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