Tropescilloscope: Ripped from the Headlines

A recent or ongoing news story is the basis for the plot. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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More Tropes Fatal Family Photo Took a Level in Jerkass Dual Wielding "Shaggy Dog" Story Vitriolic Best Buds Australian Movies Amusing Injuries Very Loosely Based on a True Story Rule of Funny Insult Backfire Retired Badass Have a Gay Old Time Spiritual Successor I'm a Humanitarian Obstructive Bureaucrat Irony No-Holds-Barred Beatdown Four-Temperament Ensemble Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday Mugging the Monster Retirony Plucky Comic Relief Man on Fire Peek-a-Boo Corpse Names to Run Away from Really Fast Jerk with a Heart of Gold Faking the Dead Rule of Cool Developing Doomed Characters Pyrrhic Victory Historical-Domain Character Bland-Name Product Evil Is Petty Not So Above It All Ambiguous Disorder The Great Depression Body Horror Horror Comedy Protagonist Title Wicked Cultured Cat Scare Artistic License – Biology All Men Are Perverts Only Sane Man Age Lift Captain Obvious Dying Moment of Awesome Kill 'em All The Place Make It Look Like an Accident Fan Disservice Horror Films Dirty Cop Ascended Extra Fat Bastard Does Not Like Shoes Sacrificial Lion Amoral Attorney Alliterative Name Red Herring The Oner Bitch in Sheep's Clothing N-Word Privileges Dirty Coward Toplessness from the Back It's Personal Laughing Mad Bring My Brown Pants The Alcoholic The Smurfette Principle Corpsing Malevolent Masked Men Fiery Redhead Comically Missing the Point Death by Adaptation Extreme Doormat Handicapped Badass Alas, Poor Villain Jerkass Take That! Karma Houdini Off-into-the-Distance Ending Dark Action Girl He Knows Too Much Camp Gay Big "NO!" Enemy Mine Action Prologue Immune to Bullets Cowboy Cop Genre Throwback For Want of a Nail Unwitting Instigator of Doom Jerk Jock Chewing the Scenery Curb-Stomp Battle Never Trust a Trailer Artistic License – Physics B-Movie Slashed Throat The Hero Dies Disappeared Dad Brainless Beauty Exactly What It Says on the Tin Rewatch Bonus Dropped a Bridge on Him Silent Movie Hypocrite Bilingual Bonus Your Head A-Splode Woman Scorned Pragmatic Adaptation timeperiod Punctuated! For! Emphasis! The Bully Fanservice Final Girl Cruel and Unusual Death Slasher Smile Domestic Abuse Hero of Another Story Arch-Enemy Intrepid Reporter Bloodier and Gorier Fanservice Extra French Films Leitmotif Sole Survivor Left the Background Music On Big Bad Intergenerational Friendship Agony of the Feet Why Did It Have to Be Snakes? This Is Gonna Suck Arc Words Unreliable Narrator No-Sell Film Noir Index Closed Circle Never Trust a Trailer aka: Trailers Always Lie Captain Ersatz Genre Savvy Cat Fight Slasher Movie Big Fancy House The Ditz Evil Is Hammy Crapsack World Ripped from the Headlines Evil Sounds Deep The Vamp Chekhov's Gun Real Life Writes the Plot Hero Antagonist Would Hit a Girl Redshirt Army Serial Killer Due to the Dead Impaled with Extreme Prejudice Shut Up, Hannibal! You Killed My Father Police are Useless Self-Deprecation Genre Shift As Himself And Starring La Résistance Black Dude Dies First Damsel in Distress Bloodless Carnage Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene Stock Footage Bittersweet Ending Mama Bear Mighty Whitey Darkest Hour Bound and Gagged Sports Stories After the End Suspiciously Similar Substitute Guns Akimbo Cassandra Truth Only a Flesh Wound Parental Abandonment Kids Are Cruel Meet Cute The Brute Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! Foregone Conclusion Card-Carrying Villain