# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![BytopianDream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9de0a6/32.png) [@BytopianDream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BytopianDream)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/81 "2004-08-01T15:43:21Z")
> [@EvilHamsterOnCrack](#): > > Also in Stargate SG-1, and Stargate Atlantis, how almost ALL the aliens speak english for some odd reason, and even understand technical terms that were only invented in the past 50 years, although they were taken from earth thousands of years ago. I know, it’d be really hard to do a show where thats not true, and it wouldnt be as good, but it just ticks me off. Which is why the “Wormhole X-Treme” Episode of SG-SG1 is so hilarious. Season 5, Volume 3. They do rip on their own problems in the show like that. Makes for fun viewing. To the previous poster: Why do you think the USAF is a proud sponsor of the show? Because they are getting us all used to the idea of a Stargate. You see the ads for being on the show… That guy trying to run into the Stargate isn’t acting… It’s real! I can prove it if you subscribe to my blog “Tin-Hat Times.” ---
**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:** [August 1, 2004, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/82 "2004-08-01T16:09:20Z")
> [@AmyG](#): > > Don’t know about Picard. After Picard got de-Borgified, he went home to his family’s vineyard in France. It’s probably safe to assume he is French, the lack of an accent notwithstanding. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/83 "2004-08-01T16:34:15Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > After Picard got de-Borgified, he went home to his family’s vineyard in France. It’s probably safe to assume he is French, the lack of an accent notwithstanding. Maybe in Roddenberry’s ideal, utopi future, there are no French accents… 😃 ---
**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:** [August 1, 2004, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/84 "2004-08-01T16:57:30Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > Maybe in Roddenberry’s ideal, utopi future, there are no French accents… 😃 Just bad Russian ones? ---
**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:** [August 1, 2004, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/85 "2004-08-01T17:01:16Z")
Perhaps they all speak Federation Basic and Picard learned it from an Englishman. Hence the acent. ^:)^ ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/86 "2004-08-01T17:40:45Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Do the people in _Law and Order_ ever leave work? I’m no slouch in the workaholic competition myself, but those people put me to shame! We see them leaving work all the time. The last scene of many episodes features the DAs going home for the evening. As for Monk, in the episode when Monk went to investigate at the prison (I think) there was a very brief mention of a life insurance benefit he got after Trudy’s death. It wasn’t a lot, but it was apparently enough to pay his basic expenses – rent, groceries, utilities – while his investigative work pays Sharona and Dr. Kroger. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/87 "2004-08-01T18:46:38Z")
> [@TeaElle](#): > > while his investigative work pays Sharona and Dr. Kroger. There was an episode where he couldn’t pay either of them and had to see Kroger more out of guilt. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/88 "2004-08-01T20:32:34Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > 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? Yeah, I always thought that tripping on stage during a pagent show shouldn’t warrant a trip into stardom. But then again, she did survive weeks (?) in the bowels of the ship with rick, so I can see where the name recognition comes from. The people of macross gave her the pity vote. The overacting in Seinfeld just irritated the hell outta me. Especially from Elaine. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/89 "2004-08-01T20:37:27Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Just bad Russian ones? Well, Russians have the stereotype of being hard-drinking, friendly types, handy to have around on a starship. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/90 "2004-08-01T20:52:09Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > 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. Wow, I thought I was the only one. And that’s exactly the phrase I use too—“batshit insane.” Are you’re sure you’re not actually me? ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/91 "2004-08-01T20:59:31Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > \*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. I haven’t been paying too much attention as far as Sienfeld cars go, but having a car seemed to be completely dependent on how convient it was to the storyline. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to it that I noticed. Star Trek: TNG: I hated the fact that everyone in the “Enlightened” 24th century had such a “Holier then Thou” attitude, particulary about the 20th century. It’s why TNG is still my least favorite series. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/92 "2004-08-01T21:05:37Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > 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. “X-Files” did this constantly. My favorite was when Scully and Mulder were asking their geeky associate who was apparently the bureau’s “computer genius,” to zoom in on and enhance a security image. He then started _typing_ and said, “Sure, I’ll just run it through my algorithm program.” Sigh. When they’re writing these things, can’t they just _talk_ to someone who’s actually used a computer before? > [@Dooku](#): > > 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:: I saw an episode of “Monk” recently, where the murder at the beginning of the show involved a toll-taker on “The San Francisco Bay Bridge.” The SF Bay Bridge, of course, has exactly 4 small toll-booths, each with crossing arms, on a hilly, tree-lined street. And yeah, more blue street signs. I don’t think it’s LA; I thought it was Vancouver or Saskatchatoon or Saskatontario or one of those other Canadian places that theoretically looks just like the US. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/93 "2004-08-01T21:07:37Z")
