Fake stuff you hate on TV shows

[Dan Druff]

Obviously TV is not real life, but there are still some fake things I see on TV that always irritate me, and in fact interfere with my ability to forget that I'm watching fiction:


- Enhanced crime scene photos. How many times have you seen police investigating a crime, pulling footage from a grainy security camera. Just as you think the footage will be useless (as it often is in real life), someone asks, "Can you enhance that?", and the blurry face of the perpetrator becomes crystal clear. This is impossible! It bugs me because it's really lazy storytelling. Props to Futurama for making fun of this on one of their episodes, where Zap Branigan sees blurry footage from some dangerous thing in space, asks, "Can you enhance that?", his assistant Kif says, "No, that's the highest resolution we have", and Zap responds, "That doesn't matter. I always see them do it on CSI!"


- Fake city names. I understand when they change names of real people they are trying to lampoon because they want to avoid lawsuits. But why change city names? Often they take place in fictitious locations, which bugs me if I know the area. I don't want to see a show about crime in southern California, where a murder takes place in "Rancho Marina".


- Adult high school students. "90210" was most guilty of this, but I hate the general practice of casting actors in their late 20s to play high school students. Even 23 years out of high school, I know what 17-year-olds look like, and they don't resemble someone approaching 30.

[Crowe Diddly]

- Enhanced crime scene photos. How many times have you seen police investigating a crime, pulling footage from a grainy security camera. Just as you think the footage will be useless (as it often is in real life), someone asks, "Can you enhance that?", and the blurry face of the perpetrator becomes crystal clear. This is impossible! It bugs me because it's really lazy storytelling. Props to Futurama for making fun of this on one of their episodes, where Zap Branigan sees blurry footage from some dangerous thing in space, asks, "Can you enhance that?", his assistant Kif says, "No, that's the highest resolution we have", and Zap responds, "That doesn't matter. I always see them do it on CSI!"

[zealanddonk]

"I don't want to see a show about crime in southern California, where a murder takes place in "Rancho Marina"."

I heard El Chico Loco has spent a lot of time in the Rancho Marina area, can you confirm or deny that ?

[BCR]

Obviously TV is not real life, but there are still some fake things I see on TV that always irritate me, and in fact interfere with my ability to forget that I'm watching fiction:




- Adult high school students. "90210" was most guilty of this, but I hate the general practice of casting actors in their late 20s to play high school students. Even 23 years out of high school, I know what 17-year-olds look like, and they don't resemble someone approaching 30.

Grease I think started this trend. Everyone is Grease was pushing 30 or well over, and it worked, so it became the norm.

[RobbieBensonFan]

Good thread, surprised it has not gotten more action.

There are several things that tilt me on TV, nothing more though than the Law and Order series. Every single time when they went to court, everything was resolved in like one proceeding. Most capital crimes are litigated for weeks, but every time on this fucking show, the DA basically wins it on the same day.

I get the fact the show is only an hour, but every now and then they should have stretched a case out to a couple episodes.

Also, you know what would get huge action? A remake of the Brady Bunch. Except it would be called the Brady Thugs based in south Chicago. Bobby would be sniffing his step sisters panties and Greg would be dealing crystalized meth, while Mr. Brady would be banging Alice on the side.

[Mad Dad]

TV? - I heard that lots of people used to spend time watching it.
Smalltalk? - that is something that bugs me.

[SrslySirius]

It annoys me when people play instruments and it's obvious that they're not hitting the right notes and are just pretending to play. It's especially obvious with drums, but I notice it on guitar too as I used to play that quite a lot. Animated shows are extra guilty of doing this.

Anything to do with computers. CSI is notorious for making up bullshit, but I see it all over the place. Even minor stuff like never using a mouse, or bleep bloop sounds for every action reduces immersion.

Any time you see people playing video games on TV, they're furiously mashing buttons on their controllers, often holding them awkwardly. Not every game plays like Mario Party.

EDIT: The movie Hackers gets a pass because it's so hilariously bad.

[Walter Sobchak]

It annoys me when people play instruments and it's obvious that they're not hitting the right notes and are just pretending to play. It's especially obvious with drums, but I notice it on guitar too as I used to play that quite a lot. Animated shows are extra guilty of doing this.

Anything to do with computers. CSI is notorious for making up bullshit, but I see it all over the place. Even minor stuff like never using a mouse, or bleep bloop sounds for every action reduces immersion.

Any time you see people playing video games on TV, they're furiously mashing buttons on their controllers, often holding them awkwardly. Not every game plays like Mario Party.

EDIT: The movie Hackers gets a pass because it's so hilariously bad.

Hackers was horrible but perfect for its time and place when the whole concept was new to the general public.

Hack the Gibson!

One fake thing I hate is how on many shows the characters live in places they could never afford. Nobody on Friends ever had a real job but they lived in huge NYC apartments and hung out drinking lattes all day.

[SrslySirius]

One fake thing I hate is how on many shows the characters live in places they could never afford. Nobody on Friends ever had a real job but they lived in huge NYC apartments and hung out drinking lattes all day.

Not exactly true. Ross was a paleontologist, and I think Chandler worked at some sort of IT company. Monica had a semi-successful catering business for a while.

[Walter Sobchak]

One fake thing I hate is how on many shows the characters live in places they could never afford. Nobody on Friends ever had a real job but they lived in huge NYC apartments and hung out drinking lattes all day.

Not exactly true. Ross was a paleontologist, and I think Chandler worked at some sort of IT company. Monica had a semi-successful catering business for a while.

