Contrived and torturously convoluted writing of a TV show’s characters’
relationships, done simply for the sake of interjecting more ‘drama’ into the series.
Shipper angst typically includes elements of lose, conflict, jealousy, and both real and perceived infidelities, that adversely affect and
influence the thoughts and actions the show’s characters. While these elements are standard
ingredients of good drama, their overuse is unmistakable evidence of the kind of hack writing that reduces TV series drama to mere melodrama.