# Ridiculous portrayals of professions on TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375 "2011-10-31T13:52:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/41 "2011-10-31T18:45:48Z")
I love how psychologists and psychiatrists can go from meeting a person to working through major emotional pain from childhood in about 10 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/42 "2011-10-31T18:51:06Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > …but their own long unfettered hair or stylish-but-uncovered shoes could never contaminate a sample, right? This is one of my pet peeves: a forensic scientist collecting samples with their hair loose all over the place. Yeah right. :rolleyes: I noticed in the first season of “Crossing Jordan” when they did autopsies they were all done up with face shields and everything, but it subsequent seasons they slacked off and didn’t use them. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/43 "2011-10-31T20:05:01Z")
The worst thing about the CSI shows (and similar programs) is the lighting. Every time I flip past these programs, the lab is always dimly lit when they’re doing there work. You almost never see labs in real life that aren’t as brightly lit as possible. There is no good reason (unless your’re using UV light) to have your lab in underlit situations. Then why do these shows keep showing labs that look like they’re hosting Goth Night at the local club? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/44 "2011-10-31T20:08:26Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Two points: > > 1. The idiocy about writers appears in all TV shows (except **Castle** ). Whenever there’s a mystery and there’s a writer involved, you can bet that the author is rich and someone has stolen a book idea from someone else (something that _never_ happens in real life. > > 2. All these stupid cliches about writers and created . . . by _writers_. You don’t have doctors or CSI writing TV shows. You do have professional writers doing them. And they’re always portraying things contrary to their own reality. My hunch: The producers despise writers, so they _make_ them portray themselves in as poor a light as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/45 "2011-10-31T20:10:56Z")
Carrie on \*Sex in the City \*always had enough cash for posh places and fancy outfits…but she was a columnist…who landed a brownstone in a rent controlled area of the Upper East Side. \ ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/46 "2011-10-31T20:12:02Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > Soldiers, or anyone in the military. > > I have seen glimmers of reality, but it’s far and few. That’s because we can’t handle the truth. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/47 "2011-10-31T20:13:03Z")
I have another - I am a military Public Affairs person. I am, believe it or not, not trying to keep pulling the wool over anyone’s eyes. If I can’t tell you something due to security/privacy concerns, I will actually tell you that. I will otherwise push out the most accurate and up to date info I can, I won’t lie. My credibility on my job is the major asset I have, if I lied to the media/public, I would be useless in my job. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/48 "2011-10-31T20:16:39Z")
Writers writing about writers always make their own profession sexier than in real life. If cops wrote cop shows and lawyers wrote lawyer shows, things might be different. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/49 "2011-10-31T20:17:07Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Carrie on \*Sex in the City \*always had enough cash for posh places and fancy outfits…but she was a columnist… …and not a good one either. > [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > My hunch: The producers despise writers, so they _make_ them portray themselves in as poor a light as possible. I think it’s the opposite. They want to make writing look as intriguing and dangerous and adventurous as possible so the audience will think writers are awesome and want to have sex with them. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/50 "2011-10-31T20:33:07Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > The worst thing about the CSI shows (and similar programs) is the lighting. Every time I flip past these programs, the lab is always dimly lit when they’re doing there work. You almost never see labs in real life that aren’t as brightly lit as possible. There is no good reason (unless your’re using UV light) to have your lab in underlit situations. Then why do these shows keep showing labs that look like they’re hosting Goth Night at the local club? Oh, yes. And no one ever turns on the overhead lights at a crime scene. It’s all flashlights and Goth Night at the club. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/51 "2011-10-31T20:49:55Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > I have another - I am a military Public Affairs person. I am, believe it or not, not trying to keep pulling the wool over anyone’s eyes. > If I can’t tell you something due to security/privacy concerns, I will actually tell you that. I will otherwise push out the most accurate and up to date info I can, I won’t lie. > > My credibility on my job is the major asset I have, if I lied to the media/public, I would be useless in my job. Ditto that on the civilian side. Nor do I spend my days walking the corridors of newspapers and TV stations backing unsuspecting reporters against the wall while trying to browbeat them into running my story. On the other hand, I don’t cast a Machiavellian spell over my clients, dictating their companies’ every action in my relentless thirst for power and influence. That’s the Sales department’s job!🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/52 "2011-10-31T20:53:32Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Oh, yes. And no one ever turns on the overhead lights at a crime scene. It’s all flashlights and Goth Night at the club. Or in a courtroom even. I’m always surprised how many courtrooms seem to get their light only from the windows. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/53 "2011-10-31T20:58:17Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Or in a courtroom even. I’m always surprised how many courtrooms seem to get their light only from the windows. That’s a good one. Also many courtrooms you see on TV seem to be these ornate oak-paneled temples to justice, with chandeliers, brass railings and old paintings on the wall. In real life, courtrooms look little different than conference rooms, but with a judge’s bench up front. Think a lot of gray and beige with fluorescent lighting, along with beat up carpeting. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/54 "2011-10-31T20:58:48Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > have 128-bit encryption but can be hacked by a laptop in minutes With a gun to their head while getting a blowjob. Yeah, as a developer I barely even notice anymore how hilariously [wrong](http://youtu.be/hkDD03yeLnU) they are. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/55 "2011-10-31T21:11:58Z")
I love the resident mentat they have on lots of cop shows. I’ve only seen a couple of episodes of _Criminal Minds_, but the skinny guy (quick google search- Dr.Spencer Reid) is not only an expert on everything under the sun but he doesn’t even need to consult a smartphone or a book. One scene it’s “That’s a symbol that originated in the Tang Dynasty… approximately 812-813 A.D. from the looks of it, probably on a Thursday after the rainy season…”, in the next it’s “Interesting, that’s a salt from a tripolyphosphoric acid, or would be except it seems they went with one extra oxygen atom… which has only been encountered once before in history and that was at a truckstop in Prince George County, Maryland, in November 1972…”. _Dragnet_ was probably the first show to have the “Expert on all sciences” guy, but it’s been copied a lot on cop shows, sitcoms and in movies. (And on _Pawn Stars_ of course; I love how Rick will rattle off a wikipedia article on 18th century British political campaign ribbons or the history of a type of Coke only sold for three days in Venezuela in 1984 as if it’s off the top of his head.) I know there are many people who have vast spectrum of information tucked away but these experts beggar description. I don’t even know what Spencer Reid’s job is supposed to be since he’s the expert on all aspects of police work generally, but I would like to know how he gets the sapho juice stains off his teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Inthewater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Inthewater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inthewater)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/56 "2011-10-31T21:34:03Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > From my experience (I’ve worked with Special Forces when I was in the Army), many are big guys, but not all. The bigger guys usually aren’t all ripped and usually have a bit of a gut – something to live off of a bit when they’re deployed. Some are small and wiry, but all of the ones I’ve met generally eschew the typical military yelling and bravado and prefer to be “quiet professionals.” I liked the casting in Predators of Adrian Brody, as well as some of the non-Stalone actors in the most recent Rambo film, for these reasons. Not everyone looks like Ah-nahld and Apollo Creed. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Lo-Slung\_Denim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@Lo-Slung\_Denim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lo-Slung_Denim)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/57 "2011-10-31T21:44:33Z")
Therapists on TV seem to just \*love \*analysing everyone around them. Especially if they are brought in as a love interest for a main character, and they analyse all the friends… I think most therapists don’t want to bother with that in their leisure time. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/58 "2011-10-31T21:57:57Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > Teachers. I realize showing 60 minutes of grading papers, recess duty and trying to get kids to get ready for extended response on ISAT would be boring, but we don’t all have affairs with other teachers, spend endless time during the day talking to each other, and avoiding all actual teaching. But the smoking in the teachers lounge, ala Simpsons, was a fact when I was younger. It was even considered good form to find out your teacher’s brand and give her a carton for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/59 "2011-10-31T22:05:43Z")
Psychiatrists also don’t generally go out of their way to treat mob bosses that in the past have expressed a romantic interest in them, and have then threatened violence using agressive language (like several times before) when this overture was rebuked. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/60 "2011-10-31T22:10:20Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > My wife works for a hospital, and the rampant HIPAA violations on TV make her teeth itch. I’m an EMT, and I agree 100% with your wife’s itchy teeth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375.md?page=4)