<p>Say goodbye at the end of a phone call.
Have any trouble finding a parking space.
Pay for a restaurant meal or a taxi ride.
Have to go to the bathroom.</p>
<p>What else to add to the list?</p>
<p>travel in traffic (in most cases)</p>
<p>go grocery shopping</p>
<p>cook</p>
<p>cleaning house</p>
<p>sneeze</p>
<p>cough</p>
<p>…have to reload in a gunfight.</p>
<p>And here’s an “always” instead of a “never.”</p>
<p>On TV when being chased on foot by bad guys, girls and women always fall down allowing the bad guys to catch up.</p>
<p>I’ve noticed the absence of the ‘good-bye’ on the phone calls as well. It’s weird.</p>
<p>If it’s a show where the characters are in school, they never go to class.</p>
<p>More surprising in high school, less so in college (less total time spent in class.)</p>
<p>Never do homework or study for tests unless it’s a cram-session.</p>
<p>ALWAYS go to parties every night/drink heavily (I went to a party maybe once every 2 months…)</p>
<p>Never get sick unless it’s convenient to the story.</p>
<p>Never talk about siblings/family in general, unless they’re coming to visit.</p>
<p>Sit and complete a meal.
Pay the bills and give tips.
Stand farther than 1 feet in a close-up dialogue.</p>
<p>“Have any trouble finding a parking space.”</p>
<p>There was a whole episode of Seinfeld on trying to find a parking spot. </p>
<p>“Have to go to the bathroom.”</p>
<p>Also on Seinfeld, George was always having to go to the bathroom. There was a least one episode which was all about George and his bathroom habit of having to undress to go. </p>
<p>“go grocery shopping”</p>
<p>Modern Family had an episode this season based on something which happened while Claire and Phil were grocery shopping. </p>
<p>“cook”</p>
<p>Will was always cooking on Will and Grace.</p>
<p>On TV they never watch TV and rarely even have a TV.</p>
<p>^They watch TV on How I met your mother. And cook. And go to the bathroom. But I can’t recall ever seeing them pay anyone at the bar where they hang out.</p>
<p>Have 3 guys named John/Mike/etc. in the same office/family/storyline.</p>
<p>I think I’ve seen an example to contradict every one of these in Roseanne lol.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes, in old movies this is a classic happening. Another thing that always happens in old movies, that just kills me:</p>
<p>When the bad guy is beating up on the male protagonist, the good guy’s girlfriend or wife just stands there and looks worried. I’m always yelling, “Pick up a lamp and hit him, you idiot!”</p>
<p>They never face each other when they talk.</p>
<p>But they always sit on one side of the table.</p>
<p>Once they park, they never lock their car. When they’re driving, they never wear seatbelts.</p>
<p>“On TV they never watch TV and rarely even have a TV.”</p>
<p>Both Jerry and Kramer watched Mets games on TV and they all watched Melrose Place. </p>
<p>The also drove in a lot of traffic on Seinfeld.</p>
<p>"They never face each other when they talk.</p>
<p>But they always sit on one side of the table. "</p>
<p>Nope. Seinfeld, they always sat across from each other in restaurants and at the coffee shop. Ditto on Modern Family.</p>
<p>“When they’re driving, they never wear seatbelts.”</p>
<p>This has always been a pet peeve of mine but in the last few years I have noticed they are now buckling up.</p>
<p>They did all of these nevers on Kyle XY.</p>
<p>^^I think you guys are taking “never” a little too literally. I’m sure that in the long and broad history of television you could find an exception to any rule, artistic convention, or plot device no matter how common or universal it might be. </p>
<p>Take “never” in the spirit of how you might say to your spouse “You never pick up your dirty socks.” It’s not literally “never.” It’s more like “seldom.”</p>
<p>Roger Ebert’s “Little Movie Glossary” books list a zillion never/always things that reject common sense or the laws of physics. He’s writing about movies instead of TV, but many apply to the small screen too. Fun reading.</p>
<p>In the “never have to reload” vein - the bad guys miss 99% of the time (and only manage a flesh wound for the other 1%), while the hero only needs one shot.</p>
<p>They NEVER close a door behind them. This drives me crazy. They walk into the house and just leave the door standing open behind them. Aaaaaarrrh.</p>
<p>When the setting is someplace really, really cold and everyone has on serious parkas, they don’t put the hood up or wear a hat. !!! Really? You leave your head uncovered?</p>