Hey TV people, TJL here.

After many countless years watching TV, I have seen many cliches. I've seen fat slobs married to hot wives, 30 year old women playing High School seniors, the list goes on an on.

But now I feel i must speak up about the ultimate TV show cliche, one that is so overdone, i cannot remain silent anymore.

TV characters eating chinese food - out of the carton - with chopsticks!

Am i the only one on the planet who uses a plate? C'mon!

I admit, I have tried the chopstick thing a few times in my life, but you can't tell me that every single character in the TV world has mastered the use of chopsticks!

Does anyone here at Sitcoms Online eat Chinese food this way?

If so, please tell me, also include the TV cliche that really gets your goat.

;)

I never eat chinese food with chopsticks. I have tried, but to no avail. I also use a plate. There is so much to eat that no way could I eat it outta the box. Remember in the movie the Godfather? Those guys eating it outta the box...:lol:

Let me add this cliche...pregnant women who never have their significant other by their side when they deliver...usually someone else ends up being with them. Also, when these ladies deliver (their first baby usually) they are in labor for what? five minutes...I don't think so. Try 24 hours for your first baby. Those ladies on television make it seem so easy to deliver and they make it seem like labor comes on "just like that" or "outta the blue"...not so when it is your first baby.

On the subject of pregnant women, they will often deliver in elevators (Benson, Saved by the Bell).

Or people drive through houses in cars (Full House, ELR).

Untalented singers will form a band and win first prize in some stupid contest (Saved by the Bell, Full House, Family Matters).

An ugly duckling will get a makeover, become a bombshell and become mean (Brady Bunch).

The chopstick thing always annoyed me. I don't know anybody who uses them when getting Chinese food.

That chopstick thing has always bugged me. I've posted about in on Chit Chat here and there. It's ridiculous.

I too hate the chopstick out of the cartoon thing, Its really hard to eat chinese food that way IMO...

Eating out of a carton is too hard and potentially messy. And chopsticks...forget it. I'd lose a lot of weight that way though. :lol:

On the subject of pregnant women, they will often deliver in elevators (Benson, Saved by the Bell).

Or people drive through houses in cars (Full House, ELR).

Untalented singers will form a band and win first prize in some stupid contest (Saved by the Bell, Full House, Family Matters).

An ugly duckling will get a makeover, become a bombshell and become mean (Brady Bunch).
Fran had her baby on an elevator too on The Nanny. Oh yeah, and Christine had hers on an elevator as well on Night Court.

Fran had her baby on an elevator too on The Nanny. Oh yeah, and Christine had hers on an elevator as well on Night Court.


A baby was delivered in an elevator on All in the Family too if I am not mistaken.

How about TV wives of the 50's and 60's all dressed up and wearing pearls while doing household chores and the husbands wearing suits.:D

Those horrible add a brats-I mean, add a kid.

Getting trapped in a basement or freezer with someone you hate.

Best Friends/Hired help and employer hooking up.

Having to go to the dumpster to find your misplaced whatever.

Some big time singer performing at the prom(like the school can afford them)

Running into some big celeb and later on you all are buddies(Please, maybe I crash my car into someone hoping it's Stevie Wonder)

Those horrible add a brats-I mean, add a kid.

Getting trapped in a basement or freezer with someone you hate.

Best Friends/Hired help and employer hooking up.

Having to go to the dumpster to find your misplaced whatever.

Some big time singer performing at the prom(like the school can afford them)

Running into some big celeb and later on you all are buddies(Please, maybe I crash my car into someone hoping it's Stevie Wonder)
:rofl:

I've noticed the chopsticks and eating out of the carton a lot too! :lol: I must confess, when I was in college I ate out of the takeout carton rather than dirtying a dish.


Or people drive through houses in cars (Full House, ELR).


That's actually one cliche I really do not like. I fail to see the humor in some idiot plowing through someone else's home in a car. They make it look so easy and simple to rebuild too. My neighbors had to have their whole house demolished and rebuilt after some jerk who was driving too fast lost control and wound up in their living room, missing their young son by mere inches. </ off-topic rant>

The kids(s) throw a party while the parents are gone, and it gets out of hand. A kid gets a credit card that's to be used "only in emergencies," but....
A family pet gets a credit card. A work horse goes into retirement and adult and child characters find it a retirement life.

A character gets amnesia, and others administer blows to the victim's head in a submoronic attempt, or attempts, to get the person's memory back. Somebody gets lonely, and another person contrives a phony persona to aid the first person, backfiring.

