TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
01-18-21, 07:12 PM
#76
DVD Talk Legend
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
The food thing is common with sitcoms - no one ever seems to clean their plate. So much wasted food.
01-18-21, 08:21 PM
#77
DVD Talk Legend
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
It does actually bother me more. For good or ill, narrative decisions are pro-active choices. Things like props and set dressings that don't properly fit the milieu of the show's premise is just laziness and thoughtlessness.
01-18-21, 08:25 PM
#78
DVD Talk Legend
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
And for the person that was complaining about taking off their shoes, notice that on sitcoms nobody ever has to turn on lights when they come home or enter a room.
01-19-21, 03:43 AM
#79
DVD Talk Hero
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
A lot of these gripes come down to logistics.
For example, the quart vs gallon of milk. These are filmed sitcoms, so having a giant gallon of milk in a scene would tend to be distracting. And if the characters are going to be picking it up and passing it around, it's going to be heavy and distracting.
And they have all of the food sitting around and half-emptied plates for continuity purposes. The actors probably don't want to gorge themselves through multiple takes, so the prop department gives them half-eaten plates of food that pretend to eat that gives the illusion that, yes, they did eat.
And, yeah, it's the same with things like removing shoes and turning on and off lights.
When someone walks into a room and takes off their shoes, it's kind of distracting. It's a character taking an obvious action that will draw the viewer's eye away from what they should be watching and make them think the action is going to be important later. Best to just not bother with it.
You don't generally see character turn lights on or off unless it's important in the context of the scene, like entering a darkened room or going to bed, or if dad is going to yell at the kids for leaving a light on.
Another one of these shortcuts is when someone gets woken by a phone call... "Turn on your tv! Now!" And then they turn on the tv, and get the exact information they need without even needing to change the channel. That's something that will NEVER happen in real life. But it heightens dramatic tension, and allows the viewer to clue into the information the character needs to know.
For example, the quart vs gallon of milk. These are filmed sitcoms, so having a giant gallon of milk in a scene would tend to be distracting. And if the characters are going to be picking it up and passing it around, it's going to be heavy and distracting.
And they have all of the food sitting around and half-emptied plates for continuity purposes. The actors probably don't want to gorge themselves through multiple takes, so the prop department gives them half-eaten plates of food that pretend to eat that gives the illusion that, yes, they did eat.
And, yeah, it's the same with things like removing shoes and turning on and off lights.
When someone walks into a room and takes off their shoes, it's kind of distracting. It's a character taking an obvious action that will draw the viewer's eye away from what they should be watching and make them think the action is going to be important later. Best to just not bother with it.
You don't generally see character turn lights on or off unless it's important in the context of the scene, like entering a darkened room or going to bed, or if dad is going to yell at the kids for leaving a light on.
Another one of these shortcuts is when someone gets woken by a phone call... "Turn on your tv! Now!" And then they turn on the tv, and get the exact information they need without even needing to change the channel. That's something that will NEVER happen in real life. But it heightens dramatic tension, and allows the viewer to clue into the information the character needs to know.
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John Pannozzi (01-19-21)
01-19-21, 09:23 AM
#80
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Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
Another one of these shortcuts is when someone gets woken by a phone call... "Turn on your tv! Now!" And then they turn on the tv, and get the exact information they need without even needing to change the channel. That's something that will NEVER happen in real life. But it heightens dramatic tension, and allows the viewer to clue into the information the character needs to know.
01-19-21, 01:09 PM
#81
DVD Talk Legend
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
01-19-21, 03:52 PM
#82
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
This is, like, literally, every sitcom and some dramas that run for more than four or five seasons.
Characters' quirks, neuroses, and personality traits get amplified to the point where they consume the character. Kelly Bundy and Joey Tribiani get dumber, Phoebe gets loopier, Ross gets creepier, Ted from HIMYM gets needier, Fonzie can fix anyting by snapping his fingers, etc.
Characters' quirks, neuroses, and personality traits get amplified to the point where they consume the character. Kelly Bundy and Joey Tribiani get dumber, Phoebe gets loopier, Ross gets creepier, Ted from HIMYM gets needier, Fonzie can fix anyting by snapping his fingers, etc.
01-19-21, 04:11 PM
#83
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Thread Starter
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
A lot of these gripes come down to logistics.
For example, the quart vs gallon of milk. These are filmed sitcoms, so having a giant gallon of milk in a scene would tend to be distracting. And if the characters are going to be picking it up and passing it around, it's going to be heavy and distracting.
And they have all of the food sitting around and half-emptied plates for continuity purposes. The actors probably don't want to gorge themselves through multiple takes, so the prop department gives them half-eaten plates of food that pretend to eat that gives the illusion that, yes, they did eat.