Accidental Misnaming Heroic BSoD Ax-Crazy Leave the Camera Running Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil The Musical Flipping the Bird Broken Pedestal Cloudcuckoolander Cluster F-Bomb Leaning on the Fourth Wall Adorkable Hair-Trigger Temper Defrosting Ice Queen Mooks Batman Gambit Not Even Bothering with the Accent Sequel Escalation Armor-Piercing Question Deus ex Machina Bi the Way Rousing Speech Super Strength Happily Married The Bad Guy Wins Would Hurt a Child Punny Name Offscreen Moment of Awesome Sadistic Choice For the Evulz Humiliation Conga Butt-Monkey Ship Tease Break the Haughty Extremely Short Timespan Taking You with Me Actor Allusion Brother–Sister Incest Offscreen Teleportation Blonde, Brunette, Redhead Humans Are Bastards Beware the Nice Ones Random Events Plot Country Matters An Aesop Actually Pretty Funny Only One Name One Steve Limit Unspoken Plan Guarantee Big Applesauce Naïve Newcomer The Load In Name Only Award-Bait Song Call-Back Bare Your Midriff Artistic License – Law Small Name, Big Ego The Ace And the Adventure Continues Dutch Angle Black Comedy Psychopathic Manchild Ms. Fanservice Beard of Evil Cain and Abel Breaking the Fourth Wall Playing Gertrude Gone Horribly Right Silence Is Golden Death Seeker Animal Title Index What the Hell, Hero? Russian Films Bad Boss Reasonable Authority Figure Translation Convention Crucified Hero Shot Christmas Movies Index Anti-Villain Married to the Job Stuff Blowing Up Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass Back from the Dead Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome Plot Hole Suddenly SHOUTING! Hoist by His Own Petard I Have Your Wife Casting Gag Bald of Evil Woman in White Based on a True Story Improvised Weapon Show Within a Show Half the Man He Used to Be Stealth Pun Serious Business Defiant to the End All for Nothing Face–Heel Turn Screw the Money, I Have Rules! Ominous Latin Chanting Daddy's Girl Mind Screw The '60s Rule of Symbolism Stepford Smiler Villain Ball A God Am I Attempted Rape Determinator Canon Foreigner Psychological Thriller Killed Mid-Sentence Romantic False Lead Downer Ending Death by Sex Tempting Fate Bavarian Fire Drill Yandere Soft Glass Expy Jitter Cam Scare Chord Off with His Head! Bond One-Liner Conspicuous CG The Chessmaster Thriller Better to Die than Be Killed Roger Ebert: Great Movies List You Have Got to Be Kidding Me! Monumental Damage Twist Ending Took a Level in Badass I Want My Beloved to Be Happy Nice Guy Frame-Up The Lancer Token Minority '80s Hair Hollywood Darkness Smoking Is Cool Manly Tears Eyepatch of Power Hooker with a Heart of Gold Light Is Not Good Pre-Mortem One-Liner Villainous Breakdown Missing Mom As Long as It Sounds Foreign Heel Realization Blackmail Groin Attack Stealth Hi/Bye The Dog Bites Back Sir Swears-a-Lot Up to Eleven Same Language Dub A Date with Rosie Palms Disproportionate Retribution Hope Spot The Film of the Book Crazy-Prepared The Dragon Corrupt Corporate Executive Mexican Standoff Those Two Guys The Mole Wrong Genre Savvy Laser-Guided Karma Freeze-Frame Bonus Every Car Is a Pinto The Stoner Facial Horror Heel–Face Turn Action Genre In the Back Canadian Movies Historical Villain Upgrade My Beloved Smother An Arm and a Leg Last-Name Basis Tranquil Fury Shown Their Work Dark Is Not Evil Daylight Horror Chuck Cunningham Syndrome From Nobody to Nightmare No Celebrities Were Harmed Evil Brit Sequel Hook Adaptation Expansion Match Cut Wham Line Meaningful Echo Good Is Not Nice Nice Hat Death Glare Historical Hero Upgrade Paper-Thin Disguise Mystery and Detective Films Novelization Manchild Fourth Date