# What television shows get RIGHT... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 1, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385 "2004-11-01T19:52:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/41 "2004-11-04T05:25:53Z")
> [@Art Vandelay](#): > > Jerry’s apartment is supposedly located on West 82nd street on Manhattan’s upper west side. I can’t remember the specific address, although the building shown in exterior shots isn’t actually there though. (I think a Barnes & Noble is situated where it should be.) But the upper west side was pretty much built over with townhouses by the early 1900s (when indoor plumbing became a regular feature.) The inaccuracy in Jerry’s apartment is that the kitchen & bathroom are on opposite ends of the apartment, rather than adjacent to each other - so that they can connect to the same drainage pipes. Sorry, dude, but you’re talking out of your hat on this one. There are plenty of modern buildings on the upper west side, as well as buildings that have been fully gutted and renovated. Townhouses may be dominant, but they are hardly the only thing there. And my brother’s place, W72nd in a pre-war building, has the kitchen and bathroom at opposite ends. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/42 "2004-11-04T07:42:09Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I wish John Goodman did more work. I think he’s a fabulous actor in comedy and drama, and also he sings. I thought he was great in Normal, Ohio - also, I think, a great portrayal of a gay man as regular guy with regular job(construction contractor), with a little swish now and then, but also goes to the gay bar and has a manly Stein of beer, and doesn’t come home with a twink, just drinks! In fact, the only action I can remember him getting was from the balding FBI guy! Also, he got married and had a kid before coming out. That’s a _very_ realistic situation for a large set of gays, as far as I’m aware. The rest of the family were a bit OTT, but still, pity it got cancelled (I think - it certainly only ran one season here). I think more shows like that would go a long way towards lessening the stigma or the view that all gays are urban/successful/young types _a-la_ “Will and Grace”, but that’s a GD topic, really. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/43 "2004-11-04T07:53:15Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I wish John Goodman did more work. I think he’s a fabulous actor in comedy and drama, and also he sings. He’s got one sitcom and does voiceovers for another. How much do you expect from the poor man? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/44 "2004-11-04T07:57:40Z")
> [@Art Vandelay](#): > > And “Roseanne” deserves credit for showing the most realistic gay couple on tv: Martin Mull and his partner (forget the other actors’ name) [Fred Willard](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0929609/). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/45 "2004-11-04T08:31:19Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > He’s got one sitcom and does voiceovers for another. How much do you expect from the poor man? 🙂 To sing more! 🙂 I’ve got the cast album for a Roger Miller musical on Huck Finn, **Big River**. He plays Huck’s Pa and has a fabulous song about the government. I, uh, did indeed buy a cast album of a Huck Finn musical just because John Goodman sings on it. Why do you ask? (And also Roger Miller is cool.) I was hurt that he was in **O Brother Where Art Thou?** where a lot of people sang and he didn’t sing! Not that he didn’t have a wondrously great time in the movie, but I just kind of missed the opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/46 "2004-11-04T10:17:41Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > To sing more! 🙂 > > I’ve got the cast album for a Roger Miller musical on Huck Finn, **Big River**. He plays Huck’s Pa and has a fabulous song about the government. > > I, uh, did indeed buy a cast album of a Huck Finn musical just because John Goodman sings on it. Why do you ask? (And also Roger Miller is cool.) Ah, yes, Roger Miller. That brings back good memories of listening to R.E.M.'s hideously drunken take on “King of The Road” (at the end of which you can hear one band member inform another band member that, yes, they really ARE recording it). In the liner notes, guitarist Peter Buck admits that, “If there was any justice in the world, Roger Miller should be able to sue for what we did to this song.” ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/47 "2004-11-04T15:52:32Z")
He probably would have gotten a big kick out of it, really. I mean, the man’s most familiar pop culture presence to most Americans is as a cartoon rooster in a poofy shirt. Gotta come with a sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/48 "2004-11-04T19:25:09Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I wish John Goodman did more work. I think he’s a fabulous actor in comedy and drama, and also he sings. I’ve been a big fan since _The Big Lebowski_. I do wish he got more starring roles, and I don’t think current sitcoms are the place for him to shine. Oh well, I guess the Coens will keep giving him work. ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/49 "2004-11-04T19:31:39Z")
