# Plot Genres You Hate, Even In Your Favorite Shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 8, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851 "2014-02-08T19:37:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/101 "2014-02-12T02:33:52Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > And more specifically- remove glasses and straighten curly hair. Because no one with glasses and curls can be pretty My dad laughed that only in hollywood does messy hair and thick glasses make a girl ugly. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/102 "2014-02-12T02:36:52Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Someone else’s beloved pet dies while in the care of our main character. > … and they have to lie to cover it up! Hilarious! > … and it wasn’t even the protagonist’s fault! Hilarious! > … and they try to replace the pet with an “identical” replacement. Let’s all laugh when the owner doesn’t realize it! Hilarious! There’s also this old joke/story/urban legend: Dog comes in with neighbor’s dead, dirty rabbit Dog owner freaks out, cleans up corpse, sneaks into neighbors yard and puts it back in the hutch Cue neighbors’ asking what sick fuck would dig up their recently naturally deceased rabbit and put it back in the cage to scare the kids, crying in the background There’s similar ones with goldfish and such. Often like a version of O. Henry’s _the Gift of the Magi_ ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/103 "2014-02-12T02:41:35Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > That’s been done but for the life of me I can’t remember an example. MacGruber plays with colored wires a bit (probably the SNL skits are better, not the crappy movie). [Sluggy Freelance](http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/20000613) did it ages ago. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/104 "2014-02-12T02:46:53Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > A cop/DA (and almost always a female) is kidnapped and her colleagues have to carry out an elaborate rescue plan. One thing I like about \*CSI \*is that they don’t just do this with women. Not that I like the plot device, but at least they did it with Nick too (and he cried about it–nice to see a tough male cop cry. Doesn’t seem to happen that often.) ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/105 "2014-02-12T03:59:32Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > One thing I like about \*CSI \*is that they don’t just do this with women. Not that I like the plot device, but at least they did it with Nick too (and he cried about it–nice to see a tough male cop cry. Doesn’t seem to happen that often.) I remember that episode, the villain was saying something along the lines of “Nobody ever listened to me!” while holding him at gunpoint. His reply was a teary “I’m a very good listener…”😃 ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/106 "2014-02-12T04:00:33Z")
> [@grude](#): > > My dad laughed that only in hollywood does messy hair and thick glasses make a girl ugly. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZaqF-7v9BtY/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-AoAC8AGKAgwIABABGH8gMCgfMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBIspNoG-YGEC0XeVtOHVt-MR0wBA "Not Another Teen Movie - 'Transformation' Scene") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaqF-7v9BtY&t=0m37s) ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/107 "2014-02-12T04:03:19Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Any heist episode. I think that was every third episode of Firefly. Does this one count if the show is in fact about a group of smugglers and thieves? > [@Miss Mapp](#): > > It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them, but I clearly recall the lone juror/Twelve Angry Men scenario I described happening with Edith Bunker and the Fonz–and I think also Aunt Bea, although it may have been someone else in Mayberry. There was also an episode of Quincy, where he used his medical expertise to point out problems in the evidence. My dad told me that he’d never have gotten on the jury to begin with because of said training. At best they would have just brought him on as a witness/expert, and at worst he would have caused a mistrial. Of course, the guy who played Quincy was one of the jurors in 12 Angry Men. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/108 "2014-02-12T15:58:16Z")
Spilling someone’s ashes, which happened on **Frasier,** **Murphy Brown** , and they pretended it happened on **Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD**. (Sorry if someone else has said this first; I don’t have time to read all the posts.) ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/109 "2014-02-12T17:11:16Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > In order to solve the crime of the week, one of the female cast members must infiltrate the local Roller Derby ring. Or \. Kids are dropping dead at these “Raves”. We have to infiltrate the Raves! Kids are dropping dead from playing video games! We have to infiltrate video games! Kids are dropping dead during the school play! We have to infiltrate school plays! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/110 "2014-02-12T17:29:52Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > Haven’t seen one of these recently, but any show involving a tomboyish female character who, for whatever reason, is shown the error of her ways and learns how nice and wonderful it is to wear pretty dresses and makeup and attract _boys_! I saw the Step by Step version of this episode recently, and it led me to an idea why this happens. I looked up the actress, and she herself is rather girly now in all her publicity stuff. So my guess is that, when cast as a kid, the actor doesn’t mind being a tomboy, even if she really isn’t, but, later on, she wants to be more girly. Plus, as the show goes on, the actors get more and more say. So eventually they use the plot device you indicate so her character can change. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/111 "2014-02-12T17:38:01Z")
