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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jem_band.png]]
2[[caption-width-right:300:Jem and the Holograms on stage.]]
3%% This is how the quote formatting is suppose to look: One indent, then dialog, then two indents, then the source. Don't mess with it.
4->''"Showtime, Synergy!"''
5-->-- '''Jerrica 'Jem' Benton'''
6
7''Jem'' was a 1980s SixtyFiveEpisodeCartoon (eventually) about the adventures of a rock star, Jem, and her band, the Holograms. Jem (not to be confused with the real pop star of the same name), the pink-haired, outrageous but kind-hearted rock star, is in reality Jerrica Benton, a young career woman. Jerrica is in charge of Starlight Music, a music label; the Starlight Foundation, a charitable organization; and Starlight House, a home for orphaned and foster girls that the foundation provides funding for, all founded by her deceased parents.
8
9Jerrica learns that shortly before her father's death, he created a computer system called "Synergy", which has the power to create {{Hologram}}s and other illusions. Jerrica uses Synergy and a pair of {{hologram}} [[AppliedPhlebotinum projecting]] [[MagicalAccessory earrings]] to turn into Jem. The only other people who know Jerrica and Jem are the same person are the members of her band, the Holograms, which consists of her younger sister, Kimber (keyboards), and their two adopted sisters Aja (lead guitar) and Shana (originally drums, then bass guitar). Later, the band gains a new member, Raya, who takes over for Shana on drums.
10
11Most of the trouble the group faces comes in the form of Eric Raymond, a power-hungry CorruptCorporateExecutive who was Mr. Benton's former partner in the record company. His "discovery", a band called the Misfits (not to be confused with [[Music/TheMisfits the real band]]) consisting of Pizzazz (guitar/vocals), Roxy (bass) and Stormer (keytar), is a group of self-described "bad girls from the wrong side of the tracks," who are constantly causing trouble to get attention and/or trying to ruin Jem. Reacting to the publicity that the Holograms get from adding Raya, they also pick up a new member, Jetta (saxophone). (Ironically, the Misfits were better received by RealLife critics than the Holograms.)
12
13The third season switches things up by adding a new rival band, The Stingers. This band consists of charismatic Riot (vocals), conniving Rapture (bass), and the seductive Minx (synthesizer). Riot is the only ''male'' lead singer, and his interest in Jem (and only Jem) leads to even more drama for the Holograms, as does Minx's insistence on chasing Rio. Pizzazz of the Misfits is interested in him too, but his lack of reciprocating deepens their rivalry with the Holograms as well.
14
15[[MerchandiseDriven Originally, the series was created for a line of dolls]] made by Creator/{{Hasbro}}. The series combined music, adventure, fashion, and SoapOpera-esque drama which gave the show its own appeal. The show originally premiered as a serial of minisodes roughly ten minutes in length that told the origin of the show and ran during a block of other short shows with a male-oriented audience. The ratings were high enough that the show was picked up as a full half-hour series in its own right and the original serial was reworked into a four-part pilot. Though the doll line was pretty much shut out by the competing Barbie toyline, the series was popular enough that it was allowed to finish its 65 episode run even after the toyline was cancelled. The cartoon frequently reran in syndication, most notably on the USA Cartoon Express throughout the early 90s. '''Creator/TheHub''' had started to play episodes of this series as of May 28, 2011, though ''Discovery Family'' removed it from their schedule in late 2015 (after the LiveActionAdaptation bombed). The show has been released twice on DVD in the US (once by Rhino, who didn't finish, and later a complete series by Shout Factory). 2011 also had Hasbro integrate Jem into a comic called ''Unit:E'', which had Synergy, now an alien AI, assisting characters from ''ComicBook/{{Micronauts|IDW}}'' into helping [[MegaCrossover gather heroes from around the multiverse]]; according to Synergy, Jerrica/Jem would help compose the "music of the spheres".
16
17A LiveActionAdaptation [[Film/JemAndTheHolograms2015 movie]] was released in October of 2015, updating the show's concept to fit into a modern day setting and reimagining it as a ComingOfAgeStory. [[BoxOfficeBomb It flopped badly]].
18
19IDW Comics has begun an [[ComicBook/JemAndTheHologramsIDW ongoing]] ''Jem'' series in 2015, written by Kelly Thompson with art from Sophie Campbell and other artists.
20
21Not to be confused with Welsh singer Music/{{Jem}}.
22
23----
24!!''Jem'' provides truly outrageous examples of:
25
26* EightiesHair: Pretty much everyone. Most of the main characters have hair larger than their own heads. Notably the Misfits, Jem, and most of the Holograms.
27* AbandonedWarChild: Ba Nee, one of the Starlight Girls, is a more G-rated example than most. She was born in Vietnam, was sent to America after her mother's death, and lives at a foster home that Jem and the Holograms run. She is obsessed with finding her DisappearedDad, however much the others consider him dead. All that Ba Nee knows is that he's a redhead, so she has a tendency to [[MistakenIdentity latch onto]] random redheaded men and think they're her father. [[spoiler:She finds her father in the finale. It turns out he married her mother in Vietnam but had to go back to war. He had amnesia due to an injury and didn't remember his wife. After being reunited with Ba Nee, they live together.]]
28* TheAbridgedSeries: ''WebAnimation/{{Jiz}}'', from "Sienna D'Enema." Its [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAK108u2xAs most popular episode]] is "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Abortion Episode]]." [[CrossesTheLineTwice Make of that what you will]].
29* AbusiveParents:
30** Riot's father. Growing up he did not support Riot's passion for music, insisting only "women and sissies" were musicians, to the point where he threw away Riot's instruments and [[CorporalPunishment spanked him]] for playing. Later when Riot was kicked out of the army when he went went AWOL and became a Stinger he was disowned by his father when he returned home. It wasn't until years later that they made up.
31** In "The Music Awards", the Starlight Girls who run away meet Danny, a boy whose father kicked him out of the house. An unmade sequel episode would have showed his father was an AlcoholicParent.
32* AccentInterest: When looking for a [[SixthRanger new addition to their band]], the Misfits come across Jetta, a British saxophonist with a Cockney accent. Roxy hates her from the start, but when she asks Stormer if Jetta should be allowed in, all Stormer replies with is "I love her accent!"
33* ActionGirl: Jem, the Holograms, and the Misfits often get into dangerous situations and are able to overcome them.
34* AdaptationDyeJob:
35** The Jem doll always had blond hair – even when other similar looking characters had pink hair. The realistic-style promotional art (such as [[http://i.ytimg.com/vi/lAbJd1nxp6c/0.jpg this]]) gave her pink hair with blonde bangs. That's because the Jem doll also doubled as the Jerrica doll. The blonde bangs were so that you could hide the pink part of the hair with Jerrica's blue and white striped hat so that only the blonde Jerrica part of her hair remained.
36** Pizzazz was always depicted in doll and animated form with bright green hair and accessories. However, in the R1 DVD release by Rhino, the original masters were used - which had not been properly color timed and depicted Pizzazz with a dull olive brown instead. To cover this, promotional art with the character for the DVD release also recolored the greens to browns. The Shout Factory release (and the Hub broadcasts) used the broadcast masters, which had already been correctly color timed.
37** In ''Jem'' picture books, Rio is depicted with brown hair. The books also depict Jem and Shana with their toy designs (Jem having blonde bangs and Shana having a rounder afro) despite being cartoon-based.
38** In the UK-exclusive comics by London Editions Magazines, the 1985 annual portrays Zipper with long, red hair. The 1987 annual has an Eric with white in his hair, a redheaded Mrs. Bailey, a brunette Rio, and Eric's secretary with purple hair.
39* AgeStereotypicalFood: The childish and bratty Misfits love sugary junk food. The more mature Jem and the Holograms are more health-conscious, to the point where they eat a cereal literally just called "Healthy Cereal".
40* AirVentPassageway: Used more than once.
41* AlliterativeName: The record company The Misfits belong to, owned by Harvey Gabor: Initially named Misfits Music, Eric buys it from Harvey with the intention of renaming it Raymond Records. In order to secure The Stingers, however, he gives them half the company, which is now named Stingers Sound.
42* AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle: The "Doing the right thing makes you a superstar" segments.
43* {{Animesque}}: Many episodes were done by Creator/ToeiAnimation, though it's more related to the over-the-top nature of the 80s rock business (remember, this was the same studio that made ''Manga/AiShiteNight''). Not to mention the themes will ring a bell for anyone who's seen ''Manga/CutieHoney'' (another Toei work) or ''especially'' ''Anime/CreamyMamiTheMagicAngel''.
44* AnimationBump: Music videos often have very high-quality animation.
45* AprilFoolsDay: From 2012, [[TheMerch WeLoveFine's]] [[http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/04/01/welovefine-introduces-my-little-pony-hooves-and-hologram-proje/ projecting earrings]]. Trying to add them to your cart rewarded you with a 15% off code that lasted until Monday April 2nd 11:59pm.
46* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: In "Old Meets New", Eric wanted to demolish an area to build a factory but had the [[SarcasmMode brilliant]] idea of letting Pizzazz operate the wrecking ball. She not only hit a building Eric still couldn't demolish, but also a police car. A police officer cited them for that and parking at a forbidden place. [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules She added attempted bribery to the list of charges]] when Eric tried to [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney bribe his way out]].
47* ArtEvolution: After the five episode pilot, the first season had a slightly higher animation budget for music videos and character designs, but starting in the second season there is a very noticeable improvement, with much more natural motion and hair that doesn't look quite as stiff.
48* ArtistAndTheBand: Jem & The Holograms.
49* AssumedWin: "Hollywood Jem: Part 2 – And The Winner Is". It's assumed by everyone that Jem would win the Academy Award for Best Actress, but it's really Geraldine Pathos that wins.
50* ATeamMontage: The "Back in Shape" video in ''Intrigue at the Indy 500''.
51* AudienceWhatAudience: The episode "The Day the Music Died" had the titular character asking who Riot was talking to when he told the audience she was okay.
52* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: When Pizzazz reforms/rejoins The Misfits, all of them are happy and excited.
53* BadBadActing: She can sing, but Pizzazz can '''not''' act.
54* BadGirlSong: "Free and Easy". Points for being a double entendre that somehow flew under the radar.
55* BadassBiker: Pizzazz and the Misfits play up this image in the videos for "Outta My Way" and "Free And Easy".
56* BerserkButton: Don't ever call Pizzazz by her real name, Phyllis.
57* BigBad: Eric Raymond is the main antagonist of the series, since he's the backer for the Holograms' rivals the Misfits and frequently comes up with schemes to sabotage the Holograms' concerts and to ruin things for them.
58* TheBigDamnKiss: The protagonist has one ''in the opening sequence!''
59* BiggerOnTheInside: Starlight Mansion is big on the outside, but significantly bigger inside. It has more than a dozen bedrooms, a huge recreation room, a recording studio, and a gym.
60* BlackShirt: Clash, the obsessive Misfits groupie that dreams of becoming a Misfit herself. Since she can't sing or perform, the Misfits just keep her around to cause havoc.
61* BlandNameProduct:
62** In "The Stingers Hit Town: Part 1", Jem and the Holograms are honored at the "Rock Hard Cafe".
63** Some of the music videos use various not-quite names for shots. "Designer Woman" presents us with such jems as "Shebok" and "Ca-Nike".
64* BlatantLies: After Jetta's lies about being British royalty are found out, she makes up ANOTHER lie about being the twin sister of a British lord and they were separated at birth. Pizzazz promptly tells her to shut up.
65* BlinkAndYouMissIt: A number of real life bands are nodded to throughout the series. In "In Search Of The Stolen Album" alone, Music/PinkFloyd can be seen on a poster in an alley the Holograms drive by, and when Jem holds up the album charts, bands like [[Music/IronMaiden Iron Fading]], [[Music/TheRollingStonesBand The Moss-Covered Stones]], [[Music/TwistedSister Twisted Brother]] and [[Music/TheRamones The Roomoans]] are right below The Holograms' number one spot.
66* BloodlessCarnage: Averted in "Journey to Shangri-La". When Roxy cuts her hand on some thorns, there is some visible blood.
67* BoisterousWeakling: Eric Raymond. He's not above making threats or even bitch-slapping Jerrica, but a punch from Rio will put him on his ass, Pizzazz is seen and implied to be stronger than he is to the point of him being ''afraid'' of her and he can't even unravel a desk lamp that an angry Craig Phillips wrapped around his neck.
68* BookEnds: The first and last songs performed by the Misfits are both “Outta my Way”.
69* BreakingTheFourthWall: A non-comedic example. Done by several characters in "The Day the Music Died", the only episode in the entire series to do this. At one point Jem [[{{Lampshaded}} asks Riot]] who was he talking to. Amusingly, though, this means that Jem lacks MediumAwareness ''in her own show.''
70* BreakTheHaughty: In ''Straight From The Heart'', the Holograms are introduced to a young new designer, Regine Cesaire. She's a nice girl, and talented, but the problem is that she's young, emotional, and inexperienced at working with other professionals. She designs some new clothes for an upcoming concert, but the Holograms tell her that, while they do like it, they don't feel as if they're appropriate for the concert. Regine, of course, feels insulted, and believes that Shana is actually jealous of her talent. Countess [=DuVoisin=] even explains to her that "sometimes our favorite designs are not always appropriate". The Stingers convince Regine to design for them, but once her "novelty" wears off they decide to keep her around just to screw with her head. Regine returns to the Holograms in tears, but they show no hard feelings towards her, and wear the outfits she designed in a show dedicated to her style.
71* BriefcaseFullOfMoney: Eric used one to bribe a CorruptPolitician in "Old Meets New".
72* ButtMonkey: Stormer to the Misfits. Any time she says or does something that does not agree with Pizzazz, Roxy, or Jetta, they'll act like they just swallowed poison.
73* ByThePowerOfGrayskull: Jerrica's {{catch phrase}}, "Showtime, Synergy!" is the command to turn her into Jem. She reverts back to Jerrica by saying "Show's over, Synergy."
74* CallBack: Ba Nee gets into trouble by slipping into a bear enclosure in "The Jem Jam part 1", forcing a rescue by drummer Randy James, who Ba Nee believes is her father. She then gets kidnapped in "A Father Should Be..." by Andy Martin (who Ba Nee also thinks is her father) and is locked away in a cage in an abandoned zoo. She's rescued here by Martin O'Carolan, who this time is her ''real'' father. Apparently Ba Nee, zoos, and people whom she think are her father don't seem to mix.
75* CallForward: In one of the flashbacks seen in "Out of the Past", Jacqui Benton tells her daughters Jerrica and Kimber of how she enjoys providing homes for foster children and that she hopes them to one day do the same, which calls forward to Jerrica and Kimber as well as their foster sisters Aja and Shana running the Starlight foster home after Jerrica and Kimber's parents die.
76* CanineConfusion: This cartoon features a pet fox in one episode. While pet foxes exist, the domestication process was too early at the time of release. The fox makes dog noises as well.
77* CassandraTruth: In "The Princess and the Singer", Jem attempts to reveal Regent Lexa's kidnapping plot by exposing her in public. The Regent simply laughs at her and nobody believes her.
78* CatchPhrase:
79** "Showtime, Synergy!" for Jerrica.
80** "Outrageous!" for Kimber.
81* CelebrityLie: Jetta, who is British and from a poor family, is constantly lying about being aristocratic and knowing the Queen.
82* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Aside from two episodes held back from Season 2, Video, Danse and Clash don’t appear in Season 3.
83* ClarkKenting: Eric and the Misfits' failed attempts at trying to find out who Jem really is despite the fact she clearly looks and sounds like Jerrica. Of course, Jerrica can pull this off because Synergy can (and does) show Jem and Jerrica in the same place at the same time.
84%%* ClarkesLawForGirlsToys: Exception because of Synergy.
85* ClearMyName: In "One Jem Too Many" when Clash impersonates Jem and causes trouble.
86* ClearTheirName: A few episodes have Jem and the Holograms doing this and one episode has [[spoiler:Starlight Girl Ashley and Stormer (in disguise)]] clearing Jem's name when she's accused of robbing a casino.
87* ClingyJealousGirl: Jerrica "Jem" Benton, who is actually jealous of ''herself'' because she made a few mistakes and turned Rio on to Jem. And has to actually admit to it a few times.
88* CoincidentalBroadcast: The episode "One Jem Too Many" has this happen when Jerrica says she saw Jem at another show. Kimber turns on the TV and they see the other Jem.
89* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Pastels, even neon versions of them, are good, but primary colors are evil. This is even Lampshaded in the episode ''In Stitches'' when the Misfits are going through the Hologram's clothes:
90-->'''Pizazz:''' We can't wear these sissy colors! ''(to seamstress who is Jem in disguise)'' You, take these and dye 'em black!
91* ComicBookAdaptation: Long before [[ComicBook/JemAndTheHologramsIDW the IDW comic]] came to be, the cartoon had UK-exclusive comics published by London Editions Magazines, consisting of a series that lasted 12 issues and two annuals.
92* CommercialBreakCliffhanger: A holdover from the show's original format of ten minute segments sandwiched in between boys shows, these types of cliffhangers were intended to make sure boys didn't flip the channel over when the "girly" show started.
93%%* ConMan: Or rather, woman, as is the case with Rapture.
94* ConfrontingYourImposter: The climax of "One Jem Too Many," where Jem herself puts Clash on the spot.
95* ConvectionSchmonvection: In the episode where they go to Hawaii, Kimber gets tied up and left in an erupting volcano by Zipper. Being that close to lava, falling in would be the least of her worries, not to mention rescuing her would have been next to impossible without specialized heat suits.
96* CoolBigSis: Jerrica to Kimber and the foster girls.
97* CoolBike: The Misfits, in the very first episode, ride into Eric Raymond's office on ''guitar-shaped motorcycles'', and then segue into "Outta My Way".
98* CoolCar: The Holograms have an impressive car called the Rockin' Roadster.
99* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Eric Raymond can pretty much buy his way out of anything - something he flat out says after he avoids jail time during the pilot for some of the blatantly illegal acts he commits.
100-->"It's amazing what lawyers can do...when you pay them enough."
101* CounterpointDuet: There are a few between Jem and the Holograms and The Misfits, like "Click Clash", "It's Workin' Out/It's Doin' Me In", and "Bad Influence". "Believe/Don't Believe" is one between Jem and the Holograms and The Stingers
102* CoveredInMud: The Misfits near the end of "[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0934193/ Hot Time In Hawaii]]". Later shown in the video "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Bqa2Y5REQQ The Last Laugh]]", a mini ClipShow video shown in the episode "[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0935597/?ref_=ttep_ep3 Video Wars]]".
103* CrossingTheBurntBridge: In the ''Starbright'' episodes, Jem and the Holograms have ultimately had too much of Eric's abuse while working on their movie, so they quit. Then they learn that Ba Nee, one of the foster girls at Starlight House, needs an experimental laser surgery procedure costing $250,000 to avoid becoming blind—and the Holograms had canceled all their concerts to work on the movie. Aja comes up with the idea of diverting the funds from Starlight Music to cover the cost of the surgery, but when they arrive there, they find the building closed down and without power because Eric has drained huge sums of money from Starlight Music in order to promote the Misfits' movie. Jerrica is able to pay the bills to restore the building's electricity and other utilities, but now Starlight Music is left without a penny to spare, so the Holgrams have no choice but to go back to the movie. Eric even gets Jerrica to agree to becoming his assistant as a condition to let Jem and the Holograms back.
104* CurtainsMatchTheWindow:
105** Aja, Stormer and her brother have both blue eyes and blue hair.
106** Pizzazz has green eyes and green hair.
