Line #20 YMMV/StayTuned


1	* {{Anvilicious}}: The movie could be taken as "Cable/Satellite TV is worse than the 'Big 4'", or that Television in general is the work of the devil. Probably meant to be {{an Aesop}}.
2	** Or just simply "Don't watch too much TV".
3	** Considering Roy's job change at the end to something more active and fulfilling, it's probably along the lines of "Don't sit on your butt and let life pass you by... by watching too much TV."
4	* CrossesTheLineTwice: "Driving Over Miss Daisy" scene. Normally, one probably wouldn't find much humor in watching a kindly old lady get sadistically run over multiple times, if not, for the film's BlackComedy, the darkly twisted parodying, and Jeffrey Jones' LargeHam act.
5	* CultClassic: The film has gained a major cult following in the decades since its initial release, beginning primarily after lead actor Creator/JohnRitter's death in 2003.
6	* HarsherInHindsight:
7	** During the end credits, one of the TV show titles is a parody of ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'', called ''David Dukes of Hazzard''.[[note]]For those not in the know, David Duke is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duke a politician, white supremacist, and former member of the Ku Klux Klan]].[[/note]] With the Confederate flag now far more controversial than it was in TheNineties, this title takes on a whole new meaning. However, Duke was shot down as a Presidential candidate precisely because of his KKK background, so it was intentional.
8	** While in the cartoon segment, as Robo-Cat attempts to shoot at him, Roy breaks the fourth wall and remarks, "My doctor was right. Donuts ''will'' be the death of me." Eleven years after this film's release, Creator/JohnRitter would die from an aortic dissection.
9	* HilariousInHindsight:
10	** When the movie was released, the TV parodies were hilariously graphic and disturbing for its time. Fast-forward to now and watch some of the late night programming on [[WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce Cartoon]] [[WesternAnimation/RobotChicken Network]] or [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark Comedy]] [[WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether Central]], or anything on Creator/{{HBO}}, Creator/{{Showtime}}, Creator/{{AMC}}, Creator/{{FX\|Networks}}, or Creator/{{Netflix}}... and the TV parodies actually look pretty tame in comparison, given that the film is only rated PG.
11	** The plot in which the people who died in the TV died in the real life brings ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'' to mind.
12	** During the cartoon segment, Helen as a mouse wears high-heeled sneakers, which she laments makes "strange" too lacking of a word to describe. As of Fall 2011, high-heeled sneakers actually exist.
13	** This film wouldn't be the last time Creator/JeffreyJones portrays a character who works for the Devil, as he would [[Film/TheDevilsAdvocate do it again five years later]].
14	** Creator/JohnRitter and Creator/DavidTom would later play father and son again in the 1999 made-for-TV movie, ''Holy Joe''.
15	** In this film, Creator/EugeneLevy plays a character who works for the Devil. [[Film/DownToEarth2001 Nine years later]], he would play a character that works for the other side.
16	** The brief mention of ''Autopsies of the Rich and Famous'' became this after Reelz started airing ''Autopsy: The Last Hours Of...'' which has a medical examiner look over the autopsy reports of deceased celebrities.
17	* JustHereForGodzilla: Some folks mainly watch this film for the Creator/ChuckJones animated sequence, which was one of his last works.
18	* NightmareFuel: [[NightmareFuel/StayTuned Now has its own page.]]
19	* PopularWithFurries: Helen in her mouse form, to the point where most fan art based on the movie tend to feature her exclusively.
20	* RetroactiveRecognition: Erik King, who would go on to be best known for his role as Sgt. Doakes in ''Series/{{Dexter}}'', plays the intern Pierce in this movie.
21	* SignatureScene: Arguably, the animated segment. To the point where more critical reviews of this movie consider this scene to be the best part of the whole movie. Having Creator/ChuckJones involved certainly doesn't hurt it.
22	* SpecialEffectFailure: When Darryl is about to be sucked into the dish, a [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1041_60.PNG pair of hands]] can be seen lifting him up in the air.
23	* SpiritualAdaptation: This film gives off a vibe that it was produced by Creator/StevenSpielberg, even though it wasn't, with the animated segment directed by Creator/ChuckJones echoing Spielberg's collaborations with Tom Ruegger on ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' (whose theme and some episodes' music was done by Bruce Broughton, who also scored music for this feature), ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}''. It's probably further helped by the fact the film's director Creator/PeterHyams actually worked with Spielberg before when he directed an episode titled "The Amazing Falsworth" for Spielberg's show ''Series/AmazingStories''. In this vein, it feels a lot like another Spielberg movie, ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'', which was also a BlackComedy like this film.
24	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Some of the more critical reviews of this film, particularly this [[https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/why-stay-tuned-is-a-dated-artifact-of-1990s-comedy-done-wrong/ editorial of it]] on Website/RottenTomatoes criticizes it for squandering its potential as a satire.
25	* UnintentionalPeriodPiece:
26	** The HTV segment is only the most blatant example. Combined with some severe TechnologyMarchesOn... remember when a satellite dish the size of a hot tub and a remote control the size of a bar of cooking chocolate were the bleeding edge? ... No? Darn whippersnappers.
27	** The TV that Roy gets from Hell Vision is considered huge in the film, and it was considered huge at the time. Now compare it to what you have standing in your living-room today.
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Context YMMV / StayTuned