Some of the greatest moments of our lives are spent glued to the television. Great shows have created and broken relationships, given us reasons to laugh and cry, and made life more bearable. So of course we follow all of our stories like sycophants. Thus believing we know how to best tell the stories, and which ways of creating storylines are overdone.
Yes, there are many story dictated twists and turns and character developments we're exhausted at seeing. How many more long-lost siblings will Meredith Grey find?
But what do we really know? If we think we can do better, then do so. Write it, submit and see what happens. Out of curiosity let's see what issues people are clamouring about the most.
Redditor u/Dangerous-Staff9172 wanted to trade notes on what we're tired of seeing when watching our favorite tv shows, by asking:
What TV show trope needs to retire?
I've been watching daytime soap operas since I was a child. And I have seen anything and everything... twice. If the characters and the stories are woven just right you don't mind the repetition. I can of course do with a little less amnesia.
Just do it Already!
Angry Season 9 GIF by FriendsGiphy"Writing in a relationship crisis for the main couple just to keep things interesting. Or keeping apart two people who would have done it 6 seasons ago if it were real life, because the writers are milking the romantic tension to death."
Oh Boo-Whoo
"The always present sad story for every freaking person on talent shows."
"Same with Shark Tank. "Sorry, (whimper) it's just, the financial crisis hit us so hard in '08 (sobbing) and we sunk everything we had into this solar powered flashlight." Someone will usually make an offer, while Keven says it's a crap idea."
"My wife and I were watching Chopped and a woman told one of those stories and said she'd give the prize money to some kind of medical research. A little bit later, they asked another contestant what he would do with the money and he said he'd go out and buy a bada** car. I couldn't stop laughing. He's my favorite all time talent show contestant."
- puckit
SHOOT!
"When someone in a horror movie picks up a weapon, uses it on whatever's chasing them AND THEN FREAKING DROPS IT! Like, you can still use that weapon! C'mon!"
"Or they knock down the assailant but don't take their weapon while they're stunned! I hate this so much. Like, dude has a gun. Why are you running away, just take it and shoot him or at least throw it in the river or something Jesus Lord."
"Wait, I can explain!"
"The misunderstanding, which usually involves someone saying "Wait, I can explain!" before the other person storms off."
"Entire storylines built off of misunderstandings or miscommunications are just boring and frustrating. Okay I will agree, there are exceptions to this, for comedy it can work well if done properly, like when Holly meets Kevin in 'The Office' and thinks he has special needs. Hilarious."
I'll Be Back...
funeral im back GIFGiphy"If some dude dies off screen, ie in an explosion, they almost always end up returning. Only way characters did is if they're outright shot in the face."
Returning from the dead is the best. I love when characters rise again. I can do without the brain-dead behavior in horror films. Half of those people got what they deserved. I
Meal Companion
morgue GIF by South Park Giphy"Morgue worker/Coroner tech/Autopsy tech eating lunch right next to a body. We don't do that."
Wasted Time
"When characters have every reason to just talk or say a very obvious thing out loud but wont, in order to artificially inflate and extend a conflict. And when characters get extra dumb suddenly to create pointless conflict to pad episodes."
"A similar trope, or maybe a sub-category of that trope, is when Character A has something very important to say, but Character B keeps interrupting them and talking over them, and Character A doesn't get to say what they needed to say, which leads to disastrous consequences."
"In real life, if someone won't let you talk, but what you have to say is extremely important, you don't just give up, you YELL! I am very shy and introverted and I hate interrupting people, but even I would just yell in that scenario!"
Realistic...
"People with average jobs living in swanky, expensive places. Oh, this 4000sf urban industrial downtown loft? It's just where my garage band practices."
- maxrpms
"There's a video about Malcom in the Middle being a notable exception of this. Most shows portray stated middle income families living far beyond their means because it works better for advertising; if the story is about not having enough to replace a broken car, the Dodge Ram commercial feels inappropriate."
- enimaraC
Cue laugh track...
- "The designated 'smart' character, except the writers don't know how to write smart people, so they just make every other character (even ones who've been previously established as quite intelligent) become really stupid whenever they're around."
- Alternatively, the 'smart' person is smart because they use unnecessarily complicated language and scientific terms for everyday things, ie. "I recommend agitating the compound in a homogenous solution of dihydrogen monoxide and sodium chloride!" "HUH?! What's he saying?" "He says stir it in salt water." [cue laugh track]."
- A character stepping into the room just in time to finish another person's sentence or otherwise deliver a dramatic line. It's such a tv staple that we've all come to accept it, but when you think about it it's really unnatural, like they've been standing outside the door for the last 10 minutes, waiting for their cue.
- The big tough guy whose sole purpose is to get thrown around like a rag doll by the latest villain, to show how dangerous they are." - trout_a_la_creme
Strike A Pose Whatever GIF"Not only does it take me out of the setting, but it affects teen's self-image and probably also affects how adults see kids. I understand that when portraying certain subject matter, there are a lot less hoops to jump through if you don't cast a minor. But at least cast a babyfaced 21-year-old and don't dress them like they just got off a shoot for Vogue."
There really is no excuse to miscast. There are age appropriate actors everywhere... do it right. And in the end, some stories are just gonna loop back, especially if the show keeps continuing. So watch or don't.
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