107* CutLexLuthorACheck:
108** It's repeatedly shown that the Misfits are genuinely popular and successful musicians in their own right. If they weren't so fixated on one-upping Jem and the Holograms, they'd save themselves endless frustration and humiliation and would really have nothing to complain about.
109** The same could be said for Eric Raymond. It costs him a fortune just to keep the Misfits out of trouble (to say nothing of directing a movie starring them that was a financial disaster) and he'd be better off promoting a group that was less trouble.
110* DaddysGirl:
111** Pizzazz... sort of. Her father substitutes money for genuine affection. He eventually cuts her off.
112** Kimber was the most attached to her father.
113** Clash is a huge DaddysGirl. Her father adores her.
114* DarkReprise:
115** "Take It Or Leave It", when first used in "The Stingers Hit Town", is meant to demonstrate that the Stingers have no problem being callous and selfish. When used in "Riot's Hope", it's to show that Riot's father is unashamedly disappointed in him despite his success, and that he'll probably never accept him for who he is.
116** Jem and the Holograms record a song called "There's A Melody Playing", which not only is a [[SillyLoveSongs Silly Love Song]] in and of itself, but actually describes the trope a bit. The Misfits steal the master tape and rerecord the music track with their own vocals and lyrics into "There Ain't Nobody Better", which [[IAmGreatSong is about Pizzazz boasting about how awesome she is]].
117* DartboardOfHate: Pizzazz has one of both Eric and Jem.
118* DepartmentOfChildDisservices: In one episode, Deirdre runs away from Starlight House because both Jerrica and Jem are too busy to talk to her. Ba Nee decides to tag along, and Krissie goes with them to try to keep them out of trouble. Seeing a chance to get Jerrica into trouble, Pizzazz calls in a tip to Child Services claiming that the children are being mistreated. The social worker who shows up in response does nothing to investigate the actual conditions at Starlight House or the details of why the girls ran away, and declares that if the missing girls are not back by the end of the week, he'll recommend that all the Starlight girls be placed in new foster care and Starlight House be shut down.
119* DesertedIsland: The titular island in the episode "Island of Deception".
120* DigitalDestruction: For whatever reason, the series as shown on Tubi suffers from severe audio mixing issues, with voices routinely being drowned out by the music and sound tracks.
121* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Riot's father is a strict military man who disowned Riot for being a musician. To him, only women and "sissies" were into music.
122* DownerEnding:
123** "Video Wars"; Clash has a chance at a new life when she pretends to be a different person in order to make an embarrassing tour video of Jem, in hopes of getting made a full-on member of the Misfits. The plot fails and the Misfits reject her. Despite what Clash has done, Jem offers to give her a second chance by pointing out that the Misfits don't care about her and only let her hang around them so she can do their dirty work. Clash rejects Jem's olive branch and denounces Jem, proclaiming that the Misfits ARE her friends—only to find the Misfits are in their van and driving away, with Pizzazz outright telling her to get lost when she begs her to stop so that she can leave with them. Add to the fact that this is the last (speaking) appearance of Clash in the series, and it creates a mega downer ending for the character (basically rejected by her idols and having purposely re-burnt her bridges with Jem after Jem stuck her neck out and forgave her).
124** "Father's Day" and "A Change of Heart" are also depressing episodes, especially when you consider that Pizzazz and Minx are both screwed over by the Holograms and their self-righteousness and, whether deserved or not, it's pretty sad.
125* DramaticIrony: Regarding Video and Clash. Video has mentioned that maintaining her career as a filmmaker is difficult work, and that she has to make each film top the other. Clash refuses to believe the Misfits don't care about her and performed a HeelFaceDoorSlam of her own doing in ''Video Wars''. The one person Video has to outdo is herself, and Clash is her own worst enemy. Despite their bickering, they're not that different.
126* DreadfulMusician: Clash, one of the reasons Pizzazz won't actually let her in The Misfits. She is found out as Jem's impersonator in "One Jem Too Many" when she tries to sing "I Believe In Happy Endings" and is terrible at it. The Limp Lizards are, as well, demonstrated in their song [[GlassShatteringSound "Broken Glass"]]. This only seems to extend to their lead vocalist, however, as they seem to have a following, and are quite competent when backing up Kimber and Stormer on instruments.
127* DrugsAreBad: CURSE YOU BOBBY BRADDICK, CURSE YOU!
128-->'''Jerrica:''' ''(to Laura)'' You are addicted to the drugs!
129* DudeWheresMyRespect: Stormer is the one who composes most of the Misfits music, and is the overall creative force of the group. Do her band mates actually give her the credit? Nope. Added to that, she was the one to suggest putting Jetta in the band. Jetta treats Stormer worse than Pizzazz does is most later episodes.
130* DuetBonding: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iinCliptuFY I'm Okay]]" has Kimber and Stormer singing together and becoming friends.
131* DutchAngle: In the video for "Designing Woman", the scene where The Misfits are dancing with the Italian shoe salesmen is shot at a skewed angle.
132* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Aside from the more disjointed shorts featured in the ''Jem'' precursor ''Super Sunday'', plenty of the episodes' formula or animation stands out from the later episodes:
133** The Misfits were seen as more sociopathic and vicious towards Jem/Jerrica, the Holograms, and others in the first five episodes. They had no problem terrorizing Jerrica on motorcycles simply because [[DisproportionateRetribution she called the band trash]] and Pizzazz even slaps television host Lin-Z Pierce when she kicks them off her show for their disruptive behavior.
134** Character design is also dramatically different. Case in point, Jerrica's hair is oddly chunky and layered versus the basic flip or longer pageboy that she normally sports. Kimber's eyes are light-blue like her sister's instead of a much darker blue. Aforementioned host Lin-Z Pierce's look is possibly the most differing: she went from having a shorter, more angular and gravity defying cut with a white pansuit and blue top and belt to a curly perm with a orange dress and matching lime green leggings, headband, and fingerless gloves.
135* EiffelTowerEffect: Whenever Jem and the Holograms visit another country. The very first thing pointed out in "Adventure in China" is The Great Wall, the Eiffel Tower itself in "Kimber's Rebellion" when they shoot "Twilight in Paris" in, well, Paris, and Big Ben in the episode "Britrock" and song "Between Me and You".
136* TheEighties: Like you wouldn't believe. EightiesHair, garish makeup and clothes and synth music all over. It's like the producers assured that the show had as many contemporary clichés as possible.
137* EpicFail: In "The Rock Fashion Book" after firing the professional photographer and deciding to take their own pictures for their own fashion book to compete against the Holograms', The Misfits' book ends up being rejected by ''seventeen'' different publishers.
138* EstablishingCharacterMoment: When Pizzazz and the rest of the Misfits ride into Eric's office and launch into "Outta My Way", you know that she will do just about anything to get what she wants.
139* [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas Even Bad Girls Love Their Daddies]]: Pizzazz's attention grabbing is usually an attempt to get affection from her father. After her mother abandoned her, her dad didn't know how to give her the love she needed, so he spoiled her, and is sadly aware that he's somewhat responsible for the way she is now. And Clash is genuinely adored by her father, and vice versa, although he's almost as big a jerk as she is (to other people). Pizzazz originally believed that "no dad adores their kid", until she saw Clash and her dad together and was visibly shocked.
140* EvenEvilHasStandards:
141** Eric Raymond usually comes up with nefarious schemes that puts Jem and the Holograms' lives in danger. But in ''The Princess and the Singer'', when he finds out about the plot to assassinate Princess Adriana (with Jem and the Holograms being collateral damage) he and the Misfits ''rush to the scene'' to try and stop it.
142** In ''Last Resorts'', Jem and the Holograms are doing a concert to raise money to save a resort from foreclosure and Eric Raymond wants to buy it. Eric might have no qualms about scaring people from staying in the resort but his reaction when he learns the banker would go as far as gravely injure the Holograms suggests he doesn't approve of this.
143* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Played with: it's eventually established that The Misfits are not truly evil, but the first time they sung "Who Is She, Anyway?", they openly questioned both Jem's identity and her overall altruistic, kind nature.
144* EvilGloating:
145** The Misfits' song "Trapped" is definitely this trope.
146** When Jem and Riot get shipwrecked in "The Day the Music Died", their respective bands can no longer play properly. Pizzazz absorbs the rest of the members of The Holograms and The Stingers, turning The Misfits into a supergroup of sorts. They then sing "Top Of The Charts", with Pizzazz actually saying the line "Pardon me while I gloat!"
147* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: In "Riot's Hope", during the flashback showing the time when Riot joined the Army, his then-medium-length hair is clipped down to a very out-of-character crewcut before basic training. After Riot goes AWOL, his hair starts getting longer, until in real time, some five years after his dishonorable discharge from the military and at the height of his success as a pop singer, it is longer than the hair of some of the female characters.
148* FakeBand: The Holograms, the Misfits and, later, the Stingers.
149* FashionDissonance: Let's just say that there is no way for anyone to ''not'' know this show was made in the 80s. On the upside, since the show was actually set in the music industry at the height of Creator/{{MTV}}'s popularity, it's actually frighteningly accurate for the type of characters it portrays.
150* FashionShow: At least once or twice throughout the series.
151* FemaleFighterMaleHandler: Jem's boyfriend Rio is the road manager and engineer for Jem and the Holograms.
152* FemmeFatalons: Both the Misfits and Holograms, as well as a few other characters.
153* FlashyProtagonistsBlandExtras: All the major characters have brightly coloured EightiesHair but background characters usually don't. This normally wouldn't be unusual considering the setting, but it's been shown that the characters are born with their hair colours. This trope's usage extends to family, such as Raya being the only one in her family with pink hair.
154* FinaglesLaw: The theme for the Jem and the Holograms song "One Of Those Days", where everything that could go wrong on their concert tour does.
155* FiveEpisodePilot: "Totally Outrageous", though the original airing began as fifteen five-minute segments that were sandwiched between five-minute segments of several other action-oriented "boys" cartoons, all on a show called "Super Sunday" (or "Super Saturday" depending on the station/market). Amazingly, the show caught on. Christy Marx was then asked to add short bits of material to the five-minute segments in order to expand three segments at a time into half-hour shows. The original fifteen five-minute segments were turned into the five-part opening episodes of the 65 half-hour series.
