Overused Plots in Movies and TV

[Hayley B]

I forgot about the "Disney World" episodes . It's like everyone on ABC just has to have one. Though that's something that doesn't get old with me. #LovesDisneyWorld and #LovesDisneyland .

Oh and about "hiding an animal from the parents". Three's Company hid an animal from Landlords twice.

 

[charlietheowl]

Oh and about "hiding an animal from the parents". Threes Company hid an animal from Landlords twice.

I remember seeing footage of a John Ritter interview where he said that's when he knew Three's Company had run out of steam, because they were filming an episode in the last season where they had to hide a cat that was a virtual remake of a first season episode where they hid a dog.

 

[D'Snowth]

I guess I don't watch enough ABC or Disney Channel sitcoms to know that "Disney World Episode" is a trope... I know it seems like every couple of years or so, AFV will do like a Disneyland episode, where Tom Bergeron will travel to one of the Disneyland locations (California, France, Japan, etc) and do the show from there. The only "Disney World Episode" thing I can think of is that special The Muppets at Walt Disney World.

 

[Oscarfan]

There was a two-part (I think it was a two-parter) Full House episode that did that.

 

[D'Snowth]

Here's another one I just thought of: school plays. And those tend to fall into three different categories:

1. One character is desperate to get a good part, or even as one of the leads, and starts scheming their way into getting it, by any means necessary.
2. One character is supposed to be the star of the play, and somehow, they get in trouble for something they didn't do, and as such, is removed from the play, so they try to clear their name.
3. One character is disheartened to learn that they've been assigned to work the crew, instead of being a part of the cast.

And these school plays almost have a very overly animated and flamboyant drama teacher directing the play. Even Kathy Greenwood played that part once.

 

[FrackleFan2012]

There's two Looney Tunes shorts that used the exact same plot. They are "Porky in Wackyland" and "Dough for the Do-Do".

See for yourself.

 

[Mo Frackle]

Let's not forget the annoying 'battle of the sexes' episodes.

 

[D'Snowth]

Ah yes.

Well, unfortunately, I think those have become both a necessity and a tool, especially for little girls watching, to keep spreading the message that girls can do anything boys can do.

 

[Mo Frackle]

There's two Looney Tunes shorts that used the exact same plot. They are "Porky in Wackyland" and "Dough for the Do-Do".

See for yourself.

Remakes were common back then because film series (like Looney Tunes or the Three Stooges) weren't shown the way TV shows are. Usually, you had to wait a month to a month and half to see a new short. And the shorts were almost never reshown in theaters, other than for the occassional Saturday Matinee. As a result, it was easier to get away with remaking an old short, especially if it was one made decades before.

 

[charlietheowl]

Remakes were common back then because film series (like Looney Tunes or the Three Stooges) weren't shown the way TV shows are. Usually, you had to wait a month to a month and half to see a new short. And the shorts were almost never reshown in theaters, other than for the occassional Saturday Matinee. As a result, it was easier to get away with remaking an old short, especially if it was one made decades before.

The Three Stooges also had to deal with a declining budget and Shemp's sickness in the early 1950s, which made them do a lot of remakes and re-cuts. They even remade four Shemp shorts after he died with a stand-in, which has to be one of the most tasteless decisions made by a production company ever.