The Strangerhood

A series made by Rooster Teeth (who also made Red vs. Blue) using The Sims 2 about eight assorted stereotypes who wake up in a strange neighbourhood with no memory of how they got there. As they attempt to adjust to their new setting and figure out what's going on, they end up parodying a number of popular TV series.


 * Sam is the Only Sane Man who tries to sort out what's wrong with the world. Ignored by everyone except Wade, who's too dense to care.
 * Wade is a party animal/NewAgeRetroHippie who sticks around Sam, often invading his personal space. He's convinced his name is "Durnt", and later becomes a police officer, and the star of his own show: WSI: Cleveland.
 * Chalmers is only interested in his own goals and doesn't care for everyone elses'. He's a kleptomaniac and will immediately deny stealing refrigerators (even though nobody asks or cares). He's convinced the Strangerhood is Cleveland though some clever reasoning.
 * Catherine is a self-absorbed gold digger, she only cares about herself and Dutchmiller, whom she later decides is her husband given how nicely he is dressed the first time they meet.
 * Nikki only appears in a few episodes before being killed off. Her murder is the subject of most of the series.
 * Dutchmiller is easily excitable, making him a perfect talk show host later in the series. He learns that he's married to Catherine, and gets her pregnant. He also becomes a prosecutor in the case of Nikki's death.
 * Tovar is the strange foreigner whose idiocy causes him to burn off his "mustachio". He's scared of things he doesn't understand, and blames Sam for things he's blatantly done. It's later revealed that he has a Literal Split Personality.
 * Griggs is the tough guy who prefers to keep to himself. He enjoys spending time with his garden gnome and punching stuff. He's set up as the prime suspect in Nikki's death.

This series provides examples of:

"Wade: "I think the sky is broken, or maybe just the telescope.""
 * Alien Sky: Stars are arranged into strange constellations.

"Dutchmiller: "Do you hear that?"
 * All Just a Dream: During the Where Are They Now? Epilogue, it is mentioned that Sam (who was shown waking up on his couch after being sent home) still wonders if it was all a dream. "It was. Probably."
 * Ambulance Chaser:

Griggs: "Yeah, sounds like an ambulance."

Dutchmiller: "Fantastic! Come on Tovar, let's go chase it!""

"Dr. Chalmers: I keep telling you, jaywalking is not a felony.
 * Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: When Wade tries to get Sam and Chalmers to commit felonies so he can police them.

Sam: Well it should be!

Dr. Chalmers: I agree."

"Wade: "Oh no, dude! Where are my marshmellows when I need them?""
 * Big Ball of Violence: Between Griggs's good angel and evil angel
 * Brick Joke: Why does Wade insist that his name is Durnt?
 * Chroma Key: Used for the scene in Grigg's car, done in-game.
 * Chocolate Baby: Dutchmiller and Catherine's kid.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Nearly everyone, Dutchmiller, Wade and Tovar especially
 * Companion Cube: Griggs's garden gnome.
 * Cool and Unusual Punishment: Tover is sentenced to community service, where his job is to lick envelopes as well something involving "an industrial size plunger and a truckload of ball bearings."
 * Crowning Moment of Funny: "Wade became the most popular president ever elected... ."
 * Also, this line from episode 4 when the stove catches fire, especially in the tone of voice he delivers the line in:

""Things aren't always what they seem. Especially when they seem like what they are."
 * Deconstruction: Reality shows, American Idol, CSI, late-night talk shows, Law and Order.
 * With a splash of Affectionate Parody.
 * Deliberately Monochrome: The WSI episode, which is Lampshaded.
 * The Ditz: Tovar. Justified because he is the pure moron part of the original Tovar.
 * Early Bird Cameo: During the scene in episode 6 where everyone is on the phone, we briefly see both Tovar and Evil Tovar in the same room.
 * Embarrassing Tattoo: Griggs has a tattoo of a cat riding a surfboard, done by Wade.
 * Evil Laugh: "Phase Four, also known as Phase Laughing Maniacally For No Good Reason. Ha ha ha, ha ha-no wait, I should save it."
 * Evil Twin: Evil Tovar, also called Tobar in one episode.
 * Funny Foreigner: Tovar
 * Flashback Effects: "Don't fight the waves, man!"
 * Good Angel, Bad Angel: Griggs deals with this...and everyone else's Good Angels.
 * Grumpy Old Man: Chalmers
 * He's Dead, Jim: Everyone assumes Nikki is dead, without even checking. Turns out she's Not Quite Dead.
 * I Choose to Stay: Dutchmiller decides to stay with Catherine instead of going home.
 * Ice Cream Koan: Nikki spouts several while narrating episode 6.

"Sometimes the out of place is in exactly the place it should be"

"Here in strangerhood lane, everybody has secrets. Some secrets are so secret that no one even knows they're secrets. And others are the kind of secrets you know you know even if you don't know what you know what you need to know"

"Even in the most desperate times, desperate measures can seem reasonable. And unreasonable people get desperate for time... What am I talking about?""

"Griggs: I'm not paying child support!"
 * Inner Monologue: Catherine, who's inner monologue is rather loud.
 * Insane Troll Logic: Chalmers' reasoning why the Strangerhood is in Cleveland
 * I Remember Because: Catherine remembers her marriage to Dutchmiller because of her tiara.
 * It Is Pronounced Tro PAY: Nikki's name is pronounced "Nik-KAY"
 * It Was a Dark And Stormy Night: How Wade's noir-esque narration begins in Episode 9. He randomly uses it again during Dr. Chalmers' opening narration in Episode 13.
 * Keet: Dutchmiller
 * Laugh Track: Used in early episodes to show there's No Fourth Wall, but quickly dropped.
 * Laser-Guided Amnesia
 * Literal Split Personality: Tovar, who was separated into two people, one who was pure evil and one who was pure moron.
 * Luke, You Are My Father: When Nikki returns, she reveals that she discovered that Griggs is her father.

""Look, if I'm being honest, and I'm not trying to be mean here, but that was like being shot in the face with a bazooka, only the bazooka was loaded with the worst vocal performance ever, and the face was not my whole face, but just my ears. Also, I hate you, and I want your whole family to die, and anyone who disagrees with me is stupid. And you have no talent.""
 * The Mole: Catherine, in a scheme involving her tiara and Griggs's garden gnome.
 * My Name Is Not Durwood: Wade sometimes claims that his name is "Durnt". So... Inverted trope?
 * Dutchmiller can't get Catherine's name right.
 * New Age Retro Hippie: Wade
 * Noodle Implements: "We're going to need an industrial-sized plunger and a truckload of ball bearings."
 * Only Sane Man: Sam
 * "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Sam delivers one to Wade in one of Wade's flashback.


 * Show Within a Show: The Much Later Tonight And/Or Sometimes Early Tomorrow Morning Show.
 * Slip Into Something More Comfortable: Dutchmiller doesn't quite get it, and wears a short-sleeve business suit.
 * Short Distance Phone Call: In episode 6.
 * The Stoner: Wade
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: Chalmers, being a kleptomaniac, denies stealing things without being asked about them.
 * Tonight Someone Dies: It turns out to be a fish that nobody paid attention to.
 * Unlimited Wardrobe: While chasing Tovar, Nikki changes outfits when they change location.
 * Wanted Poster: Wanted: Griggs, For punching stuff and excessive grumpiness. AKA Gruggs, Facepaint Jones, Ole Punchy, Camopants Kidd.
 * Where Are They Now? Epilogue
 * Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?: Dutchmiller runs through more professions on the show than the others.
 * You Keep Using That Word: Sequestered
 * Apathetic as well