156* {{Foil}}: Kimber and Stormer, Clash and Video, Rapture and Astral.
157* FoodShoveGag: In "The Stingers Hit Town", Pizzazz, who had become smitten with lead singer of The Stingers Riot, abruptly shoves a donut into Roxy's mouth when she interrupts her while she trying to flirt with him.
158* ForTheEvulz: The Stingers demonstrate moments where they screw around with someone's head just for their own amusement. The most blatant examples of this is how Rapture strung Pizzazz along into thinking she was helping her win Riot, and Rapture scaring one of the Starlight Girls into thinking she's a werewolf for no apparent reason other than [[ItAmusedMe it amused her]].
159* ForegoneConclusion: You didn't really think Craig would actually win the talent contest, did you?
160* [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]]:
161** Pizzazz gets hold of a laser gun from Techrat. This terrifies Eric Raymond, and rightly so, as because of her shooting at the billboard on top of Starlight Music it smashes into Jerrica's office.
162** Synergy isn't capable of HardLight, but interference from one of Techrat's devices show that her special effects lasers are actually quite dangerous at full power.
163** Both of those examples make sense, given the show [[SharedUniverse shares a universe]] with [[WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero several other]] [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers laser]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Inhumanoids}} gun users]].
164* FromBadToWorse: After Jem, the Holograms, and most of the production staff quit the "Starbright" movie because of Eric Raymond and the Misfits, the Misfits decide to have the entire movie redone so it's all about them, while the Holograms start filming the original "Starbright" script. Then MORE staff members quit due to Pizzazz's whining and constant demands, until numerous union heads have the production shut down because of Eric's multiple violations. The Misfits decide to stop anyway, tired of all the work, and claim that "they have enough scenes". When the movie is released, it's naturally a total bomb, while "Starbright" is a smash hit.
165* FunnyBackGroundEvent: During the second version of out of my way shown near the end of the series a woman in the background is chasing after Eric Raymond trying to beat him up thinking he tried to cop a feel (It was actually a crab Pizzazz had thrown in the air).
166* GadgeteerGenius: Emmett Benton, Jerrica and Kimber's father, is Synergy's inventor. Techrat is one too, and has created an antigravity flying platform and a TimeMachine among others.
167* GagDub: The ''WebAnimation/{{Jiz}}'' series.
168* {{Gaslighting}}: An unintentional example in-universe. The Misfits get paid by a rich fan of Jem to find out who she is, so they get a bunch of actresses to pass themselves off as Jem's friends and family in order to get her to admit who she really is. The whole experience completely disorients Jem, especially when she's presented with video footage of her supposed "childhood" (that is, as Jem, not Jerrica Benton). The stress of seeing all her friends act like they don't really know her, pestering her to tell them who she really is, and then actually ''seeing'' Jerrica Benton (an actress who was late) almost causes Jem to have a total breakdown.
169* GayParee: The Countess [=DuVoisin=] suggests that Jem and the Holograms film a music video in Paris, so they visit the city and shoot "Twilight in Paris" in the episode "Kimber's Rebellion".
170* GlassShatteringSound: [[DreadfulMusician The Limp Lizards']] only known song is titled "Broken Glass", complete with the sound of glass shattering.
171* GoodIsNotNice: Certain episodes appear to demonstrate that Jem and the rest of the Holograms could be annoyingly self-righteous and smug, but [[KarmaHoudini never get called on it]]. (One situation that comes to mind was when they find the Misfits BoundAndGagged by another villain, and rather than help them, laugh in their faces.) Whether this was intentional or not, it provided a contrast to the moments where the Misfits and the Stingers broke apart from their stereotypical cartoon villain behavior and demonstrated moments of humanity. Based on this idea, this would serve to prove that rather than being two-dimensional heroes, the Holograms are just good people who have their flaws like anyone else.
172* GoodParents: The Bentons were heartwarmingly caring and competent parents to both their biological and adopted children.
173* GreenEyedMonster: Pizzazz, so much. Her jealousy drives her to enact countless plots to sabotage Jem. Interestingly, Jerrica is jealous of Jem, despite them ''being the same person'', because of Rio's feelings for Jem. And, of course, the song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LptOaJpvrc4 "Jealousy"]] itself.
174* HalloweenEpisode: "Trick or Techrat" took place on Halloween.
175* HandOnWomb: Turns up in the episode "Homeland, Heartland" when Danse narrates flashbacks of what her mother went through when Danse's father disappeared. Danse's mother is shown resting her hand on her stomach when Danse mentions her mother discovering she was pregnant with her.
176* HardWorkHardlyWorks: Averted with The Stingers; the episode "Riot's Hope" showed that they began with almost nothing, and went from busking in the streets to becoming one of the biggest bands in the world. The song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9gvoujTVfU "It's a Hard, Hard Life"]] showcases this. For Jem and the Holograms, it's subverted: while Emmett Benton left them everything they needed to become successful, they had to keep working at it to stay on top. The episode "Glitter 'N Gold" shows that without constant work, The Misfits are able to get a leg up on Jem and the Holograms.
177* HaveAGayOldTime: "Who is he kissing?" features the lyrics "Or is he making love to a fantasy?" Even nowadays that wouldn't be let in an American kid's cartoon so it's obvious they were going for the old-timey definition instead.
178* HealthcareMotivation: In the three-part "Starbright" storyline, the Holograms keep on going with a movie shoot the Misfits have bought themselves into because they need money for an operation to save Starlight Girl Ba Nee's sight. Ultimately the production splits into rival films, and when the Holograms' is a hit, the money is raised and Ba Nee's sight is saved.
179* TheHeart:
180** [[PlayingWithTropes Played with]]. In regards to the Misfits, there is no clear-cut example of a Heart. Every time a band member has left ("The Bands Break Up", "Roxy Rumbles", "The Stingers Hit Town") the Misfits aren't able to perform properly.
181** In regards to the Holograms, Jem or Kimber could be considered the Heart. In ''The Bands Break Up'', the group learns that they depended on Kimber a lot more than they thought, as she provided a number of cues the girls needed. In "The Day The Music Died", we aren't able to see how the Holograms could perform without Jem, as they were immediately folded into the Misfits.
182* HeartwarmingOrphan: The Starlight Girls, so much so that [[spoiler:the final episode focuses on Ba Nee -- who spent the whole series hoping to find her long-lost father -- finding him at last. It closes with a farewell party where the Stingers and even ''the Misfits'' show up to see them off]].
183* HiddenDepths: A staple in the show's structure. Count on episodes frequently exploring softer sides of the antagonists, save for Eric Raymond.
184* HollywoodToneDeaf: Hanger-on Clash keeps hoping the Misfits will let her join the group, but because she follows this trope to a "T", they just keep her around to cause trouble for the Holograms.
185* {{Hologram}}s: When Jem and Jerrica need to be in the same room at the same time, her MagicalComputer Synergy can take care of that by using her earrings to create a hologram of Jem (and vice-versa). Sometimes, holograms are also used to create distractions.
186* HolographicDisguise: How Jerrica transform into Jem.
187* HonestJohnsDealership: Near the end of "Roxy Rumbles", a potential buyer decided to read the contract before buying the car. It was a wise decision as, while he was reading it, the car blew up.
188* HouseFire: In the pilot episode (in both the Super Sunday and regular series versions), Eric's henchman Zipper breaks into the Starlight House; the fire starts after the Holograms confront him. Everyone evacuates safely, but the house burns to the ground.
189* HowWeGotHere: The pilot starts with an already famous Jem being well-received by her fans and then it flashbacks to the graveyard scene with Jem's father being buried.
190* TheHyena: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is portrayed as frequently laughing hysterically in "Journey Through Time".
191* HymnToMusic: "Music is Magic", "When it's only Me and the Music", and "Music and Danse" are all songs dedicated to how great music is.
192* IAmGreatSong: The Misfits have quite a few, like "Universal Appeal", "I Am A Giant", and "There Ain't Nobody Better". Jem and the Holograms have a VerbThis one with "Beat This".
193* IHaveNoSon: Said word for word by Riot's father when he tells him when he's dishonorably discharged from the Army for going AWOL to pursue his music career.
194* IdolSinger: Or at least the American equivalent.
195* ImposterForgotOneDetail: "One Jem Too Many." Clash has a ''horrible'' singing voice.
196* ImpoverishedPatrician: In one of the later third season episodes, Jerrica actually points out that, despite being world famous globe travelling rock stars, at the end of the day once they've covered all the costs and expenses of travel and music production, they really don't have much money, and virtually all of their profit goes directly to supporting their foster care children.
197* IncrediblyLongNote: Britta Phillips (the singing voice of Jem) pulls off an awesome long high B-flat at the end of "Music is Magic". She holds an even longer (but not quite as high) note at the end of "There's A Melody Playing".
198* InterContinuityCrossover: Hector Ramirez, a Geraldo Rivera-parodying reporter who originated in ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'', made a cameo in ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' and played a major role in ''WesternAnimation/{{Inhumanoids}}'', appeared in "One Jem Too Many".
199* IntimidatingRevenueService[=/=]TaxmanTakesTheWinnings: Roxy once won one million dollars thanks to a Lottery Ticket she found. She lost half to the IRS. An agent actually showed up with a briefcase, ''scooped her cash into it'', and walked off again.
200* {{Irony}}: Out-of-universe, the Stingers were created because parents and kids thought that the Misfits' dolls were too scary. The Stingers were meant to get toys released, but they never did.
201* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: In "Kimber's Rebellion", Jem quips that the name of the Misfits means rude, obnoxious and loud. Pizzazz objects only to being called loud.
202* ItAlwaysRainsAtFunerals: It's raining at the funeral of Emmett Benton.