Marriage Friend to All Children Scenery Porn Even Evil Has Loved Ones Sexy Discretion Shot Kick the Dog Decoy Protagonist Shipper on Deck The '90s A Father to His Men Stylistic Suck Soundtrack Dissonance Real Life Foreshadowing Romantic Comedy Hypocritical Humor Important Haircut The X of Y Let's Get Dangerous! Evil Counterpart A.I. Is a Crapshoot More Dakka Boom, Headshot! Artistic License – Military Celebrity Paradox Mad Scientist Interrupted Suicide Knife Nut Knight Templar Gold Digger Crazy Jealous Guy Reality Ensues The Reveal Freudian Excuse All Just a Dream O.O.C. Is Serious Business Tap on the Head Rule of Three Darker and Edgier Neck Lift Training Montage Gainax Ending Epic Fail The Sociopath Public Domain Feature Films Madness Mantra Asshole Victim The Alleged Car Product Placement Re-Cut Retcon The Voiceless Dramedy The Starscream Guile Hero An Axe to Grind Cool Guns Did Not Get the Girl Failed a Spot Check Greater-Scope Villain Not Quite Dead Bottomless Magazines Psycho for Hire Undying Loyalty Drugs Are Bad Drill Sergeant Nasty Heterosexual Life-Partners Rasputinian Death Pretty Little Headshots Punch-Clock Villain Hate Sink Obfuscating Stupidity Blood Knight Only Known by Their Nickname Animated Credits Opening Hidden Depths Vomit Discretion Shot Action Girl Authority Equals Asskicking Toilet Humour aka: Toilet Humor Call-Forward Easily Forgiven Music Stories Auto Erotica Hell Is That Noise Antagonist Title The Big Guy Time Skip The Atoner Imagine Spot folderlabel Pimped-Out Dress Sinister Minister Shout-Out Destination Defenestration Idiot Ball The Stoic Expository Hairstyle Change Mood Whiplash The Quiet One Bullying a Dragon Disguised in Drag Cool Shades Homage You Have Failed Me Evil Plan Precision F-Strike Rich Bitch Five-Man Band Black Best Friend Pet the Dog Death by Irony Sealed Evil in a Can Not So Stoic Blood from the Mouth As You Know Exact Words Alpha Bitch Villain Opening Scene The Power of Love Spared by the Adaptation Grievous Bottley Harm Screw the Rules, I Have Money! Cool Old Lady Drowning My Sorrows And I Must Scream My Greatest Failure Older Than They Look Despair Event Horizon The Dreaded Dwindling Party Lock and Load Montage Outrun the Fireball Broken Bird "Well Done, Son!" Guy Refuge in Audacity Villain Song Diabolus ex Machina Author Appeal The Cameo Disney Villain Death Funny Foreigner Faux Affably Evil True Companions Star-Crossed Lovers Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" Mr. Exposition As the Good Book Says... No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Those Two Bad Guys What You Are in the Dark Suspiciously Specific Denial Deal with the Devil War Is Hell Recap / RiffTrax aka: Riff Trax Movies Non-Indicative Name Unusually Uninteresting Sight Big-Bad Ensemble Fish out of Water Does This Remind You of Anything? Logo Joke Pre-Asskicking One-Liner Dramatic Gun Cock Say My Name Ass Shove The Casanova Everyone Has Standards I Just Shot Marvin in the Face Recycled IN SPACE! Properly Paranoid Bowdlerise Those Wacky Nazis Obviously Evil Badass Grandpa Badass Bookworm NO INDOOR VOICE I Did What I Had to Do Word of God Martial Arts Movie Sassy Black Woman Adult Fear Kick the Son of a Bitch Cool Car Animal Motifs Naked People Are Funny How We Got Here Japanese Films Brick Joke Tagline No OSHA Compliance Biopic Adapted Out Early Installment Weirdness Meaningful Name Sci-Fi Horror Military and Warfare Films Superhero Spiteful Spit Demoted to Extra Aside Glance Redemption Equals Death The Smart Guy Air-Vent Passageway Papa Wolf Deliberate Values Dissonance Shower Scene Film Series Beauty Is Never Tarnished