Someone gets tickets to a concert or a game or some other event, and doesn't know who to take. An absolute wreck of a human being dies and a main character takes take of the funeral arrangements, is the sole attender of the services, or whatever.

An adult wants to join a lodge but gets blackballed by a friend or family member who's a member.

Hey TV people, TJL here.

After many countless years watching TV, I have seen many cliches. I've seen fat slobs married to hot wives, 30 year old women playing High School seniors, the list goes on an on.

But now I feel i must speak up about the ultimate TV show cliche, one that is so overdone, i cannot remain silent anymore.

TV characters eating chinese food - out of the carton - with chopsticks!

Am i the only one on the planet who uses a plate? C'mon!

I admit, I have tried the chopstick thing a few times in my life, but you can't tell me that every single character in the TV world has mastered the use of chopsticks!

Does anyone here at Sitcoms Online eat Chinese food this way?

If so, please tell me, also include the TV cliche that really gets your goat.

;)

In reference to food, I can't help but think about those pink boxes that all bakery items come in (cakes, pies, doughnuts, etc.) I have yet to see one in person.

In reference to food, I can't help but think about those pink boxes that all bakery items come in (cakes, pies, doughnuts, etc.) I have yet to see one in person.
We have those pink boxes. Maybe it's a west coast thingy. :lol:

Besides the chopstick thing, I am grossed out how everyone eats out of the same containers!

Other cliches I've noticed:

An outsider living with a family: Will (Fresh Prince), Oliver (Brady Bunch), Charles (Charles in Charge), Marilyn (Munsters), Stephanie (All in the Family), Jeremy (Eight is Enough), etc.

In-law trouble: Everybody Loves Raymond, Honeymooners, George Lopez, King of Queens, Jeffersons, Bewitched, etc.

Pregnancies: Too numerous to name.

Cool houses/apartments: Mary Tyler Moore, Will & Grace, Coach, Silver Spoons, Golden Girls, Drake & Josh, Boy Meets World, etc.

Meddlesome mothers: Roseanne Conner, Ida Morgenstern, Endora, Marie Barone, Benny Lopez, Mother Jefferson, Thelma Harper, Sophia Petrillo, etc.

Exaggerated clothing on kids: What's Happening, Brady Bunch, Boy Meets World, Family Matters, Punky Brewster, Blossom, etc.

Racial/cultural cliches: Too numerous to name

I had never really thought about the chopstick thing, but you are absolutely right!!!

A few others:

Main characters living in ridiculously nice dorms/apartments (Friends, Will & Grace)

Random animal in the house for the episode (pig on Full House, goat on Brady Bunch)

A woman buys expensive clothes to wear, then returns them after a few days.
A person or a group enters a talent contest and goes against another person or group, then for some reason drops out to let the competition win.
Two of the main characters met somewhere when they were kids.
Series finales where one or more of the characters return to their original occupations and/or private life-oriented situations. MOVE ON, PEOPLE!!!
The "Kid Trick" and its variations:
1)A newborn child ages several years. 2)The kid advances one year in age. 3)The child is held back one year in age. 4)A child character was there when the show began, but later on is no longer around, and there's always no explanation for their vanishing. 5)The show's original kids advance in years and new one comes along, either newborn or elementary school age.

Two characters get handcuffed together.
A rich relative comes to town and stirs up trouble.
Money gets loaned to someone who's unreliable in paying it back.
Parents who meddle in their adult children's lives.
Kids who interfere in each other's lifes.
Two of a family's kids constantly fight and are put in seperate rooms.

Two characters fight and seperate the room/apartment/whatever.
One character saves another person's life, and the person whose life was saved becomes the other person's slave. The "master" overdoes it.
A character discovers compromising stuff about another character and blackmails the firts person into becoming a servant.

There's a beauty pagaent, and a judge is pressured by a contestant's sponsor/relative/whomever into voting for their contestant.
Someone faces death somehow and makes out a will.

Two characters get handcuffed together.
A rich relative comes to town and stirs up trouble.
Money gets loaned to someone who's unreliable in paying it back.
Parents who meddle in their adult children's lives.
Kids who interfere in each other's lifes.
Two of a family's kids constantly fight and are put in seperate rooms.

Two characters fight and seperate the room/apartment/whatever.
One character saves another person's life, and the person whose life was saved becomes the other person's slave. The "master" overdoes it.
A character discovers compromising stuff about another character and blackmails the firts perso into becoming a servant.

There's a beauty pagaent, and a judge is pressured by a contestant's sponsor/relative/whomever into voting for their contestant.
Someone faces death somehow and makes out a will.
I think every single one of those cliches was on The Brady Bunch!! :rofl:

The getting handcuffed together routine is old and anoys me.

