Better with You

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Better With You is a sitcom on ABC that aired in the 2010-2011 season. It stars JoAnna Garcia, Debra Jo Rupp, Jennifer Finnigan, Kurt Fuller, Jake Lacy and Josh Cooke. The show deals with three couples in a family and how they react differently to the same events.

Tropes used in Better with You include:
  • Bumbling Dad: Joel fits this to a tee.
  • But We Used a Condom: Mia and Casey used a condom, but it broke, which led to her getting pregnant.
  • Do They Know It's Christmas Time?: Oddly enough, there's a Christmas episode in October. Joel takes the annual Christmas card very seriously. They have odd themes, and Maddie, Mia, Vicky, and Joel all think they're amazing. Ben is confused because they're stupid.
  • Dysfunctional Family: Maddie, Mia, Vicky, and Joel definitely are dysfunctional. Vicky and Joel have some problems with the fact that Maddie and Ben aren't married.
  • Embarrassing Middle Name: Casey's full name is Casey Marion Davenport. He originally lied to Mia about his middle name.
  • Embarrassing Old Photo: The Christmas photos for Mia, Maddie, Joel, and Vicky are this, but only Ben seems to think so.
  • Fourth Date Marriage: Mia and Casey got engaged after only seven weeks of being together, partly because of the pregnancy. Averted with Ben and Maddie, who have been together for nine years and have no plans to marry.
  • Hey, It's That Guy!:
  • High School Sweethearts: Ben and Maddie have been together for nine years, since they were in high school.
  • Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: "Better with [X]"
  • Laugh Track: To the extent that it makes otherwise passable jokes painful to listen to.
    • Not a laugh track; like most multi-camera sitcoms it uses a real live Studio Audience which laughs at the passable jokes because they are... passable jokes.
  • No Pregger Sex: Averted with Casey and Mia, although Casey is worried about how sex will affect their unborn son.
  • Obnoxious In-Laws: Joel drives Ben crazy. So does Vicky a little bit. Ben makes up a list of things for Casey to talk about and to avoid when he meets them.
  • Shotgun Wedding: What is presumably going to happen with Mia and Casey, if they marry before their baby arrives.
  • Strange Minds Think Alike: "Is that a Christmas nest?"
  • This Is for Emphasis, Bitch: Upon getting a diamond necklace for Maddie upon forgetting her original gift, Ben tells a co-worker, "Roll credits, bitch".
  • Wacky Marriage Proposal: Maddie suggests several wacky proposals to Casey so Mia won't agree to marry him. It doesn't work.