Faux Life: Things That Happen On TV But Not In Reality

[smittykins]

On 12/17/2020 at 11:35 AM, Irlandesa said:

I know that kind of thing happens in real life (Hi wife of Seth Meyers)

“We’reabouttohaveababywe’rehavingababywehadababy.”

[Shannon L.]

Not everyone who doesn't pull out all the stops during holidays is a scrooge, depressed or had horrible holiday experiences growing up.  Some of us love the spirit of the holidays, but not the fuss that goes into the shopping and baking and decorating. 

[GaT]

14 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

Not everyone who doesn't pull out all the stops during holidays is a scrooge, depressed or had horrible holiday experiences growing up.  Some of us love the spirit of the holidays, but not the fuss that goes into the shopping and baking and decorating. 

Or, just plain don't celebrate the holiday.

Edited December 21, 2020 by GaT

[DoctorAtomic]

This is the first time I don't have to travel for xmas (I generally would rather not travel but don't really have the choice), so I thought it might be cool to get a tree. Then I was like, 'then I have to go get it and probably buy some lights.' So, no. 

[kiddo82]

Speaking of Christmas on TV, kids on TV sleep through the night on Christmas Eve.  If they were anything like me as a kid they'd never sleep on Christmas Eve.  They'd wake up at two a.m. and then only doze for 30 minutes at a time.  Then they'd go into their parents' room around 5 and they'd be told not to come back until 6.  (My sisters always sent me because I was the youngest.)  None of this waking up well rested at 8 in the morning and then remembering it's Christmas Day.  What's up with that?

[Annber03]

8 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:

Then they'd go into their parents' room around 5 and they'd be told not to come back until 6. 

I remember, when my sister and I were kids, we'd be sitting in our room Christmas morning and hear our parents' voices out in the living room and whatnot, and we'd shout, "Is it okay to come out yet?" :p. 

[kiddo82]

Exactly.  My oldest sister used to read picture books to us.  It became our own little tradition.

[Browncoat]

Do kids in real life wait for their parents to get up before they open Santa presents and stockings?  We never did, but we also opened family presents on Christmas Eve.  It was almost like having two Christmases.

[Katy M]

25 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Do kids in real life wait for their parents to get up before they open Santa presents and stockings?  We never did, but we also opened family presents on Christmas Eve.  It was almost like having two Christmases.

We could take down our stockings when we got up, but present opening had to wait until the parents were up, the grandparents got there, everybody was dressed and had had their breakfast (and my dad would always take his time drinking his coffee until my mom would finally yell at him to stop torturing us).

[KWalkerInc]

My aunt and uncle were a bit younger than my mom, and my aunt said that my mom used to help their parents stall by telling them they had to make their beds before they could go out to the living room with the tree.

[biakbiak]

5 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Do kids in real life wait for their parents to get up before they open Santa presents and stockings?  We never did, but we also opened family presents on Christmas Eve.  It was almost like having two Christmases.

We had to wait until everyone was up and when I was a kid that was an extended family and friends of 12-16. Luckily the 3-4 kids present got to go wake their assets up if they were asleep. However, even though I was the youngest I was often one of the stragglers and my sister would open my bedroom door and hold our dog back so he could get a running start to leap his 90 lb body on me to wake me up.

Edited December 21, 2020 by biakbiak

[smittykins]

12 hours ago, Katy M said:

We could take down our stockings when we got up, but present opening had to wait until the parents were up, the grandparents got there, everybody was dressed and had had their breakfast (and my dad would always take his time drinking his coffee until my mom would finally yell at him to stop torturing us).

Same here, but I had to wait until we got to my aunt and uncle’s house.  It took forEVER.

[DoctorAtomic]

15 hours ago, Browncoat said:

We never did, but we also opened family presents on Christmas Eve.  It was almost like having two Christmases.

Family presents were on xmas eve late, and Santa in the morning. My aunt and uncle threw mad xmas eve parties. Like they weren't happy unless it was like 50 people there. 

[Shannon L.]