203* ItsAlwaysMardiGrasInNewOrleans: The episode "Mardi Gras", where Jem and the Holograms are to perform at the titular festival. Of course, they have a song about it, "Let Me Take You To The Mardi Gras". It is also ADayInTheLimelight for Shana, who strongly resembles the paramour of a pirate said to haunt the mansion they stay at.
204* IWantSong: "Gimme Gimme Gimme" captures Pizzazz's hunger for fame quite well.
205* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Stormer of the Misfits is an aversion (or at least she averts the "Jerk" part), because she was never really a jerk in the first place, unlike her bandmates. Roxy, however, plays it straight.
206* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: '''Eric Raymond'''. Jetta as well.
207* JustEatGilligan:
208** 99% of Jerrica's problems would be over if she'd just do the ''sensible'' thing and press charges against the Misfits for theft, vandalism, and recklessly endangering the lives of the Holograms and the Starlight Girls. The show addressed this a grand total of once, in which Eric implied that lawyers can do ''anything'' if you're rich. Nonetheless, this would only work for so long and isn't really going to be much good at, say, [[http://www.agonybooth.com/tv/Jem/One_Jem_Too_Many.aspx getting you off for]] [[http://www.agonybooth.com/tv/Jem/One_Jem_Too_Many.aspx?Page=2 the attempted murder of your rivals.]] Pizzazz's father is also wealthy, but the show also established early on that he pretty much cut her off for being out of control.
209** And on the flipside, the Misfits (who are just as popular and successful as Jem and the Holograms) would probably be better off if they would just ignore Jem and stop trying to upstage their rivals. Multiple episodes show them as being insanely popular, respected as musicians, and widely regarded in the industry as just as good as Jem and the Holograms, even beating them for a major industry award. Feuding with Jem just leads to more frustration and humiliation.
210* JustPlaneWrong: Apparently Harvey Gabor is wealthy and influential enough to borrow a privately owned Concorde and arrange a landing at a small-town airstrip, despite the Concorde being banned from the U.S. except for select airports.
211* KarmaHoudini:
212** Adrian Lassiter, the slimy radio mogul who made the pirated broadcast in "[=KJEM=]", gets away with his crime while The Misfits (who were actually innocent of any wrongdoing) are arrested.
213** Yaki Tori, Regine's would-be love interest in spite of being a narcissistic jerk from "Straight From The Heart" dumps Regine for being made to look weird by The Stingers and laughs her out of a meeting.
214** The Stingers repeatedly, both individually and together. They either team up to ruin or otherwise humiliate anyone they perceive as a rival or a nuisance or do it on their own and with the approval or sheer enjoyment of their band members and rarely receive any genuine punishment for it. Such incidents include pushing the Holograms into a pool when they tried to confront them on their rude attitudes, making Pizzazz sick with a love potion to ostensibly lire in Riot or humiliating Regine simply for associating with Shana.
215* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Zipper, Eric's muscle who has plenty of times come close to killing Jem, The Holograms or their associates, was rarely punished for this, managing to slip away every time or be bailed out by Eric. His luck ''finally'' ran out in "Hot Time in Hawaii" after kidnapping Kimber and leaving her to die in an active volcano. He is arrested for this and never appears on the show again.
216* KarmicJackpot: On the other hand, Stormer's status as the "good Misfit" often allowed her to escape whatever karmic justice the other Misfits endured. She was the only one to get a genuine love interest, becomes BFFs with Kimber, and towards the end of the series, the other Holograms began to see her as a friend. This actually extended to the other Misfits in one episode where they escaped legal action for their latest stunt because Stormer admitted to it and apologized on their behalf.
217* KayfabeMusic: Jem is a holographic projection protecting Jerrica's identity.
218* LandmarkDeclarationGambit: The episode "Old and New" sees 1950s rock legend Bobby Bailey threatened with eviction from the ramshackle building he lives in; it is structurally unsafe and is condemned. Jem and her friends get the building saved by getting it declared a cultural landmark. Why? Bailey's collection of rock memorabilia makes the building culturally significant.
219* LatexPerfection: Clash is quite guilty of this trope.
220* LawyerFriendlyCameo: Many famous singers appear under different names, including Rowan Owens (Music/StevieWonder), Ron Cox ([[Music/TheRollingStonesBand Mick Jagger]]), Johnny Deacon (Music/BruceSpringsteen), Lena Lerner (Music/TinaTurner, which doubles as NoCelebritiesWereHarmed; see below) and Luna Dark (Music/CyndiLauper). However, it's also averted as some like {{Music/Madonna}} are mentioned by name.
221* TheLawOfConservationOfDetail: A lot of the first season episodes play out like there are only two bands in the entire world (three if one counts The Limp Lizards). If there's a contest and The Holograms lose, The Misfits win by default.
222* LighterAndSofter: [[WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero The shows]] [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers it shared]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Inhumanoids}} a universe with]]... well, they were DarkerAndEdgier for their time (especially ''Inhumanoids''). By comparison, this show never had major stakes or giant world-ending events-- it was mostly about bands and their feuds.
223* ALittleSomethingWeCallRockAndRoll: Actually inverted in "Journey Through Time"; Jem and the Holograms get taught by musicians such as Mozart, and they gain the inspiration they needed to write new material.
224* LonelyRichKid: Pizzazz is what happens when this kid grows up very wrong and turns into a raging superbitch.
225* LongLostUncleAesop: "Alone Again" introduced Laura Holloway as a new Starlight Girl that played the guitar and got into drugs. Notably, Laura was not based on any of the dolls in the toy line. So it should come as little surprise that she never appeared outside that single episode. While this is true, it's also justified because when the social worker brings Laura to Starlight Mansion, she tells Jerrica that Laura's placement there would be temporary as she was waiting for an opening at a more appropriate facility.
226* LoveDodecahedron: Rio/Riot/Jem/Jerrica. All the more complicated because two of the members are the same person.
227* LovesMyAlterEgo: Rare male examples:
228** Rio dates Jerrica and waffles with affection for Jem because he doesn't know they're the same person. Or as [[http://www.agonybooth.com/tv/Jem/One_Jem_Too_Many.aspx the Agony Booth]] puts it, Rio "says goodbye to his girlfriend, already planning to cheat on her with his second girlfriend, who by the way is his girlfriend. I'm sorry, I'll never get over that."
229** Riot from the third season inverts the trope. He likes Jem but not Jerrica, and has no idea why Jem keeps blowing him off.
230* LoveTriangle: Aside from the Jem/Jerrica/Rio one, there's another with Kimber and her boyfriends, stuntman Jeff Wright and English teen idol Sean Harrison.
231* LyingFingerCross: Techrat does it while telling the Misfits how "safe" his gimmick is in "The Jem Jam - Part 2".
232* MagicalGirl: A literal magician. Maeve Eldritch, a.k.a. Astral, a professional magician and psychic investigator whose teacher studied under Harry Houdini. She appears in ''That Old Houdini Magic'' as part of a charity event, and helps the Holograms expose Rapture's latest con at pretending to channel the spirit of Harry Houdini.
233* MagicalAccessory: Jerrica's hologram projecting earrings.
234* MagicIdolSinger: A rare western example; while Jerrica becomes Jem with very advanced and realistic holograms instead of magic, she otherwise follows the trope very closely. Much of the series hinges on Jerrica keeping her identity as Jem a secret.
235* MakeoverFail: In "A Change of Heart", Minx makes excessive attempts to be nice to people. One of her ideas is to "treat" Jerrica to a makeover, having her basically manhandled and physically forced into it. The result is silly-looking but easily reversible (notably she is given garish makeup and a partial ponytail tied so as to stick up straight). The look is included in that episode's song "Too Much".
236* MerchandiseDriven: This show was made to promote the toyline.
237* MinionWithAnFInEvil: Stormer from The Misfits is always the first to stop her friends from being truly evil, the first to tip off the good guys, and the first to ''make friends'' with the good guys. She's mainly in the Misfits because she's a total pushover.
238* MirroredConfrontationShot: Jem and the Holograms have a couple of videos with them: with The Misfits in "Bad Influence", and with The Stingers in "Believe/Don't Believe".
239* MissingMom: The only mothers we see on this show are Raya's, Jetta's, Riot's, and Jerrica/Kimber's. Out of all of them, only Raya's is unsupportive. Jacqui was a musician herself (though she died years prior to the cartoon), Riot's mom was (unlike his dad) was supportive of his pursuits and pretty much the only time we actually see a kinder side of Riot, and Jetta's mom was supportive enough to help her try to perpetuate her CelebrityLie. Raya's mom loved her but simply felt she should be staying to help out the family business as opposed to pursuing her musical dreams.
240** Pizzazz's mother abandoned her when she (Pizzazz) was a small kid. An unused episode was to have them reunite but the series was cancelled before it could be produced.
241** Ba Nee's mom's death was established pretty early in the series. She's shown in the final episode via her father's flashbacks and an old portrait of her.
242* MockHeadroom: In the episode "Hollywood Jem", at one point there are ''Max Headroom''-esque copies of Jem and actor/Kimber's sometime boyfriend Sean Harrison.
243* MoneySong: Quite a few of them from the Misfits, including "Takin' It All" and "Congratulations". Jem and the Holograms have one with "Glitter N' Gold".
244* MoralityPet: Three of them, all parents. Pizzazz and Clash both have one in their respective fathers, and Riot has his mother.
245* MusicGenreDissonance:
246** Jem and the Holograms are considered as a rock band in-universe, but their music is plain pop.
247** The Misfits met a similar mislabel: They look like tough glam punkers, and have been classified as PunkRock in some instances, despite playing NewWave.[[note]]New Wave as a genre ''does'' have its roots in punk, but the kind of new wave that the Misfits play is clearly more akin to the poppy styles of Music/DuranDuran and Music/TheGoGos than say, Music/{{Devo}}.[[/note]]
248** The Stingers are clearly supposed to be a rock or metal band, and Riot looks like a glam rock or hair metal singer, however their music is pop.
