What do TV and films get wrong about shows?

Stuart · 15-01-2015, 11:42

The BBC has an interesting article where they talk to people in various jobs about what the media get wrong when they feature jobs..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-maga...nitor-30817309

So, what jobs have you noticed that the media just gets wrong?

I've noticed they frequently get the job of System Admin wrong. System Admins (on TV at least) seem to be experts on everything to do with computing from the basics to the real low level stuff. They are also frequently hackers and can be experts on anything from system backdoors through to bomb disposal.

Now, I know a few, as well as being one myself, and while we are often experts on our own field, and may also be good hackers, we are not experts on everything. I dare say show one of us a bomb, and we'd be running, not googling how to diffuse it. Of course, googling to diffuse it probably wouldn't help anyway as bombs are not exactly mass produced consumer items.

Another bug bear is TV pathologists. They seem to be routinely experts on every aspect of medicine, and have access to state of the art equipment. I cite "Bones" as an example of this. I've read a few of the books "Bones" is based on. They are about a middle-aged single woman, who is slightly awkward around people, who just happens to be a top pathologist and works in a tiny, cramped lab in the basement of a University with equipment that can optimistically be described as old. Kathy Reichs was a top pathologist when she wrote the books, so I'd be inclined to believe they are at least slightly accurate.

In the TV series, she is middle aged, single (for a while) and slightly awkward around people, but she's been given a team, and works in a state of the art FBI lab with holographic displays (which do not even exist yet).

Don't get me wrong, I can understand with some jobs why they change aspects, because some jobs are complicated and to show them perfectly accurately may well bore the audience, but I do like them to at least try and get things right.

blackthorn · 15-01-2015, 11:56

I follow a guy on twitter called " Inappropriategavels" and he gets annoyed that court dramas always have a judge using one, when in fact he points out that theyve never used them. I never noticed until he pointed it out.

tweetiepooh · 15-01-2015, 12:00

CSI's who attend scenes without covering up.

blackthorn · 15-01-2015, 16:02

Same guy has now said that in the new Broadchurch series, the judge is wearing a barristers wig and not a judges wig. lol

**Maggy** · 15-01-2015, 17:07

Waterloo Road and Teachers are nothing like any school I've taught in.

Stop It · 15-01-2015, 17:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggy J

Waterloo Road and Teachers are nothing like any school I've taught in.

Bad Education?

:p

Anyway, watching Criminal Minds, while fun, is probably nothing like reality, as are any "realistic" drama. Hell, if Casualty was like real life, we're all screwed.

Russ · 15-01-2015, 18:10

In every tv cop drama there's a Scottish officer, regardless of where in the UK it's based.

idi banashapan · 15-01-2015, 20:35

anything with a computer in it. especially so if it involves 'hackers' or 'cybercrime prevention' type teams - like this

Tezcatlipoca · 15-01-2015, 21:59

Low res / crap quality camera footage that can be zoomed in to provide super-sharp high quality close ups of whatever detail is needed.

**Maggy** · 15-01-2015, 23:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stop It

Bad Education?

:p

Anyway, watching Criminal Minds, while fun, is probably nothing like reality, as are any "realistic" drama. Hell, if Casualty was like real life, we're all screwed.

I just don't see staff behaving like that..

Dude111 · 16-01-2015, 03:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggy J

Waterloo Road and Teachers are nothing like any school I've taught in.

No usually TV shows are not like reality at all even though alot often BECOME REALITY.... (Movies mostly)

Stop It · 16-01-2015, 07:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggy J

I just don't see staff behaving like that..

I know, I was playing (And hopefully you knew I was referring to the TV show, not your standards of teaching at where you worked!).

To be fair, if TV portrayed professions correctly in drama series, they would be horrifically dull affairs most of the time.

**Maggy** · 16-01-2015, 09:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stop It

I know, I was playing (And hopefully you knew I was referring to the TV show, not your standards of teaching at where you worked!).

To be fair, if TV portrayed professions correctly in drama series, they would be horrifically dull affairs most of the time.

**Chris** · 16-01-2015, 09:44

Any police procedural you could name. They all result in a local spike in the homicide rate that would be a national scandal in real life.

Stop It · 16-01-2015, 10:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

Any police procedural you could name. They all result in a local spike in the homicide rate that would be a national scandal in real life.

Yeah, Midsomer Murders comes to mind. If such a place existed, I think everyone would move out for fear of being next.