Male name first on so many name-name based titles?

Anyone?

Thats the way it was .
no reason it has to stay that way .
I guess its so inconsequential no one cares .

I would not mind in the slightest if that were to change,
but there would be outrage in certain dark corners of the internet.

Interesting point. Hahaha.

Husband and Wife

Tradition, convention (which doesn't mean it's 'bad'). It just sounds... right, like man and woman, Mr and Mrs. Woman and man, Mrs and Mr sound wrong.

OTH, ladies and gentlemen sounds right (sounds dumb the other way around). Girls and boys/boys and girls sounds right either way.

I don't think it's something that needs challenging!!! in the name of equality. It just is what it is.

Probably has a lot to do with the history of crediting actors by name, aka billing, in Hollywood. Studios originally didn't want to bill actors coz it meant they'd become more well known to the public and thus be able to negotiate for better salaries depending on popularity. Actors were often known by the (insert adjective/noun) kid or the (insert adjective/noun) girl, so people generally recognized them, but they weren't "big names" in Hollywood. Some of them didn't want to become well-known or known by name, so it wasn't all bad. This changed in the 50s, I think. So of course, male actors were better and more easily able to negotiate and fight for their right to be billed, and then to be billed first. Hence the tradition of male actors and so male characters almost always being credited first. Seems this has also carried into novel titles, weirdly, though when it comes to letter writing or wedding invitations, women are traditionally listed first on the envelope or the invitation.

In a lot of those examples it simply sounds better - "Grace & Will" doesn't have the same ring to it, "Nancy and Sid" kind of works but not really, also keep in mind Sid was the "star", Nancy was just there so it's only fair Sid goes first.

Some of the others aren't obvious in terms of male and female, for example "Mad Dog and Glory" Glory could just as easily be male in any case "Glory and Mad Dog" doesn't sound right.

"Sam & Kate" could be two females, Samantha and Kate, likewise "Bailey and Darla".

Who is the draw card in these? No one tuned in to see Mindy in Mork and Mindy, Will & Grace was about a gay man a new-ish topic at the time to see on tv.

On the flip side I am willing to wager there are more films and tv shows with just a female name as title or part of the title than there is films and tv shows with just a male name as the title or part thereof.

Try saying "Gentlemen & Ladies"