I hate the psychic or UFO episodes. It seems like every drama in the seventies had one. > [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > And the bomb must have color-coded wires. Do you cut the red wire? Is that the hot one? What if they wired it the other way on purpose and the blue wire is the one to cut? Red or blue? Which to cut? We are out of time, dammit! As the timer ticks down to 1 second and they guess right. > > For once I’d like to see them open up a bomb and find that every wire, every fucking wire, is the same color. Do I cut the black wire or the other black wire? When you’re wiring a bomb, you want wire with different colors, so you don’t wire it incorrectly. Bomb-making is the kind of thing you can only do wrong once. What I don’t get is why TV bombs are all wired the same. It’s not like there’s a bomb making manual that states you must always use a red wire between these two componants. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/112 "2014-02-12T19:00:33Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > In order to solve the crime of the week, one of the female cast members must infiltrate the local Roller Derby ring. It’s kind of funny-- not that specific in plot but I think each CSI has now done a roller derby episode as well as Bones and a slew of sitcoms. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/113 "2014-02-12T20:05:16Z")
I haven’t seen it in years, but it used to be when a series started getting stale the characters would get to be part of some talent show. A special episode where the guest stars all happen to be stars of the same show. I recall Diagnosis Murder doing this with the cast of M_A_S\*H. The incompetent shooting of the bad guys. Really, you’ve got six guys with Uzis firing away at the hero as he runs for covers. And you miss every single time? And he picks off the baddies one by one with a handgun? ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/114 "2014-02-12T20:10:18Z")
> [@Miss\_Mapp](#): > > It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them, but I clearly recall the lone juror/Twelve Angry Men scenario I described happening with Edith Bunker and the Fonz–and I think also Aunt Bea, although it may have been someone else in Mayberry. Don’t forget Homer Simpson. (His reason for holding out was a bit less noble though) ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/115 "2014-02-12T20:51:45Z")
Three quarters of the people here should never watch _Arrow_. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/116 "2014-02-12T20:58:32Z")
Tonight on Hack–to catch an international diamond smuggler, Hack has to BECOME an international diamond smuggler. Next week on Hack–to catch a loan shark, Hack has to BECOME a loan shark. Next month on Hack–to catch a rapist, Hack has to BECOME a rapist. (Of course in real life, Hack always becomes a rapist) ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/117 "2014-02-12T22:13:26Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Three quarters of the people here should never watch _Arrow_. I haven’t seen _Arrow_ or CW-sibling _The Vampire Diaries_ fall into many cliche plots. In fact, most of why I watch the latter show (past Nina Dobrev and Kat Graham) is the show seems to go barreling towards them and then swerves. The characters still make stupid, often incredibly illogical moves, usually by people who - having lived centuries - should know better, but they’re different stupid moves. _The Tomorrow People_, on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/118 "2014-02-13T01:13:05Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > The incompetent shooting of the bad guys. Really, you’ve got six guys with Uzis firing away at the hero as he runs for covers. And you miss every single time? And he picks off the baddies one by one with a handgun? Yep. It’s particularly egregious when the hero _knows_ that he’s facing multiple mooks, with automatic weapons, and his _plan_ was to run and dodge, while using only a handgun himself. It’s the dumbest plan ever, and has no right to work no matter what skillz the hero has. Yet every time it does. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/119 "2014-02-13T07:37:48Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I hate the psychic or UFO episodes. It seems like every drama in the seventies had one. JAG has done both. The UFO episode turned out to be some guys faking UFOs to throw people off of what they were really doing. They even did the X-Files Believer/Skeptic dynamic, but reversed so that the male lead was the skeptic and the attractive female was the believer. IIRC, the psychic episode turned out to be a real thing, but then, Mac is awesome and can do pretty much anything the plot demands of her. I think they only ever did anything with that once or twice. > [@](#): > > When you’re wiring a bomb, you want wire with different colors, so you don’t wire it incorrectly. Bomb-making is the kind of thing you can only do wrong once. What I don’t get is why TV bombs are all wired the same. It’s not like there’s a bomb making manual that states you must always use a red wire between these two componants. Well, it makes sense that the bombs would have a consistent design, especially if they’re professionally made bombs (as in something military personnel would use, rather than a would-be terrorist or resistance fighter working in his garage). Pretty much for the same reasons you’d have the wires different colors, plus the whole mass production thing. There was an episode of Stargate SG1 where the team had to diffuse one of their own nukes when they primed it and then realized that setting it off would be a terrible idea (long story). O’Neill cracks open the case and prepares to cut red wire as instructed, only to realize that all of the wires are the same color (contrary to the instructions the bomb tech back home is reading from). “You know, I’d like to take this opportunity to say that this is a very poorly designed bomb, and I think we should say something to somebody about it when we get back.”😃 ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851/120 "2014-02-13T09:29:37Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I think that’s why elevators now have emergency stop buttons you pull rather than push, but I think the elevators on sitcoms were grandfathered in so an errant elbow can still cause laffs to ensue. Speaking of which … How come I’ve reached 40 without ever once seeing an elevator with an emergency stop button? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-genres-you-hate-even-in-your-favorite-shows/680851.md?page=7)