249* MustacheVandalism: A mustache is drawn on Pizzazz's digital face in "Gimme A Gimmick", Minx paints mustaches on Raya and Krissie in "Take It Or Leave It", and Pizzazz burns a mustache on Jem's billboard with a laser gun in the second part of the two-part episode "The Music Awards".
250* NaiveEverygirl: Carmen "Raya" Alonso plays this role when she shows up later in the series.
251* NeverLearnedToRead: "Roxy Rumbles" revealed that Roxy has this problem.
252* NiceJobBreakingItHero: ''Father's Day'' and ''A Change of Heart'' both feature this, as the Holograms mess up things for Pizzazz and Minx, sending them back to their old selfish ways.
253* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tina_Turner Lena Lerner?]] [[Creator/SigourneyWeaver Sigourney Reaver]] (who has an Oscar nomination for [[Film/{{Poltergeist|1982}} Poltergeist]] [[Film/{{Aliens}} Aliens]] [[SequelEscalation part IV]])? [[Creator/MerylStreep Meryl Saint]]? Geraldine Pathos (Geraldine Page)? [[Creator/ClintEastwood Flint Westwood]]? [[Creator/MichaelJFox Michael J. Badger]]? [[Music/JimiHendrix Johnny Beldrix]]? (Also, see InterContinuityCrossover for another example.)
254** Also, there was a rumor that Sean Harrison's accent and visage (but ''not'' his personality) were modeled after Creator/PierceBrosnan.
255* NonActionGuy: Eric Raymond. Sure, he was good at scheming - but he could not go toe-to-toe with an angry, protective Rio Pacheco or Craig Phillips.
256* NothingCanStopUsNow: Used at least four times by Eric Raymond, "The Misfits", and "The Stingers".
257* NotMeThisTime: Eric claims this when a pirate broadcast is done supposedly by the Misfits. It turns out ''another'' CorruptCorporateExecutive tricked them into think they just doing a normal broadcast for him. Jerrica believes him immediately:
258-->'''Jerrica:''' [[WhoWouldBeStupidEnough Not even]] '''[[WhoWouldBeStupidEnough you]]''' [[WhoWouldBeStupidEnough are dumb enough]] to do a pirate broadcast.
259* NotNowKiddo:
260** Jerrica towards Starlight Girl Deirdre in ''The Music Awards''. When Deirdre gets the same treatment from Jem, this leads Deirdre to become [[TheRunaway a runaway]].
261** Another episode ''Hot Time in Hawaii'' has Jem doing this to a fan who she thought was hounding her for an autograph. Jem only stops to listen when the little girl tells her that Kimber had been kidnapped.
262* NotSoAboveItAll: In "Glitter and Gold", the Holograms show they're no better than the Misfits about resorting to cheating. The Starlight Girls and Rio all buy copies to support the Holograms. Rio is disqualified for it, but the Starlights are not. When the Holograms need one last copy to win and there are no records left, but there is one Misfits album left, Ashley steals Rio's disqualified copy and offers it to someone was planning to buy the Misfits' album, giving the win to the Holograms.
263* OddballInTheSeries: When it was originally broadcast as part of the ''Super Sunday'' anthology, it was a show aimed at girls and full of relatively realistic plots (excepting Synergy, et al.); all the other shows that were a part of it -- ''Bigfoot and the Muscle Machines'', ''Robotix'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Inhumanoids}}'' -- were much darker, aimed at boys and generally had more fantastical plots. It goes double considering it's since been established to be [[SharedUniverse part of the same universe as]] ''Inhumanoids'', ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers''.
264* OnceAnEpisode: The show breaks into song three times per episode and segues into a faux music video, even giving the name of the song and the band (or singer) performing it. Sometimes awkward when there's a character singing who is not actually in a band or is a singer.
265* OnlySixFaces: The girls pretty much have the same face save for differences in hair, eyes and makeup, though sometimes this is more related to OffModel issues.
266* OriginsEpisode: "Out of the Past" shows in flashbacks how and why Jerrica's father Emmett Benton created Synergy. It's established that Emmett was motivated to create Synergy after his wife died and intended for her to serve as a ParentalSubstitute for his biological and surrogate daughters, knowing that he himself was dying.
267* OutOfFocus: Mrs. Bailey, an older woman who was established to help Jem run the Starlight orphanage in the earlier episodes, was largely absent from the spotlight as the series went on, to the degree that her final two appearances were brief cameos in the season three episodes "A Change of Heart" and "A Father Should Be...". It got to the point that a large number of episodes taking place at Starlight Mansion gave the impression that Mrs. Bailey didn't exist.
268* PapaWolf: On realizing his long-lost daughter is nearby and in danger, Ba Nee's father rushes to save her.
269* ParentsAsPeople: Harvey Gabor spoils Pizzazz with money but is under-involved in her life. Granted, she is difficult to deal with, but when Pizzazz reaches out to him, he is too busy to use the opportunity to get closer to her. He also entrusts her with working together with Eric Raymond on a business deal, then shows disappointment with her when the deal falls through even though 1) Pizzazz is a rock star, not a businesswoman and 2) the deal came close to being concluded but the owners decided not to part with their land due to environmental concerns, something Mr. Gabor didn't bother to find out and consider before passing judgment on his daughter.
270* PartySchedulingGambit: "Starbright: Part 3 – Rising Star".
271* PetTheDog: ''Riot's Hope'' is one gigantic PTD for both Riot and the Stingers. It explains Riot's relationship with his parents and how his decision to become a musician led to a falling out between him and his father, who wanted him to join the military. It also shows that, unlike both the Holograms and the Misfits, the Stingers had no money when they began and had to work from the ground up, starting off with street shows and touring Europe until they became famous enough to head to America. As Riot is explaining his life story to Jem, not once does he try to hit on her or make a move, demonstrating that his mother's ailing health was more important.
272* PhonyPsychic: Rapture's M.O..
273* PinkMeansFeminine: So much pink.
274* PlotHole: Two episodes, ''Father's Day'' and ''Out of the Past'', involve Jerrica and Kimber reminiscing about their parents thanks to certain belongings they find in the attic of Starlight House, such as old home movies and their dad's journal. Then you remember that the original Starlight House burned down in the FiveEpisodePilot. They could have been hastily saved beforehand but that's never depicted.
275* PoliceAreUseless: Both Eric and the Misfits belong in the slammer, but they are never arrested since Eric has lawyers and Pizzazz has money.
276* PortraitPaintingPeephole: In the episode "Mardi Gras", Jem at one point looks through the eyehole on a portrait of Jean Lafitte.
277* PostCyberpunk: Synergy is based around this aesthetic.
278* PosthumousCharacter: Jerrica's parents Emmet and Jacqui Benton are established to have died prior to the events of the series, with Emmett dying shortly before Jem discovered his last gift for her and her sisters, the artificial intelligence Synergy, and Jacqui revealed to have been killed in a plane crash when Jerrica was a young girl.
279* ThePowerOfRock: There is ''nothing'' that cannot be solved by singing. Except an overcomplicated love life.
280* PragmaticVillainy: Eric Raymond prefers schemes that hurt people's ''pockets'', not the ''people'', as he's in it for profit (nonetheless, the people end up getting hurt, anyway...) This could be a case of EvenEvilHasStandards, but it's more likely he just doesn't want to be sued.
281* PrinceAndPauper: The plot of "The Princess and the Singer", in which Kimber and Princess Adriana of Morvania are dead ringers and get switched during an attempt to assassinate Adriana.
282* [[ProjectedMan Projected Woman]]: Synergy, the AI of the hologram computer, is herself a projected holographic AI.
283* PutOnABus: Eric Raymond is last seen running away when swamped with the responsibility of dealing with the Starlight Girls, and is alter mentioned to have gone on a business trip to Europe. This is especially strange, considering that he’s the BigBad of the series and because of this, doesn’t appear in the GrandFinale.
284* RearrangeTheSong: As most prominently heard in "Truly Outrageous", which borrows heavily from the theme song itself.
285* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: In "The Jem Jam: Part 2", Krissie (one of the Starlight Girls) makes an entire song of this, which is given towards "Lena Lerner"'s son Dominic.
286* RecycledSoundtrack: By the time the second (technically third[[note]]Despite the Wikipedia and Shout! Factory DVD listings, the FiveEpisodePilot makes up the entirety of the first season, while everything after that up to "Glitter and Gold" is the second season.[[/note]]) season starts, the show starts reusing songs with new music videos, to the point where there are entire episodes without a single new song.
287* ReformedButRejected: Minx in "A Change of Heart"; after nearly drowning, Minx decides to renounce her evil self-absorbed ways and be a good girl. Needless to say, despite her best efforts, Jem and the Holograms and Rio pretty much reject her and drive her back to her selfish ways, [[spoiler:Fortunately, Minx reforms once more and permanently in the series finale]].
288* RelativeError: In "Britrock", Craig starts acting quieter than usual and tells Aja he has to tell her a secret he's been keeping. When Craig tells Aja Stormer is his secret Aja gets mad and it only gets worse when he introduces himself as "Craig Phillips" and Stormer as "Mary Phillips". Even Craig's bandmates lampshade how badly Craig went about the situation and decide to [[GoingToTheStore leave the room]]. Aja slaps Craig and runs away crying. It isn't until a moment later that Kimber informs her Stormer is Craig's ''little sister'', not his wife. Apparently the fact Craig and Stormer are the only characters with deep blue hair went unnoticed by Aja.
289* RemovingTheRival: Many of the episodes are about the schemes Eric and The Misfits concoct in order to eliminate Jem and the Holograms from one competition or another.
290* RhymingWithItself: "Come On In, The Water's Fine" rhymes "happen" with itself, and then again with "common" in the second verse.
291* RichBitch: Deconstructed with Pizzazz; while she is insanely rich, she hid it from her bandmates until the "Starbright" three-parter, when her past was revealed and Pizzazz is quite open with the fact that (thanks to her FreudianExcuse) that she is more obsessed with being famous and adored by the masses than she does care about being rich.
