Detective Drama Tropes you Wish they'd skip

[Kreepture]

Been watching all the Morse, Lewis, Endeavour, Frost..etc series on ITV x recently, and i've spotted a few tropes they like to use, but there's a couple i'm really fed up of.

1. The new love interest turning out to be the killer/bad guy

2. Families of the dead refusing to answer perfectly reasonable questions/being hostile.

There’s always a message board in the police station featuring studio quality photographs of all the suspects within an hour of the crime being committed

Not in Morse #judgy.

Nor in Dalziel and Pascoe. 🤣

Or a scabby high-rise with a lift that's out of order and drug dealing adolescents in the stairwell who think about vandalising the plain-clothes police car, but don't.

Not in Morse #judgy.

It's food for the brain, Lewis.

Why would they? Most stations have patrol pumps at the station?

You never see them filling up though, do you?

As soon as one of the cops faithfully promises their partner/child that they will be back in time for some unmissable event, it's a nailed-on certainty that either a corpse will turn up just in time to prevent them, or they'll get abducted or knocked out.

Stereotypes about autism or OCD
My eyes practically roll out of my head

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17SS39VSaK/

Stereotypes about everyone tbf

tory politician - they’ll do something racist/perverted

left wing politician may do something wrong but they meant well

The most famous visiting cast member being the murderer, because they wouldn't show up for a less interesting part.

If there is a murder in a muddy field the next thing you see will always be a detective stepping out of a immaculate Lexus wearing box fresh brogues and a long suffering expression.

or the lead detective will be from London and therefore not understand that mud exists and there will be much laughing as they get muddy

Or in Midsummer, gorgeous thatched cottages. Normally inhabited by people with very ordinary jobs.

i've seen some where they're the victim, i was very shocked.. but i think one was in an episode full of 'flashbacks' so they did quite a bit of acting despite being bumped off in the first quarter hour.

i love that A Touch of Frost addressed this one, with Frost aware it was going to be muddy and laughing at his job sergeant and asking if he'd bought his wellies when he stepped out of the car in said immaculate suit and posh shoes.

Sergeant was then seen to keep wellies in the bottom draw of his office desk after that.

Yes a touch of frost seemed to be a bit more self aware!

I can’t bear the ones that take themselves too seriously (like that dougray Scott one)

OMG Broadchurch is basically lots of cliches stuck together. I could not watch second series, it got so bad I was cringing.

Again why would you? It’s not exactly interesting thing to watch but the first thing any cop would do when they are about to go out is check there is enough petrol in the car. It would be inexcusable for a cop to run out of petrol. You can imagine the headlines if someone died/was seriously injured because the on patrol car ran out of patrol en route. In fact leaving a car without a reasonable level of petrol in it for rge next user would result in a mega bollocking and if it happened more than once possible disciplinary action.

Murder, It's always murder.
Murder is a boring crime in fiction. It's been overdeone.
But fraud... the denouement when fraud is revealed, omg, much much better, and so much never explored / depicted properly.
So many story lines to explore.

I want crime drama that is about personal betrayal & audacious deception.
The climax moments would be so much better at big reveal moment.
Very bored of murder (and sexual abuse, too zzzzz).

The solo detective will also enter the house and regardless whether there are any lights working or not, go into the dark cellar. Calling out ‘Hello, is anyone there?’ Thus giving the killer optimum time to rush behind them and smack them on the head with a heavy object.

And, in that same dark house, they will shine their torches around in a peculiarly unilluminating way, despite the fact that all TV homes have seven or eight side lamps in every room, which are generally switched on at all hours of the day

We are talking drama here, on tv and film, not real life. It would be quite dramatic (or comic) for the cops/good guys to run out of fuel mid-chase, wouldn't it?

The only time I've seen it happen is in Johnny English Strikes Again.

At some point the main suspect will be shown in their garden drinking heavily whilst throwing reams of suspicious documents into a burning brazier, often in full view in broad daylight.

Also; ‘parent with dementia’ seems to be the new ‘troubled teenager’ to highlight the work/ home life conflict.