Endless wardrobes...
 

I'm sat here watching Numb3rs, idly thinking that the girl FBI agent's jacket is nice and it reminds me of something that I've been wondering about for a while...I watch a lot of US crime drama; C.S.I, N.C.I.S, The Mentalist, Criminal Minds yada yada...and I can't say that I've EVER seen any of the female characters (apart from Abby, maybe) wear the same clothes twice, now what's all that about!

These kind of shows aren't especially realistic anyway, we all know that. Instantaneous lab results for starters, plus the really rediculous stuff, like how they can pull a completely clear image from the reflection in someone's eye in a photograph and other ludicrous things like that.

But the female characters wardrobes tend to make me roll my eyes quite a bit. They're nearly all tottering around in high heels, real sensible footwear for police officers and so on, right? Plus there's often an inappropriate amount of tit on display, and Stella on C.S.I-New York in particular wears tops that other people would probably wear for an evening out; exposed shoulders, strappy, sexy, gauzy-sleeved stuff which is totally unsuitable for a work environment.

So, What I'm asking here really is...how do you guys like your couch potato fodder, and do you actually care if it's entirely unrealistic?

I don't mind that these shows glam stuff up to such a silly extent, it amuses me more than anything, especially the endless wardrobes thing xD

Do you people think these shows wouldn't be so popular if they weren't all full of perfectly turned out attractive people?

Would The Mentalist be such a big hit if Patrick Jane was maybe 300lb with a squint, bad teeth and a hairy neck? :lol:

Are we that shallow that we don't actually want to watch properly realistic TV, unless it's a documentary?

Or is it perfectly ok to expect the fantasy of TV to provide us with some eye candy to look at? It is our escape from the real world after all, right?

Can anyone disprove my theory about the female characters endless wardrobes! ><

Give me some opinions anyway. I'm interested in how different people feel about TV (US TV in particular) and the perfection that it likes to portray (I read somewhere that fat/ugly people aren't allowed on TV in the US xD)

Don't forget that if you want to pate my questions into your post to answer them, you have to post them within the quote tabs, these--> [QUOTE][/QUOTE]

Thanks ^^

Note to staff: If enough of you think this belongs in Media that's cool, I couldn't decide myself, so I made it here as it will get seen by more people, but I won't throw a fit if it gets moved :)

To me it depends on what kind of show of it. It is supposed to be realistic or is it a fantasy story?.
Honestly I don't watch a lot of those shows myslef anyhow since I tend to stick with my anime or nature programs.

Wow you watch a lot that I watch Jelly!! (Though I only watch the original CSI, the others are really annoying to me)

I honestly can't say I'd noticed they never wear the same things twice, but I don't pay attention to clothing whatsoever on television shows. Though I don't watch the shows for the actors either. I don't even think the guy in The Mentalist is good looking whatsoever.. and Numbers only has one good looking actor in my opinion. It might be me saying opposite but that's because I noticed but I didn't start watching the shows because of actors but what they dealt with.

They aren't totally realistic I know, but if the results came in in the realistic time line on the shows as they do in real life people will get bored of it uber fast (Like how documentaries bore me.. :XP). Not to say I would.. I enjoy scientific like shows and things like that. Criminal Minds I love because of it's use of Psychology, I enjoyed the subject in highschool and if I could see myself using it anywhere in the real world (ignoring my shyness for the moment) it would be in a case something similar to that (but my shyness would never allow me to try). I'm getting off topic.. :offtopic:

I'm not sure though.. it's not entirely realistic but it does show realistic type possibilities on what the job entails. Like the first episode of CSI where Grissom is bent over a toilet seat looking for toe nails that the suspect had recently cut and flushed. That is a very realistic scene in the real world for CSI's. So timelines and to a point photo rendering is fantastical there are things that they do show truth even within a relatively fake rendering of what it would be like working the job.

Anyhow.. before I continue to repeat myself.. I'm ending this post.

It's funny, I watch a lot of British drama because it's more realistic and the stories are usually better because they don't rely on just pretty faces and ridiculous fashion to float on. You're totally right about the clothing thing, I've thought about that too, "Gee, wouldn't it be nice to live in tv land where you never have to wear the same thing twice". Or the one that really makes me laugh is the show friends. A cook and a coffee waitress live in a 1700 square bedroom in New York city with a view and no cockroaches.....right, that's believable. A broom closet goes for $2400 a month in New York city. And they never wear the same clothes twice and eat out all the time, I was a waitress once, and couldn't afford enough clothes to get through a week with out doing laundry twice.