292* {{Robinsonade}}: "Island of Deception" has Jem and the Holograms and The Misfits work together to survive, punctuated by The Misfits' catchy number [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM9hAGqVWPg "It Takes Alot"]].
293* {{Ruritania}}: Morvania in "The Princess and the Singer".
294* SassyBlackWoman: Refreshingly averted with Shana, who was very shy and sympathetic.
295* SaveTheVillain: Done in "Shangri-La".
296* ScaryMusicianHarmlessMusic: The Misfits definitely looked the part of glam-punkers, but their sound was more new wave. Riot of the Stingers also, as he was made to look like a metal singer.
297* ScienceIsGood: The show features a lot of technology in its backdrop. The supercomputer Synergy was created by the Benton sister's deceased father, Techrat is very tech savvy, and Minx is as well.
298* ScoobyDooHoax: "Trick or Techrat", where Eric and a real estate developer haunt an old opera house in order to prevent the Holograms from putting on a Halloween benefit concert to pay off the house's back taxes.
299* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Jem and the Holograms quit the "Starbright" movie twice because of Eric Raymond and the Misfits. They came back after they quit the first time because they needed the money for Ba Nee's operation, and even after Jem almost lost her life performing a stunt on her own she wouldn't quit. It was after Kimber was nearly killed thanks to Roxy and Clash messing with the special effects that the Holograms quit for good. The second time, they were joined by Rio and most of the production staff, fed up with Raymond and the Misfits.
300* SecondPersonAttack: In the opening animation, Kimber sprays the viewer with seltzer water.
301* SecretDiary: Kimber's diary that gets leaked to a tabloid called "Cool Trash".
302* SecretIdentityIdentity: Jerrica goes through this a ''lot''. Synergy doesn't help either – a rather BrokenAesop episode had Jerrica take on a ''third'' identity through Synergy's subtle manipulation, in order to prove to her that Rio loves her because he fell in love with her again when she had presented herself as a ''third'' identity. While the point was "Rio loves Jerrica's personality and that's why he fell for Jem", the episode also gives the impression Rio really doesn't care that much about being loyal to Jerrica since he'll fall into the arms of ''any'' woman that's close enough to her.
303* SecretKeeper: A couple of high-profile people know that Jem is really Jerrica, like Princess Adrianna of Morvania and the President of the United States.
304* SelfDeprecation: "The Misfits in Hawaii" has shades of this.
305* [[SelfMadeMan Self Made Band]]: The Stingers went from playing and living off the streets to becoming famous by working hard and improving on their music. The song ''It's A Hard Hard Life'' showcases how they went from playing music in the snow to small crowds to gradually getting bigger crowds and becoming known.
306* SharedUniverse: With ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'', ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Inhumanoids}}'' (all shows created by Marvel/Sunbow for Hasbro) via [[KentBrockmanNews Hector]] [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Ramirez]] showing up in all four.
307* ShyBlueHairedGirl: Stormer, but not Aja.
308* SigilSpam: The Jem logo is everywhere. Justified since a rock band needs as much exposure as they can get, but then the Misfits' stylized 'M' doesn't appear anywhere nearly as much.
309* ASimplePlan: Played straight in ''numerous'' episodes. Subverted in "Broadway Magic" when the Misfits attempt to lock Jem in the Statue of Liberty and she uses the holograms from her earrings to escape.
310* SkewedPriorities: Just about ''everybody'' in the 5-episode pilot. Two particular examples that stick out are Howard Sands, who nearly gets murdered by the Misfits and has his mansion bombed in the second episode, but doesn't decide to just forgo his part of the deal and give the mansion to Jerrica, since she obviously needs it more. The other example is when the Misfits nearly cause a private yatch to crash against a ship, and the Holograms urge the passangers to not press charges on them because, then, [[BrokenAesop they wouldn't have a chance to prove they're better in a music contest]].
311* SmugSnake: Eric Raymond, a man so smug that Creator/CharlieAdler must have been paid by the sneer.
312* SoreLoser:
313** In "Glitter and Gold", the Holograms and The Misfits compete in a record sales competition and The Holograms win by one record. Despite the fact that, as [[TokenGoodTeammate Stormer]] points out, The Misfits sold half a million records, Pizzazz still throws a major tantrum over losing to The Holograms. Then again, several of those records were bought by people paid by Eric to buy them, so Stormer's statement wasn't the good news it'd seem (especially since it just drives the point home to the egotistical Pizzazz that even when she cheats and buys extra records, Jem is so much more popular that she still wins.)
314** An irate Eric [[WouldHitAGirl slaps Jerrica in the face]] when The Misfits lose to Jem and the Holograms in the Battle of the Bands, and he loses control of his half of Starlight Music.
315* SpeakNowOrForeverHoldYourPeace: Rio interrupts Kimber's hurried wedding to Jeff to deliver a marriage proposal. From Sean, as Jerrica is relieved to find, although this was rather obvious and didn't really need the CommercialBreakCliffhanger with Jerrica's shocked face.
316* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The book ''The Secret of Rainbow Island'' spells Ba Nee as "Bonnie" and Joellen as "Joelle".
317* SpikesOfVillainy: The Misfits tour van has lots of spikes on it.
318* SpringCoil: Zipper brings in special shoes and poles with these on them so The Misfits can cheat in the pole vault and high jump events.
319* StartMyOwn:
320** After Eric Raymond lost his half of Starlight Music, the Misfits needed another music company to promote their albums so Pizzazz asked her father to start one.
321** In "[=KJEM=]", Jem took over a radio station so the previous owner wouldn't lose it to a former employee who had started his own radio station for not liking how his former boss ran things.
322** Kimber (from Jem and the Holograms) and Stormer (from the Misfits) were feeling underappreciated and temporarily became a duo.
323* StatusQuoIsGod: "The Bands Break up" and "A Change of Heart", to name a few, though subtle shifts occur when Raya and Jetta join the Holograms and the Misfits (respectively) and when the Misfits are slowly written out of the show in series 3. Otherwise, this trope is averted most of the time.
324* StoryArc: The movie contract the FiveEpisodePilot mentions as one of the prizes in the Battle of the Bands competition is the basis for one. The three-parter "Starbright", the first post-pilot episodes, chronicles the film's making and release. The "Hollywood Jem" two-parter that closes "season two" (by Website/TheOtherWiki's listing) picks it up again when Jem is nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. There's also a running subplot in the latter two stories about Kimber being romanced by two men. Another running storyline is Ba Nee's search for her father.
325* SuicideWatch: The episode "A Change of Heart", Minx decides to become nicer after Rio saves her from drowning. Her bandmates Rapture and Riot don't like this sudden change in personality and kick her out. With nowhere to turn to, Minx flees to Rio and when he rejects her she tries to jump off a building. The rest of the episode revolves around Riot and the Holograms walking on eggshells around Minx as she tries to pay back her imagined debt to Rio.
326* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
327** In general, while the Misfits have a fan base, many people who know them personally don’t like them, due to their obnoxious personalities and habit for causing trouble. Even their benefactors are very begrudging in support, with Eric noting that he spends a lot of money making sure they don’t get sued for the damage they cause, or the blatant murder attempts.
328** The main plot of the "Hollywood Jem" two-parter has Jem being nominated for an Oscar. She's the protagonist so she has to win, right? Nope. The award goes to an older, more experienced actress instead. Jem has no formal training in acting; she's a singer and businesswoman before anything else.
329** The episode "The Fan" has an [[LoonyFan obsessive fan desperate to find out Jem's real identity]] teaming up with the Misfits and leads to Jem going through a harrowing experience where she nearly loses her mind, getting mildly injured and the fan himself being double-crossed by the band due to never learning the truth. Upon being rescued by her and the Holograms, in spite of Jem's kind and generous nature, the guy's regret at his indirect role of her troubles and giving her a sincere apology, she admits that she doesn't forgive him and even his ignorance of what the rival band was planning to do doesn't diminish his responsibility (although he is still invited to their concert).
330** Clash is a good example of this trope. In spite of all of the trickery and sabotage that she does for the Misfits and occasionally hanging out with them, doesn't mean that they want her in the band of are even friends with her (which is kind of justified because unlike her rival/cousin Video, who's a successful director who works on many Jem and the Holograms projects, she can't sing or play an instrument[[note]]as those "cymbals" on her wrists are just for show[[/note]] and is little more than a desperate groupie).
331** In "Father's Day", Pizzazz is upset that her father will be away on business instead of spending father's day with her. On the day itself, Kimber, still grieving for her own deceased father, ends up bonding with Mr. Gabor and he flies her and the rest of the Holograms on his own private jet to their concert. The sight on this infuriates Pizzazz and causes her to lash out at the both of them. During the performance of the Holograms' song dedicated to fathers, while Mr. Gabor is hopeful for a happy reunion with his daughter, she just storms off in seething anger.
332** At the end of "Battle of the Bands", [[SoreLoser Eric]] slaps Jerrica in the face after losing control of Starlight Music and Rio punches him in the face so hard, it knocks him on his behind and is then seen rubbing his now-sore hand. Even with the adrenaline he had by punching him with that much force, the human jaw is one of the strongest bones in the body and hitting it is bound to hurt (if not actually ''break'') one's hand.
333** "Roxy Rumbles" has Roxy, through sheer luck, finding a winning lottery ticket after quitting The Misfits that earns her a million dollars, which she spends on a makeover, jewelry and a huge carnival. Unfortunately, due to her lack of a budget, poor upbringing ''and'' being illiterate, she blows the money in a matter of days since she forgot to pay taxes on the winnings or any of the promoters/workers for the carnival to the point that Jem and The Holograms had to bail her out.
334** "Change of Heart" has Minx, after a near-death experience, [[HeelFaceTurn turn over a new leaf]] with a friendlier attitude. Unfortunately, this becomes disastrous for her since it alienates her narcissistic {{Jerkass}} bandmates who kick her out. Once befriending The Holograms, everyone is impressed by her new outlook, except for a skeptical Aja even after she buys the Starlight Girls toy water guns and treats. This eventually backfires as they make a mess from all the water gun fights and get sick and spoil their dinners with the copious amount of candy and ice cream. Finally, after getting angry at how ungrateful the band was at her for her well-intentioned but poorly executed acts, [[ThenLetMeBeEvil she reverts back to her old ways]] and rejoins The Stingers.
