# Stuff in your otherwise favorite TV shows that bugs you **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2004, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565 "2004-07-30T05:49:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/41 "2004-07-30T23:07:11Z")
Well, as far as _Monk_ is concerned, he is probably getting some long-term disability, it’s also possible that being the OCD that he is, he got a very good life insurance plan for Trudy, and he could still be using some of that. Not to mention he is a frequent police consultant. I also like to think that he does regular private eye stuff, too. Think about it, you want a PI, you see many newspaper articles about how the police are too dumb to solve a crime but this great PI can do it! Hey, if I want someone to follow my wife to see if she’s cheating on me, I might as well go for this guy, right? ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/42 "2004-07-30T23:18:55Z")
In _Star Trek: TNG_, I had an irrational hatred of Alexander, Worf’s son. I couldn’t stand any episode featuring him. Although I lacked the irrational hatred that many fans had of Wesley Crusher and/or Lwaxana Troi. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2004, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/43 "2004-07-30T23:42:14Z")
Dozens of TV shows and movies do this, and it drives me batshit insane. Security camera has a photo of the bad guys driving by. Cops say “Can you enlarge that area?” No problem. Then Cops say “Can you clear that up?” And the software magically cleans up the zoomed-in portion of the image so they can read the license plate / see the guy’s face / whatever. :smack: _Law & Order_ is a repeat offender. Another thing I hate is shows that are supposedly set in San Francisco, but aren’t. They just show some establishing footage of local landmarks, then resume showing an episode clearly filmed in LA. “There’s a pawn shop on Haight street - let’s go check it out!” ::cut to some huge boulevard in LA somewhere with palm trees and blue street signs:: _Charmed_ is the worst offender. I know, it’s cheaper, (although that didn’t stop _Nash Bridges_), but why bother setting it in SF at all? What’s wrong with being in LA? And finally, I HATE singing episodes. HATE, HATE, HATE them. Every time the Simpsons break into song I change the channel. I stopped watching _Drew Carey_ all together because of the damn musical numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/44 "2004-07-30T23:52:46Z")
> [@Art Vandelay](#): > > ALL Star Trek series: Supposedly, the Enterprise(s) have universal translator devices, so that when communicating with (for example) a Klingon ship, the Klingon-speaking other crew’s words are translated into english, and vice versa. Yet, every time they show a Klingon / Romulan / Ferengi / whatever on the monitor, his lips perfectly synch up to the “translated” english language words. As I imagine it, looking at the viewscreen ought to be like watching a foreign language movie dubbed into english. You’re right, but it would be distracting and look like shit. I can’t fault the ST people for not going out of their way to do that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/45 "2004-07-30T23:58:35Z")
And to be fair, the computer generated image could be just as easily “dubbed” as the language. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/46 "2004-07-31T00:11:52Z")
> [@Loopus](#): > > In _Star Trek: TNG_, I had an irrational hatred of Alexander, Worf’s son. I couldn’t stand any episode featuring him. Let’s face it, as kid actors go, Brian Bonsall sucked. I despised his character in _Family Ties_. As for Wesley, if I were a bridge officer on the flagship of the Federation and this punk ass kid shows up me AND the rest of the senior staff, I’m resigning my commission and getting on a garbage scow. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/47 "2004-07-31T00:15:52Z")
On Enterprise, we saw Chef from the neck down on “Catwalk,” serving dinners to the officers. But we have yet to see his face or hear his voice. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/48 "2004-07-31T00:25:11Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > And finally, I HATE singing episodes. HATE, HATE, HATE them. Every time the Simpsons break into song I change the channel. I stopped watching _Drew Carey_ all together because of the damn musical numbers. Ah, differing tastes. I really enjoy these episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/49 "2004-07-31T00:41:00Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > My gripe with M_A_S\*H was that they’d often show all four doctors sleeping at the same time or drinking together - shouldn’t there have been one doc on duty in Post-Op at all times, assuming there were wounded? Yes…it just wasn’t one of the main characters. It’s not like Hawk, BJ/Trap, Frank/Charles, and Henry/Potter are the only doctors at the 4077 - they’re just the only ones we saw on a regular basis - although several others appeared in one or two episodes. Aaanyway… Robotech: Minmei - not really for the usual reasons… Her songs are inane even by pop-song standards… She’s not THAT pretty by anime-girl standards… How in Zor’s name did she get to be the darling of Macross City? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/50 "2004-07-31T00:45:01Z")
The thing that always bothered me about Buffy was the whole “only one Slayer at a time” thing. It would have been much cooler if there’d been a lot of Slayers scattered around the world. ---
**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:** [July 31, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/51 "2004-07-31T00:47:00Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Ah, differing tastes. I really enjoy these episodes. You must’ve really enjoyed that episode of _Northern Exposure_ that I couldn’t sit through where Shelly sings the whole time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/52 "2004-07-31T00:50:04Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > You must’ve really enjoyed that episode of _Northern Exposure_ that I couldn’t sit through where Shelly sings the whole time. 🙂 Never watched that show. The only shows that did musical eps that I like are the Simpsons and Drew Carey. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/53 "2004-07-31T00:58:08Z")
\*Roseanne: \*The shot of the outside of their house, which they showed at least three times in each episode - all of the lights were on, in every room, and the exterior. These were supposed to be working class people who couldn’t afford a huge electric bill. \*Seinfeld: \*These characters owned CARS? I lived in New York for 25 years, and I never met one person who lived in Manhattan and owned a car. \*Start Trek TNG: \*1. In their “enlightened” society of the future, there were no gay people. 2. Wesley. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/54 "2004-07-31T01:08:33Z")
**Quantum Leap** When Sam talks to Al, and we get another character’s POV and see Sam talking to empty air, well we ought to see the leapee talking to air, not Sam. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/55 "2004-07-31T01:12:33Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > \*Start Trek TNG: \*1. In their “enlightened” society of the future, there were no gay people. 2. Wesley. Yet another reason why _Babylon 5_ is better than _Star Trek_. There’s even an episode where two main male characters disguise as a “just married” gay couple going on a honeymoon to Mars. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/56 "2004-07-31T02:43:05Z")
It didn’t really bug me per se but Buffy had a huge leather wardrobe. Every week she had a different jacket. She had several pairs of leather pants and a few skirts, including a really long one that must have been expensive. And where did she get all of this stuff? I can’t imagine Joyce buying her the skin tight red pants! Buffy was beautiful in leather but there’s no way she could have afforded that huge wardrobe she had. Also, her house was trashed by demons several times. Xander couldn’t have fixed it all by himself every time it happened. And restorations aren’t cheap. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/57 "2004-07-31T03:37:10Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > :eek: > > _Heretic!_ Damn straight. Quark sneaking the invisible cloaking device was funny. Little Green Men was good, too. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/58 "2004-07-31T03:40:53Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Yet another reason why _Babylon 5_ is better than _Star Trek_. Horse pucky. Roddenberry didn’t deal with it because it felt it would be a non issue by that time. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/59 "2004-07-31T03:45:25Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > _Monk_ - > > I’ve never heard them explain how he makes a living, He’s a paid consultant. There was an episode where the shrink was dunning him for not paying, and Monk had to see him more often because he felt guilty about not paying. 🙂 Perhaps Shuttlemeyer (sp) sends a lot of business his way. Eventually, Monk will discover that Shuttlemeyer is Buffalo Bill and get a million bucks reward from the Congresswoman. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/60 "2004-07-31T07:45:07Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > He’s a paid consultant. You think that’s a full-time gig for him? I suppose it could be; I just got the impression that he’s only called in on the more difficult cases, not every day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565.md?page=4)