Prime-time television is in a romantic mood with couples comedies springing up all over, including one set in Portland.

Blame it on the success of

Broadcast networks, trying to ride the coattails of that ABC hit, have decided series that look at relationships from multiple points of view will be the next big thing (or, more likely when networks copy a hit, the next big bust).

Fox's "Traffic Light" and CBS' "Mad Love" arrive next month, but first up is NBC's Portland-set "Perfect Couples" (8:30 tonight).

Why Portland? Primarily because it's not New York or Los Angeles.

"Honestly, it seemed like a cool spot and felt like a place that hadn't been overdone," said Andy Ackerman, director/executive producer of the sitcom that aired as a sneak preview last month after "The Sing-Off" season finale.

Neither Ackerman nor creator/executive producer Scott Silveri has Portland connections, so they're relying on series star Kyle Bornheimer's brother, Ryan, to keep them honest with local references. Ryan attended the University of Oregon about eight years ago, Kyle said, and serves as the writers' assistant on "Perfect Couples."

The series' three couples include the most normal couple, Dave (

"Worst Week") and Julia (

"FlashForward"); reformed party animal Rex (

"She's Out of My League") and his self-help addicted wife, Leigh (

"Attack of the Show"); and a fight-prone volatile pair, Vance (

"100 Questions") and Amy (

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia").

"We've seen shows that are in this arena before," Silveri said, "so what it really comes down to is who these characters are, how they interact."

Perfect Couples

When:

8:30 p.m. Thursday

Channel:

KGW (8/NBC)

Website:

Creator/executive producer Jon Pollack said the show's title is intended to be ironic.

"What was really fun for us was the idea that even the best couple in the world is kind of a mess, and we're really into the idea of characters that are very sincere," he said. "They all want to be great at their relationships, and I think that's what really appealed to us. A lot of people get married, and they immediately start figuring out, what's the easier way to make this work? And I think it's interesting with young couples who still think there's a chance that they can figure something out."

Pollack said the times we're in contributed to the show's premise.

"Gender roles have never been more confused," he said. "It gives us an opportunity really to kind of subvert a lot of gender stereotypes, which is a good time because that feels very real and honest to us."

Bornheimer agreed that "Perfect Couples" celebrates the difficulties of navigating relationships in modern times.

"There's no shortage of material. We come to work after the weekend loaded with stuff that happened in our own relationships that inevitably make it into a script," Bornheimer said. "Or they've written something in the script that I go home excitedly to tell my wife, and that starts an argument."

As for Portland, producers are buying stock footage of the city for use in establishing shots.

"Portland feels modern, laid-back and cool," Ackerman said. "There's something about young couples in a setting like that that just felt right to us."

The timing is appropriate. The other current Portland-set series on a broadcast network, The CW's

ended its run this week, and no additional episodes of that show will be produced. On cable, IFC's

premieres Friday.

Ackerman said if "Perfect Couples" lasts long enough, more Portland references will be incorporated in future episodes.

"Over time, the more we commit to the details, the more it's going to give us specificity," he said. "And specificity gives you awesome stuff. It puts you in a place."

Silveri has his own plans for celebrating a second season if "Perfect Couples" is successful.

"When people win Super Bowls, they say they're going to Disneyland," he notes. "If we get our second-year pickup, we're going to Portland."

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