Pretty in Mink Coming-of-Age Story Grey and Gray Morality Big Brother Instinct Death of a Child Poor Communication Kills Evil-Detecting Dog Artistic License – Gun Safety Made of Iron Only in It for the Money Whole Plot Reference Big Eater Victoria's Secret Compartment Unusual Euphemism Red Right Hand Gender Flip Badass Normal The Ghost Roaring Rampage of Revenge Face Death with Dignity Oh, Crap! Calling the Old Man Out Affably Evil Kill It with Fire Action Survivor Badass Boast Establishing Character Moment Anachronic Order Parental Substitute Spanner in the Works Fire-Forged Friends Fantasy Films Police Brutality Dull Surprise Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas The '80s Badass in a Nice Suit Creator Cameo Rape as Drama Adaptation Dye-Job Bar Brawl Dressing as the Enemy Posthumous Character She's Got Legs Loads and Loads of Characters Mundane Made Awesome Slap-Slap-Kiss The Lost Lenore Running Gag Disney Death Eagleland A Minor Kidroduction "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue Catch-Phrase Awesome, but Impractical Black and Gray Morality Fantastic Racism BFG Pay Evil unto Evil Composite Character Nice Job Fixing It, Villain! Reality Has No Subtitles Unresolved Sexual Tension Fate Worse than Death Taking the Bullet Overly Long Gag Major Injury Underreaction Drives Like Crazy Lampshade Hanging Fun with Acronyms The Mafia Depraved Bisexual Storming the Castle Evil Cannot Comprehend Good Improbable Infant Survival aka: Infant Immortality Arranged Marriage Get Out! Department of Redundancy Department Eureka Moment Here We Go Again! The Faceless Didn't Think This Through One-Word Title Too Dumb to Live Motor Mouth Insistent Terminology German Films The Un-Reveal Danny Peary Cult Movies List Our Zombies Are Different Betty and Veronica Room Full of Crazy Gorn Continuity Nod Gratuitous English Femme Fatale Index of Film Westerns Dirty Old Man Setting Update My God, What Have I Done? Parental Incest Line-of-Sight Name Covers Always Lie Hollywood Law Anyone Can Die Worthy Opponent All There in the Script Ungrateful Bastard Double-Meaning Title Pun aka: Incredibly Lame Pun Dumb Blonde Creative Closing Credits Riddle for the Ages Abhorrent Admirer Dissonant Serenity Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! The Remake Reality Is Unrealistic Aluminum Christmas Trees Vampire Fiction Instant Death Bullet Mr. Fanservice Cool Old Guy Bloody Hilarious Adaptational Villainy Adults Are Useless Beta Couple You Have Outlived Your Usefulness Gilligan Cut The Stinger Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism Artistic License – Geography Adaptational Badass Put on a Bus Camera Abuse Black Comedy Rape Male Gaze Insane Troll Logic Jump Scare Meaningful Background Event British Films Fatal Flaw Blatant Lies "The Reason You Suck" Speech Break the Cutie Bunny-Ears Lawyer What Happened to the Mouse? Really Gets Around Works Set in World War II Babies Ever After Zombie Stories Badass Longcoat Almost Kiss Anti-Hero Creepy Child Accidental Murder Annoying Younger Sibling Gory Discretion Shot Villain with Good Publicity Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking Dark and Troubled Past Totally Radical Smug Snake Red Eyes, Take Warning I Need a Freaking Drink Adaptation Distillation Green-Eyed Monster Skewed Priorities Revenge The Hero Evil Laugh Empathic Environment Never Found the Body Even Evil Has Standards One-Man Army Chekhov's Gunman The '50s Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane Famous Last Words Foil Fake Shemp Market-Based Title Advertised Extra All Girls Want Bad Boys Scary Black Man