Our Christmas tradition was that anything from Santa was already out of the box, assembled, with batteries when needed and displayed under the tree.  I've only run into 2 other people who grew up with that tradition.  My husband wasn't sure at first, but went with it because it was important to me, and ended up really liking it.  My parents loved getting the looks of surprise on our faces by taking our picture when we walked into the room, so we'd have been in deep trouble if we'd gone out sooner.  For some reason, it never crossed our mind to snoop or go out and look early--maybe we knew instinctively how much our parents enjoyed the moment.  So, whichever one of us woke up first would hang out in the others room until we were told we could come out (mom and dad would get up first to turn on the lights and get the camera ready).  It was usually around 7am. After looking through what we got from Santa, we'd have a quick breakfast and then get to the wrapped presents.

 

Edited December 21, 2020 by Shannon L.

[Blergh]

23 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

Not everyone who doesn't pull out all the stops during holidays is a scrooge, depressed or had horrible holiday experiences growing up.  Some of us love the spirit of the holidays, but not the fuss that goes into the shopping and baking and decorating. 

I agree- to say nothing of the fact that there are many of us who are required to WORK during holidays and we can't make each and every one of them some big blowout.

Most TV shows totally ignore that reality but I'll always like that the Mary Tyler Moore Show actually DID an episode in which Mary was the ONLY employee (besides an unseen guard) to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and she did the best she could to make the best of it instead of pinning everything on somehow getting the days off at the very last minute. Now, all her co-workers (and Rhoda) showed up to briefly wish her Merry Christmas but they all knew that they'd be gone and she'd be left to deal with the reality herself! So I truly appreciate that the show acknowledged that reality for so many of us!

Edited December 21, 2020 by Blergh

[DearEvette]

12 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

Our Christmas tradition was that anything from Santa was already out of the box, assembled, with batteries when needed and displayed under the tree.  I've only run into 2 other people who grew up with that tradition.  My husband wasn't sure at first, but went with it because it was important to me, and ended up really liking it.  My parents loved getting the looks of surprise on our faces by taking our picture when we walked into the room, so we'd have been in deep trouble if we'd gone out sooner.  For some reason, it never crossed our mind to snoop or go out and look early--maybe we knew instinctively how much our parents enjoyed the moment.  So, whichever one of us woke up first would hang out in the others room until we were told we could come out (mom and dad would get up first to turn on the lights and get the camera ready).  It was usually around 7am. After looking through what we got from Santa, we'd have a quick breakfast and then get to the wrapped presents.

 

This was my entire ass family.  Christmas eve was for the grown ups.  There as always some sort of family party, and the grown ups exchanged gifts then.  But Christmas day was for the kids.    We had no wrapped presents under the tree everything was out and ready for display with a little name tags on them and grouped.   We could run down as early as we wanted and play while the parents slept off the partying from the bight before.  LOL

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

Our Christmas tradition was that anything from Santa was already out of the box, assembled, with batteries when needed and displayed under the tree.  I've only run into 2 other people who grew up with that tradition.

Here's number three.  Wrapped presents from mom & dad were under the tree, and then Christmas morning there were also unwrapped presents in the stockings and in front of the tree from Santa.  My grandpa used to film it back in the Super 8 days, then with VHS the camera got set up on a tripod, so my reactions were captured for posterity.

My parents do the Santa stuff to this day - stuff they don't want to wrap is from Santa, heh - and they still record the whole thing (which no one will ever watch, but whatever), it's just now my reaction is to shuffle into the living room, still trying to wake up, because my parents make me spend the night after Christmas Eve dinner and send the cats in to wake me up around 9:00 the next morning (if I'm home in my own bed I will not manage to get up and over there until far later than that).

[supposebly]

I'm from Germany, so I grew up with the Christ child. No bell and presents are unwrapped on Christmas Eve. You leave a window ajar for the Christ child to be able to fly in. And there are two Christmas days (stores closed). Don't ask how the presents are carried. Magic.

German and other European Christmas tradition

St. Nikolaus (the basis for the North American Santa) comes on December 6 and you leave a boot out at the front door for him to leave small presents (fruit, nuts, chocolate, maybe mittens, socks) over night. If you've been good.

