Cliche No. 4: Homelessness

We would never laugh at the homeless. But we would totally laugh at TV characters learning a valuable lesson during the one episode all year where they encounter a homeless person.<br> <br> Two standouts of this cliche include <b>"My So-Called Life,"</b> for actually giving the homeless problem to a main character and thereby somewhat thwarting the cliche (but then we take away their brownie points for the weird cameo by <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="PECLB002270" title="Juliana Hatfield" href="/topic/entertainment/music/juliana-hatfield-PECLB002270.topic">Juliana Hatfield</a>), and <b><a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="ENTTV000000115668" title="Monk (tv program)" href="/topic/entertainment/television/monk-%28tv-program%29-ENTTV000000115668.topic">"Monk,"</a></b> for doing homelessness with humor.<br> <br> <b>Other offenders:</b> "Frasier, "Growing Pains," "Laverne & Shirley," "Saved by the Bell," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"

( ABC, USA )

We would never laugh at the homeless. But we would totally laugh at TV characters learning a valuable lesson during the one episode all year where they encounter a homeless person.

Two standouts of this cliche include "My So-Called Life," for actually giving the homeless problem to a main character and thereby somewhat thwarting the cliche (but then we take away their brownie points for the weird cameo by Juliana Hatfield), and "Monk," for doing homelessness with humor.

Other offenders: "Frasier, "Growing Pains," "Laverne & Shirley," "Saved by the Bell," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"

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