And, yeah, it's the same with things like removing shoes and turning on and off lights.
When someone walks into a room and takes off their shoes, it's kind of distracting. It's a character taking an obvious action that will draw the viewer's eye away from what they should be watching and make them think the action is going to be important later. Best to just not bother with it.
You don't generally see character turn lights on or off unless it's important in the context of the scene, like entering a darkened room or going to bed, or if dad is going to yell at the kids for leaving a light on.
Another one of these shortcuts is when someone gets woken by a phone call... "Turn on your tv! Now!" And then they turn on the tv, and get the exact information they need without even needing to change the channel. That's something that will NEVER happen in real life. But it heightens dramatic tension, and allows the viewer to clue into the information the character needs to know.
For example, the quart vs gallon of milk. These are filmed sitcoms, so having a giant gallon of milk in a scene would tend to be distracting. And if the characters are going to be picking it up and passing it around, it's going to be heavy and distracting.
And they have all of the food sitting around and half-emptied plates for continuity purposes. The actors probably don't want to gorge themselves through multiple takes, so the prop department gives them half-eaten plates of food that pretend to eat that gives the illusion that, yes, they did eat.
And, yeah, it's the same with things like removing shoes and turning on and off lights.
When someone walks into a room and takes off their shoes, it's kind of distracting. It's a character taking an obvious action that will draw the viewer's eye away from what they should be watching and make them think the action is going to be important later. Best to just not bother with it.
You don't generally see character turn lights on or off unless it's important in the context of the scene, like entering a darkened room or going to bed, or if dad is going to yell at the kids for leaving a light on.
Another one of these shortcuts is when someone gets woken by a phone call... "Turn on your tv! Now!" And then they turn on the tv, and get the exact information they need without even needing to change the channel. That's something that will NEVER happen in real life. But it heightens dramatic tension, and allows the viewer to clue into the information the character needs to know.
I think I saw a Bojack Horseman episode recently where it was commented on, how rude it was to just hang up without saying goodbye.
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Spiderbite (01-25-21)
01-19-21, 04:25 PM
#84
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
This is, like, literally, every sitcom and some dramas that run for more than four or five seasons.
Characters' quirks, neuroses, and personality traits get amplified to the point where they consume the character. Kelly Bundy and Joey Tribiani get dumber, Phoebe gets loopier, Ross gets creepier, Ted from HIMYM gets needier, Fonzie can fix anyting by snapping his fingers, etc.
Characters' quirks, neuroses, and personality traits get amplified to the point where they consume the character. Kelly Bundy and Joey Tribiani get dumber, Phoebe gets loopier, Ross gets creepier, Ted from HIMYM gets needier, Fonzie can fix anyting by snapping his fingers, etc.
01-19-21, 04:27 PM
#85
DVD Talk Hero
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
I recently watched Parks and Rec for the first time and this is one of the things that stood out to me, in a good way. Like you said 99% of the time characters just get dumber because it's for an easy laugh. Parks and Rec avoided that pitfall brilliantly. Instead of slowly dumbing down the core characters, they introduced new characters so ridiculous it helped ground the normal cast and keep them from becoming parodies of themselves. Jean Ralphio, Mona Lisa and Craig are all characters that feel like the end result of characters on a 10 season show.
01-19-21, 07:31 PM
#87
DVD Talk Legend
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
Andy was a bit of a dick, lazy and selfish - but he definitely wasn't dumb in the first seasons. They turned him into a moron in the following seasons, but made him a lovable and caring character.
01-24-21, 11:23 PM
#89
DVD Talk Hero
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
Why the hell is this show even about fish when it never has anything to do with aquatic life?!
Seriously, Screw you, Bubble Guppies!
They do have some catchy little jingles from time to time though...
01-25-21, 10:12 AM
#90
DVD Talk Hero
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
In before someone complains about Paw Patrol: I don't care if they can talk, there's no way they have licenses to drive a truck let alone a helicopter.
01-30-21, 01:01 PM
#91
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
They actually addressed the "wearing shoes in the house" thing on The Neighborhood this. One of Calvin's neighbors came into Calvin's family's house and said something along the lines of "so you're one of those families that wears shoes in the house."
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tanman (02-01-21)
02-01-21, 03:40 PM
#92
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Thread Starter
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
I was going to put this in the Frasier revival thread, but it really belongs here.
Frasier is a show I watched consistently weekly for all 11 seasons. I always enjoyed it (not nearly as much as Cheers, but thought it was a really good show in its own right).