[MargeGunderson]

7 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

Our Christmas tradition was that anything from Santa was already out of the box, assembled, with batteries when needed and displayed under the tree.  I've only run into 2 other people who grew up with that tradition.  My husband wasn't sure at first, but went with it because it was important to me, and ended up really liking it.  My parents loved getting the looks of surprise on our faces by taking our picture when we walked into the room, so we'd have been in deep trouble if we'd gone out sooner.  For some reason, it never crossed our mind to snoop or go out and look early--maybe we knew instinctively how much our parents enjoyed the moment.  So, whichever one of us woke up first would hang out in the others room until we were told we could come out (mom and dad would get up first to turn on the lights and get the camera ready).  It was usually around 7am. After looking through what we got from Santa, we'd have a quick breakfast and then get to the wrapped presents.

 

My family did the same, right down to filming it. This was in the 70s/early 80s so the filming was quite a production.

[Haleth]

19 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

and get the camera ready

My husband would drive the kids insane while he fiddled around with the camera for what seemed hours, making them wait til he was ready.

[Shannon L.]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

My husband would drive the kids insane while he fiddled around with the camera for what seemed hours, making them wait til he was ready.

lol!  We always felt like it was hours before they got ready, too.  My dad would exclaim "Oh wow!  Look what we have here!" and a few other things that would get us really excited.  What we didn't know until later is that because my dad needs to eat something for breakfast shortly after getting out of bed and, knowing that it would be a while if waited until after going through the Santa gifts, that was he killing time while making a bowl of cereal and eating it as quickly as he could before we got started. 

[Shannon L.]

Most big problems don't get solved or physical issues get healed as quickly as they do on tv. 

We decided to start watching Criminal Minds a while ago.  We're a few episodes into season 4 and I wonder if there has been any show that has had their characters have so many huge problems only to be fine just two episodes later.  So far:

• A drug addiction was a problem for two episodes, then mentioned briefly again a few episodes later and not since then.
• Inner ear damage that should have been treated gently was ignored and created a problem for  this character out in the field with loud noises like bombings and gun fire.  He was told this could cause him to lose his hearing.  Next episode? Nothing.
• One character was shot and after the initial episode and the one after, we've seen no PTSD.
• One character is pregnant and her boyfriend decides to quit his very dangerous job because he didn't want his child to have two parents who might not make it home after a shift, but since that conversation.....nothing. The boyfriend hasn't been mentioned again.

Don't' get me wrong:  I don't like it when a drama surrounding a profession gets too soap opera-like with the characters' problems outside of work, but if you're going to introduce a serious issue, a good balance between personal and professional would be nice.  (Having said that, I really like the show a lot-- just every so often we say "So, he/she's fine now?")

[DrSpaceman73]

If an ex is showing up to see you from out of town after not seeing you in years you are sure to take a romantic relationship with a friend. 

[Trini]

3 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

Most big problems don't get solved or physical issues get healed as quickly as they do on tv. 

Prison Break was notorious for people getting injured (like, gunshot wounds) and being fine 1 or 2 episodes later. But then again, highly implausible was the show's standard!

[DoctorAtomic]

Prison Break is just so what it was. I never got tired of it.

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

Most big problems don't get solved or physical issues get healed as quickly as they do on tv. 

We decided to start watching Criminal Minds a while ago.  We're a few episodes into season 4 and I wonder if there has been any show that has had their characters have so many huge problems only to be fine just two episodes later.  So far:

• A drug addiction was a problem for two episodes, then mentioned briefly again a few episodes later and not since then.
• Inner ear damage that should have been treated gently was ignored and created a problem for  this character out in the field with loud noises like bombings and gun fire.  He was told this could cause him to lose his hearing.  Next episode? Nothing.
• One character was shot and after the initial episode and the one after, we've seen no PTSD.
• One character is pregnant and her boyfriend decides to quit his very dangerous job because he didn't want his child to have two parents who might not make it home after a shift, but since that conversation.....nothing. The boyfriend hasn't been mentioned again.

Don't' get me wrong:  I don't like it when a drama surrounding a profession gets too soap opera-like with the characters' problems outside of work, but if you're going to introduce a serious issue, a good balance between personal and professional would be nice.  (Having said that, I really like the show a lot-- just every so often we say "So, he/she's fine now?")

