[Music]
how predictable welcome to watchmojo.com
and today we’re counting down our list
for the top ten cliches founding TV we
before we begin we publish new videos
every day so be sure to subscribe for
more great content for this list we’re
examining the cliches tropes and other
recurring elements most prevalent in
television but you don’t believe me ask
Jerry I will what do you mean you will
no no no no that’s a bad idea Jerry’s a
very private person I want to hear it
from Jerry number 10 all the drama I
will not let myself get that close to
someone and lose them again view of our
lives are as exciting or filled with as
much conflict and strife as people on
television each episode puts the show’s
characters through more stuff than most
of us deal with in a year this may seem
par for the course though after all TV
is built on drama even so-called reality
shows inject conflict to spice up their
content and to create dramatic weight to
ostensibly authentic events right here
make it right nevertheless overly
dramatic situations are a cliche meaning
that audiences need to buy into an awful
lot wouldn’t it be nice to see more
ordinary events reflected on screen Oh
indeed
number 9 the hangout spot and I guess
you left a message on my machine that
reporter from NYU
a lot of us have a place like a
restaurant or a bar where we like to
spend time with friends but TV
characters take it a step further
treating their hangout spots like their
second homes and a big-city bartender
with a joke it’s already you from out of
town the reason for this is usually the
result of production necessities while
some shows can afford to show characters
eating out in a new place every week
many cannot so it’s easier and more
cost-effective to just have a few
standing sets or locations for the
characters to hang on these hangouts are
often iconic parts of their respective
shows though so this is one cliche we’re
definitely willing to live with okay
thank you
and as always no one talked to me after
the show
number eight computer exaggerations
magnify that death-sphere
why is it filled blurry that’s all the
resolution we have making it bigger
doesn’t make it clearer it does on CSI
Miami even in today’s largely computer
literate society there are still things
that we don’t know about them
however TV shows continually treat the
machines like their borderline magical
or at the very least capable of doing
things that they can’t do in real life
cop shows and other procedurals are
usually guiltiest of this cliche Curtis
is dialing a number can you enhance it
yeah sorry enhancing camera footage with
no resolution drop is not feasible also
according to TV hacking is something you
can do in minutes flat and never
requires the use of a mouse we’re no
expert but even we’re rolling our eyes
of these errors so this is one trope
we’d love to see deleted isolate pocket
contents enhance enhance enhance enhance
enhance enhance enhance enhance enhance
enhance meet me at the strip club
tonight it all goes down xoxo VB
number-7 token minorities this will be a
group project so I’m gonna place you all
into groups of five let’s see wind a bay
bay clad Pip and toke and you’ll be
group one we’ve all seen this one before
in an attempt to seem relatable to every
possible audience member show producers
will try to form a cast of specific
ethnicities genders sexual orientations
or other defining features the classic
example is a largely white cast with a
single or a few token ethnic minority
characters it’s okay I don’t have to go
I’m happy just to guide you and your
ladies to suitable entertainment choices
I’m a walking Brown yup calm some shows
have wised up to the trope and we’ll
make self aware comments or even flip
the ratio to have a token white
character other common setups include a
token gay character or a token female if
the cast is primarily male ultimately it
just comes across as disingenuous and
kablooie right in your face number six
will they won’t they you finish okay she
started kissing me and and I didn’t stop
it I guess I just wasn’t thinking
spoiler alert they will television shows
love to toy with the idea that maybe the
love interest in programs won’t end up
together there are obstacles thrown in
to delay the inevitable
like ex-lovers big arguments or
misunderstandings galore but we all know
that it’ll happen at some point give or
take a character’s death or the show’s
cancellation it’s gotten to the point
where it would honestly be refreshing to
see things not work out between those
two crazy kids after all love doesn’t
always mean everyone stays together in
reality still we realize that TV is
largely an escape from the real world so
it’s understandable why this trope has
[Music]
you remembered number five struggling
20-somethings with huge apartments look
around you guys this was your first home
and it was a happy place
many sitcoms feature people with
apartments or houses far larger than
what people of their economic means
mean come on it’s not hard to figure out
how expensive the cost of living would
be in the major cities where the
characters live this discrepancy is
rarely addressed in shows leaving the
audience to suspend their disbelief from
a production standpoint however it makes
sense filming in a larger space offers
more opportunities for movement and
great a variety of camera placement so
despite not making much sense in the
narrative this cliche likely won’t be
disappearing anytime soon but more
important because of rent control it was
a friggin steal number four learning an
important lesson in the end nothing
rounds out a TV episode quite as Title
II or some might argue condescendingly
as a summation of what we’re supposed to
have learned from what we’ve just
watched this form of storytelling has
been around for quite some time and
neither features a narrator summing up
the message or character expressing