And those gigs would have got you a tiny cupboard of a studio in a crap building or one small bedroom in a small multi-bedroom apartment, also in a crap building, in the NYC real estate market.

[SrslySirius]

Not exactly true. Ross was a paleontologist, and I think Chandler worked at some sort of IT company. Monica had a semi-successful catering business for a while.

And those gigs would have got you a tiny cupboard of a studio in a crap building or one small bedroom in a small multi-bedroom apartment, also in a crap building, in the NYC real estate market.

Oh, right. I wouldn't know about that. I suppose it doesn't add up, also considering that Joey and Phoebe always seem to be unemployed.

[RobbieBensonFan]

Another tilt factor are two shows I watch time and again on TV Land:

1) Three's Company. They all share ONE bathroom. Seriously, come on.

2) The Jeffersons. Lionel. Enough said.

[JimmyG_415]

Most gambling scenes are just pathetic.

I think it was "lucky you" maybe "tilt", or maybe one from each.
Like the hero and one other guy were both "all in", whoever lost that hand was gone, so they had the exact same amount of chips? Unless this is the 1st few hands almost impossible,

Another scene, the villain lures the hero to go all in, then calls w/ "Flush,.............King high" like he had the nuts, oh gee let me guess what Eric Banana has. No real poker player would do that.

This movie here, has a scene, where the line is 10, the fav wins by 10, (or something, it ties the spread) so me and my friend are well at least they don't have to pay out. All of a sudden they start jumping around because they won.
Both of us were like are you telling me that not one person on that set knows how a bet works, yet the movie is called "Bookies".

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0302361/

Even though the game was rigged, and double rigged, my favorite poker scene is Paul Newman on the train in the Sting,

[Hockey Guy]

Another tilt factor are two shows I watch time and again on TV Land:

1) Three's Company. They all share ONE bathroom. Seriously, come on.

2) The Jeffersons. Lionel. Enough said.

Yeah, they should have rented that 2 bedroom 3 bathroom apartment obviously.

[RobbieBensonFan]

Another tilt factor are two shows I watch time and again on TV Land:

1) Three's Company. They all share ONE bathroom. Seriously, come on.

2) The Jeffersons. Lionel. Enough said.

Yeah, they should have rented that 2 bedroom 3 bathroom apartment obviously.

Not sure if your comment is sarcastic or not. But the fact a dude would be renting an apartment with two reasonably hot chicks sharing 1 bathroom is implausible. Especially when the bathroom basically opens up to where you are watching TV.

I mean think about how stupid that is. What, the two chicks with their friends are watching TV on the couch and Jack just strolls into the bathroom with the sports section

[limitles]

Another tilt factor are two shows I watch time and again on TV Land:

1) Three's Company. They all share ONE bathroom. Seriously, come on.

2) The Jeffersons. Lionel. Enough said.

Yeah, they should have rented that 2 bedroom 3 bathroom apartment obviously.

Really? On day 12 of sobriety I see this thread and I start thinking what is it all about?

Is this how far mankind has come?

So I turned to the drink to wipe out any memory if this pitiful thread and yet upon waking I see it

remains......mocking me and any life form above the fern.

Oh well

[Walter Sobchak]

Yeah, they should have rented that 2 bedroom 3 bathroom apartment obviously.

Not sure if your comment is sarcastic or not. But the fact a dude would be renting an apartment with two reasonably hot chicks sharing 1 bathroom is implausible. Especially when the bathroom basically opens up to where you are watching TV.

I mean think about how stupid that is. What, the two chicks with their friends are watching TV on the couch and Jack just strolls into the bathroom with the sports section

I never thought about that before but you really have a point. It's untenable.

[Hockey Guy]

Yeah, they should have rented that 2 bedroom 3 bathroom apartment obviously.

Not sure if your comment is sarcastic or not. But the fact a dude would be renting an apartment with two reasonably hot chicks sharing 1 bathroom is implausible. Especially when the bathroom basically opens up to where you are watching TV.

I mean think about how stupid that is. What, the two chicks with their friends are watching TV on the couch and Jack just strolls into the bathroom with the sports section

Apartments only have one bathroom. If they lived in an apartment that had 2 that would be the implausible scenario & not that there is only one. If they lived in an apartment that had 2 they would be rich enough that they wouldn't need to have 3 people living in a 2 bedroom apartment. Don't let logic get in the way of your arguement.

If you've ever watched the show they use the fact that they are sharing the bathroom for comedic effect.

[limitles]

Not sure if your comment is sarcastic or not. But the fact a dude would be renting an apartment with two reasonably hot chicks sharing 1 bathroom is implausible. Especially when the bathroom basically opens up to where you are watching TV.

I mean think about how stupid that is. What, the two chicks with their friends are watching TV on the couch and Jack just strolls into the bathroom with the sports section

Apartments only have one bathroom. If they lived in an apartment that had 2 that would be the implausible scenario & not that there is only one. If they lived in an apartment that had 2 they would be rich enough that they wouldn't need to have 3 people living in a 2 bedroom apartment. Don't let logic get in the way of your arguement.

If you've ever watched the show they use the fact that they are sharing the bathroom for comedic effect.

Fanfuckingtastic.

[SrslySirius]

Yeah, they should have rented that 2 bedroom 3 bathroom apartment obviously.

Really? On day 12 of sobriety I see this thread and I start thinking what is it all about?

Is this how far mankind has come?

So I turned to the drink to wipe out any memory if this pitiful thread and yet upon waking I see it

remains......mocking me and any life form above the fern.

Oh well

This thread is about TV shows, Mike. Er, I mean les. Anyway I thought you fell off the wagon last night.