[grandmastashi]

Inspired by an ongoing goof my girlfriend and I have when Corrie comes on, I wanted to know what everyone thought were the most unrealistic portrayals of life on TV.

To explain, it makes us laugh how in 2012

Most of them all still live and work on the street when the average commute in the north west is 30 minutes long

Their only frame of reference when it comes to getting a job is to work at the pub, newsagent, bookies, garage, taxi rank, cafe, hairdressers or factory

When a new character comes in with any kind of business acumen they automatically are interested in knickers all of a sudden

Long term characters who don't live on the street tend to be utterly barmy and speak like 18th century noblemen (the headteacher)

A special night out of any kind HAS to take place in the Rovers or Nick's restaurant, obviously there is nowhere else in Manchester.

There's probably many more tropes than just those for Corrie, but would love to hear other things you find completely inaccurate across TV.

[Mrs Mackintosh]

People who barely know each other seem to have each other's mobile numbers programmed in to their phones just to speed the "plot" along.

[widger]

Long lost brothers/sisters/mums/dads/aunties/uncles/sons/daughters that the character has never ever mentioned before.

[grumpyscot]

7 households have cars, but none of them ever park in the street and the pics show that there's nowhere local to garage them!

No one ever has the same first name as any other character currently on the show.

Everyone will get dressed and walk round the corner to go for a cup of tea in a cafe rather than brew their own

[AoibheannRose]

Originally Posted by grandmastashi

Inspired by an ongoing goof my girlfriend and I have when Corrie comes on, I wanted to know what everyone thought were the most unrealistic portrayals of life on TV.

To explain, it makes us laugh how in 2012

Most of them all still live and work on the street when the average commute in the north west is 30 minutes long

Their only frame of reference when it comes to getting a job is to work at the pub, newsagent, bookies, garage, taxi rank, cafe, hairdressers or factory

When a new character comes in with any kind of business acumen they automatically are interested in knickers all of a sudden

Long term characters who don't live on the street tend to be utterly barmy and speak like 18th century noblemen (the headteacher)

A special night out of any kind HAS to take place in the Rovers or Nick's restaurant, obviously there is nowhere else in Manchester.

There's probably many more tropes than just those for Corrie, but would love to hear other things you find completely inaccurate across TV.

I think you're looking for this thread http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1642130.

[HazelKeelan]

Originally Posted by grandmastashi

When a new character comes in with any kind of business acumen they automatically are interested in knickers all of a sudden

Long term characters who don't live on the street tend to be utterly barmy and speak like 18th century noblemen (the headteacher)

A special night out of any kind HAS to take place in the Rovers or Nick's restaurant, obviously there is nowhere else in Manchester.
[/b]
There's probably many more tropes than just those for Corrie, but would love to hear other things you find completely inaccurate across TV.

It's fiction, so it can't be inaccurate, by definition.

[BBaddict212]

How they can get through to people so quickly on the phone

How they basically go to a cafe next door for a cup of tea when they have a house next door with a kettle

How they all work in the same street or village

Seriously if I think of anymore I will be here all day at this rate!

[littlebooties]

In reality there's farting and more swearing. And kids are noisy and scream and cry - they are always so quiet in tv shows.

[Deleria]

The amount of active serial killers we've had in soap operas over the years is simply baffling - actually, just about anything involving fires, floods or car/plane/train crashes. Wouldn't like to live in any of those streets!!

[dillkid]

They all seem to be alcoholics! And people always seem to move onto a street/square or whatever that has seen shootings, stabbings, fires, car crashes, train crashes, rapes, kidnappings, etc.
Do these people not do research before they buy cursed homes???

[grandmastashi]

Originally Posted by HazelKeelan

It's fiction, so it can't be inaccurate, by definition.

Thanks for clearing that up

[Rich Tea.]

Ryan's metamorphosis from a quiet, sensitive young boy to a lazy, drug dealing, feckless idiot.

Need I say more?

[HazelKeelan]

Originally Posted by grandmastashi

Thanks for clearing that up

No problem, provided that you don't make the same mistake again.

[Minsey_Scarlett]

I like how most soaps seem to always have the same places: pub, cafe, hairdresser/salon, corner shop, factory, restaurant and nightclub if they're really lucky and that almost everyone who takes a job in them never seems to need any training. In fact after about a week most of them are running the place single handedly...

[C Horse]

I stopped watching it since Dirty Den made his Lazarus like reappearance, but it appears that the Eastenders scriptwriters are still looking for original thoughts. According to the BBC adverts, it appears his daughter is making a comeback (or is it his daughter, or a Beale or a Mitchell or did she once own the car-lot/laundry/chip shop?)

And to think ... there are people on here complaining about the coverage of the Olympics!!

[guernseysnail]

Houses that must have half a dozen bedrooms for all the people that live there!

[SuperDude95]

Originally Posted by C Horse

I stopped watching it since Dirty Den made his Lazarus like reappearance, but it appears that the Eastenders scriptwriters are still looking for original thoughts. According to the BBC adverts, it appears his daughter is making a comeback (or is it his daughter, or a Beale or a Mitchell or did she once own the car-lot/laundry/chip shop?)

And to think ... there are people on here complaining about the coverage of the Olympics!!

His daughter Sharon is coming back for about the fourth time

[SuperDude95]

A character leaves and returns with a different face.

[_drak]

It's unrealistic how many plots could be used to explore a character's reaction, how it affects family bonds, how they change their beliefs, how it changes their place within the community....but instead the writers use it to build up to a shouting match in a pub and then next week it's forgotten about.

[Grabid Rannies]

Not all teenagers 'talk lyk dis, innit'. The majority are, thankfully, perfectly normal.

[Gulftastic]

The disparity between sitcom wives fitness and that of their feckless husbands.

The only one I can think of where the man is better looking is 'Malcolm In The Middle'.

[Grabid Rannies]

Originally Posted by Gulftastic

The disparity between sitcom wives fitness and that of their feckless husbands.

The only one I can think of where the man is better looking is 'Malcolm In The Middle'.

The husband in 'The Middle' is even more better looking

They both have sexy arses though

[Nyota]

People constantly ordering food at their local cafe/pub/whatever only to abandon the table and their entire serving of food after one or two mouthfuls, sometimes for no real reason. That one drives me bonkers. Soaps in particular, when I used to watch them, were terrible for this. It looked so wasteful.

Which brings me to another point - people being able to eat out for every meal even though they work either menial, low paid jobs, are constantly going on about how broke they are, or are unemployed.

I don't expect or even want much realism in my fiction but these two things seriously wind me up!

[NeilBrookes]

Characters buying anything in pub, cabin or cafe always pay with the right money, they never get any change.

[kezo]

I don't watch soaps alot but I notice how "buses" appear on the scene ... no need looking at the timetables they just "appear" to pick them up (corrie) - pick them up but dont follow the journey ... emmerdale - hutton is displayed on the bus (pick the person up and nothing more but could end up character appearing back later say without "shopping" bags)