either aloud or in an inner monologue
what they and therefore the audience
have taken away from the events they’ve
experienced well if the truth is the
only reason everybody was keeping their
secrets was because they didn’t want to
lose each other the real world is rarely
quite so easy to understand but it’s
nice to imagine it is when you watch TV
plus some shows have gotten adept at
parodying this practice which can be
pretty funny
number three catchphrases in the case of
television writers will intentionally
have a character repeat a phrase hoping
it will become associated with the
person who says it and even with the
show as a whole thing is catchphrases
are a very delicate thing to play with
sure a line might get a laugh the first
few times but if used too liberally it
can become incredibly tiresome to hear
every episode every time a character
makes an appearance
sometimes though it’s music to our ears
and that’s when you know you have
something special you can’t really have
TV without the catchphrases this is my
own private domicile and it will not be
harassed bitch
number two ugly guy hot wife oh it’s one
of we ever had trouble communicating Oh
Peter I love you but a quarter past five
she is way out of his league time and
time again TV is depicted less
attractive men paired with more
attractive female partners the reverse
to be honest is a rarity it was a
toss-up between this cliche and the dumb
dad trope but this one’s annoying for
both sexes isn’t there anything we can
do the origin of this hotness disparity
is possibly due to more men being in
charge of casting roles for television
meaning they were more likely to cast
attractive women we’re not saying this
cliche doesn’t happen in real life it
does but TV portrays it happening far
more than in reality okay
what have sex before we get to our top
pick here are a few honorable mentions
call them up tell mommy on top side no
thank you
do it no you shot me
damn right then why did you stay that’s
none of your business
oh you got a secret agenda huh well if
you’re spying for Jack I’m not spying
for anyone so why don’t you tell because
I don’t trust you
he knows who’s Thomas Merton who is he
he’s the one thing you can never take
nothing is guaranteed to get an audience
to throw their hands up and grow more
than discovering they have to wait to
find out how things turn out
cliffhangers are the handiest weapon in
a show’s back pocket to keep people
tuning in whether it’s for any old
episode or a season finale by leaving
off on a moment of excitement or
uncertainty we’re left waiting with
bated breath until the next episode airs
which can sometimes be a painfully long
time is it a little manipulative
absolutely but it works and if it ain’t
broke don’t fix it as long as there’s TV
there will probably be cliffhangers do
you agree with our picks check out these
other great clips from WatchMojo and subscribe for new videos every day
how predictable welcome to watchmojo.com
and today we’re counting down our list
for the top ten cliches founding TV we
before we begin we publish new videos
every day so be sure to subscribe for
more great content for this list we’re
examining the cliches tropes and other
recurring elements most prevalent in
television but you don’t believe me ask
Jerry I will what do you mean you will
no no no no that’s a bad idea Jerry’s a
very private person I want to hear it
from Jerry number 10 all the drama I
will not let myself get that close to
someone and lose them again view of our
lives are as exciting or filled with as
much conflict and strife as people on
television each episode puts the show’s
characters through more stuff than most
of us deal with in a year this may seem
par for the course though after all TV
is built on drama even so-called reality
shows inject conflict to spice up their
content and to create dramatic weight to
ostensibly authentic events right here
make it right nevertheless overly
dramatic situations are a cliche meaning
that audiences need to buy into an awful
lot wouldn’t it be nice to see more
ordinary events reflected on screen Oh
indeed
number 9 the hangout spot and I guess
you left a message on my machine that
reporter from NYU
a lot of us have a place like a
restaurant or a bar where we like to
spend time with friends but TV
characters take it a step further
treating their hangout spots like their
second homes and a big-city bartender
with a joke it’s already you from out of
town the reason for this is usually the
result of production necessities while
some shows can afford to show characters
eating out in a new place every week
many cannot so it’s easier and more
cost-effective to just have a few
standing sets or locations for the
characters to hang on these hangouts are
often iconic parts of their respective
shows though so this is one cliche we’re
definitely willing to live with okay
thank you
and as always no one talked to me after
the show
number eight computer exaggerations
magnify that death-sphere
why is it filled blurry that’s all the
resolution we have making it bigger
doesn’t make it clearer it does on CSI
Miami even in today’s largely computer
literate society there are still things
that we don’t know about them
however TV shows continually treat the
machines like their borderline magical
or at the very least capable of doing
things that they can’t do in real life
cop shows and other procedurals are
usually guiltiest of this cliche Curtis
is dialing a number can you enhance it
yeah sorry enhancing camera footage with
no resolution drop is not feasible also
according to TV hacking is something you
can do in minutes flat and never
requires the use of a mouse we’re no
expert but even we’re rolling our eyes
of these errors so this is one trope
we’d love to see deleted isolate pocket
contents enhance enhance enhance enhance
enhance enhance enhance enhance enhance
enhance meet me at the strip club