One thing I could never really get over though was the John Mahoney character of Martin Crane, the simplistic, Joe-Sixpack ex-cop. He was fun and beloved on the show, but let's be honest : A guy like that couldn't have and wouldn't have raised two sons who thought, spoke and ended up like Frasier and Niles. You can say that a kid can end up very different from his dad which is true -- but not like that. On the show they explained it away that it was all their deceased and unseen mother's influence, but I never bought that. Always seemed like a cop-out to me. Maybe if they presented Mahoney has an absentee divorced father, that the boys were raised somewhere toney and secluded by their mother and a wealthy step-father, then maybe. If the story was that their dad at all wasn't a part of their lives until much later in life, after his stroke, okay. But the show stuck with the story that Martin had raised the boys and just couldn't figure out how they ended up so different. I agree - it's not possible.
Frasier is a show I watched consistently weekly for all 11 seasons. I always enjoyed it (not nearly as much as Cheers, but thought it was a really good show in its own right).
One thing I could never really get over though was the John Mahoney character of Martin Crane, the simplistic, Joe-Sixpack ex-cop. He was fun and beloved on the show, but let's be honest : A guy like that couldn't have and wouldn't have raised two sons who thought, spoke and ended up like Frasier and Niles. You can say that a kid can end up very different from his dad which is true -- but not like that. On the show they explained it away that it was all their deceased and unseen mother's influence, but I never bought that. Always seemed like a cop-out to me. Maybe if they presented Mahoney has an absentee divorced father, that the boys were raised somewhere toney and secluded by their mother and a wealthy step-father, then maybe. If the story was that their dad at all wasn't a part of their lives until much later in life, after his stroke, okay. But the show stuck with the story that Martin had raised the boys and just couldn't figure out how they ended up so different. I agree - it's not possible.
02-01-21, 04:50 PM
#93
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
Not sure this fits the thread and I have mentioned this before, but I might as well vent again.
Empty coffee cups. They pretend it has coffee in it, but they fling it around and when they put it down it makes a hollow click.
Yeah it's petty, but once you notice, it becomes more obvious each time.
Empty coffee cups. They pretend it has coffee in it, but they fling it around and when they put it down it makes a hollow click.
Yeah it's petty, but once you notice, it becomes more obvious each time.
02-01-21, 09:09 PM
#94
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
This is a joke post but with a couple small kids I watch Bubble Guppies quite a bit. The fact that they’re fish (like) and live underwater, yet ALL their stories take place somewhere out of the water, drives me crazy. They have more damn shows take place in the desert that’s they do underwater!
Why the hell is this show even about fish when it never has anything to do with aquatic life?!
Seriously, Screw you, Bubble Guppies!
They do have some catchy little jingles from time to time though...
Why the hell is this show even about fish when it never has anything to do with aquatic life?!
Seriously, Screw you, Bubble Guppies!
They do have some catchy little jingles from time to time though...
I knew there were some parents on here that would understand
It is actually one of the better preschool shows. Not quite on the level of Sesame Street but way better than Peppa Pig or the dreaded Caillou which are banned from my house. And some of the tunes are quite a bit better then they deserve to be for what kind of show it is.
Huh... the talking fish/talking underwater/merpeople thing didn't phase you but this did? Although I think Spongebob also drinks stuff underwater.
In before someone complains about Paw Patrol: I don't care if they can talk, there's no way they have licenses to drive a truck let alone a helicopter.
In before someone complains about Paw Patrol: I don't care if they can talk, there's no way they have licenses to drive a truck let alone a helicopter.
02-01-21, 09:23 PM
#95
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
I was going to put this in the Frasier revival thread, but it really belongs here.
Frasier is a show I watched consistently weekly for all 11 seasons. I always enjoyed it (not nearly as much as Cheers, but thought it was a really good show in its own right).
One thing I could never really get over though was the John Mahoney character of Martin Crane, the simplistic, Joe-Sixpack ex-cop. He was fun and beloved on the show, but let's be honest : A guy like that couldn't have and wouldn't have raised two sons who thought, spoke and ended up like Frasier and Niles. You can say that a kid can end up very different from his dad which is true -- but not like that. On the show they explained it away that it was all their deceased and unseen mother's influence, but I never bought that. Always seemed like a cop-out to me. Maybe if they presented Mahoney has an absentee divorced father, that the boys were raised somewhere toney and secluded by their mother and a wealthy step-father, then maybe. If the story was that their dad at all wasn't a part of their lives until much later in life, after his stroke, okay. But the show stuck with the story that Martin had raised the boys and just couldn't figure out how they ended up so different. I agree - it's not possible.
Frasier is a show I watched consistently weekly for all 11 seasons. I always enjoyed it (not nearly as much as Cheers, but thought it was a really good show in its own right).