LOL, yeah, unfortunately, that's the limits of the procedural drama. If that show had been on some cable/streaming service, we probably would've delved a lot more deeply into some of those issues. But procedurals being what they are, characters will go through some big, dramatic thing...only to move on from it an episode or two later. There's only so much you can do with that format. 

I will say that some of the issues you mention with that show do get touched on again, but I won't go into details lest I spoil anything. I am glad you're enjoying the show :)! You're into some of my favorite seasons of that series. 

[kiddo82]

7 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

Most big problems don't get solved or physical issues get healed as quickly as they do on tv. 

Dude.  24 had Tony get shot in the neck and then be fine with nothing more than a bandage a few "hours" later.  The physical stuff on 24 used to bug me.  Someone who sustains a wound,  even a minor one, in hour 4 should still have that wound by the end of the season.  Unless you're Wolverine, cuts and bruises don't heal themselves in less than a day.  

I get the complaint about the emotional stuff, however, that bugs me less because if every  hour long drama was true to real life then practically every character would have some form of PTSD all the time.  I get that that's more realistic, but I also don't really want to watch that over and over so I give it a pass.

[Haleth]

15 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Prison Break is just so what it was. I never got tired of it.

Shoot, Jack Bauer died but was up and around to save the world less than an hour later.

Edited January 4, 2021 by Haleth

[Raja]

It has to be that only on TV the minor league club fighters who are lucky if 200  people pay to see them fight, somehow has so much money bet on them that an army of gangsters kidnapping their family to fix the fight can still make a profit 

[DrSpaceman73]

On tv shows everyone going to an awards banquet where they are nominated will practice their surprise when their name is announced as the winner.  

Of course they won't win

[Blergh]

I always thought it funny how on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, they'd treat the local news programming award  shows as though they were set to win Academy Awards- complete with tuxes and evening gowns! I mean, no one outside other journalists would have bothered to remember who won what for more than a day after the awards.

[DrSpaceman73]

6 minutes ago, Blergh said:

I always thought it funny how on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, they'd treat the local news programming award  shows as though they were set to win Academy Awards- complete with tuxes and evening gowns! I mean, no one outside other journalists would have bothered to remember who won what for more than a day after the awards.

They do the same on Frasier with the Sea bees, the Seattle radio broadcast awards.  

[Raja]

50 minutes ago, Blergh said:

I always thought it funny how on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, they'd treat the local news programming award  shows as though they were set to win Academy Awards- complete with tuxes and evening gowns! I mean, no one outside other journalists would have bothered to remember who won what for more than a day after the awards.

Sounds like on real life to me. Everybody likes a party, even if Walter Conkrite in the MTM show case  wasn't coming to that local party. But then my local parties are the Los Angeles area broadcasters

[merylinkid]

Pretty sure they did the same with WKRP.   Who rarely won anything .... because WKRP.   Of course Les Nessman always made sure to announce his Wheat Award or whatever.

[Shannon L.]

1 hour ago, merylinkid said:

Pretty sure they did the same with WKRP.   Who rarely won anything .... because WKRP.   Of course Les Nessman always made sure to announce his Wheat Award or whatever.

Silver Sow and Buckeye Newshawk Awards!

[Browncoat]

I've been feeling a little like Les Nessman lately.  I have an office of sorts, but it's at the end of a really long room, so I put tape on the floor six feet away from my desk.

[ABay]

Are you also wearing a bandaid in a different spot every week?

[Haleth]

Oh!  The humanity!

[Blergh]

I'm just not sure how  realistic  it would be for all cast members on any of the aforementioned shows to dress up like going to Academy Awards participants (instead of just formal work attire) solely to see if they can pick up local trophies that no one else  will care about. 

 

But then how was it that Frazier had the means for a sumptuous penthouse apartment when just STARTING his talk radio career?

Edited January 12, 2021 by Blergh

[Shannon L.]

2 hours ago, Blergh said:

But then how was it that Frazier had the means for a sumptuous penthouse apartment when just STARTING his talk radio career?

