History Main / DeadHorseTrope

* TheBigRottenApple: This trope was very popular from the 1970s to early 1990s due to the fact that this trope was indeed somewhat accurate, not just in New York City, but in many cities in the United States and the United Kingdom starting in the mid-to-late 1960s. Crime, pollution, homelessness, economic stagnation, corruption, and major racial and political strife were part of New York City in that era, and the city almost went bankrupt in 1975 due to many residents (and hence the tax base) moving to the suburbs en masse to get away. While fiction clearly exaggerated it at times, it came from a real place. By the 1980s, the economy recovered and the population exodus slowed, but this trope was still popular, though not as much as in the 70s. However, by the mid-to-late 90s, the city had very much cleaned up its act, with crime and pollution plummeting, the economy booming, and its politics calming; and then, in 2001, [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror a certain event]] occurred that turned NYC into ''the'' "Hero City", at least in the eyes of those living there. Unless one is doing a period piece, this trope is usually never played straight as of the new millennium, especially since a lot of New Yorkers are incredibly proud of their city. And given how many media companies and production are in New York, they [[BerserkButton might not be happy]] with such a portrayal. Most mainstream fiction in New York City today (aside from just BigApplesauce) focuses on either the trendy neighborhoods or the glitz and glamour among its wealthy.

* TheBigRottenApple: This trope was very popular from the 1970s to early 1990s due to the fact that this trope was indeed somewhat accurate, not just in New York City, but in many cities in the United States and the United Kingdom starting in the mid-to-late 1960s. Crime, pollution, homelessness, economic stagnation, corruption, and major racial and political strife were part of New York City in that era, and the city almost went bankrupt in 1975 due to many residents (and hence the tax base) moving to the suburbs en masse to get away. While fiction clearly exaggerated it at times, it came from a real place. By the 1980s, the economy recovered and the population exodus slowed, but this trope was still popular, though not as much as in the 70s. However, by the mid-to-late 90s, the city had very much cleaned up its act, with crime and pollution plummeting, the economy booming, and its politics calming; and then, in 2001, [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror a certain event]] occurred that turned NYC into ''the'' "Hero City", at least in the eyes of those living there. Unless one is doing a period piece, this trope is usually never played straight as of the new millennium, especially since a lot of New Yorkers are incredibly proud of their city. And given how many media companies and production are in New York, they [[BerserkButton might not be happy]] with such a portrayal. Most mainstream fiction in New York City today (aside from just BigApplesauce) focuses on either trendy neighborhoods or the glitz and glamour among its wealthy.

* TheBigRottenApple: This trope was very popular from the 1970s to early 1990s due to a big fact that this trope was somewhat accurate, not just in New York City, but in many cities in the United States and the United Kingdom starting in the mid-to-late 1960s. Crime, pollution, homelessness, economic stagnation, corruption, and major racial and political strife were part of New York City in that era, and the city almost went bankrupt in 1975 due to many residents (and hence the tax base) moving to the suburbs en masse to get away. While fiction clearly exaggerated it at times, it came from a real place. By the 1980s, the economy recovered and the population exodus slowed, but this trope was still popular, though not as much as in the 70s. However, by the mid-to-late 90s, the city had very much cleaned up its act, with crime and pollution plummeting, the economy booming, and its politics calming; and then, in 2001, [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror a certain event]] occurred that turned NYC into ''the'' "Hero City", at least in the eyes of those living there. Unless one is doing a period piece, this trope is usually never played straight as of the new millennium, especially since a lot of New Yorkers are incredibly proud of their city. And given how many media companies and production are in New York, they [[BerserkButton might not be happy]] with such a portrayal. Most mainstream fiction in New York City today (aside from just BigApplesauce) focuses on either trendy neighborhoods or the glitz and glamour among its wealthy.

* TheBigRottenApple: This trope was very popular in the 1970s to early 1990s due to a big fact that this trope was somewhat accurate...and not just in New York City, but in many cities in the United States and the United Kingdom starting in the mid-to-late 1960s. Crime, pollution, homelessness, economic stagnation, corruption, and major racial and political strife were part of New York City in that era, and the city almost went bankrupt in 1975 due to many residents (and hence the tax base) moving to the suburbs en masse to get away. While fiction clearly exaggerated it at times, it came from a real place. By the 1980s, the economy recovered and the population exodus slowed, but this trope was still popular, though not as much as in the 70s. However, by the mid-to-late 90s, the city had very much cleaned up its act, with crime and pollution plummeting, the economy booming, and its politics calming; and then, in 2001, [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror a certain event]] occurred that turned NYC into ''the'' "Hero City", at least in the eyes of those living there. Unless one is doing a period piece, this trope is usually never played straight as of the new millennium, especially since a lot of New Yorkers are incredibly proud of their city. And given how many media companies and production are in New York, they [[BerserkButton might not be happy]] with such a portrayal. Most mainstream fiction in New York City today (aside from just BigApplesauce) focuses on either trendy neighborhoods or the glitz and glamour among its wealthy.

