Robson Arms

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Robson Arms (2005-2008) is a Canadian dramedy that aired for three seasons on CTV. The series is structured as an anthology with recurring characters, as the network thought this would appeal to a wider audience than a straight anthology. Each episode focuses on one or a small handful of residents of the titular apartment building, particularly their sex lives and other wacky hijinks.


Tropes used in Robson Arms include:


  • Adorkable: Fred. When he isn't a Woobie. Also, appropriately enough, his wife Alicia.
  • Distinguishing Mark: How Bobbi realizes that Bobby, Jr. is Yuri's son.
  • Geeky Turn On: Fred is first attracted to Alicia when he finds out she watches Battlestar Galactica.
  • Loads and Loads of Characters: IMDb lists over 40 recurring characters, most of whom appear in 10 or fewer of the series' 39 episodes. Aside from the Troubadors (who appear in every episode but aren't characters, strictly speaking) and Yuri (who, as the apartment manager, has a bit part in most of the episodes that aren't about him), even the main characters only show up in a third to half of the episodes.
  • May-December Romance: Stanley and Geoff.
  • Mood Whiplash: Being the Dramedy that it is, the settings and dialogues can constantly shift between Comedic and Dramatic.
  • Narrator: The Troubadors.
  • Nobody Over 50 Is Gay: Averted with Stanley.
  • No Name Given: The two musicians are credited as "The Tall Troubador" and "The Not As Tall Troubador."
  • One Steve Limit: Averted by the married couple Bobby and Bobbi.
  • Snowball Lie: Sault's lie about having cancer.
  • Your Cheating Heart: Bobbi cheats on her husband when she believes he's having an affair. Later, he actually does have one.