History Main / SpeechCentricWork

* ''Series/GilmoreGirls''. Many scenes on this relationship-focused show were just characters discussing things that have happened/may happen at another point in the episode/season. Not only were these conversations frequent, they were relentlessly fast-paced and quirky (earning the show comparisons to Aaron Sorkin, above), a style parodied in this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgb7DcP6k30 MAD TV sketch.]] Infamously, the size of the show's scripts were usually ''twice the size'' of that of a regular 1 hour TV show both due to the amount of dialogue scenes as well as the fast-paced speech pattern of the main characters.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''Series/InTreatment'' is composed entirely of sessions between a therapist and his various patients.
* ''Series/TheTrip''. It's practically 100% conversations: at restaurants, in the car, on the phone, etc. There is also basically no plot - the only thing that happens is that Steve and his long-distance girlfriend end up breaking up, although they were already essentially broken up at the beginning of the series anyway.
* ''Series/GilmoreGirls''. Many scenes on this relationship-focused show were just characters discussing things that have happened/may happen at another point in the episode/season. Not only were these conversations frequent, they were relentlessly fast-paced and quirky (earning the show comparisons to Aaron Sorkin, above), a style parodied in this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgb7DcP6k30 MAD TV sketch.]] Infamously, the size of the show's scripts were usually ''twice the size'' of that of a regular 1 hour TV show both due to the amount of dialogue scenes as well as the fast-paced speech pattern of the main characters.
* In ''Series/TheSopranos'', Tony's sessions with his therapist are one of the pillars of the show; talking about his issues and concerns is both a valve of escape for him and an insight on Tony's backstory, soul and mental process. There is occasional violence, but most of the management and character exploration is done via personal meetings and face-to-face conversations.
* ''Dan & Becs'' features almost nothing but Dan and Becs making entries in their respective video diaries.

* ''Series/YesMinister'' is a satire on the British Political system, mostly showing the system as a WorldOfSnark.

* In Series/DoctorWho, [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E11HeavenSent Heaven Sent]] is basically one long Doctor speech, as he tries to find an explanation and an escape for the prison he is in. Even more impressive in that it still quite the WhamEpisode.

* ''Series/CarShare'' revolves around two people talking in a car on their way to and from work.

** ''Film/DeathProof'': Besides the two driving scenes, the film is almost entirely talking. This was intended as part of its pastiche of grindhouse films, which were often very talky due to low budgets.

[[caption-width-right:349: Could you say that again? I think my ears are bleeding.]]

See also all of the various {{Dialogue}} tropes. Closely related to TalkingHeads. See also CharacterFilibuster for when a single character talks for an extended period of time. Compare ScriptFic, LogFic and FeaturelessPlaneOfDisembodiedDialogue (a conversation taking place in an apparent vacuum), unusually dialogue-heavy sub-genres of FanFic. NarratingTheObvious and TalkingIsAFreeAction are examples of when too much dialogue break's a viewer's WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief. Works using this trope are particularly prone to {{Metafiction}}, especially ThePowerOfLanguage.

* ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'' is a light novel series that's already heavy on dialogue. This carries over to the anime adaptation, which can have entire episodes with nothing but dialogue, with visual focus split between the characters themselves and vaguely-related still shots. In fact, the show can fairly be described as a series of very pretty conversations. While other things do ''happen'', characters in conflict will nearly always settle it with words instead of violence - and even then, the winner isn't the one who decides the fight but the one who dominates the conversation.

Works like this tend to be based heavily around the SeinfeldianConversation. If the writer of the work turns to this trope because the writer in question finds they have a facility for writing witty, amusing dialogue, the work is likely to turn into a WorldOfSnark. Genres in which this trope is particularly common include the CourtroomDrama or SliceOfLife works.