* TheBigRottenApple: This trope was very popular in the 1970s-1990s due to a big fact that this trope was somewhat accurate...and not just in New York City, but in many cities in the United States and the United Kingdom starting in the mid-to-late 1960s. Crime, pollution, homelessness, economic stagnation, corruption, and major racial and political strife were part of New York City in that era, and the city almost went bankrupt in 1975 due to many residents (and hence the tax base) moving to the suburbs en masse to get away. While fiction clearly exaggerated it at times, it came from a real place. By the 1980s, the economy recovered and the population exodus slowed, but this trope was still popular, though not as much as in the 70s. However, by the mid-to-late 90s, the city had SEVERELY cleaned up its act, with crime and pollution plummeting, the economy booming, and its politics calming... and ''then'', in 2001, [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror a certain event]] occurred that turned NYC into ''the'' "Hero City", at least in the eyes of those living there. Unless one is doing a period piece, this trope is usually never played straight as of the new millennium, especially since a lot of New Yorkers are incredibly proud of their city. And given how many media companies and production are in New York, they [[BerserkButton might not be happy]] with such a portrayal. Most mainstream fiction in New York City today (aside from just BigApplesauce) focuses on either trendy neighborhoods or the glitz and glamour among its wealthy.

* BlackDudeDiesFirst: After comedians started mocking its use, and general racism decreased across the world (or at least became much less socially acceptable), this trope became increasingly rarer to see, especially in UsefulNotes/TheNewTens onward. It still occasionally happens but it's not expected to appear anymore, to the point that most modern works that "use" the trope are just coincidences (or intentional parodies mocking this trope specifically). The spirit of the trope may exist when a cast is equally black and white. But has a non-black non-white token minority ethnic scrappy who is offed first instead.

* DunceCap: The only time this really saw much use was in the early 20th century. Anyone trying it in real life nowadays would be setting themselves up for all kinds of trouble. Plus, with an increased focus against bullying in TheNewTens, singling out a student and calling him stupid in this manner, even in fiction, would never fly.

* MattressTagGag: Even as early as UsefulNotes/TheNineties, characters who worried about going on the run from the law because they tore the tag off of a mattress or a pillow were treated as LawfulStupid by the characters around them. Besides that, such tags have included language since at least TheSixties that only the company that sells the mattress is in any trouble if they remove the tag, not the person who buys it. With characters and audience members alike getting wise to the idea that this supposed FelonyMisdemeanor isn't a crime, even the parodies of this plot have dwindled down to nothing.

* PlanetaryRomance: The classic version (set in our Solar System, specifically Mars) has been [[ScienceMarchesOn killed by science]], and is impossible to do except in a deliberate GenreThrowback that either ignores or {{lampshade|hanging}}s the science. And while [[EvolvingTrope it's somewhat lives on]] in the form of the SpaceOpera, the genre in of itself has been sliding into obscurity since the TheSeventies, due to changes in the SciFiGhetto.[[note]]Even as late as the TheEighties, publishers considered fantasy to be significantly lower than sci-fi on the hierarchy, and at some points fantasy was almost impossible to get published. Hence, a trend developed to write HighFantasy as science fiction and just set it on another planet, often replacing magic with PsychicPowers.[[/note]] Nowadays, if an author wanted to write fantasy, they just write fantasy (thank you, Creator/JRRTolkien) and so most Planetary Romance novels are either part of LongRunners that aren't going anywhere, are (again) deliberate [[GenreThrowback throwbacks]] to the classics, or...[[QuirkyWork something else entirely]]...

* QuirkyUkulele: Became one in TheNewTens thanks to overuse. Ukuleles in relation to quirky characters is more often mocked than played straight.

