# Things I learned from watching TV cop shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [May 9, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820 "2023-05-09T18:54:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 23
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/441 "2023-06-11T15:32:02Z")
Specifically a 1981 Cessna 402C, N121PP. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/442 "2023-06-11T15:42:17Z")
Maybe a smaller airline too. Sandpiper Air had two pilots plus a former flight attendant working the ticket counter. MJN air had 2 pilots and 2 flight attendants. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/443 "2023-06-11T15:45:57Z")
šŸ‘šŸ½ Yeah, baby-- I loved that show. I loved it when Lowell was asked to give the commencement speech when he graduated from MIT. That would be ā€œMurrayā€™s Institute of Tools,ā€ a three-week mechanicā€™s training program. So many great moments. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/444 "2023-06-11T18:04:39Z")
Car-B-Cue. That is all. Oh, my fav ep is where they thought Faye was a serial killer. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/445 "2023-06-11T18:05:01Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > šŸ‘šŸ½ Yeah, baby-- I loved that show. > > I loved it when Lowell was asked to give the commencement speech when he graduated from MIT. That would be ā€œMurrayā€™s Institute of Tools,ā€ a three-week mechanicā€™s training program. > > So many great moments. Helen: Lowell what happened to the engine? Lowell: The technical term is catastrophic engine failure. Helen: What causes that? Lowell: Catastrophes ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/446 "2023-06-11T18:43:02Z")
Lewis Blanchard: Ya know, I have a video camera that shoots in the dark. Helen: Yeah, I got a gun that does the same thing. Lewis and his Uncle Carlton were just two of the fantastic characters from the show. And in the spirit of the thread, an episode of Monk where Tony Shalhoub played a former detective and police consultant featured Tim Daly and Monk on an airplane flight where references were made back to Wings. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/447 "2023-06-11T19:02:52Z")
From the Puppet Master Episode- Tim Daly wiggles his fingers: ā€œIsnā€™t that how deaf people say ā€˜sparkling waterā€™?ā€ How about guest star Tyne Daly turning Bri-Bri into her Boy Toy? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/448 "2023-06-11T19:14:59Z")
Bringing it back to the police - I now know not to eat the last jelly donut in front of the stressed air-traffic controlman (whose wife you are boning on the side.) It will take the cops the entire episode to respond to the hostage situation. BTW - Wings is airing on Antenna TV. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/449 "2023-06-11T20:15:43Z")
And Cabin Pressure isnā€™t airing on BBC4 any more. But itā€™s available on iTunes (along with John Finnemoreā€™s sketch show, Souvenir Programme)ā€¦ and for free on [Archive.com](http://Archive.com)). Benedict Cumberbatch and Roger Allem playing off each otherā€¦ perfect. . Ok, back to cops again. When I was a little kid, one of us pulled a squirt gun (day-glo luger, of course) on our local Barney Fife. Who whirled around, screaming, with his gun aimed straight at the kidā€™s face. What I learned from cop shows is that the kid was awfully lucky. On TV, heā€™dā€™ve been shot, and his older brother wouldā€™ve gone crazy and plotted a decadeā€™s-worth of revenge. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/450 "2023-06-11T20:19:24Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > BTW - Wings is airing on Antenna TV. I loved that show. Was totally in love with Crystal Bernard. edit: sorry, please go back to cops. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/451 "2023-06-11T21:35:24Z")
> [@digs](#): > > When I was a little kid, one of us pulled a squirt gun (day-glo luger, of course) on our local Barney Fife. Who whirled around, screaming, with his gun aimed straight at the kidā€™s face. I grew up playing Army with a replica Tommy gun and a _very_ authentic .45 automatic as a side arm. I shudder when I think of what might happen if a kid did that today. When I was 10 or 11, the cops actually stopped me on the street and wanted to see my toy .45. I was big for my age and dressed in full Army surplus uniform. I suppose they could even have arrested me for impersonating a serviceman, but I know now my insignia were all wrong ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/452 "2023-06-11T21:48:57Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I grew up playing Army with a replica Tommy gun and a _very_ authentic .45 automatic as a side arm. I shudder when I think of what might happen if a kid did that today. 99% of the time nothing. But that 1% is not worth the risk. Yeah, we had some pretty realistic toy guns. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/453 "2023-06-11T22:19:13Z")
Probably more than 1% if you go out on a ā€œnight patrol,ā€ which I did often. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/454 "2023-06-11T22:24:08Z")
All toy guns now come with a red tip on the barrel. Older toys have led to some unfortunate incidents. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/455 "2023-06-11T22:48:21Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > All toy guns now come with a red tip on the barrel. Is a trigger-happy cop going to look carefully for that red tip at night? Realistic replica guns are just asking for trouble. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/456 "2023-06-11T23:11:07Z")
There are a lot less of them now. When I was a kid the imitation flintlocks we used to save the Alamo were unlikely to be mistaken for a real gun, it was unlikely anyone seeing a child holding a toy gun would think it was real, but times have changed for the worse. Much worse. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/457 "2023-06-11T23:14:03Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Is a trigger-happy cop going to look carefully for that red tip at night? By the bye, the reason I thought of the cop who drew on the little kid (and let his cop car roll into the river, and a lot of other dumb stuff)ā€¦ ā€¦was that I went back to the hometown cemetery for Memorial Day, and saw his gravestone. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/458 "2023-06-12T20:31:18Z")
Okay, folks, back to TV cops shows please. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/459 "2023-06-12T20:38:11Z")
If you are rich, or otherwise an important (even if itā€™s only in your own mind) person, when the police question you while investigating a crime itā€™s perfectly okay to tell them that you donā€™t have the time to talk to them now, or that they need to make an appointment with their secretary. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/460 "2023-06-12T20:38:32Z")
A TV cop would stop at the last moment before shooting a child with a toy gun, then considering that they almost killed a child begin to question their own ability to do the job. A non-lethal incident will soon occur where the cop freezes and doesnā€™t use his gun, possibly allowing a violent criminal to flee. But later on in the show heā€™ll again find his nerve to shoot people when another cop, friend, family member, or bus full of orphans is endangered, possibly by the violent criminal who escaped before. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820.md?page=22) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820.md?page=24)