> [@MacSpon](#): > > To be fair, they _did_ do this … once. In _Star Trek: the Motion Picture_, when the space station is intercepting a Klingon transmission, you can hear him speaking Klingon in the background, with the computer providing a translation in the foreground. > > I can see why they dropped this, though. Too distracting. Yes, it’s a niggle, but the alternative would be … awkward viewing. > > (Even worse: have you considered how many languages the Enterprise crew speak? For example, does Sulu actually speak English … or Japanese? How 'bout Spock or Picard or Troi? When we’re seeing them, are they actually speaking Vulcan, French and Betazoid? Thanks to the translators, we’ll never know …) I still find it interesting how they can all of a sudden switch to a foreign language whenever the feel the need to make a point. Klingon Characters will qoute things in Klingon, and the Universal translator not pick up on it and translate it. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/94 "2004-08-01T21:51:13Z")
> [@Burrido](#): > > Yeah, I always thought that tripping on stage during a pagent show shouldn’t warrant a trip into stardom. But then again, she did survive weeks (?) in the bowels of the ship with rick, so I can see where the name recognition comes from. Y’know, I hadn’t thought of that. On the other hand, now that I do, even after Rick becomes a war hero, the only recognition he gets is ‘Minmei’s Boyfriend’ (later ex-boyfriend). Come to think of it, none of the pilots get recognised as heroes by the civilians (as individuals). Even Rick and Max who are absolutely spectacular pilots, don’t get singled out for particular recognition of their heroism. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/95 "2004-08-02T19:09:25Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > Wow, I thought I was the only one. > > And that’s exactly the phrase I use too—“batshit insane.” > > Are you’re sure you’re not actually me? Suddenly I’m not sure I know anymore. 🙂 > [@](#): > > I saw an episode of “Monk” recently, where the murder at the beginning of the show involved a toll-taker on “The San Francisco Bay Bridge.” The SF Bay Bridge, of course, has exactly 4 small toll-booths, each with crossing arms, on a hilly, tree-lined street. And yeah, more blue street signs. I don’t think it’s LA; I thought it was Vancouver or Saskatchatoon or Saskatontario or one of those other Canadian places that theoretically looks just like the US. Oh I love it when they get the local names of things wrong. “There’s a kidnapping in progress at San Francisco 49ers Stadium at Candlestick Point!” One thing I noticed from an episode of the X-Files was that Scully referred to one of the local DC highways as “the I-35” (or some number). I’m pretty sure only people from Southern California add a “the” to the beginning of highways. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/96 "2004-08-02T20:22:54Z")
Another Buffy one (though I love the show): the town is supposed to be pretty small, yet it boasts an airport big enough for a small commuter jet, a dock, a train station, and a bus station. You can see the “Welcome to Sunnydale” sign in a few episodes, and the population is only 5 digits. Plus, Buffy is always walking it for her patrol, so it can’t be too big to cover it in a night. Even her graduating class is another sign that the town is small, since it had maybe 100 or so graduates. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/97 "2004-08-02T21:11:16Z")
> [@DeadlyAccurate](#): > > Another Buffy one (though I love the show): the town is supposed to be pretty small, yet it boasts an airport big enough for a small commuter jet, a dock, a train station, and a bus station. You can see the “Welcome to Sunnydale” sign in a few episodes, and the population is only 5 digits. Plus, Buffy is always walking it for her patrol, so it can’t be too big to cover it in a night. Even her graduating class is another sign that the town is small, since it had maybe 100 or so graduates. Sunnydale must belong to that alternate universe America wherein all the fictional towns from daytime soaps belong. Another thing that bugged me about “Buffy” - and, yes, I know this could apply to practically EVERY teen-centered tv show ever - nevertheless, it killed me that Xander and Willow were considered the class geeks. Xander and Willow?? I don’t remember ANYONE from my high school being anywhere near as good looking as either one of them! Yet they’re supposedly the undesirable nerds? And on “the Simpsons”: One thing that has bugged me in the past few years is the inexplicable way that Maggie simply disappears whenever it is inconvenient to have her around. The spring break in Ft. Lauderdale episode for example. I realize that discontinuity on 'the Simpsons" is often deliberate, and a source of satirical comments, but simply not including an (ostensibly) major character of the show? ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/98 "2004-08-02T21:22:55Z")
Another _Monk_ complaint: Often the location shots are from _nowhere_ in the Bay Area. Mr. Pug and I will look at the shot and say “Where in hell near S.F. is _that_ supposed to be? That’s Los Angeles or I’ll eat my hat!” Especially the current episode being shown this week. Monk and Stottlemeyer visit the suspect’s home at the end of the show, and it is so obviously Beverly Hills. Nowhere in the Bay Area has old homes and big wide lawns on a street lined with palm trees like that. I’ll second the complaints about Monk’s apartment being too fancy for whatever his salary is. A place like that in a nice neighborhood is more likely inhabited by dot-com millionaires than a semi-employed private dick. Still love the show, though. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/99 "2004-08-02T21:44:21Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > After Picard got de-Borgified, he went home to his family’s vineyard in France. It’s probably safe to assume he is French, the lack of an accent notwithstanding. It’s been mentioned around here that they tried a French accent but it sounded like an impression of Peter Sellers as Jacques Clouseau. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565/100 "2004-08-02T21:51:53Z")
… and their first choice of actors was Genevieve Bujold, who could probably do a _much_ better French accent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-in-your-otherwise-favorite-tv-shows-that-bugs-you/257565.md?page=6)