* StandardFiftiesFather: The straight examples of this trope are often seen as the ''embodiment'' of TheFifties, and with the 50's being over, so was this trope. The BumblingDad, originally a rejection of this trope, has eventually become so prevalent in modern media that even a slightly sensible and competent father is now [[{{Irony}} the subversion]]. That said however, while characters who fit the traditional archectype are all but non-existent today; the core idea of this trope is more [[CyclicTrope Cyclical]] if anything. As the presence of well-meaning and intelligent (but still quirky) father figures have seen revivals in both the [[TheEighties 80s]] and more recently in the [[TheNewTens 2010s]].

** This trope has also started to die out on the internet in the late 2010s, specifically with creators on [=YouTube=]. Although hiding your face on the internet was somewhat common when the website was first starting out, most online creators who started as this have given up on it, since nobody really cares what people online look like anyways. Newer [=YouTubers=] are more likely to flat-out defy this trope, since the chances of getting more exposure on the site are much better if you can actually see what they look like.

* GreatWhiteHunter: Growing concerns over animal conservation and environmentalism have made this trope unpopular for many. If one such hunter does show up, he'll either be AmbiguouslyEvil or genuinely evil. Sympathetic versions who are safari guides, game wardens, wildlife conservationists or Creator/SteveIrwin clones may show up, but they aren't hunters in the traditional sense. The only types of heroic "gentleman hunters" that still appear are either one who's hunting a nonexistent or no-longer-existent species such as aliens, monsters, or dinosaurs (think [[Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark Roland Tembo]]) or the player character in a video game such as ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' or ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption''.

* {{Kawaiiko}}: Now that we're in the age of salarymen, [[NightmareFuel Japanese sex dolls]] (as mentioned by Justin Lee Collins) and Japanese supermodels like Leah Dizon, this trope is ''very'' much now no longer able to be played straight. British magazine ''Take A Break'' treated it as TheNewRockAndRoll, but they were TwoDecadesBehind - the kawaii fad is [[CondemnedByHistory known for its flaws and is a joke nowadays in its home country]].

* MilitarySchool: Military schools were more common in ages where service was a family tradition, especially among aristocrats, and large standing armies sought new manpower all the time. They were (and are) also very common in dictatorships where the school seeks to instill loyalty to the regime (such as the Hitler Youth or the Young Baath Party). In modern America, this had once varied; in the 1990's and the late 1980's, it was considered justified for "problem" kids and delinquents whose parents were oft too busy to handle raising them in a nuclear family structure with a 9 to 5 job, [[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031955/http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-gulags.html but thanks to massive publicity of on site abuse, deaths of internees, and extremely harsh and inhumane treatment by both incompetent and criminally aggressive individuals, even its heads,]][[note]]The camp mentioned in question ''horrified'' the notoriously nasty Sheriff Joe Arpaio[[/note]] sending youths to military camps is viewed as borderline child abuse and most such institutions have closed.

* OneSteveLimit: Real life is messy, and people even in a small group are bound to share names with one another (primarily common ones such as John, Robert, Elizabeth, and, well, Steve), and attempting to avoid giving characters a mutual first and/or last name is a dying naming convention.

* PlanetaryRomance: The classic version (set in the Solar System, specifically Mars) has been [[ScienceMarchesOn killed by science]], and is impossible to do except in a deliberate GenreThrowback that either ignores or {{lampshade|hanging}}s the science. The genre as a whole is sliding into obscurity as well, due to changes in the SciFiGhetto. [[note]]From TheFifties to TheEighties, publishers considered fantasy to be significantly lower than sci-fi on the hierarchy, and at some points fantasy was almost impossible to get published. Hence, a trend developed to write HighFantasy as science fiction and just set it on another planet, often replacing magic with PsychicPowers.[[/note]] Nowadays, if you want to write fantasy, you just write fantasy (thank you, Creator/JRRTolkien) and so most Planetary Romance novels are either part of LongRunners that aren't going anywhere, or are (again) deliberate [[GenreThrowback throwbacks]] to the classics.

* PsychoShowerMurderParody: The original ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' scene is so iconic that it got parodied left, right and center in the 60 or so years the film has been out, to the point that no show or film does it anymore because of how [[ItsBeenDone overdone it is]].

* ScriptWank: These are almost never used anymore, as it's generally understood that audiences really don't need to have AnAesop [[ViewersAreMorons spelled out for them at the end of the story]]. Most of the time it's lampshaded, subverted or parodied in modern works.

* SpinningPaper: Once a staple of B-movies, both overuse and the decline of newspapers as a medium have made examples that aren't parody or strictly humorous exceedingly rare.

