Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
213,951
edits
m (trope=>work) |
No edit summary |
||
(17 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{work|wppage=Cops (TV program)}}
[[File:Logo of Cops (TV series).png|thumb|400px]]
{{quote|''[[Real Song Theme Tune|Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do?]]''}}
''COPS''
The basic premise
''COPS''
It's been parodied more than a few times, but you can't argue with success
There have been disagreements between police departments and production companies, especially when it comes to the "right to privacy" provisions of US (and Canadian) law; film and television crews
Eventually, it was decided, in consultation with the producers of ''COPS'', that the individual's right to privacy should be respected, and that the faces, license-plates, and addresses of those featured on the show must be obscured in post
Two studies carried out in 2004 indicated that the show was skewed toward showing white people as police or non-violent criminals, while black and Hispanic people were shown as violent criminals more often than they are in Real Life. It wasn't until 2020 that this became an issue to the broadcasters, when a black man was killed by police one week before the 2020 season of the show was scheduled to begin. The show was pulled from the schedule, and cancelled two weeks later.
Not be confused with the animated series ''[[COPS (Animation)|COPS]]''.▼
{{tropelist}}
* [[Blatant Lies]]: Yes, ''of course'' the police can't tell you are drunk.
** Similarly, the opening of any prostitution sting will begin with "Are you a cop?" "''No.''" (This often works to a police officer's advantage: There's a common urban legend that a police officer is required to tell you that he's a cop if asked. Patently untrue, given that undercover police work is a thing that exists.)
Line 24 ⟶ 27:
* [[Evil Is Cool]]: Subverted in-universe. Most of the criminals are not-very-bright losers.
* [[Fair Cop]]: Sometimes yes, sometimes no. There's a lot of criteria for who gets filmed, such as service record, camera presence, and yes, appearance. Most of the cops are at least average looking, with a few particularly handsome/beautiful specimens.
* [[Idiot Ball]]: Running from the police, especially for something petty. Once there was a clip that involved a man calling the cops because someone had stolen his marijuana.
* [[Long Runners]]: ''COPS''
* [[Multi National Shows]]: Not shows per se, but episodes; the show has shot specials in Hong Kong, [[London Town|London]], and [[The New Russia|the former Soviet Union]].
* [[Once an Episode]]: Usually, segments will end in an arrest (even for ones where the segment was actually focusing on something small - usually, due to being overdue to a court hearing or a related crime on record, or because someone did something stupid like lie to a cop). If it doesn't end in an arrest, it's usually because someone was shot or injured and the suspect already fled the scene.
** Any time there is a domestic disturbance call, you can almost guarantee it will involve a man who is not wearing a shirt.
* [[Opening Narration]]: "''COPS'' is filmed on location with the men and women of law enforcement. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law."
* [[Pixellation]]: Used to protect the identities of people who don't sign waivers (In return, the people left unblurred get a small performer's fee. If the editors have to do a lot of blurring, the clip has to be really good), as well as for the usual censorship purposes.
* [[Reality Show]]: One of the early examples; FOX picked the series up because of the writer's strike of 1988. No script meant no need for professional writers.
* [[Real Song Theme Tune]]: "Bad Boys" by Inner Circle. The song was initially recorded and released in 1987, two years before ''Cops''
* [[Sound Effect Bleep]]: People tend to swear while being arrested. Also, whenever a name is mentioned, the last name is muted.
* [[Too Hot for TV]]: One of the earliest examples.
* [[Unbuilt Trope]]: By the time the term "[[Reality TV]]" was invented and became a popular genre, this show was already considered a [[Long Runner]].
== Comic Books ==
* ''[[The Simpsons]]'' had a version following Springfield PD, changing the theme tune to "Bad cops, bad cops..."▼
* ''[[Transmetropolitan]]'' gives us ''CPD Live''. "Today, another deadly, spine-tingling mission for the girls and boys in [[The Future Is Noir|black]], the City Police Department!"▼
* One episode of ''[[The X Files]]'', "X-Cops", was [[Documentary Episode|filmed this way]] - the policemen the camera crew were following became involved in Mulder and Scully's latest case.▼
* ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bocmVZXXY8w TROOPS]'': a camera crew follows a group of [[Star Wars|Imperial Stormtroopers]] as they keep the peace in an insignificant corner of the Dune Sea on Tatooine, dealing with Jawas, bounty hunters, or a couple whose boy has run off with that crazy hermit. ▼
== Film ==
* ''[[Shrek]] 2'' had something like this when the fairy tale characters are watching the magic mirror TV showing Shrek, Donkey, and Puss In Boots being arrested by knights during a pursuit. "You are watching ''Knights''".
* ''[[CSA: Confederate States of America]]'' had [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMSKAZObGxQ a fake commercial for "Runaway"], a parody of this show based around finding runaway slaves. Even its theme song sounds suspiciously like a version of ''[[Real Song Theme Tune|Bad Boys]]'' done by a bluegrass band instead of a reggae group.▼
* The film ''Dirty Cop, No Donut'' and its sequel, ''Dirty Cop 2: I Am a Pig''.▼
== Live-Action TV ==
▲* One episode of ''[[The X
* ''[[My Name Is Earl]]'' had two episodes of ''COPS'' based in their town.▼
* ''[[Reno 911!]]'' is a parody of this series.▼
== Video Games ==
* ''[[Saints Row]] 2'' has the FUZZ missions, where you dress up like an officer and go [[Police Brutality|assault people with blunt objects]].
** Noted in that it's a very obvious parody of the show and you are given the missions by an opportunistic TV producer.
▲* ''[[My Name Is Earl]]'' had two episodes of ''COPS'' based in their town.
== Web Original ==
▲* ''[[Reno 911]]'' is a parody of this series.
▲* ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bocmVZXXY8w TROOPS]'': a camera crew follows a group of [[Star Wars|Imperial Stormtroopers]] as they keep the peace in an insignificant corner of the Dune Sea on Tatooine, dealing with Jawas, bounty hunters, or a couple whose boy has run off with that crazy hermit.
▲* ''[[CSA Confederate States of America]]'' had [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMSKAZObGxQ a fake commercial for "Runaway"], a parody of this show based around finding runaway slaves. Even its theme song sounds suspiciously like a version of ''[[Real Song Theme Tune|Bad Boys]]'' done by a bluegrass band instead of a reggae group.
▲* The film ''Dirty Cop, No Donut'' and its sequel, ''Dirty Cop 2: I Am a Pig''.
== Western Animation ==
▲* ''[[Transmetropolitan]]'' gives us ''CPD Live''. "Today, another deadly, spine-tingling mission for the girls and boys in [[The Future Is Noir|black]], the City Police Department!"
▲* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' had a version following Springfield PD, changing the theme tune to "Bad cops, bad cops..."
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Reality TV]]
[[Category:Nonfiction Series]]
[[Category:American Series]]
[[Category:
|