tonight it all goes down xoxo VB
number-7 token minorities this will be a
group project so I’m gonna place you all
into groups of five let’s see wind a bay
bay clad Pip and toke and you’ll be
group one we’ve all seen this one before
in an attempt to seem relatable to every
possible audience member show producers
will try to form a cast of specific
ethnicities genders sexual orientations
or other defining features the classic
example is a largely white cast with a
single or a few token ethnic minority
characters it’s okay I don’t have to go
I’m happy just to guide you and your
ladies to suitable entertainment choices
I’m a walking Brown yup calm some shows
have wised up to the trope and we’ll
make self aware comments or even flip
the ratio to have a token white
character other common setups include a
token gay character or a token female if
the cast is primarily male ultimately it
just comes across as disingenuous and
kablooie right in your face number six
will they won’t they you finish okay she
started kissing me and and I didn’t stop
it I guess I just wasn’t thinking
spoiler alert they will television shows
love to toy with the idea that maybe the
love interest in programs won’t end up
together there are obstacles thrown in
to delay the inevitable
like ex-lovers big arguments or
misunderstandings galore but we all know
that it’ll happen at some point give or
take a character’s death or the show’s
cancellation it’s gotten to the point
where it would honestly be refreshing to
see things not work out between those
two crazy kids after all love doesn’t
always mean everyone stays together in
reality still we realize that TV is
largely an escape from the real world so
it’s understandable why this trope has
[Music]
you remembered number five struggling
20-somethings with huge apartments look
around you guys this was your first home
and it was a happy place
many sitcoms feature people with
apartments or houses far larger than
what people of their economic means
mean come on it’s not hard to figure out
how expensive the cost of living would
be in the major cities where the
characters live this discrepancy is
rarely addressed in shows leaving the
audience to suspend their disbelief from
a production standpoint however it makes
sense filming in a larger space offers
more opportunities for movement and
great a variety of camera placement so
despite not making much sense in the
narrative this cliche likely won’t be
disappearing anytime soon but more
important because of rent control it was
a friggin steal number four learning an
important lesson in the end nothing
rounds out a TV episode quite as Title
II or some might argue condescendingly
as a summation of what we’re supposed to
have learned from what we’ve just
watched this form of storytelling has
been around for quite some time and
neither features a narrator summing up
the message or character expressing
either aloud or in an inner monologue
what they and therefore the audience
have taken away from the events they’ve
experienced well if the truth is the
only reason everybody was keeping their
secrets was because they didn’t want to
lose each other the real world is rarely
quite so easy to understand but it’s
nice to imagine it is when you watch TV
plus some shows have gotten adept at
parodying this practice which can be
pretty funny
number three catchphrases in the case of
television writers will intentionally
have a character repeat a phrase hoping
it will become associated with the
person who says it and even with the
show as a whole thing is catchphrases
are a very delicate thing to play with
sure a line might get a laugh the first
few times but if used too liberally it
can become incredibly tiresome to hear
every episode every time a character
makes an appearance
sometimes though it’s music to our ears
and that’s when you know you have
something special you can’t really have
TV without the catchphrases this is my
own private domicile and it will not be
harassed bitch
number two ugly guy hot wife oh it’s one
of we ever had trouble communicating Oh
Peter I love you but a quarter past five
she is way out of his league time and
time again TV is depicted less
attractive men paired with more
attractive female partners the reverse
to be honest is a rarity it was a
toss-up between this cliche and the dumb
dad trope but this one’s annoying for
both sexes isn’t there anything we can
do the origin of this hotness disparity
is possibly due to more men being in
charge of casting roles for television
meaning they were more likely to cast
attractive women we’re not saying this
cliche doesn’t happen in real life it
does but TV portrays it happening far
more than in reality okay
what have sex before we get to our top
pick here are a few honorable mentions
call them up tell mommy on top side no
thank you
do it no you shot me
damn right then why did you stay that’s
none of your business
oh you got a secret agenda huh well if
you’re spying for Jack I’m not spying
for anyone so why don’t you tell because
I don’t trust you
he knows who’s Thomas Merton who is he
he’s the one thing you can never take
nothing is guaranteed to get an audience
to throw their hands up and grow more
than discovering they have to wait to
find out how things turn out
cliffhangers are the handiest weapon in
a show’s back pocket to keep people
tuning in whether it’s for any old
episode or a season finale by leaving
off on a moment of excitement or
uncertainty we’re left waiting with
bated breath until the next episode airs
which can sometimes be a painfully long
time is it a little manipulative
absolutely but it works and if it ain’t
broke don’t fix it as long as there’s TV
there will probably be cliffhangers do
you agree with our picks check out these
other great clips from WatchMojo and subscribe for new videos every day
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