Maybe his practice was really successful?  Do successful psychiatrists make that much?

[DrSpaceman73]

59 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

Maybe his practice was really successful?  Do successful psychiatrists make that much?

Psychiatrists do well, can make $200-300K a year

The housing on TV being so overpriced in all shows though I just tend to overlook it now.  The two most realistic are Roseanne and The Middle. 

That house they live in on modern family (The dunphys, not the dad's house) would be worth millions.  Not to mention Cam was a substitute teacher and Mitch seemed to be out of work half the time yet their house was small but nice. Same with the Full House house.  Apartments in New York on a waitress or low wage salary you see all the time.  Frasier's  penthouse suite is probably more realistic than most. 

[Katy M]

26 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Apartments in New York on a waitress or low wage salary you see all the time.  Frasier's  penthouse suite is probably more realistic than most. 

Not New York, but what I found crazy was TBBT, Penny had her own one br apartment and she was a terrible waitress (OK, sometimes her cable and electricity didn't get paid, but still), but Sheldon flat out said that he couldn't afford his 2 br rent without Leonard.  But, I'm not sure how true that was because he also had stacks of cash laying around ready to hand out to anyone who asked.

[Kel Varnsen]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

Not New York, but what I found crazy was TBBT, Penny had her own one br apartment and she was a terrible waitress (OK, sometimes her cable and electricity didn't get paid, but still), but Sheldon flat out said that he couldn't afford his 2 br rent without Leonard.  But, I'm not sure how true that was because he also had stacks of cash laying around ready to hand out to anyone who asked.

I have never really watched big bang theory but a waitress that looked like Kaley Cuoco would probably make awesome tips, even if she was terrible.

[DoctorAtomic]

Wouldn't Frazier have banked savings from the practice in Boston before the move?

[DrSpaceman73]

7 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Wouldn't Frazier have banked savings from the practice in Boston before the move?

Well he could have, but the bigger problem with frasier is he had expensive tastes.   So it's not just housing but all the fancy stuff he was always buying, fancy dinners, wine ....

On the other hand it seemed Niles, who had a rich wife, likely amplified those tendencies once he moved to Seattle.  Before that, just hanging out at cheers most of the team and with his friends in Boston he probably didn't spend like he did in Seattle.  So he likely had some money saved.  

[Irlandesa]

Frasier didn't live in the penthouse.  He did have a really nice 3 BR condo up high with a balcony but people lived above him.

[biakbiak]

Also, having been born and raised there through the mid-90s it’s important to remember that the cost of living and home prices in Seattle in 1992/1993 were nowhere near the level they are today and particularly new skyscrapers overbuilt. I am suggesting that like most things in life Frasier stumbled into a good deal, did nothing and over 10 years saw it appreciate.

Edited January 13, 2021 by biakbiak

[merylinkid]

10 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Well he could have, but the bigger problem with frasier is he had expensive tastes.   So it's not just housing but all the fancy stuff he was always buying, fancy dinners, wine ....

On the other hand it seemed Niles, who had a rich wife, likely amplified those tendencies once he moved to Seattle.  Before that, just hanging out at cheers most of the team and with his friends in Boston he probably didn't spend like he did in Seattle.  So he likely had some money saved.  

After the divorce, with Maris pretty much leaving him with nothing, Niles was able to afford a NICER placer than Frasier and he didn't have a talk show.   So its highly possible that Frasier could afford that nice place on his own psychiatrist salary.    perhaps he invested well.   

[Quof]

Lillith presumably bought out Frasier's share in the marital home after the divorce, leaving him a lump sum of cash for a down payment.  

[vibeology]

21 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

That house they live in on modern family (The dunphys, not the dad's house) would be worth millions.  Not to mention Cam was a substitute teacher and Mitch seemed to be out of work half the time yet their house was small but nice. Same with the Full House house.  Apartments in New York on a waitress or low wage salary you see all the time.  Frasier's  penthouse suite is probably more realistic than most. 

They never say it, but I would have bet that Jay helped both his adult kids buy their first houses. Also, pay for their education and probably first cars as well. Claire and Mitch probably entered adult life with all the things and no debt which makes it just a little more possible.