Yeah the handcuffed thing is old. Unless they come up with a storyline about them getting handcuffed to a bedpost after you-know-what and they can't find the key. Is there an episode like this? If there is I'll laugh.

I also love it how it's always the blondes get asked out and not the brunettes. I noticed in a number of old shows that the wives are blond. With a few exceptions though.

I do eat Chinese food with chopsticks and that's just because I recently learned how and my roommate doesn't like me to dirty a lot of dishes. :o

These are all very interesting cliches and all very true, unfortunately. :rolleyes:

If you've promised someone they will be the first person you drive around after getting your license you will fail your test, but will lie to the person, drive them anyway, and get in an accident.

None of the women after giving birth look horrible, they all look like they did when they entered the hospital

Youngest kid grows up fast, they go from being an infant to 5 yrs old in one year while the rest of the cast is still the same age(Growing Pains comes to mind)

Most of the teens on the show are the do-gooders and/or most popular in their school

Many families have loads of money but you rarely see them working they spend countless hours at home at any time of the day (TCS comes to mind - for Claire to be a partner and high powered attorney she sure had a load of free time)

Marilyn isn't an outsider on the Munsters is she?

If you aren't popular, you are automatically geeky and the bane of the most popular person's existence.
If you're dating someone seriously (or married), their ex will show up. They will go out with that ex and you will be jealous.
Having a baby? Don't worry about weight gain. It will all be gone by the time the child is born.

The chopsticks thing is so true! If I order Chinese I have to ask for chopsticks. They never give them and I think it's gross eating out of the cartons especially with everyone sharing.

Some cliches I've come across are:

-When a lesson is about to be learned they always play that sappy/corny music.

-When someone just woke up they have make-up on, their hair is nice and combed and they go directly to talking to someone without brushing their teeth...ewwww.

-When someone calls someone, that person picks up after like one ring or maybe even before that :lol:

-Neighbors NEVER knock before coming in...they just walk right into the house/apartment.

-There is never a hint of what the weather is like outdoors as some people wear shorts and t-shirts while the others are wearing jeans and sweaters.

-You never see someone cleaning their house/apartment yet the house/apartment is always clean and spotless.

-A kid is never really grounded no matter what they do. You always see them doing what they want again in the next episode(Wish I had those parents).

-If someone comes back from shopping for groceries you almost ALWAYS see them carrying just a paper bag overflowing with like basil leaves or celery. :lol:

Houses that have two stairways to the second floor. Houses with high-ceilinged basements. A character sees another character's boyfriend or girlfriend cheating on them, and the second character doesn't believe them and says that the accusation is based on jealousy.

A guy pressures a girl into having sex.

Someone throws a party and all the guests show up at the same time.

Teenagers are always pressured into going to college. (Yeah, college is good, but everybody can't be well-educated with high status jobs, can they?)
The kids are far too obedient to their parents and other grown-ups. On European shows, kids aren't affraid of grown-ups the way they are on American shows.
Everybody finds a new girlfriend/boyfriend just like that! Way too often, a main character dates someone, who's only seen in that one episode. I just want to find ONE guy to date, and the girls on the sit-coms seem to have a new one in every episode.

There is usually a mystery room somewhere in the house (ie the kitchen door on Good Times, and the room at the top of the stairs on The Brady Bunch).

When people call someone that person always picks up on the first ring or maybe even before the first ring finishes. :lol:

Someone throws a party and all the guests show up at the same time.

What! You have never he(a)rd of 1-800-rent-a-mob? ;)

There are some good ones posted here already. Someone mentioned one of the two that really annoys me; on shows that feature children, as the the oldest child grows up and moves out they most assuredly are replaced by younger ones, many times twins or some adopted child.

The other cliche also involves children. Why is it that if there are several children in a family, the youngest is always the bright, coniving, scheming, serious, witty one while the oldest child is the half-wit, idiot, dolt, dumb-as-dirt, patsy? Examples that come to mind are Mr. Belvedere, My Family, Drake and Josh. Oh, and the parents in these shows are usually less than stellar in the wisdom department. I have yet to come across this in real life.

What! You have never he(a)rd of 1-800-rent-a-mob? ;)

There are some good ones posted here already. Someone mentioned one of the two that really annoys me; on shows that feature children, as the the oldest child grows up and moves out they most assuredly are replaced by younger ones, many times twins or some adopted child.