335** In "The Rock Fashion Book", The Misfits initially had a photographer for their book, but Pizzazz fires him when he keeps questioning them how they wish to do the shoot (due to their usual diva attitudes). The girls opt to do the photos themselves but naturally their pictures turn out horrible and no magazine is willingly to publish them after seeing them. After all, they're singers, not professional photographers.
336* SwissCheeseSecurity: ''Nobody'' in this show is capable of keeping anything secure. The Misfits can pretty much waltz into ''anything'' to cause mayhem.
337* TeamRocketWins: "The Day the Music Died" has Pizzazz and the Misfits co-opting the Holograms ''and'' the Stingers after Riot and Jem leave for an island vacation. It doesn't stick, but for awhile the Misfits are at the top of the charts.
338* TearingThroughTheMovieScreen: In "The Jem Jam" during The Misfits' song "Gimme a Gimmick", Pizzazz tears through the movie screen while the others are watching highlights from their past exploits.
339* TearJerker: In-universe example in "Broadway Magic": Broadway producer Bob Merrit and Stormer are brought to tears by Jem and the Holograms' performance of "Can't Get My Love Together". Even Pizzazz and Roxy are somewhat subdued.
340* TerribleTrio:
341** The Misfits, well until they recruit Jetta...
342** The Stingers as well.
343* ThereAreNoTherapists:
344** Ba Nee probably wouldn't have been so willing to label the next person she sees who closely resembles her father (based on the few details she knows) if she had someone to talk to. She's one of the few Starlight Girls who has not accepted the fact that she's an orphan, which actually plays out for the better when the Holograms find her actual dad.
345** Kimber should probably discuss her issues with her father's death with someone, but she deals with it on her own.
346** Pizzaz could seriously use therapy, but it's unlikely she would go to one anyway.
347** Averted in ''Alone Again'', when Laura is brought to a support group of similarly-aged drug addicts.
348** Averted again when Danse talks to Jerrica about funding for the runaway shelter she volunteers at, explaining that there are counselors there that the kids can talk to about their problems.
349* TimeMachine: Techrat is apparently capable of building one [[WMG/TimeLord (and thus has sort of inspired theories that he's a Time Lord)]], with one caveat: it requires an exchange. If you send something to the past, something from that time must be brought into the present.
350* TimeTravel: In [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Journey Through Time"]]. Part of the episode involves Jem and the Holograms appearing in a concert in the middle of the London Blitz as themselves only with period clothing, and seem unconcerned with hiding their identities. However, not that many people saw that particular performance, and probably only one or two people are still alive who would wonder why the exact same people in 1942 and 1987 seem not to have aged.
351* TitleOnlyChorus: "Only The Beginning", the very first Jem and the Holograms song.
352* TitleThemeTune: Which pretty much any girl from the 80s will sing to you on cue.
353* TokenEvilTeammate:
354** Inverted with Stormer, who is the TokenGoodTeammate of the Misfits, albeit a pushover. Also inverted with Minx for a while after her near death-experience.
355** Played straight with Jetta, who could be considered more evil than the other Misfits. She actually tried to con Pizzazz out of millions of her dad's money in the episode ''Britrock''.
356* TokenMinorityCouple:
357** No sooner does Shana see a black man at a party than the other girls immediately shove her into talking to him. Surely enough, they become a recurring couple. Happens to Raya in a Mexico-themed episode as well.
358** Subverted with Aja and Craig (but they both have blue hair), and possibly Jem and Rio.
359* TravellingSalesmanMontage: The Misfits, wanting to start their own fashion book in "The Rock Fashion Book", take their photos to several publishers, who all reject their photos for being too amateur. At one point one of them actually throws their briefcase of pictures out the door.
360* TroubledProduction: In-universe, this is what the three-parter "Starbright" is all about. Pizzazz gets her father to buy the studio making the Jem movie, and her unreasonable demands make their movie a flop, while Jem's own becomes a success.
361* TruckDriversGearChange: For "When It's Only Me and the Music".
362* TwoPersonLoveTriangle: Jerrica/Rio/Jem.
363* UnclePennybags: Jerrica is one of these. She actually gives the proceeds from Jem's lucrative career to the Starlight Foundation, hence she doesn't have much money to her own name. Howard Sands is a minor character with the same bent. The same goes for the Countess Danielle [=DuVoisin=], who would often help out Jem and the Holograms with the use of things like her private yacht and villa.
364* TheUnFavorite: Something of a BrokenAesop in the show is that Pizzazz's father spoiled her because he was incapable of showing affection, and Pizzazz's nasty personality is partially related to her acting out to get genuine affection out of him. By the time he's ready for this, he can't stand the self-centered Prima Donna he's created and instead treats ''Kimber'' as a surrogate daughter.
365* TheUnfairSex: The show takes a very lopsided approach to cheating. In one episode, "Midsummer Night Madness", Jem, in addition to having a relationship with Rio in both her Jem and Jerrica persona, creates a new identity to test him. He fails when he shows interest in "Jamie", causing her to doubt his faithfulness - though she's later convinced to be okay with it because he only keeps falling for ''her'' personalities. However, in later episodes – "The Stingers Hit Town, Part 1" or "The Day The Music Died", for example – Jem kisses Riot and even disappears with him. Twice!
366* UniverseBible: There is, in fact, a "Jem Bible" that Christy Marx used to distribute to fans until a copyright complaint stopped her. Excerpts from it were included on the first DVD release.
367* UnlimitedWardrobe: This ''is'' a MerchandiseDriven show, after all, though many characters have "trademark" outfits they wear regularly. By the third season, it's actually pretty rare to spot the Misfits or Holograms wearing their usual getups they wore all the time in the first season. The only character seen wearing the same thing virtually the entire time is Eric Raymond.
368* UnnamedParent: Averted except with Riot's dad and Video's mother. Despite being a major character in "Riot's Hope", Riot's father is never named. His mother is named "Mildred" despite having less scenes.
369* VerySpecialEpisode: More than a few. While one of them featured a LongLostUncleAesop, there were notably a few episodes like this that used one of the main characters instead.
370* VillainessesWantHeroes: Inverted with Riot trying to seduce Jem. Played straight when Minx doggedly pursues Rio.
371* VillainExclusivityClause:
372** Eric Raymond as the BigBad.
373** The Misfits are not really evil per se, but are always causing havok with their reckless behavior.
374* VillainSong:
375** Most of the songs the Misfits sing can be considered this, as they're usually inflating Pizzazz's ego, such as ''I Am A Giant'', ''Universal Appeal'', or ''Designing Woman'', or about her being...well, her, such as ''I Love A Scandal''. ''Makin' Mischief'' as well, since it seems to be the Misfits' purpose in life, and its instrumental chorus plays (along with "Outta My Way", and "Winning is Everything") whenever there's something bad about to happen. ''I Am A Giant'' can be taken as a female empowerment song (in spite of the video) and ''I'm Gonna Change'' and ''It Takes A Lot'' outright avoid the usual cliche of singing about how great they are.
376** ''Mind Games'' for the Stingers, as it's essentially "ManipulativeBastard: The Song".
377* VitriolicBestBuds: The Misfits can be seen this way. They may act like jerks to one another (or in Stormer's case, act like jerks to her), but whenever a member leaves, the band isn't able to function properly. Their skills complement one another, as evidenced when Stormer and Roxy left the group at certain points. Although how they came back differed greatly:
378** Roxy left because Pizzazz and Jetta made fun of her, and they only reason she came back was because Eric reminded her that she was under contract.
379** Stormer left because she was tired of the others' never taking her thoughts into consideration. She's probably under contract with them as well, but the reason Eric hadn't brought this up was because she signed another contract with Kimber to produce an album. He was hoping the two wouldn't come through on their end of the bargain, and he would be able to acquire a share of Starlight Music. When the album came out and was a hit, the Misfits finally admitted that they needed Stormer without trying to bribe her. She agreed to come back, on the condition that they remember she is an equal member of the group and her thoughts would be taken into better consideration.
380** The other Misfits were all shocked that Pizzazz chose being with Riot over them, and all showed concern when they realized Rapture was screwing her over.
381* WeWillNotUseStageMakeUpInTheFuture: Jem's make-up and wardrobe is holographically projected onto her by Synergy.
382* WhileYouWereInDiapers: One episode invokes this trope with Bobby Bailey's criticism of Jem and the Holograms' version of a song he did back in the TheFifties. He told Kimber he did it while her father was in diapers.
383* WouldHitAGirl: Eric Raymond is so sore over losing Starlight Music, he ''hits Jerrica in the face'', as if he didn't KickTheDog enough for someone who's supposed to be in the public eye. Understandably, Rio wasn't having any of it.
384* WouldHurtAChild: When Eric decides to hold Ashley hostage, he gets a call and has to leave for an appointment so he leaves her in the care of the Misfits much to their chagrin. She tries to run, but the Misfits chase her down, tie her up and stuff her in a trunk before locking it. She begs Stormer for help , but the other misfits call Stormer soft so she leaves Ashley in the trunk and the three of them exit the room to tune their instruments for the concert. Made worse by the fact that the trunk was apparently trash scheduled to be destroyed. Rio saves her seconds before she gets crushed. (Whether the Misfits knew that the trunk would be crushed is debatable though.)
385* WreathedInFlames: Jem has Synergy project a hologram of fire around the Rockin' Roadster in order to scare away a gang of goons accosting them in the episode "In Search of the Stolen Album".
386* YouJustRuinedTheShot: Jem and the Holograms keep running into film sets for the video of "Show Me The Way", chased all the while by an irate director. This happens because The Misfits switched around their instructions for which set to go to while filming the Starbright movie.
387----
388->''"Show's Over, Synergy"''

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