10 Tired Sitcom Clichés That Really Need To Die
1. Will They Or Won't They
It’s a storyline as old as time that lets a show’s writers clock out early on a Friday. Boy meets girl, ups and downs and moderate hilarity ensue, and they get together towards the end of the show’s run. And therein lies the problem.
This storyline doesn’t work too badly for something short lived like Peter Kay’s Car Share or Young & Hungry, but when it’s the backbone of a show that runs for 200+ episodes, it will feel played out and tired long before the show reaches its end. How I Met Your Mother was particularly bad at this, with Ted definitely definitely getting over Robin for good this time, and then falling in love with her again about once a year.
This is as intrinsic to sitcoms as people talking on a sofa so there’s no way we’ll be seeing the back of it anytime soon, but there’s definitely mileage in looking at a different approach. Even just sticking it in the background and letting it be a slow burner. After all, one of the best things Friends did was to keep Ross and Rachel broken up for six years, allowing for them to interact differently instead of just dancing around each other, or constantly breaking up and getting back together.
Bonus Points If: This starts off in the first episode, and gets dragged out until the very end of the show.
What clichés do you think sitcoms should steer clear of? Let us know in the comments below...