The other cliche also involves children. Why is it that if there are several children in a family, the youngest is always the bright, coniving, scheming, serious, witty one while the oldest child is the half-wit, idiot, dolt, dumb-as-dirt, patsy? Examples that come to mind are Mr. Belvedere, My Family, Drake and Josh. Oh, and the parents in these shows are usually less than stellar in the wisdom department. I have yet to come across this in real life.
Nice to see someone else here from Northern California.

He wants her, & she doesn't realize it. Then she wants him and he doesn't realize it. This can go on for years & years. Example Ross & Rachel on Friends, and Niles & Daphne on Frasier. I suppose you could call it the "Love Yo-Yo".

The "love yo-yo"? :lol: I like that term, Ann. :thumbsup:

The one that I see a lot is the whole retirement thing. Like when a dog is supposed to track down something and he runs away, something gets broken or lost, etc., the character always says something like "What a shame, it only had one day left til retirement" or something to that effect. I remember seeing this multiple times on The Simpsons alone.

I love Chinese cuisine but prefer to put chopsticks to better use. ;)
http://www.exclaim.ca/images/karate_kid.jpg

TV characters eating chinese food - out of the carton - with chopsticks!

Am i the only one on the planet who uses a plate? C'mon!

I admit, I have tried the chopstick thing a few times in my life, but you can't tell me that every single character in the TV world has mastered the use of chopsticks!

Does anyone here at Sitcoms Online eat Chinese food this way?

If so, please tell me, also include the TV cliche that really gets your goat.

;)

Not so much about the chopsticks, but the chinese takeout places I go to, they hardly ever use those cartons anymore. They put my food in one of those deep aluminum pans with the thin cardboard lid.

My cliches -

Maybe I'm just being picky, but whenever there's a phone conversation, nobody ever says 'bye', they just hang up!

When somebody comes in from shopping, they always carrying the brown paper bags, instead of the handle plastic bags that so many grocery stores use these days. I know that stores still offer the paper bags, but I never see anybody at all use them.

People always seem to be able to take time off work, at a moment's notice, to go away on a trip. I don't know about anybody else's job, but my company prefers I give them a couple weeks notice.

After a couple get done having sex, apparently they have a specially made sheet set that cuts down to the man's waist but is able to cover the woman's 'chest area'. And on that same subject, why when a woman gets out of bed, she wraps herself with the sheet? What's she trying to hide? I mean he's already seen everything!! (And yes, I know it's the show's way to not show nudity).

Picking up from Phoebe's post, here's another thing I can't stand. A couple is in the bedroom, getting romantic - AND NEITHER ONE BOTHERS TO PULL DOWN THE SHADES OR CLOSE THE CURTAINS!!! :mad:

Catlover, would that mean that all tv couples are great in the bedroom???:lol:

Catlover, would that mean that all tv couples are great in the bedroom???:lol:
;) Well, I won't name names...:lol:

Annball1957 reminded me. If you love someone for a long time, persue them almost everyday, this will make them fall in love with you!

There is usually a mystery room somewhere in the house (ie the kitchen door on Good Times, and the room at the top of the stairs on The Brady Bunch).

Friends had that, but it was the closet in Monica & Chandler's apartment.

On the subject of pregnant women, they will often deliver in elevators (Benson, Saved by the Bell).

Or people drive through houses in cars (Full House, ELR).

Untalented singers will form a band and win first prize in some stupid contest (Saved by the Bell, Full House, Family Matters).

An ugly duckling will get a makeover, become a bombshell and become mean (Brady Bunch).

"An ugly duckling will...." That was done in an ultimate way during the third season of Giiligan's Island: The Grubb chick became a Ginger Grant clone and when she got back to California, stole the real Ginger's identity!:eek:

"Not with my sister you don't."
A character dates someone who looks and acts exactly like another one of the characters. A lie gets out of hand. One or more characters dress in drag. acting in a commercial. Overdosing. Annoying neighbors or friend. Arrested by mistake. Arrested for a protest. Battle of practical jokes. Bowling night.

A get rich quick scheme. A character/characters goes/go on a game show. Cheating on homework. Grade card forgery. Crush on a teacher. A character has a catchphrase. Flashbacks. Some kind of switcheroo. Should we or shouldn't we? Slumber party. School bully. "Just be yourself."

The use of the "what life would be like had someone never been born" plotline. "It was all just a dream." Cyrano de Bergerac.

I fail to see the humour in someone driving their car through someone's house. Somebody could have been killed. Same goes for TV characters attempting to do do-it-yourself renovations in the home that they have no idead what they're doing (plumbing & electrical things). You'd get in a big mess and end up spending more money to fix their mistakes (like what Mike Holmes does in Ontario, to fix shoddy contractors mistakes).