together, their relationship was doing okay, but they break up before the opening credits. WordOfGod, this development occurred to have Jeff get together with the Guest Star of the week.

* Often done in {{Fanfiction}} with the OfficialCouple when the fanwriter wants to write about the FanPreferredCouple without the pesky task of actually having to write the breakup. Considering [[MurderTheHypotenuse the]] [[DieForOurShip alternatives]], this method really isn't all that bad.

-->"I lost it in the ''second'' divorce settlement."

-->"I lost it in the ''second'' divorce settlement."
* In ''KimPossible'', both Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable end up dumped in the middle of season 1 or was it season 2; yet; don't end up dating each other until the end of the movie ''Kim Possible: So The Drama''. Even then, Ron Stoppable needed to be reassured that they were actually dating and he wasn't just dreaming it for the beginning of season 4.

This is more than a little jarring because it is just freeing up Bob to be in a new relationship (Or to be single), without actually showing how the last one ended.