Note that, as with all tropes, this is [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools not a bad thing]]. Works which place a premium on dialogue can often have a much more naturalistic vibe than works in which dialogue is secondary, and end up with better developed characters. On the other hand, when executed poorly these works can end up feeling slow and draggy. The more dialogue, the higher the probability of unintentionally silly situations like TalkingIsAFreeAction or NarratingTheObvious. In film, it's sometimes seen as a ''faux pas'' for the plot to be driven forward almost entirely by [[{{Expospeak}} spoken]] [[InfoDump exposition]] (as the page quote can attest)--see ShowDontTell. In visual media with text (such as comic books or webcomics), writers may run the risk of creating a WallOfText, as in the page image.

* Creator/RichardLinklater is particularly fond of this type of film, all inspired by ''Film/MyDinnerWithAndre'':
** ''Film/BeforeSunset'' and its sequels
** ''Film/{{Slacker}}''
** ''Film/WakingLife''
* ''Film/{{Locke}}'' is an hour and a half of Creator/{{Tom Hardy}} driving and talking to various people to try to manage his life from inside his car. It comes across as essentially a one-man play set on a motorway.

* ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'' is often compared to Planescape Torment (see below) in terms of sheer text, clocking in with over a million words which is more than Tolkein's Lord of the Ring trilogy combined, including The Hobbit. This is due to every interaction being handled in a dialogue box system and your 24 individual skills being your 'party members' all with a unique voice that becomes more prevalent the higher that skill. It's telling that people considered the fact that the update that added full voice acting for every line in the game was met with disbelief by the playerbase.

''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'' is often compared to Planescape Torment (see below) in terms of sheer text, clocking in with over a million words which is more than Tolkein's Lord of the Ring trilogy combined, including The Hobbit. This is due to every interaction being handled in a dialogue box system and your 24 individual skills being your 'party members' all with a unique voice that becomes more prevalent the higher that skill. It's telling that people considered the fact that the update that added full voice acting for every line in the game was met with disbelief by the playerbase.

* In its early seasons, ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' was, essentially, "People in armor stand around saying funny things to each other." Later seasons have ramped up the action ratio, though the series still relies more on dialogue to move things along than action.

* ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' mostly alternates between battle and speech (mostly the latter) episodes. And even the battle episodes tend to mostly be characters in universe reacting and talking about the military strategies being used.

* The ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'' conveys much of the plot and background through extensive conversations between the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters sprawling cast of characters both playable and not]], with extensive WorldBuilding through the standard RPG textboxes and portraits. It's fully possible to spend an hour of real time with characters talking about their friends, families, catching each other up on exactly what they've been doing, and if you're lucky, some plot. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools It's what gives the series its identity]]. That said, the series can occasionally surprise you with dynamic camerawork and moments of unusually smooth animation.

* ''Anime/DotHackSign'' became rather infamous for its heavy use of dialogue (there are episodes where ''literally'' nothing happens except characters meeting and talking about things) upon release. Fan prefer to think of it as a brilliant allegory of online communities in general. A common [[FanNickname affectionate nickname]] for the show is "Talk-Hack//SIGN."

* ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' is usually a particularly talky show, focusing more on the case of the week, the MythArc or what it means to have a [[TitleDrop Ghost in the Shell]] (including the SeasonFinale of the first season, though admittedly, it was more of a DenouementEpisode to the previous one's climax.) Note that much of the [[Franchise/GhostInTheShell franchise]] is pretty talky in general, with the [[Anime/GhostInTheShell movies]] being exceptions, and even then, the two are particularly packed with talk.

* Oscar-winning 1962 short "WesternAnimation/TheHole" consists entirely of two construction workers having an aimless conversation about random subjects like buying insurance or the danger of nuclear war.

* ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' relies on characters playing off of each other with absurd and witty dialogue as much as much as it does absurd situations, in part because of LimitedAnimation (much like ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' above).

''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' relies on characters playing off of each other with absurd and witty dialogue as much as much as it does absurd situations, in part because of LimitedAnimation (much like ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' above).