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Ten Tropes We Never Want to See on TV Ever Over again

MODERN FAMILY -

Photo: Peter "Hopper" Rock/? 2011 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

It happens when you least wait it, in the centre of a bear witness y'all like, or on a series you at to the lowest degree respect. Something that was meant to be a solid punch line or a heartfelt moment instead leaves you feeling dejected or furious. This? Again? If I hear another character cheerily joke "that went well!" or come across someone make a queasy confront and then say, "I but threw upwardly in my mouth," I'thou going to dial a hole in this TV screen just so something original tin happen!

There are plenty of TV clichés that surface over and over, and this list will never exist complete. If these premises were always fresh, they are long past their expiration date; if these lines were ever distinctive, they have worn from overuse. But as of this day, during this flavour, these are the tropes that need to be retired right now.

A grapheme waits in someone else's abode or part in the dark; when that person arrives and flicks on the lights, surprise!
No more of this. Even ironically, Happy Endings. Even demonically, Revenge. Enough already. Surely there are other more than plausible but still sinister ways to startle people. Don't villains and assassins have amend things to exercise than sit in the dark?

"And by [thing], I of course mean [opposite of thing]."
Chandler Bing called and he wants his ironic detachment back. Just kidding, the "[blank] chosen" affair is fifty-fifty more than overdone. Irony! Irony.

"He's standing right behind me, isn't he?"
Existence defenseless shit-talking is one thing — a matter that does occasionally happen — merely no one has ever really, authentically said, "She'due south standing right behind me, isn't she?" This trope frequently occurs as part of a list, so in improver to beingness overused, it'southward also actually piece of cake to spot coming: "He'southward an egomaniac, he'south stuck up, he's unkind, and he's … standing right backside me, isn't he?" Yes, he is, and he wants y'all to come up with a new take on the situation.

Nonsense language to prove that someone isn't listening.
"Then then Santa Claus and I played football on the moon, and the monkey army won, and I tin just say anything right now because you're not listening to anything, right, love?" "Mmhm." This has never, always happened in life, ever. We tin forgive the fancy apartments and the dainty clothing and the geographical inaccuracies and suspend all kinds of disbelief to savor a prove — simply this we cannot abide.

A character throws his or her back out and is immobilized for much of the episode.
This one has just been done to death, reaching maximum saturation on Nov 16, when both Modern Family and Suburgatory used it. The merely way to make this work is to become New Girl's route and throw in a threat of thyroid cancer. Yous know, to make everything funnier. (It worked, though; this week'south New Daughter was great.)

Someone has to babysit an egg.
Oh, egg sitting. It'due south been a go-to for decades, merely the number of TV characters who've egg-sat radically out-paces the number of actual human beings who have. Same goes for the dropping-an-egg-from-great-heights scientific discipline project: Slap a parachute on that bad boy and permit's have a different academic rite of passage, delight.

Someone mistakes a character's brother/sister for their lover.
Information technology happened on The Skillful Married woman merely last week, with Kalinda briefly mistaking Volition'southward sisters for some kind of harem, and Gray's had a whole episode well-nigh it back in the day. She's just McDreamy'south sister, Meredith! Chill out! BYO Luke/Leia/Han Solo joke.

An animal turns its head when someone is nude, giving a quizzical "ruh-roh" look (bonus/negative points if the domestic dog actually grumbles).
Enough. Plus, everyone knows that dogs really actually appreciate healthy, open expressions of sexuality, and frankly they're put off by our puritanical and hypocritical attitudes about pornography.

The nursery-schoolhouse application process is unbelievably competitive/bizarre/challenging/stupid.
Upwards All Night went to this well last calendar month, with Reagan angle over backwards in an attempt to get her child — who is an infant — into a prestigious preschool. Rich people problems!

A character is taken to task for using too many abbreviations or text-speak.
Poor Penny on Happy Endings was chosen out for using "abbreves," it came upward on How I Met Your Mother, and several scenes on Suburgatory devolve into text-speak discussion-salad. We get information technology, language is malleable, har har har.

Your turn!

10 Tropes Nosotros Never Want to Come across on TV Ever Once again