Situations in sitcoms that could never happen in real life - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

joan davis fan · 02-14-2002, 08:15 PM

I was reading "The Lucy Book" by Geoffrey Fidelman earlier today and he brings up the scene in I Love Lucy where Lucy hires a helicopter to take her to the Constituton as she missed the boat. He brings up the point that this scene could never happen in real life because , well its illegal.

Got me thinking of other scenes/situations that took place in sitcoms, even dramas that could never happen in reality. Also had me thinking of scenes/sitcoms that would be difficult to do today.

For example in Alice, I can think of at least 2 ep. when Vera brought pets into Mel's Diner. Dont know about Arizona but where I live if one brings an animal into a restaurant ( besides seeing eye dogs for the blind ) then the restaurant could very well lose its license. Just recently a local diner here got closed down by the local board of health when it was discovered the owner kept 4 cats in the kitchen area ( his pets ).

WKRP in Cincinatti: This show couldn't be done today. Well in a way it could but without the djs. AS Most radio stations now have canned the local dj in favor of the internet, for example I was reading about a woman who works for Clear Channel Communications ( who owns thousands of radio stations ) who "supplies voices" by e-mail to over 25 jazz stations from Washington state to Virginia Beach to Denver, to Texas. Same thing goes for other music as well. I myself live in a small town and out local oldies station is full of "djs" out of Philadelphia ( 200 miles away ). They e-mail their voices to the station and its then downloaded into the system for playback over the air. Hard to picture venus Flytrap of Dr. Johnny Fever doing this.

Back in the 60s I remember a show called "Occasional Wife". The show was about a single man working for a company that hires only married men. To pretend he is married he hooks up with a neighbor who poses as his wife around his boss. I could be wrong about isnt illegal for a company to practice this ( hiring only married men )? In this day and age of lawsuits and discrimation such a show would be imposible to do today.

In Emergency! the paramedics wear hats/uniform that say clearly " LA County" on them but yet they are called to help out people in downtown LA! In some states this could never happen. In Virginia for example I believe its illegal for a "county" fire department to venture inside "city limits".

any other scenes/sitcoms/drams that could never happen in real life and/or could never be done today?

Sitcomwriter · 02-14-2002, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by joan davis fan
Back in the 60s I remember a show called "Occasional Wife". The show was about a single man working for a company that hires only married men. To pretend he is married he hooks up with a neighbor who poses as his wife around his boss. I could be wrong about isnt illegal for a company to practice this ( hiring only married men )? In this day and age of lawsuits and discrimation such a show would be imposible to do today.

Same with Ned and Stacy!

TJL · 02-14-2002, 08:50 PM

Something that never, ever happens in reality, but only on sitcoms...

A couple has a messy breakup (Ross And Rachel, Sam and Diane, etc.) and they STILL REMAIN FRIENDS!

It cannot, will not, never ever happen in reality. Ever!

boechsner · 02-14-2002, 10:06 PM

Every sitcom at one time or another has had a situation that wouldn't happen in real life. Especially those fantastic fantasy sitcoms from the '60's (i.e. Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Gilligan's Island, The Munsters, The Addams Family, Mister Ed, My Favorite Martian, My Mother the Car)

Also those from the 80's (i.e. ALF, Out of This World, Small Wonder)

Although I've never seen it, Amos 'n' Andy couldn't be done today due to it stereotyping.

Of course the biggest thing that doesn't happen in reality, solving major problems in only 30 minutes.

Sitcomwriter · 02-14-2002, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TJL

A couple has a messy breakup (Ross And Rachel, Sam and Diane, etc.) and they STILL REMAIN FRIENDS!

No that's not true!

My ex and I had a VERY messy breakup and we're still friends!

TJL · 02-14-2002, 10:20 PM

Sorry, don't believe you.

Central Perk · 02-14-2002, 11:04 PM

There are six billion people in the world and out of all them two of them have had a messy breakup and became friends.

TJL · 02-14-2002, 11:37 PM

Okay, I came up with a real example. Ignore my previous posts.

On sitcoms, anything can be run by only four or five people.

Spin City - Apparently New York City is run by Michael J Fox and a few of his wacky cohorts.
Newsradio - A 24 hour news station with only six employees.
Just Shoot Me - A swanky fashion mag only needs five people to attend their daily meetings, one of them being David Spade!
Oh yeah, and on Just Shoot me, Maya and Elliot had a passionate love affair, broke up and STILL REMAINED FRIENDS!
I'm sorry, but that just doesn't happen folks!!!

dawsongirl · 02-15-2002, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by joan davis fan
In Emergency! the paramedics wear hats/uniform that say clearly " LA County" on them but yet they are called to help out people in downtown LA! In some states this could never happen. In Virginia for example I believe its illegal for a "county" fire department to venture inside "city limits".

