# Things that are extremely common in TV shows/movies that you've rarely seen in real life **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 29, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161 "2009-08-29T16:20:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 23
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/443 "2009-09-11T15:23:49Z")
Wow! I know I got here late, but I have read the entire thread, mostly because at this size I felt certain someone else would have mentioned my pet peeve. Of course you have noticed things that I have never before. It seems to me that every cop show on tv, sooner or later, during the show, detectives will approach, a waiter/bartender/server, show them a pic and ask a few pointed questions, (Seen this man? Was he alone? What time did they leave?..). I mean, it’s impossible to watch any Law & Order episode without this occurring. In 25+ years working service I have never had this happen, or seen it happen, or hear of it happening to another server. However do real cops ever establish timelines/solve crimes? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/444 "2009-09-11T16:45:21Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > There was a recent episode (from season 3) of _Dexter_ where the bartender gave one of a characters a bottle to drink from. I was curious what kind of bars would still do that. I’ve seen that offered as a higher-end service (called [bottle service](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottle_service)) with a big pricetag, a private booth, and glasses for you and your friends. Not intended for the solo drinker, obviously. And regarding the gap then much younger child, the explanations given seem to fit. My husband was that way (10 years younger than his closest sibling), and from a Catholic family. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/445 "2009-09-11T19:11:21Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Wow! > > I know I got here late, but I have read the entire thread, mostly because at this size I felt certain someone else would have mentioned my pet peeve. > > Of course you have noticed things that I have never before. > > It seems to me that every cop show on tv, sooner or later, during the show, detectives will approach, a waiter/bartender/server, show them a pic and ask a few pointed questions, (Seen this man? Was he alone? What time did they leave?..). I mean, it’s impossible to watch any Law & Order episode without this occurring. > > In 25+ years working service I have never had this happen, or seen it happen, or hear of it happening to another server. However do real cops ever establish timelines/solve crimes? Not to mention what are the odds you would remember a total stranger a week after maybe serving them a drink on a crowded friday night … ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/446 "2009-09-11T20:08:10Z")
**alphaboi867** said: > [@](#): > > Cheerleaders and football players wearing their uniforms to school on a daily basis (ie not a game day). This. Back in the day\*, cheerleaders, pep squad, dance team, etc only wore their uniforms for game days and pep rallies. Glee was doing this. Okay, the cheerleading squad is supposed to be a “big deal” there, so I get there’s some sort of pride thing, but how many uniforms do those folks have? Wearing it every day is gonna get either rank or worn out from washing every night. > [@](#): > > The cheerleaders uniforms were also more modest than TV/flim versions. I don’t know what modern cheerleaders wear, but the uniforms in Glee were fairly consistent with what we had. Though I’ve seen some movie versions with a little more midriff visible than I recall. **Leiko** said: > [@](#): > > When I think of the 6 ounce clear plastic cups, I think airplanes, low-class sparkling cider toasts, and some of the cheaper motels I’ve stayed in. Different set of clear plastic cups. The airline and hotel types are low and wide. The ones I’m talking about are taller and slimmer. As **aruvqan** says, they are typically included with the keg. Here is an example of what I mean, though this is a line drawing not a picture. [http://www.mutineermagazine.com/blog/2009/01/espn-on-beer-pong-of-course-its-a-sport/](http://www.mutineermagazine.com/blog/2009/01/espn-on-beer-pong-of-course-its-a-sport/) I’ve now found 2 different sites for glass cups that resemble the dixie plastic beer cup design. > **[InJoyDesign.com is for sale | HugeDomains](https://www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=injoydesign.com)** > > Great domain names provide SEO, branding, and a memorable experience for your users. Get a premium domain today. > [@](#): > > The Fast Cup by Maxim Velokovsky is a drinking glass based on the generic disposable dixie cup, but taken to a very different place. Working in borrosillicate glass, Czech craftsmen hand form each one, working them on a lathe so each one is very slightly different. > > **It’s perfect for anyone fresh out of college, looking to remember the house party days.** Bolding added for emphasis. Here are 9 oz ones of similar design. > [@](#): > > [http://www.greenlightoffice.com/office/stationery/819175652-genuine-joe-translucent-plastic-beverage-cup-9oz-2400-carton-plastic-clear.html](http://www.greenlightoffice.com/office/stationery/819175652-genuine-joe-translucent-plastic-beverage-cup-9oz-2400-carton-plastic-clear.html) Though googling “beer cups” images gives a fair number of the red and blue 12 - 16 oz variety. So it looks like I’m off on my size estimate. **Attack from the 3rd dimension** said: > [@](#): > > Neither one was a pickup. The first was a good friend who had an unbelievable hairtrigger fiery temper - I suspect she threw pots and pans at most of her acquaintances. The second was a co-worker on a research expedition, and for some reason we just rubbed each other the wrong way. I could say nothing to her that she didn’t take as an insult. The drink throwing took place after a few drinks were inside us, and I’d finally had enough. The event was cathartic, and after that we got along fine. Wow, that just sounds bizarre. **Mister Rik** said: > [@](#): > > This reminds me of one of my “porn peeves” - scenes set in a locker room where the quarterback is getting busy with a pair of cheerleaders, and the cheerleaders are wearing different uniforms with different colors. I know, that’s so distracting. 