I was going to include SVU in my post actually, but forgot in the end. Olivia definitely has a set wardrobe and you often see her in the same clothes; white t-shirt and mid-blue v-neck sweater, and those horribly unflattering crewneck tops that they put her in, in grotty colours like grey, and the leather coat.

Maybe Law and Order as a whole has a smaller budget than C.S.I? :lol:

How unrealistic Friends is is a bit of a running joke xD But again if it was realistic, people wouldn't want to watch it...

I don't watch a ton of TV so I can't really comment in depth. As far as wardrobes are concerned: I know in the past I've spotted people wearing actual shirts I've owned. (The first time was one of the daughters on the Cosby Show, lol. The funny thing being I bought the shirt at TJ Maxx. ._. It was a very specific design.) So, can't be all bad.

Re: cop shows. I'm from a police family, many of my relatives have been or are high ranking police officials. What I can tell you is that most shows make police look so stupid. Even in the era of flawless CSI, I still see it. When you get to the rank of detective, you're going to see analytical, logical cops. I think the dumbest cops appear in Agatha Christie books/movies/shows, but it gives you a good idea of what I mean. But that's not all aesthetic, I had to say it anyway.

And yeah, don't even start with Friends. ._. I think sitcoms get more of a pass on realism, just from the fact that they are humor, though.

Lol, useful contribution there, Howdy :P

I have noticed that Padme Amadala from the Star Wars prequils had a big wardrobe. Some of her most detailed dress were from when she was still queen. In fact it has its own Wookiepedia page. I'll find a link.

I love SVU, just wanted to put that out there. :insane:

Realism (or the lack thereof) doesn' really affect things for me. I mean, it's TV, y'know?

That being said, I sure wish I had an endless wardrobe.

LOL, once again watching C.S.I, and how's this for a lack of realism...there's a woman in a hospital bed with 80% third degree burns, but she still has perfect eyelashes :lol: No hair, mind! But she's retained her lashes, that's some impressive mascara, right? Not only waterproof but fireproof up to temperatures of 1100 °C? xD

Maybe NASA are branching out into cosmetic production...

Well, with Abby (gotta love that girl) and her lab, she's pretty realistic with time, though some of the things McGee and she do on the computer.... yeah.

Law and order's wardrobe might be because suits are more expensive?

And I guess, if there is eye candy, you won't notice the horrible plot gaps and stuff.
xD;

Well, nowadays, its not really something people usually take note of, even reality TV is unrealistic really O.o So I am one person who does not care enough to actually bother debating the reality of a television show because they are just meant to entertain. If they aren't based on facts, I do not expect them to be real. If they are documentaries and lying, then I would get a little mad honestly. I guess I'm only saying this because I am older and able to understand the difference between what's on television and what is real life. I wonder how I would feel next time when I have children getting fantasies due to television series. It probably might be different.

Endless wardrobes keep me entertained because I am one person who loves different outfits on a character. I guess if you put the character in a repeating outfit, it would just seem very boring, plus, stylist would not have jobs then XD

It depends on the shows? I guess if you don't have attractive people, you need a hella good storyline or a guy/girl who just has enough personality! I mean Sammo hung really isn't much to look at but he had a lot of personality to make his show a hit. I think CSI would maybe work out with having at least 1 or 2 attractive people and the rest can just be normal. You have to have a balance in the cast I think.
No idea about the Mentalist but generally, the main character must at least be someone at least presentable looking ^^'' He doesn't have to look great but look good enough for TV. Jeremy Clarkson for Top gear is really unattractive and almost fits your description XD But for some reason, it works out well...

Yes we are... Because we watch television to escape our own mundane lives thinking that there is something more exciting out there ^^''

Since we probably do not get enough eye candy in real life, I don't see a problem with TV helping us on that aspect XD

I can't argue with your female agent thing but I can argue if you put Gossip Girl or 90210 up for debate since they are rich anyways and they don't want to wear the same thing twice?

I guess the public doesn't want to look at ugly people on television, they could see that at the supermarket.
We're all a little shallow. [: