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| 3 | %% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. |
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| 6 | ---- |
| 7 | !Shows with their own page: |
| 8 | [[index]] |
| 9 | * ShownTheirWork/PrehistoricPlanet |
| 10 | [[/index]] |
| 11 | |
| 12 | !Other shows |
| 13 | * ''Series/Adam12'', produced by Jack Webb's company, depicted police procedures so accurately that episodes were used as instructional films in police academies. |
| 14 | * ''Series/AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall2020'': Like the books it was based on, this series is a remarkably accurate look at veterinary medicine in a time when antibiotics were practically non-existent, radiography was just coming on the scene, and profitable small-animal surgery was still decades in the future. For those in the field in particular, this look at long-ago history is a poignant reminder of just how far their profession has come. |
| 15 | * ''Series/BarneyMiller'' is often acknowledged as the most accurate cop show ever put on TV. While it was contemporary to the BigRottenApple period of high crime in the City, the majority of cases dealt were not serial killers or other high-drama crimes[[note]]barring one two-parter where the precinct was organized into a homicide specialty squad[[/note]]. Most were people who'd gotten overheated after a rotten day, work-a-day petty thieves, and people creating public disturbances, and many of the incidents were RippedFromTheHeadlines. This is helped by most of the show taking place in the squadroom (with the attendant paperwork). |
| 16 | * ''{{Series/Beforeigners}}'' does this with languages. The creative team worked with a team of linguists and sociologists to create not only an accurate 19th century Oslo dialect, but also a workable pronunciation of south Norwegian old Norse and a plausible Mesolithic language for time-travelers to speak. |
| 17 | * ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', being a show about three extremely nerdy scientists ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and an engineer]]), pays unusual amounts of attention to getting scientific jargon and such correct. All of the equations seen in the background are accurate and scientifically provable and written up by a professor of physics and astronomy who makes sure everything's scientifically accurate. |
| 18 | * ''Series/TheBill'' was extremely accurate in its early episodes' depiction of the various aspects of police work. One in particular, featuring by-the-book DS Alistair Greig questioning a local hard case with a reputation for being uncrackable and getting him to crack without a threat or a harsh word spoken, was so accurate with regard to suspect questioning techniques that for many years it was used to ''teach'' them. |
| 19 | * ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie'' was very good about being accurate about details in even the most absurd sketches, for instance, Laurie walks into a model shop in the "Dalliard/Models" sketch and asks for a Messerschmitt 109E, whereupon the clerk hands him... a fully assembled 109E. In the same episode, Fry begins to complain about the show ''Series/TopGearUK'' trying to be funny, while you never see comedy shows reviewing Nissan Micras, whereupon Laurie immediately gets up and begins reviewing a Nissan Micra parked in the studio, accurately listing the powertrain options and door layouts available. In the "Major Donaldson" sketch, Fry reads out Laurie's character's rank as "Hauptsturmfuhrer (Captain) Freidrich von Stilch," which accurately reflects the rank on Laurie's collar tab. Also, Laurie wears the field-gray SS uniform, correct as the black Allgemaine uniform had been phased out in 1939. |
| 20 | * ''Series/BlueHeelers'' does this to an impressive degree, from procedure in the event of a shooting to the actors playing the role of an officer go through the academy. |
| 21 | * ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire'' does a painstaking job of accurately recreating the look of 1920's Atlantic City with the sets and costumes designed to reflect the time period. The creators have also done thorough research on their subjects and make sure that the personalities seen onscreen reflect the ones in real life, most notably with Arnold Rothstein. Many of the automobiles used on the show are actually vintage 1920 cars that were bought and restored for use on the show. On the audio commentary for the DVD set, writer Terence Winter recalls how during the filming of the pilot episode he had to ask Creator/MartinScorsese to reshoot a scene because one of the male characters was wearing a cap in a room full of women. In the 1920s a man who entered a room with women present would take off his cap. |
| 22 | * ''Series/BreakingBad'', and its spinoff ''Series/BetterCallSaul'': |
| 23 | ** The shows pay careful attention to the authenticity of their Albuquerque setting, often to the level only a resident would notice. The geography is accurate, and the stores mentioned or shown (save for the fictional ''Los Pollos Hermanos'', which itself is represented by a Twisters restaurant) all exist in Albuquerque. In one good example, the 5th season opens inside a Denny's, then cuts to the exterior. Although the exterior shot never actually shows the Denny's, viewers familiar with the University area will recognize that it truly is in front of a Denny's. |
| 24 | ** You can tell the writers do tons of research on other things as well, for example the they got the differences between the [[OurZombiesAreDifferent zombies]] in [[VideoGame/CallOfDuty Nazi zombies]], Franchise/ResidentEvil and ''VideoGame/Left4Dead''. The gun laws of New Mexico were shown accurately. Also, the "crawling along the ground in Mexico" was based on local folklore. |
| 25 | * ''Series/BurnNotice'' based its main character Michael Westen on the technical advisor for the show, retired espionage expert Michael Wilson. All the MacGyvering gadgets and explosives are accurate as can reasonably be (They aren't going to give all the [[AndSomeOtherStuff ingredients and steps in making thermite]] on the show, 'cause everyone knows that one mixes rust and aluminum dust, the ratios are somewhat obscure though). And then when you get into items that might be outside Wilson's expertise they call in others. They consulted a radiology expert on how he could make a one-time use x-ray machine in the trunk of his car. Fans love that every [[StuffBlowingUp explosion]] comes with a line that justifies it: they taped acetone to a gas tank so it actually would explode when you shoot it; Michael used incendiary ammo on barrels with inflammable water sealant, etc. |
| 26 | * ''Series/CallTheMidwife'' drew critical praise for its attention to detail in building the world of the 1950s' East End, and for their accuracy during birthing scenes. The latter in particular are closely supervised by a trained midwife who actually worked with Jennifer Worth, the author of the memoirs the programme was based on. |
| 27 | * ''Series/{{Carnivale}}'' demonstrates extensive knowledge of Tarot as well as biblical mythology, and the plot tends to hinge on obscure symbolism that the viewer is supposed to [[ViewersAreGeniuses figure out themselves]] with little guidance. |
| 28 | * ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'': The auction house where Prue works is named ''Buckland'''s. Raymond ''Buckland'' is credited with introducing Wicca to North America. |
| 29 | * ''Series/TheChasersWarOnEverything'': The "I'm a Fan of ''Doctor Who''" song is mostly funny because of the obscurity of the references in the song, but the details are [[FanMyopia common knowledge within the fandom but completely unknown outside of it]]. One part specifically namechecks dressing as 'a Cyberman from Season 22' (a season that had a prominent Cyberman story, "Attack of the Cybermen", and a monster that does get redesigned specifically for each season). Not only that, but the opinions the singer holds are fanboy standard - Ace and Sarah Jane are among the most popular companions, and Creator/RobertHolmes is the fan-favourite script editor. |
| 30 | * ''Series/ChicagoJustice'': {{Subverted}} {{in universe}} by "See Everything". The defense attorney, knowing that wearing a niqab can increase the risk of getting diabetes, and consequently increase the risk of vision problems, attempts to discredit an eyewitness who regularly wears a niqab while in public. Stone takes a risk and asks her more about her condition. She's had Type I diabetes for at least thirteen years before she started wearing the niqab, and her vision is still good. |
| 31 | * ''Series/TheChroniclesOfNarniaBBC'': Aslan was designed with great care, with the producers studying real lions. |
| 32 | * ''Series/TheCloser'' is a PoliceProcedural with a surprising number of accurate details. Established in the opening scene when the titular character, Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson, insists on a separate search warrant for the garage as it is a "stand alone structure." She goes on to be careful about legal and procedural minutiae. Over the years, when her tactics slide into CowboyCop-y occasionally, she gets called out on it in a massive lawsuit--just like real life. |
| 33 | * ''Series/CodeBlack'': |
| 34 | ** The showrunners work hard at making sure that the show accurately depicts medical conditions and medical procedures, including a notable aversion of CPRCleanPrettyReliable. [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0QHWhjbe5fGJEPz3sVb6nw Doctor Mike]], a [=YouTuber=] who is also a practicing doctor, praised it as one of the most accurate medical dramas he'd ever seen, saying that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBSfullrLFk "It really felt as if a doctor wrote the script and then it was fluffed up instead of the other way around."]] |
| 35 | ** The episode title "Sometimes It's a Zebra" is derived from an old saying impressed on new doctors: "When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras."[[note]] It means that, when evaluating a patient's symptoms, a doctor should first consider and rule out common illnesses ("horses") before concluding that the patient has a rare syndrome ("zebra").[[/note]] |
| 36 | ** The foam that trauma surgeon Ethan Wills injects into a shark bite victim to stabilize him for transport in "Second Year" is [[http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/06/29/this-foam-could-save-your-life.html a real thing.]] |
| 37 | * ''Series/CriminalMinds'': |
| 38 | ** In one episode, the unsub thinks he is the Fisher King of Arthurian legend. In the story's climax, he demands that Spencer Reid (whom the unsub thinks is Sir Percival) "ask the question." Reid refuses, as doing so would deepen the unsub's belief in his delusions. The episode never mentions what question the unsub had in mind, but for those who know, it's [[http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/student_orgs/arthurian_legend/grail/fisher/ "Whom does the Grail serve?"]] and the fact that Reid refuses to ask it takes the research one step further -- in most renditions, Percival reaches the Fisher King but fails to ask the correct question. |
| 39 | ** The characters frequently cite cases of real-life serial killers by way of comparison with the cases they're investigating. |
| 40 | ** Generally speaking, any time Reid goes on a statistic- or fact-fueled ramble, it's the writers Showing Their Work. His eidetic memory is tied explicitly to things he reads, which leads to information dump recitations straight out of the research itself. This is lampshaded regularly. |
| 41 | * ''Series/CrisisOnEarthX'': In "[[Recap/TheFlash2014S4E8CrisisOnEarthXPart3 Part 3]]", Jax asks Ray Terrill why he wears a pink triangle in the concentration camp. Ray responds, "Because I loved the wrong person." A lot of viewers might be unfamiliar with what this means, unless they're familiar with details from the Holocaust-a pink triangle was used for LGBT prisoners in Nazi concentration camps. While after they show Ray is with Snart they can infer this, a person aware will get it ahead of time. |
| 42 | * ''Series/{{CSI Verse}}'': |
| 43 | ** A snippet on ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': a tech taking out a hard drive for evaluation was shown switching the jumper before putting it in the external enclosure, a small detail anyone not in the know would not likely catch. Especially surprising given the sad prevalence of HollywoodHacking on the show. |
| 44 | ** The sheer number of ways people have died in the ''CSI'' franchise makes this trope almost mandatory for the autopsy scenes, as the writers have to do a fair bit of research simply to come up with a cause of death we haven't seen before. |
| 45 | * ''Series/TheDevilsWhore'' is pretty good with these. It even features Prince Rupert of the Rhine's ''war poodle''. |
| 46 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'': |
| 47 | ** The show started out as an educational program, and hence there would be historical stories where a lot of research was done. There is a myth about [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E6TheAztecs "The Aztecs"]] that for the sake of decency the costumes weren't accurate, when in fact they were thoroughly researched. |
| 48 | ** After being refused permission to film in the London Underground, due to safety concerns, the production team had David Myerscough-Jones design sets for [[Recap/DoctorWhoS5E5TheWebOfFear "The Web of Fear"]] based on photos of the Tube tunnels. The result was so good the BBC received legal threats from the London public transport authorities, who assumed they'd done a bit of illegal location filming. |
| 49 | ** The [[LizardFolk Silurians]] are depicted as having a matriarchal society with their females being the warriors. Real lizards do have the females as larger, more territorial and more aggressive. |
| 50 | ** Many of the smarter Creator/TomBaker era stories really went out of their way to explain real principles being used in the plots, be they linguistics (Grimm's Law is used in both [[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E4TheFaceOfEvil "The Face of Evil"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E4StateOfDecay "State of Decay"]] and namechecked in the latter), physics ([[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E5TheRobotsOfDeath "The Robots of Death"]] explains the buoyancy physics of the Storm Mine and has the Doctor explain to Leela how HeliumSpeech works), biology ("[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E2TheArkInSpace The Ark in Space]]" holds the distinction of being the first ever broadcast media about endoparasitology with the Doctor spouting off then cutting-edge research), robotics ("The Robots of Death" uses [[RippedFromTheHeadlines then-new]] science about the UncannyValley), philosophy ("[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath City of Death]]" goes into reasonable detail here and it's PlayedForLaughs) and occasionally even hermeticism ("[[Recap/DoctorWhoS15E3ImageOfTheFendahl Image of the Fendahl]]" and arguably "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E7Logopolis Logopolis]]"). This was especially common in Season 18, edited by a former science editor who wanted to use science that "wasn't laughed at by actual scientists" (though, in practice, he mostly used it as a jumping off point for MagicFromTechnology). |
| 51 | ** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E3PyramidsOfMars Pyramids of Mars]]" is based around the myth of Set/Sutekh from Myth/EgyptianMythology, but in the broadest possible strokes (for the sake of fitting it into a ''Doctor Who'' plot), incorporating plenty of influence from Christian {{Satan}} mythology and CosmicHorror. However, Creator/RobertHolmes was a keen researcher and snuck in several GeniusBonus references to the original myth. For instance, Set in mythology was the god of deserts and storms, and when the Doctor takes Sarah to Sutekh's version of 1980, the planet is a stormy desert. Later, Sutekh growls that his brother Horus condemned him to "a life of darkness and impotence", when in the original myth Set was believed to be impotent, and Horus had ripped off one of Sutekh's testicles. |
| 52 | ** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E5WorldWarThree "World War Three"]] features the proper prefix for a submarine-launched Harpoon missile, as well as a pretty good CGI depiction of one. However, the missile is launched against a building, when in real life they are anti-ship missiles. |
| 53 | ** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E742 "42"]]: Happy primes, the solution to one security question, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_number#Happy_primes exist]]. |
| 54 | ** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E13LastOfTheTimeLords "Last of the Time Lords"]]: "I Can't Decide", the Music/ScissorSisters song the Master dances to at the beginning, is referred to as "Track 3". It is, in fact, the third track of their album ''Ta Dah''. |
| 55 | ** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E7TheUnicornAndTheWasp "The Unicorn and the Wasp"]]: Creator/AgathaChristie is depicted as owning a 1919-1926 Morris Cowley Bullnose. This was the very model of car driven by the real Christie around the time of her disappearance in 1926. |
| 56 | ** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E10VincentAndTheDoctor "Vincent and the Doctor"]]: Aside from the use of SmallReferencePools, the episode is very well-researched in both Creator/VincentVanGogh's life and the many symptoms of depression. |
| 57 | ** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E5TheTsurangaConundrum "The Tsuranga Conundrum"]]: The Doctor's description of how particle accelerators generate antimatter is fairly scientifically accurate. |
| 58 | * ''Series/{{Emergency}}'', Webb's other well-known production, is also recognized for the attention to detail it gave to emergency medical response, firefighting, and hospital emergency rooms. Randolph Mantooth and Kevin Tighe (Gage and [=DeSoto=]) had actually received paramedic training prior to filming. You can tell that in many of the scenes there's no script and they're simply doing what a paramedic would do in that situation, including reminding each other of things that have to be done or checked. The captain of the station in season one was an actual Los Angeles County Fire Department captain, Mike Stoker basically played himself (he was also an LA County firefighter), and the dispatcher was Sam Lanier, an actual dispatcher for the department. |
| 59 | * ''Series/TheExpanse'' probably has the most realistic and meticulously crafted depiction of space ever put on the TV screen. Ships have no artificial gravity, have to turn around in order to slow down, communication between various places can take up to hours and days of lag due to distances involved. And of course, [[TwoDSpace space is not a flat plane]], and there isn't any defined up or down. Basically it takes almost every space-related sci-fi trope you can think of, and throws them out of the window. The level of detail goes so far to take in account that the Coriolis effect on rotation habitats would affect the motion of falling things, and that exhaust of the departing ship is hot enough to [[WeaponizedExhaust melt away]] the drydock structures a fair distance behind it. |
| 60 | * ''Series/{{Flashpoint}}'' has this when it comes to bombs. The series notably averts the WireDilemma trope, showing Spike actually using logic and (when available) schematics to determine which wires are connected to the detonator. The bombs themselves also vary, showing off a variety of different bomb-making and defusing techniques. |
| 61 | * ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}'': Like any good chemist, when checking the odor of unknown substances, Henry will use his hand to waft the smell up towards his face, rather than sticking his nose right next to it (which risks chemical burns or poisoning). Henry does this so often it's practically a character tic. |
| 62 | * ''Series/FoylesWar'' creator Creator/AnthonyHorowitz ensured that all the WWII period details in this show were thoroughly researched. Most episodes are inspired or directly based off actual people, events, or wartime organizations. There is one scene when Foyle becomes suspicious of a secretive factory that's being presented as a munitions facility, but doesn't have any smokestacks and the employees appear to know more about carpentry than machinery. The maintainers of the factory eventually allow him in, revealing that they are making coffins. Thousands and ''thousands'' of coffins, knowing full well they'll be needed. Foyle and Sam are sworn to secrecy, as the knowledge would be damaging to public morale. |
| 63 | * ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'' does this perfectly with both the time period (early '80s) and the location (anyone from southeast Michigan will enjoy the references to Faygo and the Auto Show, and the frequent use of "pop"). |
| 64 | * Parodied in ''Series/GarthMarenghisDarkplace''. In the ShowWithinAShow, Rick is cradling [[MauveShirt Clive]] as he dies, but it quickly becomes apparent that the writer couldn't think of any final dialogue for them beyond a skimpy rewrite of the research he did for Clive's backstory: |
| 65 | -->'''Dr. Rick Dagless M.D.''': What's your name, son? |
| 66 | -->'''Clive''': Clive. |
| 67 | -->'''Dr. Rick Dagless M.D.''': That's a strange name for an American. |
| 68 | -->'''Clive''': I'm from Bermuda. |
| 69 | -->'''Dr. Rick Dagless M.D.''': Oh, that explains it. British principality. |
| 70 | -->'''Clive''': It's actually a dependent territory. |
| 71 | -->'''Dr. Rick Dagless M.D.''': What's that? |
| 72 | -->'''Clive''': The Queen appoints a Governor General in charge of internal security and external defence but she's still the de facto sovereign. |
| 73 | -->(''Clive dies'') |
| 74 | -->'''Dr. Rick Dagless M.D.''': We had so much to teach each other. |
| 75 | * ''Series/TheGoodPlace'' regularly demonstrates an impressive level of research done on the moral, ethical, and philosophical problems its characters grapple with in the afterlife. References to specific philosophers, theories, and thought experiments are generally accurate if simplified for comedic effect. Creator Michael Shur and his writers do a lot of philosophical background reading, and it shines through in the finished shows. |
| 76 | * ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' is frequently praised as one of the more accurate portrayals of police work, with a good eye and ear for details and dialogue often found within the Baltimore Homicide Unit as well as the cases they worked and the chain of command in the police department. Similar to ''Series/TheWire'', many lines of dialogue are taken word for word from David Simon's book. |
| 77 | * ''Series/HouseOfCardsUS'' may take some liberties with the American government, but various aspects of UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC area culture are portrayed accurately. For instance, in season 2, when Frank Underwood goes to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a Baltimore Orioles game, the crowd shouts "OH!" in the middle of the national anthem, a tradition at all Maryland and DC area sports. |
| 78 | * Besides the fact that ''Series/TheInsideMan'' teaches real strategies about IT security, {{Technobabble}} is averted. In the first episode, "The New Guy," everything that Mark says in terms of resolving the hacking attempt on the company is true in technical terms, not withstanding the fact that the problem was caused by him in the first place. |
| 79 | * ''Series/TheITCrowd'' is ridiculously exaggerated slapstick. But the writers put in lots of little details and shout-outs that shows they Did The Research into what IT workers are actually like and into. As a result, actual IT workers love it. Writer Graham Linehan is JustForFun/OneOfUs and in one of the DVD commentaries pretty much says Moss is based on a younger him and Roy is based on him now. |
| 80 | * ''Series/{{JAG}}'''s research and accuracy became better through the years the show was running, though inaccuracies could always be found. Having a [[SemperFi Marine Corps]] veteran as its [[Creator/DonaldPBellisario creator, executive producer, and show runner]] probably helped. Being BackedByThePentagon probably helped a great deal too. They did sometimes cite real military case law. |
| 81 | * ''Series/TheLastOfUs2023'': |
| 82 | ** Jakarta's portrayal in Episode 2's ColdOpen showed exceptional accuracy that it garner praise from Indonesian viewers. Although the entire scenes were actually filmed in Calgary, Canada, the studio employed actual Indonesian actors speaking in their language with near pitch-perfect accuracy, and had done their research for period accurate props (such as using the old logo of the Ministry of Health, which was only changed in 2016) and even background music (a song by renowned Indonesian artist Ari Lasso that came out in 2003). |
| 83 | ** One of the most horrifying aspects of the story is that the Cordyceps fungus acts pretty much as it does in reality, except that rather than insects, it's infesting humans. Even the fact that the fungus is heavily implied to be transmitted through the flour found in baked goods isn't too much of a stretch; certain types of fungi can survive in rice even after it's been boiled. |
| 84 | * ''Series/LawAndOrder'': |
| 85 | ** Despite a lot of script-kludging, always cites real cases, and usually on point. Whether the judge's ruling or the defense counter-point is realistic is another matter, but the show does cite real case law. |
| 86 | *** In the beginning, they actually did tend to stay within the bounds of the law as much as possible. This faded as the show went on but is noticeable in early seasons. |
| 87 | ** Over other shows supposed to take place in New York City, it is the most realistic in getting things like the geography of the city right, and the weather. The detectives correctly say, for example, that they will go "down" to Alphabet City, when they are in Central Park, and give directions by street coordinates that are real. It rains or is overcast for no plot-related reason. People buy food from street vendors and eat while they are walking. Mostly, this can be attributed to the fact that the show is not only set in New York City, but also shot in New York City. |
| 88 | ** In one episode involving a particle physics graduate student trying to kill his adviser, they got the particle physics right. The papers were realistic, the universities and funders were slightly changed names from the real ones. Although not mentioned explicitly, the case involved an experiment that failed to measure a pair-production decay chain rather than one involving bremstrahlung. The psychology and life styles of HEP physicists were also (disturbingly) accurate. |
| 89 | * ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' has an actual pickpocket as a consultant so that all of Parker's FiveFingerDiscount maneuvers are pulled off as realistically subtle as possible--sometimes, it's not even clear that she's robbed someone until the scene is shown from her perspective in flashback. Sometimes it was not even clear to ''other people on the set''. During one blocking run-through, the director asked the actress to repeat a scene, but "really do the lift this time." She responded by holding up the item, which she'd already stolen on the last run. The same attention to detail is given to Sophie's mind games and grifting tricks. Even some of Hardison's techniques come from him. One of the show's creators recounted a time when he spoofed a phone call to his cell phone to look like it was coming from his mother. WordOfGod is that roughly 95% of the seemingly impossible things the characters do on the show are things the consultant has shown them in real life. |
| 90 | * ''Series/LieToMe'' is based off of Paul Ekman's promising, but not-yet-complete, research. It doesn't acknowledge many of the shortcomings in the research (unlike Ekman himself), and doesn't have time to explain the intricacies of the findings, but the principles are quite sound. Anyone familiar with Paul Ekman's research will recognize things in this show lifted directly from the man's lectures and experiments. |
| 91 | ** The pilot, for example, used a clip of a microexpression on Kato Kaelin from the OJ Simpson trial -- the exact same clip that Ekman has used in his own lectures. |
| 92 | ** Also, pictures of Tim Roth going through the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facial_Action_Coding_System Facial Action Coding System]] are mounted in Lightman's office. |
| 93 | * ''Series/TheLongestDayInChangAn'' is exquisitely researched in its historical aspects, from the clothing and armour to the role of "foreign" groups like the Zoroastrians and Turks in the Tang Dynasty to small details like characters sipping pomegranate juice through straws. |
| 94 | * ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': The method of using water to cause Mount Doom to erupt is actually scientifically possible and is called Phreatic eruption. |
| 95 | * ''Series/MadMen'' series creator Matthew Weiner appears to take pride in this. Given that the show is about an advertising agency in the 1960s with scads of ProductPlacement using past ad campaigns, they are remarkably free of major errors. |
| 96 | ** An early episode (set in 1962) shows the secretarial pool all gushing over a new office machine: a Xerox photocopier. The episode noted the month, so with a little digging, you'll discover it's the right machine, at the right time and place. (How they got their hands on that specific ancient device is beyond us.) |
| 97 | ** Pete Campbell's mother is said to be a member of the Dyckman family that used to own a lot of land in Upper Manhattan. Not only did this family exist and own a lot of land in Upper Manhattan, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyckman_Street there's a pretty major street named after them]]. |
| 98 | * ''Series/{{Mayday}}'': In "Deadly Crossroads", which documented the mid-air collision between a Bashkirian Airlines Tupolev Tu-254 and a DHL Boeing 757 over Uberlingen, Gemany in 2002, the Bashkirian pilots are shown looking toward their right side for the DHL, which is actually approaching from the left. In the uncensored version (you can see it in the censored version too, it's just less clear), it is clearly seen that all the heads in the cockpit turn when a flight crew member yells "There on the left!" The reason for this (which wasn't said in the episode) was that controller [[YourOtherLeft Peter Nielsen had actually reported the position of the DHL mistakenly at the Bashkirian's 2 o'clock position when in reality it was at their 10 o'clock.]] It was probably omitted to keep the sympathy level for Nielsen higher among the viewers[[spoiler:, as if him getting murdered by Vitaly Kaloyev, who was hailed as a hero in his hometown, wasn't enough.]] |
| 99 | * ''Series/{{Monk}}'': |
| 100 | ** In "Mr. Monk and the Big Game", Julie interviews Captain Stottlemeyer and Lieutenant Disher for a project on DNA evidence. All of the information given is practically straight on. One example: Stottlemeyer mentions that no two siblings will have the same DNA -- it's ''close'' to, but not exactly identical, with the exception for identical twins. Another example: one of Julie's questions is why DNA cannot be used to close every case, and Stottlemeyer replies that this is because 1) DNA is not found at every crime scene, and 2) even if there is usable DNA, there needs to be a match in the computer records to compare it to. |
| 101 | ** The set designers for "Mr. Monk Goes to a Rock Concert" [[http://www2.usanetwork.com/series/monk/webexclusives/blogs/ep_rockconcert.html put a lot of work into recreating the environment of an actual rock concert]]. They used actual port-a-potties, with one that they could remove the back end from so that they could shoot scenes inside the tight space. The stage set was constructed based on research for real rock concerts, including Woodstock. An acupuncture tent that Monk, Natalie, and Kendra Frank visit to interview a witness used real acupuncture benches, and the first aid tent where Monk and Natalie examine the body is stocked with actual supplies. |
| 102 | ** One reviewer who [[http://www.eviltwinltd.com/Monk/reviews/santa.htm reviewed]] "Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa" observed that the episode accurately portrays the effects of strychnine poisoning. |
| 103 | ** In "Mr. Monk in Outer Space", to create the parody show ''Beyond Earth'' and some background on the burger chain Burgerville, Goldberg did his homework by looking into ''Franchise/StarTrek'' and [=McDonald=]'s, respectively. Mr. Snork is like Mr. Spock, while a couple of real [=McDonald=]'s controversies are referenced, just with Burgerville in their place - namely, the ''Liebeck vs. [=McDonald=]'s Restaurants'' lawsuit (the Hot Coffee case), and the discovery in 2000 that [=McDonald=]'s was secretly using beef flavoring in their French fries which angered a lot of vegetarians. Additionally, the Burgerville financial scandal is compared by the forensics accountant as being identical to the Enron scandal. |
| 104 | ** In "Mr. Monk is Miserable", he did a lot of reading to create a very accurate impression of Paris. In ''Mr. Monk Goes to Germany'', its prequel, a lot of research was done on Lohr, Germany, the main setting, for information on the hotel that the psychiatric conference is held at, and also nods to "Literature/SnowWhite" (such as Natalie mentioning the town's old glass factories). |
| 105 | ** In "Mr. Monk in Trouble", Goldberg poured plenty of research on old mining towns in California around the time of the 1849 Gold Rush in order to recreate the atmosphere realistically to make Abigail Guthrie's journal entries about the tales of Artemis Monk seem realistic. Such information included stuff about train heists, various methods of salting mines, a disease known as Greeley's Cure, and a miner's lodgings. |
| 106 | ** In "Mr. Monk On the Couch", Goldberg created Natalie's subplot with a lot of background information about housing architectural styles and research about binoculars and optical lenses. |
| 107 | ** In "Mr. Monk on the Road", there was plenty of research done into the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, and painstakingly researched information on the physics of the Bixby Creek Bridge is shown. And many of the landmarks are ones you can encounter if you took a real road trip through the area. |
| 108 | ** The USA Network blog entries written by Stottlemeyer provide a realistic insight into some of the minor types of incidents a police officer of his rank would encounter. |
| 109 | * ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' owns this trope; as befits a show written by a group of UsefulNotes/{{Oxbridge}} graduates, it often parodies writers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Marcel Proust, and frequently mentions philosophy. The fun also comes from their famous inversions of typical tropes like "Welsh miners are stupid" when they start talking about things like the 30 Years War and obscure classical architecture. |
| 110 | * ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' ends its final episode with Mike and the bots watching television in an apartment in Milwaukee, WI. The TV announcer refers to the station as WTMJ channel 4. [[http://www.todaystmj4.com/ This is a real TV station in Milwaukee]]. |
| 111 | * ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' makes its Pennsylvania setting as realistic as possible. |
| 112 | ** It often shows Utz brand potato chips and pretzel snacks can be seen in its breakroom vending machines. Utz is a Lancover, PA product widely distributed in the northeastern United States, and would indeed be seen in a Scranton, PA workplace. |
| 113 | ** Sheetz coffee cups can regularly be seen by the office workers. Sheetz is a gas station/convenience store that is so common in Pennsylvania and several surrounding states that it borders on the point of absurdity. |
| 114 | ** Another commonly featured brand is Wegmans, a grocery store chain with 75 locations along the Mid Atlantic, including one in Scranton, PA. |
| 115 | ** The Froggy 101 sticker on the file cabinet next to Dwight's desk is a Scranton-area country music station: WGGY 101.3 FM |
| 116 | * ''Series/OnceUponATime'': In Season 7, Henry references the real life history of the Seattle Underground and how the city had to be rebuilt after the Great Seattle Fire. |
| 117 | * ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' practically runs on this trope. |
| 118 | ** The depiction of computers, computer security, and [[AIIsACrapshoot artificial intelligence]] is extremely accurate. |
| 119 | ** In a flashback in "Alethia", a young Harold Finch hacks into ARPANET on October 27, 1980. On that day, the real-world ARPANET suffered a four-hour outage. |
| 120 | ** The show is also generally accurate in its depiction of firearms and combat tactics. |
| 121 | ** The interrogation scenes involving Detective Carter, a former Army interrogator ("Get Carter", "Prisoner's Dilemma", "Reasonable Doubt", "Terra Incognita"), are particularly effective because Tony Camerino, one of the show's technical consultants and writers, is [[WriteWhatYouKnow an Army veteran who worked as an interrogator in Iraq]]. |
| 122 | * ''Series/{{Portlandia}}'' has amazingly accurate depictions of the hipster culture of {{UsefulNotes/Portland}}, Oregon. The show even gets details of the culture, look and attitude of individual ''streets'' correct. |
| 123 | * ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': Danny's asthma attack is treated with ephedrine, a pre-modern asthma medication that can be extracted from a weed indigenous to the greater Chicago area. |
| 124 | * ''Series/RobinOfSherwood'', somewhat surprisingly considering its blatant 'sword-and-sorcery' elements and occasional new age mysticism, is by far one of the most accurate depictions of the European middle ages ever to appear in a popular culture context, right down to citing obscure historical events and studying genealogies of particular noble families. Furthermore, most of the elements of the Robin Hood legend that it depicts are well-grounded in (at times obscure) earlier literature. |
| 125 | * ''Series/{{Rome}}'' features a rather odd case of this trope meeting RealityIsUnrealistic, at least according to the director's commentary. At least one reviewer took the time to complain about Atia's unrealistic bikini line, when apparently they'd gone to the trouble of finding out exactly ''how'' the Romans looked after that sort of thing. Apparently it involved sharp seashells. |
| 126 | * According to [=LeVar=] Burton, one of the key reasons why ''Series/{{Roots|1977}}'' [[Series/Roots2016 was remade in 2016]] was that the intervening four decades' worth of historical scholarship have greatly refined understanding of the story's time periods (much of this scholarship was outright inspired by the original miniseries). Among these refinements: |
| 127 | ** The original miniseries presented Juffre as a small village, which is what it was like when Alex Haley visited it in the 20th century. Subsequent research, however, has since proven that during the 18th century Juffre was a thriving large town and major port for commerce on the river. Many Europeans such as the Portugese and the English themselves had trading missions in or around Juffre - as the opening voiceover narration explains, they were trading European guns to the Mandinka tribes in exchange for slaves, which fueled an increasingly aggressive demand for more slaves. Thus the Mandinka were familiar with firearms and used them regularly. Kunta Kinte himself was also probably quite well educated, and would have to have been able to speak three or four different languages from living in a major trade hub. |
| 128 | ** The original miniseries knew that the Mandinka were warriors, but subsequent research revealed that they were actually mounted warriors who regularly rode horses. Europeans even visited the Mandinka to learn horse-training techniques from the Africans. Thus in the remake, learning to ride a fiery stallion is a major step shown in warrior training, and the Mandinka are regularly shown riding horses. Even for the pivotal scene when Kunta is captured by slavers, in the remake he is fleeing riding his horse but it gets shot out from under him. This aspect of Mandinka culture continues to reverberate for Kunta and his family in America: Kunta makes his first escape attempt by stealing the plantation-owner's prize horse that few others can master. Later, he gets his new job as a coach rider again because he is skilled at dealing with horses. Kunta tries to impart as much of this aspect of Mandinka heritage to his daughter as he can, making Kizzy go through long hours of training so she can jump onto a horse at a moment's notice and ride it to freedom some day. Her training pays off and she does quickly steal and ride a horse, [[spoiler:[[YankTheDogsChain but like her father, even with a horse she doesn't get far]]]]. |
| 129 | * ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', despite some of the more cartoony personalities that make up the staff of Sacred Heart Hospital, has been touted as being one of the most realistic portrayals of life as a medical intern compared to all the other medical shows on television. Not only do they have doctors on staff as medical advisers (including the "Real J.D."), but they frequently receive stories of odd medical instances from doctors that they then work into the show. People have gotten into medicine because of the show. |
| 130 | * ''Series/{{Southland}}'' gets a lot of praise for this with former police officers saying it is exactly what their job was like. |
| 131 | * ''Series/StargateSG1'' and its spin-offs: |
| 132 | ** The producers cooperated closely with USAF. All scripts were checked for accuracy, military protocol were uphold, many of the extras were military personnel, two chiefs of staff appeared on the show, actual C-130 and F-15 planes were used, and the show was also shot on a former Soviet submarine and a real US Navy submarine in the Arctic. |
| 133 | ** While the physics in Stargate are a bit wonky they clearly put work into keep consistency. For instance, ordinary Stargates can only dial within a galaxy so their limits are probably in the tens of thousands of light-years. When they build the [=McKay=]-Carter Gate Bridge to join the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies they use 34 Stargates, which matches perfectly since the distance between the two galaxies is 3 million light years, which means 34 times the diameter of the Milky Way. Carter also had a pretty accurate (if dumbed-down) explanation of red shift in one episode. |
| 134 | * ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': |
| 135 | ** More of the fact that the actor involved is truly deaf, but the episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E5LoudAsAWhisper Loud As A Whisper]]" features real American sign language, as confirmed in a [[https://www.reddit.com/r/asl/comments/2u8kft/the_star_trek_tng_episode_loud_as_a_whisper/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 reddit thread by deaf individuals and interpreters.]] After a trio of translators for Riva, a deaf mediator, are slain by an aggressive war-torn enemy... (All text featured here for "Riva" is signed, not spoken, and as such, not understood by the hearing characters): |
| 136 | --->'''Riva:''' So conceited, always doing things to get people killed... ''[rambles on with back turned away from viewer]'' Over and over... and now they're dead! What will we do now?\ |
| 137 | '''Picard:''' How did this happen?\ |
| 138 | '''Riker:''' A total surprise. Apparently, a member of one of the factions didn't like the idea of peace.\ |
| 139 | '''Riva:''' I need time to think... ''[runs hands through hair in frustration]''\ |
| 140 | '''Picard:''' I don't understand what you're trying to say. ''[turns to Troi]'' Counselor?\ |
| 141 | '''Riva:''' I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to myself!\ |
| 142 | '''Troi:''' Riva, go slowly.\ |
| 143 | '''Riva:''' What?!\ |
| 144 | '''Troi:''' Slowly.\ |
| 145 | '''Riva:''' I'm not talking to him anyway.\ |
| 146 | '''Picard:''' Can you write it out?\ |
| 147 | '''Riva:''' No! Leave me alone!\ |
| 148 | '''Picard:''' I am so sorry that your friends were killed.\ |
| 149 | '''Riva:''' I don't need your pity! I'm tired of all of you hearing people not understanding me! I'm not talking to you anyway.\ |
| 150 | '''Picard:''' I'm sorry, I-I don't know what you are trying to tell me. We have to find some way to communicate with him.\ |
| 151 | '''Riva:''' I'm tired of you hearing people! AGH!\ |
| 152 | '''Picard:''' Data, he knows some kind of gestural language. Find out which one and learn it.\ |
| 153 | '''Data:''' Aye, sir.\ |
| 154 | '''Picard:''' Counselor, take him to Sick Bay. Maybe Pulaski can help.\ |
| 155 | '''Riva:''' '''''I -- my friends are dead!'''''\ |
| 156 | ''[Picard grabs Riva's head]''\ |
| 157 | '''Picard:''' Listen to me! You are not alone! Do you understand?! We are all in this together!... Now!\ |
| 158 | ''[Riva calms down and nods]'' |
| 159 | ** Other than the neural implant, all the ColdBloodedTorture practices Gul Madred uses on Captain Picard in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E10ChainOfCommand Chain of Command]]" are taken directly from Amnesty International archives. Creator/PatrickStewart, who is a strong supporter of Amnesty International, was pleased by this. |
| 160 | ** For "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E19TheFirstDuty The First Duty]]", the trope is displayed in a more philosophical sense with it being screened for the US Air Force Academy to illustrate how its honour code is to be followed. |
| 161 | * ''Series/StrangerThings'': |
| 162 | ** The show features specific and sometimes obscure aspects of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 1st Edition'' as well as invents others for narrative purposes. |
| 163 | ** A Season 3 episode uses a shopping mall as a plot point. The scene was filmed in the largely-abandoned Gwinnett Place Mall in suburban Atlanta, which actually was built in the mid-80s. Storefronts were retrofitted to period-accurate recreations of popular mall tenants of the day, even some chains that are no longer in existence. |
| 164 | ** Scenes set during the night of July 4, 1985 in season 3 frequently include the Moon - which is at the correct phase. |
| 165 | * ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' has created its own mythology, but the writing staff started out researching actual folklore and urban legends. Some people claim that this is a case of poor research because "everything's wrong", but folklore and urban legends are usually spread orally, so the details of each story change depending on who's telling it, but the writers kept the core elements the same. This is especially evident in the early episodes of the first season. |
| 166 | ** Sometimes, the writers manage to Show Their Work on actual mythology by having the brothers ''dismiss'' the RealLife versions of the tales, claiming they're mistakes and/or disinformation. This can sometimes be amusing/tense when the method of killing a monster given in the research does not work and they have to come up with something in the middle of the fight. |
| 167 | --->'''Dean''': (on the phone while Sam fights a monster in the background) What's another way to kill a lamia?\ |
| 168 | '''Bobby''': Well, what happened to the silver knife blessed by a priest? \ |
| 169 | '''Dean''': (looks down at the dead priest) That didn't pan out. What's plan B? |
| 170 | ** Dean is an extremely accurately-portrayed [[AbusiveParents child-abuse victim.]] |
| 171 | ** During an episode in Season 7 that takes place in Portland, Oregon, a box from a Portland-only donut company appears on the table in the motel where the brothers are staying. This wouldn't be such a big deal except that Supernatural is filmed in ''Vancouver, British Columbia.'' |
| 172 | ** One episode featured the creepy, haunting call of the loon to cap off one action scene. Horror movies and TV shows frequently use loon calls to add a creepy atmosphere, [[MisplacedWildlife even when set in areas where there are no loons.]] This episode was set in Duluth, Minnesota, and the loon is the Minnesota state bird (no, not the mosquito). |
| 173 | * ''Series/TheThickOfIt'' displays a very extensive and realistic documentation of the inner workings of the offices of Whitehall, and has many fictional counterparts for real politicians. Politicians themselves have commented on the realism, noting that the only thing unrealistic about it is the show's infamous [[ClusterFBomb amount of profanity]]. In real life, it's worse. |
| 174 | * ''Series/ThisIsWonderland'' is an accurate representation of a courtroom, Lawyers, apparently, are traded around between courts, work multiple cases simultaneously, and have to deal with people even more unpleasant than [[AmoralAttorney the lawyers themselves]]. |
| 175 | * ''Series/{{Underbelly}}'', based on the book series and newspaper article, actually worked with members of Task Force Purana to get the story right, [[RuleOfDrama except when it wasn't]]. |
| 176 | * ''Series/TheUntamed'': When Lan Wangji plays a song from Dongying (Japan), anyone with a keen ear will notice that the song ''is'' Japanese rather than Chinese in terms of music composition. |
| 177 | * ''Series/TheWestWing'', although not without its errors, was a surprisingly candid and realistic portrayal as the sorts of conflicts and obstacles any presidential administration must run into on a daily basis, no doubt due to the fact that former Clinton Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers and former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan were advisers to the show. Some episodes were based on one character having to teach another character (and, by extension, the audience) about certain aspects of the federal government (e.g. Sam teaching C.J. everything she needs to know about the U.S. Census). The final couple of seasons consist of a very meticulous election cycle, with polling numbers and electoral college projections tracked with stunning accuracy. |
| 178 | * ''Series/TheWire'' is known for its accurate portrayal of Baltimore, police procedure, slang, and based many of its characters on actual police and criminals of the Baltimore area. Furthermore, its portrayal of a newsroom has been touted as the most accurate ever shown on television. And this says nothing of its portrayal of politics, schools, and unions. The series is currently being taught in a number of universities in a variety of fields, from law to sociology to film studies. A sociologist has described it as the best sociological text ever written. |
| 179 | * ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'': In the episode where Jerry teaches Alex to fly a magic carpet, Jerry tells her never to fly into any clouds because she can become disoriented in them. Despite Alex's protests that there's nothing to run into inside a cloud, this is exactly what they tell real-life pilot trainees (either running into another aircraft or becoming disoriented enough to actually run into the ground). |
| 180 | * ''Series/WKRPInCincinnati'' is accurate in its depiction of the (pre-Clear Channel) radio-broadcast industry. The [[YetAnotherChristmasCarol Christmas Carol episode]] had an eerily prescient depiction of the [[BadFuture Clear Channel era]]. |
| 181 | -->'''Carlson:''' Just... how far in the future ''is'' this?!\ |
| 182 | '''Ghost of Christmas Future:''' Not as far as you'd think... |
| 183 | * ''Series/YesMinister'', was realistic of its portrayal of Whitehall and Civil Service machinations, due to the fact that they actually had inside information and anecdotes from senior civil servants. A good example is the episode "The Moral Dimension", where the main plot point - smuggling in alcohol to a diplomatic conference in [[{{Qurac}} Qumran]] - is based on an actual event. Even most of the minor characters were [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed recognisable pastiches]] of real people or groups, such as a chain-smoking MP who worked as a tobacco consultant who ends up being promoted to Minister of Health apparently being based on then Health Secretary Kenneth Clarke. |
| 184 | * ''Series/YourHonor'': In Season 2, the only known US case where an acquittal had been ruled invalid gets mentioned, when a Chicago gangster was found to have bribed the judge who'd acquitted him. Michael notes this to Carlo, since he did much the same thing in having fixed Carlo's trial. Few people even know of this exception to double jeopardy. |
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