> [@Art Vandelay](#): > > And “Roseanne” deserves credit for showing the most realistic gay couple on tv: Martin Mull and his partner (forget the other actors’ name) weren’t P.C. saints, weren’t superhero-buff, didn’t flail their wrists at every moment, and didn’t seem to fixate on Madonna or Liza. Probably because they were a rural American gay couple. Here in NYC, we have plenty of super-hero buffs who flail their wrists \*\*and \*\* fixate on Madonna, Liza, Judy and Ethel. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2004, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/50 "2004-11-04T19:51:13Z")
> [@NotWithoutRage](#): > > Probably because they were a rural American gay couple. Here in NYC, we have plenty of super-hero buffs who flail their wrists \*\*and \*\* fixate on Madonna, Liza, Judy and Ethel. Yeah, but here in NYC, we also have a lot of gay guys who do NOT have super-hero buff bodies, flail their wrists, and fixate on Madonna, Liza, Judy and Ethel…but you never see them on tv show. (Well, okay, neither Will or Jack are superhero buff, but they fit do fit the other categories to a tee.) ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/51 "2004-11-04T20:25:19Z")
> [@Odinoneeye](#): > > I knew someone was going to be overly picky about this. Huh? You posted about “getting something right” when, in fact, they didn’t. Why is it picky to point out the fact that it’s flawed? ---
**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:** [November 4, 2004, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/52 "2004-11-04T20:44:43Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > I saw a TV show about police consultants to TV shows. They said you can always tell if a consultant was used because cops hold flash lights out at arms length at their side, and never right in front of them (which would be a glowing bulls eye). I have never heard or seen this technique. Shooting a gun with both hands is _bad_. The technique I have always used is to put the flashlight in the left hand. The left hand goes under the right(shooting) hand. The left hand rests underneath the right hand and they are touching back to back. This gives you a supported firing stance. The way to keep it from being a bulls-eye is by not keeping the light on all the time. You flash it on from time to time when you need it. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/53 "2004-11-04T20:47:44Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’ve been a big fan since _The Big Lebowski_. I like keeping an eye out for the later episodes of Roseanne where John Goodman is wearing Walter’s beard and buzzcut. You just want him to bellow at Roseanne _ **"OVER THE LINE!!"** _ ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/54 "2004-11-04T21:23:29Z")
> [@av8rmike](#): > > 😕 Jerry’s kitchen _is_ right next to the door. The bathroom is on the opposite side; you mean this would be inaccurate, too? The setup in Jerry’s apartment is probably much more like my former apartment. Kitchen’s would be back-to-back with the neighbor, as would bathrooms. As every construction company would not want to remake the basic apartment every building, the “Bizarro Jerry”, where everything is exactly opposite, makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/55 "2004-11-05T01:07:05Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’ve been a big fan since _The Big Lebowski_. I do wish he got more starring roles, and I don’t think current sitcoms are the place for him to shine. Oh well, I guess the Coens will keep giving him work. Check out **Barton Fink** , if you haven’t already. By far my favorite John Goodman role. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/56 "2004-11-06T04:29:45Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > However, some of the laien ships DO bank, but it is superior alien toechnology, and banking could be possible in space if the entire hull were covered in microthrusters, which these alien spacecraft might be, so there 😛 I think the explanation was actually that they used drives based on artificial gravity, hence vessels pulling themselves in a bank. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/57 "2004-11-12T06:53:30Z")
I was watching tonight’s episode of “Without A Trace,” which featured a sequence where they needed to blow up a photo in order to get a license plate number. But apparently their Super Duper Zoomatron – the device all cop shows use to extract any photographic detail, no matter how small – was on the fritz, because they didn’t get it! ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/58 "2004-11-12T07:22:24Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I have never heard or seen this technique. Shooting a gun with both hands is _bad_. The technique I have always used is to put the flashlight in the left hand. The left hand goes under the right(shooting) hand. The left hand rests underneath the right hand and they are touching back to back. This gives you a supported firing stance. The way to keep it from being a bulls-eye is by not keeping the light on all the time. You flash it on from time to time when you need it. From what I can remember, that sounds like how Mulder and Scully hold their guns/flashlights - though I think the flashlights are always on. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385/59 "2004-11-12T10:03:55Z")
There was a Halloween episode of **Roseanne** where she stuck her hand in the toaster, waited until Dan walked into the kitchen, then flailed around as if she were being electrocuted. He didn’t fall for it, and when Roseanne asked him why, he said, “'Cause the lights didn’t flicker. When you electrocute, you complete a circuit, and your body sucks up enough electricity to create a short in the rest of the house.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-television-shows-get-right/272385.md?page=2)