One thing I could never really get over though was the John Mahoney character of Martin Crane, the simplistic, Joe-Sixpack ex-cop. He was fun and beloved on the show, but let's be honest : A guy like that couldn't have and wouldn't have raised two sons who thought, spoke and ended up like Frasier and Niles. You can say that a kid can end up very different from his dad which is true -- but not like that. On the show they explained it away that it was all their deceased and unseen mother's influence, but I never bought that. Always seemed like a cop-out to me. Maybe if they presented Mahoney has an absentee divorced father, that the boys were raised somewhere toney and secluded by their mother and a wealthy step-father, then maybe. If the story was that their dad at all wasn't a part of their lives until much later in life, after his stroke, okay. But the show stuck with the story that Martin had raised the boys and just couldn't figure out how they ended up so different. I agree - it's not possible.
02-01-21, 09:26 PM
#96
DVD Talk Legend
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
I was going to put this in the Frasier revival thread, but it really belongs here.
Frasier is a show I watched consistently weekly for all 11 seasons. I always enjoyed it (not nearly as much as Cheers, but thought it was a really good show in its own right).
One thing I could never really get over though was the John Mahoney character of Martin Crane, the simplistic, Joe-Sixpack ex-cop. He was fun and beloved on the show, but let's be honest : A guy like that couldn't have and wouldn't have raised two sons who thought, spoke and ended up like Frasier and Niles. You can say that a kid can end up very different from his dad which is true -- but not like that. On the show they explained it away that it was all their deceased and unseen mother's influence, but I never bought that. Always seemed like a cop-out to me. Maybe if they presented Mahoney has an absentee divorced father, that the boys were raised somewhere toney and secluded by their mother and a wealthy step-father, then maybe. If the story was that their dad at all wasn't a part of their lives until much later in life, after his stroke, okay. But the show stuck with the story that Martin had raised the boys and just couldn't figure out how they ended up so different. I agree - it's not possible.
Frasier is a show I watched consistently weekly for all 11 seasons. I always enjoyed it (not nearly as much as Cheers, but thought it was a really good show in its own right).
One thing I could never really get over though was the John Mahoney character of Martin Crane, the simplistic, Joe-Sixpack ex-cop. He was fun and beloved on the show, but let's be honest : A guy like that couldn't have and wouldn't have raised two sons who thought, spoke and ended up like Frasier and Niles. You can say that a kid can end up very different from his dad which is true -- but not like that. On the show they explained it away that it was all their deceased and unseen mother's influence, but I never bought that. Always seemed like a cop-out to me. Maybe if they presented Mahoney has an absentee divorced father, that the boys were raised somewhere toney and secluded by their mother and a wealthy step-father, then maybe. If the story was that their dad at all wasn't a part of their lives until much later in life, after his stroke, okay. But the show stuck with the story that Martin had raised the boys and just couldn't figure out how they ended up so different. I agree - it's not possible.
02-01-21, 10:30 PM
#97
DVD Talk Hero
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
I mean, who funds the Paw Patrol?! The poor tax payers of Adventure Bay? They’re being fleeced, man! Those Paw Patrol mutts are constantly driving around in some new modified vehicles that are only slight variations of their old vehicles.
02-02-21, 10:50 AM
#98
DVD Talk Legend
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
The Frasier thing doesn't bother me too much because one time his son Freddie comes to visit (who's been living with Lilith) and he's gone total goth*. So, the idea of kids being different than their parents is a pretty common trope. I take more issue with the size of the apartment Frasier and Martin are living in than that other stuff.
*one of the plot points is that he doesn't want to spend time with his dad as he's arranged to meet up with a local goth girl for a date, who also shows up in the proper goth garb same as Freddie. Once they leave, Niles quips off one of the finest jokes I think that show ever landed: "well, at least he's dating within his religion".
*one of the plot points is that he doesn't want to spend time with his dad as he's arranged to meet up with a local goth girl for a date, who also shows up in the proper goth garb same as Freddie. Once they leave, Niles quips off one of the finest jokes I think that show ever landed: "well, at least he's dating within his religion".
02-02-21, 10:52 AM
#99
DVD Talk Hero
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
But they apparently don't fund normal police/firefighters and I can't imagine they pay the dogs a Union salary. Plus the merchandising income those dogs bring in. And the tourism!
02-02-21, 02:12 PM
#100
DVD Talk Hero
Re: TV Shows With Such Glaring Holes They Ruin Everything Else
I’ll tell you what. A dedicated criminal could really take that town for everything they’ve got. While the Paw Patrol is out there gathering up pancakes that fell off a delivery truck or something, the criminal could be robbing entire banks and murdering the whole population of that town!