# What is extremely common in TV or movies but almost never happens in real life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2021, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311 "2021-02-06T04:16:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 231
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4607 "2025-01-21T17:55:53Z")
Except for _Columbo_. It’s always the rich/famous dude. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4608 "2025-01-21T18:08:58Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I doubt very much that LEO’s will pierce a bag of an unknown substance (which also happens to be evidence) with a knife, stick their finger in it, taste it, and then announce to everyone that it’s cocaine, heroin, flour, etc. No one even on TV does that anymore. It’s been likely for decades that you have no idea what even heroin is cut with. The days of similac to cut heroin are long gone. I think the trope was busted back in 1980 on a “Tenspeed and Brownshoe” episode, where Jeff Goldblum’s character, merely a tyro at detective work, took a finger full of unknown drugs in his mouth (rather than a tiny taste) and went tripping. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4609 "2025-01-21T18:15:39Z")
Columbo doesn’t count-- different formula. It wasn’t a whodunit, it was a ‘howcatchem’. Columbo had its own formula, which sometimes got changed up, but was usually: 1. Smug, entitled rich and often famous asshole kills somebody for reasons, in meticulously planned fashion. 2. Columbo shows up, gravitates right toward the killer, but plays dumb. Starts asking questions of the killer as if he’s clueless and needs help. 3. Killer’s guard is let down, starts volunteering way too much info. 4. Columbo starts closing in. Killer begins to realize Columbo is not so dumb after all, but is still smug about it. “Ah, a worthy adversary!”. Starts to taunt Columbo. 5. Sometimes killer has to kill a second victim who knows too much (maybe 5-10% of Columbos). This is often the murder they get busted for, not the first. 6. Columbo sets up a scenario that will get the killer to incriminate themselves inadvertently. 7. Killer confesses. Asks “when did you first suspect me?” Columbo says “5 minutes after I met you”. Killer says “wha _whaaa_?!?” Columbo says "because you did (or didn’t) do (or say) thing that an innocent person would do (or say). ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4610 "2025-01-21T18:40:02Z")
My floor plan doesn’t even support putting a couch against the wall. Either it’s against the front window, or it’s against the stair railings, or it’s against the fireplace, or the kitchen island. ---
**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:** [January 21, 2025, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4611 "2025-01-21T18:42:13Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > When I said my living room is small, I meant “small”. The whole room might be 10x 12 - the house is only 16 feet wide and the stairs take up some space. Sure. Even somewhat larger living rooms aren’t laid out to conveniently place sofas and couches in the middle of the room. Ours has doors at the ends on either side so it works out to allow a passageway behind the couches. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4612 "2025-01-21T18:47:56Z")
You write for television, don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4613 "2025-01-21T18:49:13Z")
Nah, just watched a whole lot of it. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4614 "2025-01-21T18:58:36Z")
Ha, that’s an excellent summary. Predictable in format but I bloody love _Columbo_. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4615 "2025-01-21T19:22:27Z")
I suspect TV sets are almost always designed with the couch in the middle of the “room” because it allows the actors to sit on the couch facing the camera, while also leaving space for actors to walk around the set and enter/exit the scene without having to walk in front of the actors on the couch. But in my experience it’s not an uncommon arrangement in real life, either. I have my couch in the middle of the room because I feel like it divides the space between the living room and entryway better. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4616 "2025-01-21T19:27:57Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > Predictable in format but I bloody love _Columbo_. So do I. I enjoyed the typical Columbo formula. Some of my least favorite episodes were the ones in which they mixed it up and strayed from the formula, like the one where Columbo lets the aging actress off easy because she has dementia and forgot she killed somebody. I want to see smug, arrogant asshole murderers get hoist with their own petard, dammit! ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4617 "2025-01-21T20:09:12Z")
Another person with couches in the middle of the rooms(two (large) rooms, two couches) I don’t find this as weird as when you have 4 or more sitting down to dinner, and one side is empty, while the other side is crowded ---
**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:** [January 21, 2025, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4618 "2025-01-21T20:23:02Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Finally, at around 10 minutes to the hour, new evidence reveals it was one of the innocent witnesses from step 2. I’d probably enjoy detective shows more if I could stop glancing at the clock to see if _this_ suspect is the last one… _“Nope, looks like the ex-partner is the 8:35 suspect. I bet the entitled preppie son-in-law will be the 8:50 one…”_ ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4619 "2025-01-21T20:39:39Z")
In L&O Criminal Intent, Goren always did this- Find some tiny clue that leads him to suspect the rich person. Then get him into the interrogation room and trick him into confessing. For some reason, these rich killers with lawyers _never_ thought to say “I want my lawyer”, which happens a lot in the other L&O shows. ---
**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:** [January 21, 2025, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4620 "2025-01-21T20:52:50Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > Another person with couches in the middle of the rooms(two (large) rooms, two couches) I’m sure couches are mostly found against a wall. I can’t think of any home I’ve lived in or visited often with couches in the middle of the room until we moved here. ETA: I now remember for a little while we had a couch out in the middle of the room in our last house. It never worked well that way and the couches ended up against the wall anyway. I had a relative who hired a fancy interior decorator to redo her living room area. She ended up with a couch positioned diagonally in the middle of the room and some other weird stuff. None of it lasted long. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4621 "2025-01-21T21:01:27Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > I don’t find this as weird as when you have 4 or more sitting down to dinner, and one side is empty, while the other side is crowded If it was good enough for “The Last Supper”, it’s good enough for 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:** [January 21, 2025, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4622 "2025-01-21T21:14:20Z")
I remember some comedian quoting Jesus as reserving a table for 26. “So there’ll be 26 of you!?!” “No, just me and 12 friends, but we want to all sit on one side…” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4623 "2025-01-21T21:15:32Z")
They were posing for the Last Supper photographer. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4624 "2025-01-21T21:23:24Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’m sure couches are mostly found against a wall. Hard to say on the mostly. Depends a lot on the room size. Every where I’ve done it, it effectively made separate room, usually an extension of a hall > [@TriPolar](#): > > ended up with a couch positioned diagonally in the middle of the room My late husband did this. It was something I changed very soon after he passed ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4625 "2025-01-21T21:30:21Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > In L&O Criminal Intent, Goren always did this- > > Find some tiny clue that leads him to suspect the rich person. > > Then get him into the interrogation room and trick him into confessing. I get the feeling you haven’t watched all that many episodes. Because that describes like zero episodes in season 1 and about 1 in season 2. But yes, people who refuse the SHUT UP in interrogations just annoys the crap out of me. You know the writing is weak when you start rooting for the killer. The Closer is really bad at this, but I watched an OG Perry Mason the other night where he got the killer to confess on the witness stand. SHUT UP, dude! ---
**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:** [January 21, 2025, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4626 "2025-01-21T21:30:48Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I remember some comedian quoting Jesus as reserving a table for 26. “So there’ll be 26 of you!?!” “No, just me and 12 friends, but we want to all sit on one side…” That’s an old Bob Newhart routine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=230) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=232)