LOL! I always used to wonder why Adam-12 and Emergency didn't cross more often, but that wouldn't have worked, seeing as one is city, the other county.

And many of my local radio stations still use local DJs.

Sitcomwriter · 02-15-2002, 12:19 AM

I agree with all of them but couples CAN break up and become friends if they were close in the first place!

joan davis fan · 02-15-2002, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TJL
Okay, I came up with a real example. Ignore my previous posts.

On sitcoms, anything can be run by only four or five people.

Spin City - Apparently New York City is run by Michael J Fox and a few of his wacky cohorts.
Newsradio - A 24 hour news station with only six employees.
Just Shoot Me - A swanky fashion mag only needs five people to attend their daily meetings, one of them being David Spade!
Oh yeah, and on Just Shoot me, Maya and Elliot had a passionate love affair, broke up and STILL REMAINED FRIENDS!
I'm sorry, but that just doesn't happen folks!!!

I can see a 24 hour news station with only 6 employees. Here we have an AM news station and they only have two !!!. All you need is a satellite for the shows and two local people to do the news AND sale spots and there you go. Many shows to choose from ,from Dr. Laura, Rush, and Larry King to Sam Donaldson ( ABC News ) to even Joan Rivers who I believe still does a daily radio show.

Many radio stations now are so fully automated , outside of my town we have 6 stations ( 2 country, 1 Christian Rock, 1 oldies, 1 big band, 1 classic/new rock ) and combined they only have 11 employees total !!!, and none of them works weekends and after 5pm weekdays. And many other stations are like that too.
Its gotten so bad here with radio cutting back that many of them no longer do school closings since they dont want to pay for someone to be there at 3-4 AM.

Pitooey · 02-15-2002, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TJL
Something that never, ever happens in reality, but only on sitcoms...

A couple has a messy breakup (Ross And Rachel, Sam and Diane, etc.) and they STILL REMAIN FRIENDS!

It cannot, will not, never ever happen in reality. Ever!

Wait a minute TJL...... Not so!!!!! This happens in real life because I'm proof it it. Happily married now and friends with an ex.

Chocoholic · 02-15-2002, 03:56 PM

I also know people who have broken up and still remain civil to each other, if not friends. I have a couple of friends whose parents are divorced, yet they remain on good terms with each other for the sake of their children.

Other things that will probably never happen in real life:

People can be legally married for 3 years and not realize it at all. (Happened on Wings.)

Related to the radio station thing: it only takes a few people to run an airport. (Also on Wings.)

People can sit around and drink beer all day and they usually don't get drunk. (Cheers)

TJL · 02-15-2002, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by WingsFan

People can sit around and drink beer all day and they usually don't get drunk. (Cheers)

You've obviously never met my friends.

bb · 02-16-2002, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sitcomwriter

Same with Ned and Stacy!

A company that hires only "marrieds", though it has been said that married men/women make better workers ( not always true however ) and I am sure some businesses do suscribe to that theory. But The practice IS illegal and can result in a discrimation lawsuit. And there have been actually cases of this happening.

About WKRP in Cincinatti, I believe it would be difficult to do this show today. Back in the 70s radio was fun ( go to reelradio.com and check out the broadcasts from before 1984 and compare them to todays radio and you can see a differerce ) and WKRP captured what radio was like at that time. Today in many parts of the country radio doesnt use djs on a local level but "voices" piped in thanks to the internet and/or satellite. The local station gets the voices and transfers them into a master computer ( the one that goes out over the air ) its called fancy automation. With the way computers are its hard for the average joe to know. Next time you hear a dj on the radio and he/she fails to give the current temp when doing the weather or even a time check- call up the station. If no one answers, chances are no one is there.

One thing about WKRP, I am surprised that Tim Reed and Howard Hessman doesnt supply their voices to radio stations and create a Dr. Johnny Fever or a Venus Flytrap for real local radio. If Wink Martindale, Peter Marshall , Dick Clark and I heard even Marlo Thomas,if they can do it why not the two most famous djs in sitcom history?

I Love Lucy: its been said if you go to New York and try to actually find 623 East 68th Street, its in the middle of a river.

