13 Tired Tropes TV Can Turn On Their Heads

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7. Random Pregnancies Because the Actress Is Pregnant

Random Pregnancies Because the Actress Is Pregnant
When actresses become pregnant in real life, the pregnancy is often written into the show, with the mother-to-be's character becoming pregnant.

This can be great or it can be awful, depending on whether the pregnancy actually makes sense in the context of the show.

SVU unfortunately missed the target when actress Kelli Giddish became pregnant in real life, as Detective Rollins was revealed to have had a one-night stand with an undercover officer who had saved her from gambling addiction a couple seasons before.

After the reveal, Rollins rejected her baby daddy's offer of help and he was never seen or mentioned again. This was silly and unnecessary and this trope could easily have become a more interesting story had the father been chosen more logically and an actual storyline developed around Rollins' accidental pregnancy.

8. Characters With Ridiculously Tragic Lives

Characters With Ridiculously Tragic Lives
Characters who face significant obstacles in their lives and/or have psychological problems as a result can be interesting.

But sometimes it seems like a character has had the worst luck in the world and has suffered from every bad thing that can ever happen to anyone. If a character has too many problems the tragedy can be over the top.

Major Crimes almost did this with the character of Rusty, who witnessed a murder while living on the streets, was stalked by the murderer, was secretly gay, and had been abandoned by a birth mother who was severely addicted to drugs.

Luckily, Sharon's influence on Rusty has allowed him to be a mostly normal young man, even if he struggles with intimacy and has poor taste in boyfriends.

9. Heroes Who Do Bad Things for Good Reasons

Heroes Who Do Bad Things for Good Reasons
Sometimes the line gets blurred between good guy and villain, and people who are supposed to be heroes do questionable or even outright horrible things in the name of the greater good.

Having a character struggle with an ethical dilemma is one thing, but encouraging the audience to root for a character who does bad things is another.

Chicago PD's Hank Voight and his frequent manhandling of suspects and outright violations of the law is a prime example. Voight is so likeable when he isn't b eating people up that he almost gets away with it.

Voight has come close to facing consequences for his behavior several times and it might be interesting to take that even further and see whether the audience roots for him to come out on top.

10. The Character Who's Really Straight But....

The Character Who's Really Straight But....
From the 2000s onwards, gay and lesbian characters began to be a more prominent part of TV shows, and that's as it should be.

Sexuality is a wonderfully copmlex thing and not everyone is or needs to be shown as 100% one way or the other. However, it's become common for a character who is otherwise straight to fall hard for someone of the same sex because that is their one true love.

There are people who fall in love based on personality and not gender, but not everybody, and when it's overused this turns into a stereotype of its own.

Torchwood probably started this trend back in 2005 when, shortly before his death, Ianto declared that he was straight except for Jack.

It's possible that if Ianto had lived, he might have discovered there was more to his sexuality than he thought. Too bad he didn't get that chance. It's fun to think about an alternate future where sexual orientation is about more than whether you're really in love with the person you're with.

11. Overly Cute Children

Overly Cute Children
Children on television are often either precocious and cute or do things that are inappropriate for their age.

Or both.

Days of Our Lives has plenty of pre-schoolers and elementary age kids who are perfectly well behaved and never speak. However, before they aged Ciara, she was a spunky, bright kid who often tried to manipulate others and could turn on the charm as needed.

More kids with real personalities, please, and less overgrown toddlers.

12. Gifted But Tortured Characters

Gifted But Tortured Characters
Some TV dramas center around characters who are extraordinarily good at their jobs but whose personal lives are a mess.

There is something fascinating about someone who can do amazing things in one area of life, particularly if they are helping others, but can't seem to get their act together in the rest of their life.

But is it too much to ask that the character be likeable despite his flaws?

During Season 1, Chicago Med's Will came across as someone who was equal parts whiny and selfish and who was always breaking the rules for the wrong reasons.

Maybe his intentions were good, but he'd be a much more compelling character if this were clear.

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