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The tropers responsible for the misuse are Tropers/movie007 (created the Lucy and Sanford pages) and garrisonskunk (added the All in the Family example), but all of the additions were made back in 2012. Maybe the trope wasn't as clear on its definition then?
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.I took a look at the page as it was in 2012, and the basic definition seems to be the same. The page was also apparently created in 2006, so having an unclear definition is probably not the problem.
Bumping. I'm still curious about this.
Here's your explanation: they hadn't read the trope page and didn't know what the trope actually meant. That's a known phenomenon.
I seriously doubt that there's any deeper meaning to it. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best one.
I found this on All in the Family:
- 20 Minutes into the Future: In one 1978 episode, Archie correctly names the next President as he yells after Mike "...and you're getting Reagan in '80!"
noteAnd this on Sanford and Son:
And this on I Love Lucy:
Last time I checked, 20 Minutes into the Future is for works that are set a few years into the future (i.e. after the work was made). These read more like examples of Hilarious in Hindsight if they were anything at all. And all of these shows were pretty much set in the "present day", with nothing indicating they were set in the future. Is there any explanation for this?