Heroic Sacrifice It's All About Me Italian Films Morality Pet Red Oni, Blue Oni Politically Incorrect Villain Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer Take a Third Option Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds It Can Think Fingore Contrived Coincidence Well-Intentioned Extremist Loophole Abuse Heroes Want Redheads Sanity Slippage Television Movie Index Central Theme Honor Before Reason Rated M for Manly No Name Given Trailers Always Spoil Double Entendre Broken Aesop Artistic License – History Men Are the Expendable Gender Character Development Science Fiction Films Maybe Ever After Our Vampires Are Different Never My Fault Ugly Guy, Hot Wife Race Lift Girl-on-Girl Is Hot Historical In-Joke Improbable Weapon User Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping Once More, with Clarity! Stalker with a Crush She Cleans Up Nicely Earn Your Happy Ending Distracted by the Sexy The Chick Getting Crap Past the Radar Screw This, I'm Outta Here! Ambiguous Ending Framing Device Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique Karmic Death Why Don't You Just Shoot Him? Bolivian Army Ending Scenery Gorn Mercy Kill Dies Wide Open Your Cheating Heart Dark Reprise Spell My Name with an "S" Kubrick Stare Not So Different Be Careful What You Wish For Reckless Gun Usage Film Noir Big Bad Duumvirate Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other Implacable Man Video Credits Fainting Deadpan Snarker Made of Explodium Shirtless Scene Visual Pun Shoot the Shaggy Dog May–December Romance Ambiguously Gay Eldritch Abomination Book-Ends Bury Your Gays Documentary Villain Protagonist Bait-and-Switch MacGuffin Needs Wiki Magic Love No Ending Bad "Bad Acting" Becoming the Mask Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold Flashback Pragmatic Villainy Deliberately Monochrome Catapult Nightmare Love Triangle Bond Villain Stupidity Parental Neglect Large Ham He Who Fights Monsters It Will Never Catch On Anachronism Stew Vomit Indiscretion Shot The Cavalry Wretched Hive Credits Gag The Un-Favourite aka: The Un Favorite Curse Cut Short Truth in Television Evil vs. Evil 20 Minutes into the Future Ironic Echo No Antagonist Shell-Shocked Veteran Informed Ability Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy Title Drop Mythology Gag Deconstruction All There in the Manual Lighter and Softer Cold-Blooded Torture Children Are Innocent Moment Killer Funny Background Event Car Fu In Medias Res Adaptational Heroism Early-Bird Cameo Ragtag Bunch of Misfits Affectionate Parody Not What It Looks Like Male Frontal Nudity Brutal Honesty Determinator aka: The Determinator Berserk Button There Is No Kill Like Overkill Together in Death Neck Snap Driven to Suicide Nothing Is Scarier From Bad to Worse The End... Or Is It? Epic Movie Dramatic Irony Anguished Declaration of Love Red Shirt The '70s Mistaken for Gay Not Using the "Z" Word Improbable Aiming Skills Adaptation Name Change Race Against the Clock Chekhov's Skill Adaptational Attractiveness Demonic Possession Dogged Nice Guy Manic Pixie Dream Girl Noodle Incident Chase Scene Wham Shot Straight Gay Abusive Parents Chiaroscuro Combat Pragmatist Big Damn Heroes Vacation Films Eiffel Tower Effect "Awesome McCool" Name Love at First Sight Narrator Author Avatar Jerkass Has a Point Henpecked Husband Manipulative Bastard Throwing Your Sword Always Works Hong Kong Films World of Ham Apocalypse How Costume Porn Ghost Fiction Overprotective Dad Wounded Gazelle Gambit Colour-Coded for Your Convenience aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience Belligerent Sexual Tension Eye Scream