02-14-2002, 08:15 PM	#1
joan davis fan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 07, 2002 Posts: 179	Situations in sitcoms that could never happen in real life I was reading "The Lucy Book" by Geoffrey Fidelman earlier today and he brings up the scene in I Love Lucy where Lucy hires a helicopter to take her to the Constituton as she missed the boat. He brings up the point that this scene could never happen in real life because , well its illegal. Got me thinking of other scenes/situations that took place in sitcoms, even dramas that could never happen in reality. Also had me thinking of scenes/sitcoms that would be difficult to do today. For example in Alice, I can think of at least 2 ep. when Vera brought pets into Mel's Diner. Dont know about Arizona but where I live if one brings an animal into a restaurant ( besides seeing eye dogs for the blind ) then the restaurant could very well lose its license. Just recently a local diner here got closed down by the local board of health when it was discovered the owner kept 4 cats in the kitchen area ( his pets ). WKRP in Cincinatti: This show couldn't be done today. Well in a way it could but without the djs. AS Most radio stations now have canned the local dj in favor of the internet, for example I was reading about a woman who works for Clear Channel Communications ( who owns thousands of radio stations ) who "supplies voices" by e-mail to over 25 jazz stations from Washington state to Virginia Beach to Denver, to Texas. Same thing goes for other music as well. I myself live in a small town and out local oldies station is full of "djs" out of Philadelphia ( 200 miles away ). They e-mail their voices to the station and its then downloaded into the system for playback over the air. Hard to picture venus Flytrap of Dr. Johnny Fever doing this. Back in the 60s I remember a show called "Occasional Wife". The show was about a single man working for a company that hires only married men. To pretend he is married he hooks up with a neighbor who poses as his wife around his boss. I could be wrong about isnt illegal for a company to practice this ( hiring only married men )? In this day and age of lawsuits and discrimation such a show would be imposible to do today. In Emergency! the paramedics wear hats/uniform that say clearly " LA County" on them but yet they are called to help out people in downtown LA! In some states this could never happen. In Virginia for example I believe its illegal for a "county" fire department to venture inside "city limits". any other scenes/sitcoms/drams that could never happen in real life and/or could never be done today?

02-14-2002, 08:50 PM	#3
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,588	Something that never, ever happens in reality, but only on sitcoms... A couple has a messy breakup (Ross And Rachel, Sam and Diane, etc.) and they STILL REMAIN FRIENDS! It cannot, will not, never ever happen in reality. Ever!
	__________________ "I think I'll stroll up to the front to see how the shooting's going..." - Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce Read my blogs! http://centralparkamisguide.com/ http://dvdcriticscorner.com Visit me on Facebook!http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=641138880 Hey, I do the tweet thing too! http://twitter.com/TomLevier My shop of handmade items! http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColdGarageCreations

02-14-2002, 10:06 PM	#4
boechsner Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 18, 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI Posts: 2,212	Every sitcom at one time or another has had a situation that wouldn't happen in real life. Especially those fantastic fantasy sitcoms from the '60's (i.e. Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Gilligan's Island, The Munsters, The Addams Family, Mister Ed, My Favorite Martian, My Mother the Car) Also those from the 80's (i.e. ALF, Out of This World, Small Wonder) Although I've never seen it, Amos 'n' Andy couldn't be done today due to it stereotyping. Of course the biggest thing that doesn't happen in reality, solving major problems in only 30 minutes.

02-14-2002, 10:20 PM	#6
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,588	Sorry, don't believe you.

02-14-2002, 11:04 PM	#7
Central Perk ~~~~~ Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 10, 2002 Posts: 4,553	There are six billion people in the world and out of all them two of them have had a messy breakup and became friends.

02-14-2002, 11:37 PM	#8
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,588	Okay, I came up with a real example. Ignore my previous posts. On sitcoms, anything can be run by only four or five people. Spin City - Apparently New York City is run by Michael J Fox and a few of his wacky cohorts. Newsradio - A 24 hour news station with only six employees. Just Shoot Me - A swanky fashion mag only needs five people to attend their daily meetings, one of them being David Spade! Oh yeah, and on Just Shoot me, Maya and Elliot had a passionate love affair, broke up and STILL REMAINED FRIENDS! I'm sorry, but that just doesn't happen folks!!!

02-15-2002, 12:19 AM	#10
Sitcomwriter Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 27, 2001 Posts: 7,356	I agree with all of them but couples CAN break up and become friends if they were close in the first place!

02-15-2002, 03:56 PM	#13
Chocoholic Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Posts: 11,235	I also know people who have broken up and still remain civil to each other, if not friends. I have a couple of friends whose parents are divorced, yet they remain on good terms with each other for the sake of their children. Other things that will probably never happen in real life: People can be legally married for 3 years and not realize it at all. (Happened on Wings.) Related to the radio station thing: it only takes a few people to run an airport. (Also on Wings.) People can sit around and drink beer all day and they usually don't get drunk. (Cheers)