* StandardFiftiesFather: The straight examples of this trope are often seen as ''the embodiment'' of TheFifties, and with the 50's being over, so was this trope. The BumblingDad, originally a rejection of this trope, has eventually become so prevalent in modern media that even a slightly sensible and competent father is now [[{{Irony}} the subversion]]. That said however, while characters who fit the traditional archectype are all but non-existent today; the core idea of this trope is more [[CyclicTrope Cyclical]] if anything. As the presence of well-meaning and intelligent (but still quirky) father figures have seen revivals in both the [[TheEighties 80s]] and more recently in the [[TheNewTens 2010s]].

* GreatWhiteHunter: A combination of accusations of racism and of an increase in animal rights. If one such hunter does show up, he'll either be laughably behind-the-times or genuinely evil. Sympathetic versions who are safari guides, game wardens, wildlife conservationists or Creator/SteveIrwin clones may show up, but they aren't hunters in the traditional sense. The only form of heroic "gentleman hunter" that still appears is one who's hunting a nonexistent or no-longer-existent species such as aliens, monsters, or dinosaurs (think [[Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark Roland Tembo]].)

* StandardFiftiesFather: The traditional examples of this trope are often seen as ''the embodiment'' of TheFifties, and with the 50's being over, so was this trope. The BumblingDad, originally a rejection of this trope, eventually become so prevalent in modern media that even a slightly sensible and competent father is now [[{{Irony}} the subversion]]. Still there many in entertainment that are reluctant to bring the trope back, even in an [[EvolvingTrope evolved]] or [[ReconstructedTrope reconstructed]] manner. And while the presence of well-meaning, intelligent (but still quirky) father figures saw a revival in 80s sitcoms, it has also become a remnant of that period. Not to mention [[HarsherInHindsight tragic in retrospect]] in cases where RealitySubtext ([[Series/TheCosbyShow most notoriously in the case of Bill Cosby]]) undermines the character.

A common cause of SeinfeldIsUnfunny, because it's hard to put yourself back in the frame of mind you had when this was ''new''. A related trope is CondemnedByHistory, where something that was popular in its day is rejected in later years and becomes known primarily for the backlash against it.

* FauxInterracialRelationship: Died out due to better attitudes on interracial marriages.

* TheBigRottenApple: This trope was very popular in the 1970s-1990s due to a big fact that this trope was somewhat accurate...and not just in New York City, but in many cities in the United States and the United Kingdom starting in the mid-to-late 1960s. Crime, pollution, homelessness, economic stagnation, corruption, and major racial and political strife were part of New York City in that era, and the city almost went bankrupt in 1975 due to many residents (and hence the tax base) moving to the suburbs en masse to get away. While fiction clearly exaggerated it at times, it came from a real place. By the 1980s, the economy recovered and the population exodus slowed, but this trope was still popular, though not as much as in the 70s. However, by the mid-to-late 90s, the city had SEVERELY cleaned up its act, with crime and pollution plummeting, the economy booming, and its politics calming... and ''then'', in 2001, [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror a certain event]] occurred that turned NYC into pretty much ''the'' "Hero City", at least in the eyes of those living there. Unless one is doing a period piece, this trope is usually never played straight as of the new millennium, especially since a lot of New Yorkers are incredibly proud of their city. And given how many media companies and production are in New York, they [[BerserkButton might not be happy]] with such a portrayal. Most mainstream fiction in New York City today (aside from just BigApplesauce) focuses on either trendy neighborhoods or the glitz and glamour among its wealthy.

* DonutMessWithACop: Depending on the jurisdiction, many donut shops now would either offer free donuts and coffee to law enforcement officials as a public service, or face fines or other undesirable consequences if they gave them out for free, as it would be considered bribery. On the other hand, this just means the cops buy the donuts and coffee and still hang out there, so it manages to remain true even though it's a dead horse trope. In many places, donut shop hours fit with their shifts, and were among the last places to allow indoor smoking, which also made them attractive places to be for cops on graveyard shifts. Cops are fully aware of the trope and treat it with a laugh, because who ''doesn't'' like donuts?

* ExplodingCalendar: Pretty much ''everyone'' has done a gag at some point or another, making the joke a trope of its own.