😃 They must be those kids who wear their uniforms every day, and are at some sort of state-wide conference. 😉 That’s along the same lines of the “schoolgirl” sites where the girls are supposed to be wearing school uniforms, but they are different patterns and look nothing alike (beyond the general lines of short skirt and white blouse). **elbows** said: > [@](#): > > It seems to me that every cop show on tv, sooner or later, during the show, detectives will approach, a waiter/bartender/server, show them a pic and ask a few pointed questions, (Seen this man? Was he alone? What time did they leave?..). I mean, it’s impossible to watch any Law & Order episode without this occurring. That’s an interesting observation. To be fair, how many times has their been a murder in your neighborhood? I wonder if any of our cop members can shed light on this. From a storytelling perspective it makes sense, and it is presented as a logical kind of thing. Of course you have to ask around, check alibis and the like. Admittedly, “remember this random stranger a month later” is a bit of a stretch. That seems like the kind of legwork a real detective might have to do, though perhaps the frequency is enhanced by the amount and type of murders that TV is prone to. * * * \*Like, when I went to high school, ya’know. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/447 "2009-09-12T01:36:40Z")
Big age gaps in siblings: • My mom popped me out when she was 22 and my oldest sister when she was almost 24. Then my “baby” sister, the suprise, arrived on the scene when Mom was 33. • Sometimes it’s on purpose. There is a couple I know who are my parents age. They have a son and daughter who are close to my age. Once those two children were grown and moved out of the house, this couple said, “Let’s have more!” and proceeded to produce another son and two more daughters. So they have five kids, two my age and three who are the right ages to be my kids (the youngest just turned 16). ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/448 "2009-09-12T02:11:52Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > …I don’t know what modern cheerleaders wear, but the uniforms in Glee were fairly consistent with what we had. Though I’ve seen some movie versions with a little more midriff visible than I recall… The skirts were an inch or two longer, no midriff visible at all, the tops were long sleeved turtlenecks. They also wore their uniforms on boys’ basketball game days. The boys didn’t where their basketball uniforms to school (or they did, but under those snap on warm-up pants). Some guys went to class with just the snap on pants with only jock underneath. One of my classmates would even freeball under them. One time during chemistry class out teacher was doing a demonstration at one of the lab stations and I was managed to snag on of the seats and he stood right behind and started subltly leaning forward to point where I could feel his dick on that back of my neck. We did something similiar to those **Glee** kids alone in the auditorium except it was a dark empty LGI room and it wasn’t out tounges we had in each others mouths. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/449 "2009-09-12T02:53:14Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Likewise for parties and BBQs here in the Pacific Northwest. Annnnddddd…here in the Midwest. I have been to a wedding where the introit was “The Wedding March”. It made me laugh (silently to myself) because it was such a joke amongst my friends growing up. Still, it is a nice piece of music, unlike the very next wedding I attended, where the introit was “When You Wish Upon a Star”, which made me want to hurl. And now back to the thread! ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/450 "2009-09-12T03:02:53Z")
Missed the edit window. Our cheerleaders and Pom-pons only wore their uniforms on game days and pep rally days (aka school spirit days, where we were all supposed to wear the school colors. Surprisingly, most of us did so–ah, the late 70s). Whoever upthread said he’s distracted by the wrong uniforms for porn cheerleaders etc–that is why porn doesn’t work for me. I overthink that stuff all the time. And speaking of porn, I’ve never had a pizza delivery guy enter my house, much less start taking his clothes off (ditto the plumber etc). One thing I really liked about 9 to 5 (the movie) was they showed Lilly Tomlin installing a garage door and then her testing it and it actually working. They also showed what happens when newbies smoke a joint–the coughing etc. I like small touches of realism in films. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/451 "2009-09-12T03:15:17Z")
Also, I don’t watch British crime dramas because they all seem to share the same method of breaking the case. Some copper slams some lowlife into a wall. There is screaming and threats. He breaks the case wide open! I am left with the vague impression that all crimes in the UK are solved as a result of none too subtle police brutality. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/452 "2009-09-12T10:41:30Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Whoever upthread said he’s distracted by the wrong uniforms for porn cheerleaders etc–that is why porn doesn’t work for me. I overthink that stuff all the time. And speaking of porn, I’ve never had a pizza delivery guy enter my house, much less start taking his clothes off (ditto the plumber etc). Maybe you just didn’t have the right soundtrack. Try putting some of that porno music on the stereo the next time you order a pizza. 🙂 It might also help if you and a couple of your hot friends are all wearing lingerie at the time. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/453 "2009-09-12T13:20:03Z")
