History Main / StarterMarriage

* From ''{{Company}}'': Joanne's first marriage happened when she was just out of college, and apparently lasted only a year, until her husband announced that he wanted to move back to Chicago and she refused. As she tells Bobby:

* Marina Gregg's first husband [[spoiler: Arthur Babcock]] in the Literature/MissMarple novel, ''Literature/TheMirrorCrackdFromSideToSide.'' He was an insurance salesman who just wasn't prepared to keep up with the lifestyle of a Hollywood star.

* In ''{{Smallville}}'', [[spoiler:Jimmy and Chloe]]. They were very sweet together at first but gets increasingly rocky due to the involvement of first Clark, then Davis. Ends with a huge TearJerker when [[spoiler:Jimmy [[BreakTheCutie shouts at Chloe and declares marrying her is the biggest mistake of his life]].]]

May be the result of RelationshipWritingFumble, Alice and Bob being StrangledByTheRedString, or simply the idea that TrueLoveIsBoring. It may be used to prevent ShippingBedDeath.

[[AC:Live Action TV]]

* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': This is a RunningGag for Ross. The show starts with Ross confirming he and his wife Carol are now divorced after she came out of the closet. They were married for four years. He then marries Emily in a FourthDateMarriage, and she divorces him for accidentally saying Rachel's name at the altar. Eventually, Ross and Rachel marry - because they were very drunk, in Vegas, and thought it would be funny. Once sober, they then divorce. At this point, the gang agree that Ross's "thing" is to be "the guy that gets divorced".

* This is a running gag with Ross on ''Series/{{Friends}}''. The show starts shortly after he has divorced his first wife, Carol, after she came out of the closet. Through flashbacks in the series it is shown that they weren't married for long. He then marries Emily in a FourthDateMarriage, and she divorces him for accidentally saying Rachel's name at the altar.

* ''Series/TheStarterWife''centers around a woman whose husband leaves her once he starts to make it big in the film industry. Leaving a wife once you make it big so you can find a proper trophy wife is apparently a big thing in these circles. She's devastated to find out that this is what she's become.

TruthInTelevision, sadly.
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* Lampshaded on an episode of ''TheSimpsons'', which shows Bart (now a teenager) in a relationship with a [[HighSchoolSweethearts high school girlfriend]], who mentions that they're supposed to vow to be together forever and get divorced within five years.
* At the end of ''AnimalHouse'', it is revealed that Boon and Katy got back together, and married in 1964, only to divorce in 1969. [[WordOfGod Apparently]], they later [[YoYoPlotPoint marry again, divorce again, and remarry yet again]].
* They don't get married, but the romance between Wedge Antilles and Qwi Xux ends like this in the StarWarsExpandedUniverse. Qwi comments that almost everyone ends up in such a relationship at some point, but usually as teenagers; because of her [[LaserGuidedAmnesia recent forced memory loss]] and his teenage enlistment in the Rebel Alliance they never really had the opportunity.

* Wombats in ''Webcomic/{{Digger}}'' have marriage forms that are friendly towards these types of relationships. Marriage contracts are generally [[http://www.diggercomic.com/?p=549 1 to 5 years with renewal option]].

* On ''{{Daria}}'' the title character's cousin gets married in season two. By season five they're getting divorced; apparently the cousin only wanted to get married because her then-boyfriend gave her herpes and she didn't think anyone else would want her. {{Subverted}}, however, when they reconcile. (Except for the wedding, all of this happens off-screen, though it affects the Morgendorffers indirectly.)

* On ''{{Daria}}'' the title character's cousin gets married in season two. The couple apparently has off-screen relationship problems, however, because they are getting divorced in season five. {{Subverted}}, however, when they reconcile (also off-screen).

* In ''{{Smallville}}'', [[spoiler:Jimmy and Chloe]]. They were very sweet together at first but gets increasingly rocky due to the involvement of first Clark, then Davis. Ends with a huge TearJerker when [[spoiler:Jimmy shouts at Chloe and declares marrying her is the biggest mistake of his life.]]

* At the end of ''AnimalHouse'', it is revealed that Boon and Katy got back together, and married in 1964, only to divorce in 1969. Apparently, they later [[YoYoPlotPoint marry again, divorce again, and remarry yet again]].

Reasons for the divorce vary: one or both of them [[InLoveWithLove lacked maturity to sustain a long-term relationship]], AliceAndBob had radically different goals and ideals in life, [[CharacterFlawIndex flaws (big or small)]] that they overlooked are coming to light, they married for the wrong reasons and/or [[FourthDateMarriage too early.]] Whatever the reason(s) given, the marriage lasts less than 5 years, and generally the couple in question has no children together.

* Lampshaded on an episode of ''TheSimpsons'', which shows Bart in a relationship with a HighSchoolSweetheart, who mentions that they're supposed to vow to be together forever and get divorced within five years.