1. The dad is stupid but loveable, while the mum is an uptight bitch.
It’s not real life, and it plays into outdated stereotypes that do a disservice to both men and women.
2. Everyone dates everyone else in the one friendship group.
Sure, they’ve got to work with the cast they’ve got, and it creates drama/comedy, but it’s all just a bit… incestuous.
3. “Fat” versions of characters are made to seem stupid, slobby, and ugly.
“The fat suit, the fat jokes, and the lack of plus-sized people in roles that aren’t based around the fact that they’re fat. Why can’t a fat girl be a romantic lead without the plot centring on the problem of her weight?”
4. Characters always have the most annoying catchphrases.
They might have been funny the first time, maybe even the first 20 times, but they get old real quick.
5. Huge things happen in one episode, and then never effect subsequent storylines/are never mentioned again.
“It may cause heartache, major disruption or the possibility of someone’s life being changed majorly, but it doesn’t matter because it’s all forgotten about by the next episode.”
6. Everyone always looks really nice, even if they’re just hanging out at home.
“I HATE it when characters wear regular clothes (jeans/shoes/etc.) when they’re meant to be lounging at home. Seriously most people don’t even wear pants when they’re chilling at home, like why would those characters be wearing boots or jeans?”
7. Sex is always so… clean.
“Couples have sex and then just casually lay there after like it’s not messy down there or there’s no condom to be thrown out or anything… or sometimes they go straight to sleep after, and I’m like ‘what the hell?!’.”
8. The meals are always full-on (although you rarely see people actually eating).
“I hate completely unrealistic meals. Like no one sets out an entire spread for breakfast – putting orange juice into a pitcher and slicing a bunch of fruit and different breads!”
9. Nobody says “bye” on the phone.
Conversations aren’t like real conversations – they’re straight to the point and then over, without any greetings or small talk.
10. Characters with time-consuming jobs never seem to actually be at work.
In real life people don’t have that much time to sit around in bars or coffee shops.
11. Random, never-before-heard-of characters suddenly appear in later seasons.
Usually it’s a “cute” kid because all the other kids have hit puberty.
12. One character is always bullied for laughs.
“They make it seem like constantly making fun of someone is considered friendship. I mean, we all joke with our friends, but not 90% of the time, and not about stuff that we know they worry about. It’s not funny when you make fun of someones vulnerability, that’s called bullying.”
13. People never say what they mean.
“A character is trying to tell another character something really important, but the other character interjects with their news first. The worst part is when the other character says ‘what was it you wanted to tell me?.’”
14. The rare occasions that there are non-white/cis/straight characters, they’re typically marginalised.
Their difference is mocked and laughed at.
15. Characters have babies but hardly ever see/talk about them.
They have basically no impact on their lives, unless it’s for a one-off plot point.
16. There are those random, lazy episodes that are entirely made up of clips/flashbacks from other episodes.
“I just watched the season, why do I need to watch it over again?”
17. Or the gimmicky episodes that have nothing to do with the overall plot.
“I despise those weird, non-canon gimmick episodes, such as musical episodes, alternate timeline episodes, and Christmas specials.”
18. Little kids are unrealistically intelligent and precocious, and do things that cause chaos without really getting into trouble.
How many actual kids talk like teenagers/adults?
19. Characters are recast with actors who look nothing like the original.
Really stretching that suspension of disbelief, folks.
22. People go to bed with full faces of makeup, and when they wake up and it’s still perfect.
And their hair is always great, too.
—Naila Warren, Facebook
23. Groups of friends are present for every single life event.
Even if your friends are like your family, at least some of them have ACTUAL families who should be there.
—Helene Croussette, Facebook
25. And laugh tracks. Oh god, the laugh tracks.
“I am not yet at that point of loneliness where I enjoy hearing other people’s annoying staged laughs. WE GET THAT THE COMMENT BARBARA MADE WAS FUNNY! WE DO NOT NEED TO HEAR SOME LAUGHING TO PROVE IT!!!!”
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