It seems almost every television drama, even shows you really like, will eventually dredge up a particular genre for that week’s plot that has been done before.
What kinds of genre storylines do you dislike the most?
I personally hate when they suddenly bring in some story about a boxer and some fixed fight or evil trainer/manager of boxer.
Few things are worse than a Christmas episode ripping off “It’s A Wonderful Life”.
I am so sick of versions of A Christmas Carol, always done around Christmas-time and always meant to be heartwarming. Barf.
A Christmas episode ripping off “A Christmas Carol.”*
Back in the 60s, the obvious choices were “someone gets amnesia from a knock on the head” and “couple discovers they’re not legally married.” One comedy of the era used those two plots for the first two episodes; you knew they were in trouble.
*Though Quantum Leap gets a pass.
And the split-screen “identical twin” schtick. And the “transfer minds” schtick, where actors trade off playing roles.
And the “I told my dad I was a successful business owner, and he’s coming to visit, so everybody has to pretend to be my office staff” schtick. P.U.
“Oh, it was just a dream.”
The Misunderstood Out Of Context Statement.
One well placed question is all it takes to fix the situation. But then, it IS situation comedy.
FOr my 1 hr dramas: The Nemesis, Fiance, PTSD causing event, Given up child, etc… from the past returning. IOW, some vital part of a person’s personality or current situation, THAT HAS NEVER EVEN BEEN HINTED AT, now is a vital part of the show. More often then not, it also will never ever come up again, kind of like a Star Trek tech solution.
In 60s dramas, the 54-minute love affair, where the star falls deeply in love with someone who’s never been shown before, only to break up at the end (if the lover isn’t killed halfway through).
Picking up the pieces of a really drunken, debauched night.
Bonus points if someone married a skank.
And of course, no-one remembers anything.
I call that the Love Boat Plot. Happens in tonnes of shows, but I first noticed it (being tween aged at the time it aired) being a common thing in that show. Since then, I’ve seen it everywhere.
In the 1970’s, it seemed that every sitcom had to do a mediocre Rashoman episode.
I don’t mind the Rashomon ones because they can be amusing. I do hate the Christmas ones.
I am going to add the “you’ve been shot! I need to dig out the bullet!”. Usually there’s some sort of situation where they are being chased by bad guys and can’t get to a hospital or they are the bad guys. I am not a doctor but I think the best option would be to pack the wound and apply a pressure bandage. Sticking a non-sterile knife into a wound in the chest or abdomen seems like it would cause more problems than prevent. But, miraculously, they always get better once the bullet is out and once the crisis is over they don’t even need to be hospitalized. It’s amazing how these gut shots and chest wounds never hit organs or major blood vessels.
The “musical” episode.
–The star of the sitcom gets audited
–Someone on the show is acting suspicious and has a Terrible Awful Secret (that turns out to be not terrible or awful)
– One of the cast is a thief/liar/murderer.
Though I can give a pass to Married…with Children for their version.
Given how soapy Downton Abbey has become, I was incredibly surprised and relieved when they refrained from the old “is it the husband’s baby or the rapist’s baby?” plotline. I was 90% sure they were going there and it would have been so painful.
See X Files Bad Blood and Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space’ as cases in point 
It seems like every crime show sooner or later has to do one about whether or not the psychic saw their own murder coming.
Maybe not a genre, exactly, but (and I’ve mentioned this before) I see absolute blazing red when there’s a Troublesome Younger Sibling (99 times out of 100, it’s a Troublesome Little Sister). Parents inevitably die in a car crash sticking the (99 times out of 100) heroine with a 12 - 15 year old young sister. Young sister inevitably is a big screwup, getting in the way of heroine’s undercover job/romantic life. Young sister guzzles the booze, has wild parties in heroine’s apartment, sets hair on fire, gets kicked out of school, and most likely is kidnapped by the villain. Young sister should be put on a goddam bus, pronto, to Auntie Em in Biblebiter, Kansas, but NO! I hate the Troublesome Little Sister. Not that I’m unsympathetic to their situation, but it’s always the same. Acting out like an asshole. Never a nice kid, always being the big honkin’ cliche. “Wahh, I’m an orphan! I hate you! You aren’t my mother! Is that your boyfriend, he is HOT!!! I hate you! I hate school! Don’t tell ME what to do!”
In before someone mentions Newhart, because someone always has to as an exception. Many of the plot genres are forgivable, if the 4th wall is broken or they are “lampshaded” as TVTropes says.
(Related to the dark secret) When characters have a new secret, despite no mention for the last 6 seasons or any suggestion that it was remotely true. And not related to them becoming more jealous/learning a lie that makes them think their friends will betray them/drinking the evil potion.
Less plot related:
Blink and you miss it - when you read a synopsis later and think, “huh? that happened? when?” Also, wasn’t a huge fan of Breaking Bad’s pre-episode teasers if they require you to rewatch to remember things. The debris ones were okay because they called back the previous one.
Clip shows. Sometimes it’s alright, like when the Simpsons parodied it. Sometimes it is meh or worse, like the Simpsons musical episode.
Chekhov’s gun can be done poorly (if a significant thing is introduced, it will be used later). Like the character who just happens to drop her PADI scuba certification out of her purse, and you know she’ll have to dive at some point even though she is a random sociology major who lives in Nebraska, miles from any deep water.
Wonderful if done well. Heh:
Marge: You liked “Rashomon”.
Homer: That’s not how I remember it.
For me:
[ol]
[li]Blatant ripoffs of “It’s a Wonderful Life” which itself is a Hollywoodized version of A Christmas Carol[/li][li]An old friend. who is never spoken of before, returns with a “dark secret.”[/li][li]The Flashback Show - Worse if it isn’t the first time. Really terrible when such a show reveals a plot hole that the showrunner really should hope that the audience forgot.[/li][li]The protagonist is placed in harm’s way and all of the characters comie forward to tell him/her (usually while they are unconcious or in a coma) how they truly “feel” about them. Followed by a “miraculous” recovery[/li][/ol]
A baby being born somewhere outside of a hospital, especially if it’s somewhere ridiculous like in an elevator or in a mountain cabin.
Like the OP I also don’t like boxing plots, I think it’s a brutal pastime and any justification for it bothers me.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Police procedural/mystery show that didn’t have an episode set at a Fashion shoot. It’s a cliché I don’t need to see again.