Good tv shows with an unrealistic character

[Somecrazyaussie]

Robert Goren from Criminal Intent, as a type seemed quite unlikely. Semi autistic and socially blind, but at the same time with a very high EQ and a preternatural ability to get inside peoples heads. To me, these traits seem at odds with each other, but I loved the show.

I don't believe he was autistic. He was also quite intuitive when it came to people's emotions. Just a guy that was extraordinarily gifted. A prodigy. But the rest I agree with.

[Somecrazyaussie]

What I never understood about Goren is his dislike for authority figures. How he even manage to become a detective? Also, he's suppose to be the junior detective but the episodes usually have him take lead.

Been ages since I watched it, but he was with the U.S Army first. Then joined the NYPD as Detective (So he sidestepped the usual process to earn the detective shield). He was the junior detective (Eames was always higher). But I think she trusted in his abilities and let him take the lead on their cases as he was often right.

[Somecrazyaussie]

Same with Mimi on The Drew Carey Show. She was supposed to do one episode. she actually was an asset to the show once she became a regular. Urkel ruined the show. Family Matters is one of the worst shows ever once that idiot Urkel became the focus of the show.

She was! Totally forgot about her. She was completely unrealistic, but she brought so much to that show.

[Somecrazyaussie]

Speaking of Law & Order. I absolutely love Chris Meloni as Stabler, but that guy had been shot, stabbed, beaten up, thrown from a roof, almost was drowned and he still kept kicking? He was like The Terminator. He also bent the rules so many times that it stretched credibility. Realistically, he would have been shown the door or be prosecuted. Still love him.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

And he's coming back for a new Law and Order show that goes after organized crime or something like that, or at least he was last I knew...

[Immortal Weapon]

Speaking of Law & Order. I absolutely love Chris Meloni as Stabler, but that guy had been shot, stabbed, beaten up, thrown from a roof, almost was drowned and he still kept kicking? He was like The Terminator. He also bent the rules so many times that it stretched credibility. Realistically, he would have been shown the door or be prosecuted. Still love him.

When it comes to Stabler the most unbelievable thing about him is his case closure rate. I believe there was an episode stating that he solves 96% of his cases.

[green_garnish]

I assume we're only talking about shows where the entire point is not unrealistic characters? Because there's Newhart, where everyone but Dick and Joanna were unrealistic. Night Court of course.

For shows where that's not the point, Frank Burns on M*A*S*H is the elephant in the room

[williamtheday]

I liked the dumb guy on Family Matters...what was his name, Waldo?

[PCN24454]

When it comes to Stabler the most unbelievable thing about him is his case closure rate. I believe there was an episode stating that he solves 96% of his cases.

This reminds me of Ace Attorney. We never really question how all of Phoenix's clients just happen to be innocent. It's incredibly convenient.

[AndrewCrossett]

I Dream of Jeannie was a bit hard to believe. Real genies from the Middle East aren't blonde.

[Castle]

Monica Gellar on Friends

Listen, I loved Monica and I started watching Friends because of Courtney Cox...

...but no way did this character behave like someone who used to be obese. Sure, she had some odd behavior issues - like being a clean freak. But she had no real food issues.

it was deeper than that, Monica's entire odd behaviour from being a neat freak, to been fat was because she was neglected by her parents who favoured Ross. she also lived in Rachel's shadow for years and was seen as nothing more as the fat friend to the hottest girl in school and all of that added more to her obesity and her becoming a control freak later on.

[Cyke]

Johnny Lawrence in Cobra Kai. I get that his character never grew out of the 80s but the show takes it to ridiculous levels. Not knowing how to use a computer, unaware of the internet, not knowing about the military enlisting women. He's oblivious to every major technological, social and political advancement of the past 30 years. Did Kreese chokehold put him a coma and he just woke up by the time the show start?

That was my first thought with this thread, too. Whatever one may think about the show and realism, I can suspend my disbelief for the fights or some of the tensions. What takes me out of it is Johnny being so much a man out of time. For example, the show points out that he's an avid radio listener just because it's a source of 80s hard rock. But he's come across more than enough commercials that list out their websites, so at no point should he be referencing his site as "www-period-cobrakai-period-c-o-m, all lowercase."


For that matter, I don't know how realistic/unrealistic it is or not, but goddamn, I really need Daniel to get over Mr. Miyagi. Was he a great teacher and mentor? Sure? Is he Daniel's single most important friend and guide in his life? Certainly. But I feel like Mr. Miyagi would tell him that, at some point, he needs to get his own life. It goes to show how you can have a comfortable lifestyle with a nice family, a profitable business, in a beautiful part of the world, and *still* peak in high school.

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A lot of Trek has gotten to me, too, lately. Sure, TOS is a product of its time, but to me the most unrealistic part -- in a show with warp drive, multidimensional gods, understandably dated views on gender, and full-blown superpowers -- is that Kirk solves almost every problem they have, and the crew is there to advise. Even if Kirk really could do that, that's not 1. good crew management and 2. that creates all sorts of stress and fatigue from bearing so much of that weight. This is why there's a command structure, and why later shows tended to spread that responsibility a bit more (though I'd really, really like Discovery to notice the problems of putting it all on one person. Michael can be the main character, sure, but that doesn't mean she has to resolve the conflicts of both the main story AND the subplots simultaneously).

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Lastly, Barry. I love the show, and like many others my favorite character is NoHo Hank, but I just can't see how someone so upbeat and naive could last so long in that particular world. Yes, I know it's his superpower to come out of life-ending situations unscathed, but I also mean even before the events of the show -- just getting caught up in that world and rising to be one of Goran's lieutenants.

But also spoilers:

the fight with the little girl

end of spoilers was so satisfyingly unrealistic.

[Midvillian1322]

House M.D

Everything about House seems highly unrealistic. From his job title all the way to his behavior and continued career. Loved the show though

[Riv86672]

Anyone mention Urklel?

Over the top nerdiness aside, his scientific experiments would have been impressive in a cartoon or comic, much less a non sci-fi family sitcom. The guy built a jet pack, a cloning chamber, rewrote his and other ppl’s DNA, he built a frikkin’ time machine FFS!

[Ra-El]

I Dream of Jeannie was a bit hard to believe. Real genies from the Middle East aren't blonde.

Not more than Tony resisting her advances for 4 seasons. That is hard to believe, I mean, Barbara Eden was so hot.

But to me, Patrick Jane from The Mentalist, not just was he good in everything, but half the time he just knew things, the only explanation was if he was a real psychic. Shawn Spencer for example, was also a super genius pretending to be a medium, but we actually got to see how he was solving the cases, wich clues he had and he almost never just knew things.