I’ve noticed a huge number of TV and movies have the characters referring to each other by their last name only. Why is this? It’s not real life, especially women, unless it’s sports or military. Everyone I know either uses first names or a title with the last name (Mr., Ms., Dr., etc.) Is this a regional trend I’m just unaware of? I know there are other countries who do this, but these are US characters. It just sounds odd. Artificially scripted.
The ‘alien’ franchise does this a lot, due to its setting. I like it, it somehow feels more futuristic than people calling eachother ‘Sue’ and ‘Bob’.
Bear in mind that the people you see on TV and films are hardly a typical cross-section of society. Lots of cops, criminals, military, government and people from other “institutional” backgrounds where calling folks by their last name is the norm. Note that people rarely call each other by their first names on sitcoms, which tend to portray a more “civilian” population.
Well, I can tell you we sure don’t do it over here. I don’t think I’ve ever been “surnamed” in my life, except with a Ms/Miss/Mrs on the front.
From the plethora of US TV shows labelled by main character surname (House, Castle, Frazier, Monk … the list goes on) I had always thought it was an American “thing”. Like boys calling their dads “sir”. Not so?
Unless there is a show called Frazier that I’m unaware of, Frasier was his first name.
Not so, but note that (setting aside the Frasier reference), you’ve named two cop shows and one doc’s: both are environments where calling people by their lastname is common, whether preceded by a title or not.
Calling your parents “sir” and “ma’am” is definitely a thing, at least in my region of the states. It’s just respectful, you know?
I had a friend, once, who would call me by my surname instead of my given name. It’s the only time I’ve ever heard someone do that, with me or anybody else, in real life without prefacing it with the appropriate honorific. Frankly I found it really annoying, but I was too polite then to say, “Don’t do that”.
People are also called by their last names where I come from too - although they’re just as likely to call them by their first name or by a nickname completely unrelated to either. Usually it’s just whatever sounds better.
As an aside, growing up in the American South in the 20th century, it was common to refer to close adult friends of your parents as ‘Miss FirstName’ or ‘Mister FirstName’.
Calling your parents “sir” and “ma’am” is definitely NOT a thing in any part of the US I’ve lived in. It has a 1950’s and earlier feel to it, and authoritarian and unloving vibe to me.
My circles have always used first names with friends. I agree with those who say that the tv shows where characters use last names with each other are shows set in military or police or other, similar professional settings that deal with life-threatening situations
Even in those shows, when characters have personal moments with each other, they use first names. It makes the first name much more intimate and tender. As first name use once was.
Really? I never watched it. Okay, pretend I said Seinfeld 
But everyone in the show called him Jerry. Seinfeld was just the name of the show. In the show Newman and Kramer were known by their last names. Kramer’s first name wasn’t known until far into the show but that was not shown as being normal. It was a quirk of a quirky character.
Now can we fight over whether Gilligan is a first name of a last name?
Bueller
I guess my point, if I have one, is that I’m surprised that it’s someone in the US who is questioning this habit. Because my impression was that the US was, in fact, where this was done. Maybe the UK too? Just looking at TV, my gut instinct would be that “surnaming” happens on British cop shows too, but probably slightly less than their US equivalents.
In the DVD collection, Sherwood Schwartz (the producer of Gilligan’s Island) states that he preferred the full name of “Willy Gilligan” for the character.
When I was in college (granted, that was 40 years ago) we all called each other by our last names for the most part.
Until recently I had never noticed a problem. Last name usage even pops up in school where a last name is used in place of first name when there are too many Mikes or what have you.
Currently, I’m watching season one of Homeland, and the use of Brodie was driving me nuts. Brodie could be a first name, but it isn’t in this case. It is his last name. I’m fine with all the CIA and Marines calling him Brodie, but when his wife does, I find it exceedingly strange. Her name could very well be Brodie too.
Gilli Gan
I worked with a lot of ex-military types. The bosses often called staff by their last names. Maybe it’s a holdover from that?
Columbo.