* HypnoRay: Hypnotism in general has been getting a lot of scrutiny as a technique since the TurnOfTheMillennium. For one thing, you can only be hypnotized if you ''want'' to be hypnotized. And that's if you're not one of the people who can't be hypnotized at all (even if they wanted to be). Also, hypnotism can't make people do things that they wouldn't normally do, so telling a hypnotized person to (for instance) attack someone they love would just snap them out of it. Finally, the various methods to induce hypnotism usually involve deep relaxation or intense eye focus, things that a ray gun simply wouldn't be able to do. While MindControl and its various tropes are still around, using a beam from a MadScientist to do it has gradually fallen out of favor. Such ray guns in fiction these days are reserved exclusively for comedic works, as it's pretty hard to take it seriously anymore. The ray gun in these works will only work on characters that are really stupid, use ExactWords to make it so that [[GoneHorriblyRight the hypnotizer comes to regret using the hypno ray through unintended consequences]], or just outright not work at all. But it will never be played totally straight anymore.

* PrinceCharming: Time was, every fairytale had a character whose main function was to be a) physically attractive and b) a socially advantageous marriage prospect for {{the hero}}/heroine, by virtue of being wealthy and/or a member of the aristocracy. Information about this character's actual ''personality'' tended to be sketchy at best, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools except period dramas]]. Remained popular through the early 1990s in the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon. Nowadays princes are just as often [[UpperClassTwit clueless]] [[{{Narcissist}} and vain]], if not [[BitchInSheepsClothing downright evil]]. See PrinceCharmless, which is the current form nowadays. See what we meant by the spoof becoming a trope?

* SaveThePrincess: Had its days as an acceptable ExcusePlot in VideoGames, but those days are pretty much over. [[GrandfatherClause Unless you're]] [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]], and even then, the newer games in the series {{lampshade|Hanging}} this plenty.

* StatusCellPhone: After cell phones became much more affordable and commonplace in the 1990s and especially the 2000s, this trope is pretty much never played straight these days outside of '80s period pieces, and nowadays owning a mobile phone is so expected that not having one is frequently seen as a sign of either out-of-touchness, poverty or technophobia.

* SuperSentaiStance: Almost universally made fun of in these days. Except of course [[{{Toku}} within]] [[Franchise/SuperSentai such]] [[Franchise/PowerRangers series]], and even then it'll be {{lampshade|Hanging}}d.

* ToastOfTardiness: This one got run into the ground in the 70s, and as a result, pretty much every single use of it is in a parody.

* StatusCellPhone: Since the latter days of [[TurnOfTheMillennium the 2000s]], cellphone ownership rates have risen to the point where it's practically expected for someone to own one. The trope is more commonly ''inverted'' these days, with a character lacking a cellphone to be more notable because of poverty or being out of touch.

Do keep in mind that, like [[DiscreditedTrope Discredited Tropes]]: Just because a trope is a DeadHorseTrope doesn't mean the trope isn't (or at least wasn't) TruthInTelevision. Nor does it not being TruthInTelevision make it a DeadHorseTrope.

Do keep in mind that, like [[DiscreditedTrope DiscreditedTropes]]: Just because a trope is a DeadHorseTrope doesn't mean the trope isn't (or at least wasn't) TruthInTelevision. Nor does it not being TruthInTelevision make it a DeadHorseTrope.

* TheBigRottenApple: This trope was very popular in the 1970s-1990s due to a big fact that this trope was somewhat accurate...and not just in New York City, but in many cities in the United States and the United Kingdom starting in the mid-to-late 1960s. Crime, pollution, homelessness, economic stagnation, corruption, and major racial and political strife were part of New York City in that era, and the city almost went bankrupt in 1975 due to many residents (and hence the tax base) moving to the suburbs en masse to get away. While fiction clearly exaggerated it at times, it came from a real place. By the 1980s, the economy recovered and the population exodus slowed, but this trope was still popular, though not as much as in the 70s. However, by the mid-to-late 90s, the city had SEVERELY cleaned up its act, with crime and pollution plummeting, the economy booming, and its politics calming... and ''then'', in 2001, [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror a certain event]] occurred that turned NYC into pretty much ''the'' "Hero City" in the eyes of those living there. Unless one is doing a period piece, this trope is usually never played straight as of the new millennium, especially since a lot of media companies and production are in New York, and [[BerserkButton might not be happy]] with such a portrayal. Most mainstream fiction in New York City today (aside from just BigApplesauce) focuses on either trendy neighborhoods or the glitz and glamour among its wealthy.

* UnclePennybags: Billionaires have become [[https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/3/30/22357510/poll-billioniares-data-for-progress-vox-wealth-philanthropy-inequality significantly less popular]], if not downright despised amongst the general public in the mid-to-late 2010s and early 2020s due to changes in the economy making it significantly harder to live paycheck to paycheck for most Americans, whereas the top 1% seem content to relax in their elegant mansions and pay as little money in taxes as possible, to the point where some wonder whether society should even allow people to become billionaires at all. As such, several works tend to show rich people as either an IdleRich UpperClassTwit who generally just wastes their time partying or doing nothing useful, or as a CorruptCorporateExecutive trying to control as much of the world as possible using their wealth.

