TV Article ''Ed'''s Carol and Ed are a hot TV couple Ed Stevens and Carol Vessey, ''Ed'' By EW Staff Published on January 27, 2003 05:00AM EST Photo: Cavanagh & Bowen Photograph by Gabrielle Revere ”Ed”’s Carol and Ed are a hot TV couple PLAYED BY Tom Cavanagh and Julie Bowen RELATIONSHIP STATUS Ed and Carol somehow came to the conclusion they’d be better off as friends. But we know that’s not true. After all, her fiancé ditched her at the altar because she was desperately looking around the church for a certain bowling-alley lawyer. WHY WE LOVE THEM Their unrequited love is the foundation of the show, the reason Ed moved back to small-town Stuckeyville to live among the town’s endearing characters. Plus, Ed’s really cute as a fool for love. He even rented a knight-in-shining-armor costume to woo his longtime crush. Aw. WHY WE DON’T Their bickering has become overly dramatic and caustic this season, making it hard to remember why they liked each other in the first place. It’s difficult to sympathize with Carol when she keeps rejecting adorable Ed in favor of narcissistic jerks. The guy rode a white steed AND cut loose his cutie-pie love interest (Kelly Ripa) — what else could Carol want?!?