> [@StuffLikeThatThere](#): > > My husband did a lot of family history research (yes, I totally did that to avoid looking up how to spell the correct word for it), and noticed a pattern of babies in the twenties, then no babies, then a baby or two in the early or middle forties. He was puzzling out loud about it to his aunt, who told him why. Your cycle tends to be regular in your twenties and thirties. As you approach middle forties, it goes all haywire on you. So people that were more or less successfully using the natural family planning approach got surprises. > > Now, that’s talking about rural women in 1960s and before, so it doesn’t necessarily track with the plot on a TV show. But it was pretty common around here. Still is, to a certain extent. > > Myself, I was born nine years after the next youngest. Surprise! > > ETA: I know this is anecdotal and not scientific in anyway. It’s Aunt Barb’s theory. I added it as a point of interest, not as The Right Answer. Just sayin’. I read a novel about a wagon train going west, and one particular family was composed of a middle-aged man, his middle-aged wife, and their very young son. I was amused by the explanation: “young Jack was the late, surprising fruit of marital duty”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/454 "2009-09-12T15:22:31Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Also, I don’t watch British crime dramas because they all seem to share the same method of breaking the case. > > Some copper slams some lowlife into a wall. > There is screaming and threats. He breaks the case wide open! > > I am left with the vague impression that all crimes in the UK are solved as a result of none too subtle police brutality. I find this very odd since my take on UK murders is that they are all solved by little old British ladies over tea or defiantly independent young women after getting razzed down the pub by men in wife beaters, not to mention the ones solved by witnessing a ghost in various priories (it’s always a priest in those). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/455 "2009-09-12T17:17:35Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Maybe you just didn’t have the right soundtrack. Try putting some of that porno music on the stereo the next time you order a pizza. 🙂 > > It might also help if you and a couple of your hot friends are all wearing lingerie at the time. I’m sure everybody’s already seen this a long time ago, [but why not](http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/44661/detail/)? (maybe NSFW - no nudity, but it’s suggestive. And funny.) ---
**Author:** ![wierdaaron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@wierdaaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wierdaaron)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/456 "2009-09-12T19:01:03Z")
This probably doesn’t fit the topic, but: room-temperature pizza. Whenever people on TV are eating pizza, or are sitting around a pizza, you can always tell that it’s not fresh and warm at all. Most likely, the pizza was made several hours ago and has been sitting around on set for multiple takes/setups, so it’s cooled off and hardened. Room temp pizza just doesn’t look the same as warm pizza. When they pick it up, it’s stiff as a board, and they always take teeny bites, if any. They need to either have a hot pizza ready to go for every take, or invent a way for cold pizza to look like hot pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/457 "2009-09-12T19:13:14Z")
Okay, those of you who had experience with late in life babies…did any of your siblings grow five years in a few months, a la baby Andy from “Family Ties” or baby Nicky on “Fresh Prince”? Thought not! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/458 "2009-09-12T23:04:43Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Okay, those of you who had experience with late in life babies…did any of your siblings grow five years in a few months, a la baby Andy from “Family Ties” or baby Nicky on “Fresh Prince”? Thought not! 🙂 Or Linus van Pelt or Sally Brown (though there it was their siblings aging very slowly). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/459 "2009-09-13T00:12:32Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Okay, those of you who had experience with late in life babies…did any of your siblings grow five years in a few months, a la baby Andy from “Family Ties” or baby Nicky on “Fresh Prince”? Thought not! 🙂 Come to think of it, I don’t know of any prominent toddler characters on non-animated shows. That may be one for a “things that are extremely common in real life that you’ve rarely seen on TV” thread. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/460 "2009-09-13T01:40:12Z")
Toddlers are unpredictable things. The kids on Everybody Loves Raymond are a rare exception, actually appearing on the show for long stretches, but they’re so quiet and well behaved! ---
**Author:** ![TheFatKid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@TheFatKid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFatKid)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/461 "2009-09-13T01:46:07Z")
Jobs that you can just ditch with a casual “cover me” when something comes up that you want to do. (Think “Cheers”.) ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/462 "2009-09-13T02:04:14Z")
The fast draw shootouts in cowboy westerns, where 2 people face each other and the one who takes the gun out of the holster first, shoots the other guy who is immediately incapacitated. Fast draw probably never happened at all in real life, it was something Hollywood writers made up. Another thing, is the sparks from when bullets hit cars or fences or whatever… my bullets never spark. I also cannot blow up a car just by shooting at it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161.md?page=22) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161.md?page=24)