* StandardFiftiesFather: The traditional example doesn't hold up so well now that TheFifties are over. The BumblingDad, originally a rejection of this trope, eventually become so prevalent in modern media that a sensible, competent father is now [[{{Irony}} the subversion]]. Regardless, there many in entertainment (particularly those who grew up in TheFifties) that are reluctant to bring the trope back in ''any'' form. And while the presence of well-meaning, intelligent (but still quirky) father figures saw a revival in 80s sitcoms, it has also become a remnant of that period. Not to mention [[HarsherInHindsight tragic in retrospect]] in cases where RealitySubtext ([[Series/TheCosbyShow most notoriously in the case of Bill Cosby]]) undermines the character.

* StandardFiftiesFather: Doesn't hold up so well now that TheFifties are over. The BumblingDad, originally a rejection of this trope, eventually become so prevalent in modern media that a sensible, competent father (in a sitcom, anyway) is now the subversion. The presence of well-meaning, intelligent (but still quirky) father figures saw a revival in the 1980s, but it has also become a remnant of that period, not to mention [[HarsherInHindsight tragic in retrospect]] in cases where RealitySubtext ([[Series/TheCosbyShow most notoriously in the case of Bill Cosby]]) undermines the character.

* UnclePennybags: Billionaires have become [[https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/3/30/22357510/poll-billioniares-data-for-progress-vox-wealth-philanthropy-inequality significantly less popular]], if not downright despised amongst the general public in the mid-to-late 2010s and early 2020s due to changes in the economy making it significantly harder to live paycheck to paycheck for most Americans, whereas the top 1% seem content to relax in their elegant mansions and pay as little money in taxes as possible. As such, several works tend to show rich people as either an IdleRich UpperClassTwit who generally just wastes their time partying or doing nothing useful, or as a CorruptCorporateExecutive trying to control as much of the world as possible using their wealth.

* TheBigRottenApple: This trope was very popular in the 1970s-1990s due to a big fact that this trope was somewhat accurate...and not just in New York City, but in many cities in the United States and the United Kingdom starting in the mid-to-late 1960s. Crime, pollution, homelessness, economic stagnation, corruption, and major racial and political strife were part of New York City in that era, and the city almost went bankrupt in 1975 due to many residents (and hence the tax base) moving to the suburbs en masse to get away. While fiction clearly exaggerated it at times, it came from a real place. By the 1980s, the economy recovered and the population exodus slowed, but this trope was still popular, though not as much as in the 70s. However, by the mid-to-late 90s, the city had SEVERELY cleaned up its act, with crime and pollution plummeting, the economy booming, and its politics calming... and ''then'', in 2001, [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror a certain event]] occurred that turned NYC into pretty much ''the'' "Hero City" in the consciousness of those living there. Unless one is doing a period piece, this trope is usually never played straight as of the new millennium, especially since a lot of media companies and production are in New York, and [[BerserkButton might not be happy]] with such a portrayal. Most mainstream fiction in New York City today (aside from just BigApplesauce) focuses on either trendy neighborhoods or the glitz and glamour among its wealthy.

* HollywoodPrehistory: Since it's now common knowledge that non-avian dinosaurs and other Mesozoic reptiles [[TheCretaceousIsAlwaysDoomed got wiped out by an asteroid impact]] millions of years before the evolution of humans, [[MeekMesozoicMammal mammals that did live alongside non-avian dinosaurs were relatively small]], and [[MammothsMeanIceAge woolly mammoths]] and [[SnowySabertooths saber-toothed cats]] lived during the Ice Age along with said humans thousands of years ago, this setting is nowadays never played seriously.

* HollywoodPrehistory: Since it's now common knowledge that non-avian dinosaurs and other Mesozoic reptiles lived millions of years and [[TheCretaceousIsAlwaysDoomed got wiped out by an asteroid impact]] before the evolution of humans, [[MeekMesozoicMammal mammals that did live alongside non-avian dinosaurs were relatively small]], and [[MammothsMeanIceAge woolly mammoths]] and [[SnowySabertooths saber-toothed cats]] lived during the Ice Age along with said humans thousands of years ago, this setting is nowadays never played seriously.