Getting Inspiration from TV...And What Not To Copy

I usually prefer to write without distraction but having said that, I do possess the ability to tune out if I need to. This knack comes from having once worked in an AV Company's service department. They were great lads, and I loved it, but believe me, there are times when you want to tune out from nine engineers (no offence, chaps!).

But back to my point, when I'm not writing but am doing something vaguely related (I like to think...), I am happy for some background diversion. One of these is the 'alibi' channel. It tends to show crime dramas, light and dark. Having had it on at times during the past couple of days, one forensic based show has caught my eye. The storylines are fine..as much as I've followed them, but the one thing that has caught my ear, if not my eye, is the amount of cliches in the script.

This is a glossy, American show and I'm hearing lines that would make many a writer go 'Eew!'. Me included. It has just amazed me that something that's clearly had plenty of money thrown at it, is brought down by some hackneyed dialogue. It just jars. And if it jars with me, how come it didn't sound trite, and naff to the team of writers?

In real life, people do use cliches, and we don't tend to think too much about it, but when a character on screen or on the page starts talking in them, unless it's a defining trait of theirs, it throws us out of the story, and whoops! there goes our suspension of disbelief.

There are certain programmes and films I would love to have written because the writing is great, but this particular one...hmm, I don't think so.