My next project is a British cop show Parody called CID: Coppers in Disguise

Rather than Merits and Flaws I thought I'd give each Character a number of cliches. Each Cliche grants a Pro and a Con. Characters with a lot of Cliches are powerful but they have a lot of weak spots too.

So what are your favourite cop show Cliches? I have quite a few in mind but I wanted to hear what others thought would fit.

The only British cop show I have seen is the thin blue line, so dont know how apt these are (are you strictly parodying british shows? What about movies or american and canadian programs?):

The first cliche that leaps to mind is the anal retentive "by the book" character. This guy is usually balanced out by the laid back spirit of the ovèr letter of the law type.

The stressed out and shouting police chief is another.

The guy who loves police work a little too much (who enforces laws a little too aggressively) also comes to mind.

The cynical and witty detective is another

The black sheep brother (or father, or son, or...) who turns up and expects the cop family member to help him out/cover for him.

The cop with a habit, be it gambling, drinkring, drugs, and all the trouble that comes with it.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;469584The only British cop show I have seen is the thin blue line, so dont know how apt these are (are you strictly parodying british shows? What about movies or american and canadian programs?):

The first cliche that leaps to mind is the anal retentive "by the book" character. This guy is usually balanced out by the laid back spirit of the ovèr letter of the law type.

The stressed out and shouting police chief is another.

The guy who loves police work a little too much (who enforces laws a little too aggressively) also comes to mind.

The cynical and witty detective is another

I'm writing what I know so that'll be British Modern Cop Shows. Inspiration includes Taggart, Luther, Midsomer Murders, The Last Detective, A Touch of Frost, Daziel and Pascoe, Morse/Lewis and Waking the Dead.

The Appendix will give rules on non-cop detective shows like Judge John Deed, Silent Witness, Pie in the Sky and New Tricks

No sense of humour would be a good one for a cop who takes things abit to seriously(even jokes about the police) and tends to file alot of pointless arrests because of this cliche.
Vain is another for that cop who thinks he's gods gift to the universe.
"back in my day" the cliche for the older cop who's abit behind the times where procedure is concerned.

Quote from: Ian Warner;469600I'm writing what I know so that'll be British Modern Cop Shows. Inspiration includes Taggart, Luther, Midsomer Murders, The Last Detective, A Touch of Frost, Daziel and Pascoe, Morse/Lewis and Waking the Dead.

The Appendix will give rules on non-cop detective shows like Judge John Deed, Silent Witness, Pie in the Sky and New Tricks

I don't believe I know any of those shows. Will have to keep an eye out for them on BBC America.

i think some will also be available via netflicks and hulu if ou check those aswell.

Just a brief blurb to give you a flavour...

Waking the Dead: Imagine CSI but British with the detectives (if not the show) having 10x the budget, focusing on cold cases and casually commiting serious crimes every episode.

Morse/Lewis: Morse was a hard drinking genius who's bad habbits evenutally caught up with him. His no nonsense Northern Sergeant Lewis subsequently got a spin off.

Daziel and Pascoe: Hard, overweight, dinosaur DSI Andy Daziel is teamed up with slim, sensitive but angsty DCI Peter Pascoe. Very Northern so I wouldn't be surprised if the American release had subtitles.

A Touch of Frost: DI Frost a damaged old cockney close to retirment stumbles through horrific crimes and struggles to keep his humanity.

The Last Detective: "Dangerous" Davies is unobtrusive and mild mannered but he is a brilliant detective and 100% honest which is more than can be said of his superiors.

Midsomer Murders: The original premise was quite cool. A small collection of pretty english country villages constantly harrassed by serial killers. It has long since descended into self parody but it's still a good laugh. Someone ran the numbers and estimated that if Midsomer was a real place a full third of it's population have been murdered giving it a higher murder rate than bits of Mexico!

Taggart: Gritty Glaswegian drama. I wouldn't blame American audiences for switching on the subtitles because fuck's sake I need them sometimes

Luther: Probably the most innovative cop show on British Television. It's never whodunnit but will Luther catch them before they kill again. The central theme is batshit insanity on all sides of the law. Idris Elba's Luther being highly unstable and terribly damaged. He has a stalker called Alice (Ruth Wilson) who is incredibly creepy and sexy at the same time.

I am not familiar with any of the British police shows you're looking at.

At least in US police shows, a few more are:

The Internal Affairs bulldog with a recurring grudge against the honest cop.

The gangster who's untouchable in court due to witness intimidation/murder.

Needing to find new evidence after the partisan judge suppresses some of what you have.

Being rushed to prevent a crime or find a hostage when a convicted criminal holds out information demanding an unreasonable deal.

I think those have turned up in British shows too.

Keep em coming

The best detective is usually the most distinctive one.  

Partners are more important than The Law

Dirty Cops need to be punished, even if they are your partner.

Everyone has at least one good visual difference so you can tell everyone apart. (Everyone has a strong cliches that stands out).

Crimes are solved in the first 48 hours, or seldom solved at all.

EVeryone has a past.

Nobody understands cops except other cops (explaining the failed marriage rate)

The Cop Bar/Pub.

The classier the bad guy, the less likely you are to catch him and keep him.

Interesting set. I may have them covered but I'll double check when I'm more awake.

Thanks everyone you are credited.

The old cop who is getting ready to retire will get killed and make all the other cops pissed off to find the bad guy. His death may provide the clue or evidence they need.

Forensics are easy, and can be done in a day or two.

The rookie cop will supply the donuts and guard the perimeter. He may ask a really dumb question that will solve the crime, because  the vets didn't think of it.

A cop that bends the law but is determined to deliver justice will be successful.

There is a uniquely american cop cliche which we don't have which is that every female cop in america since cagney and lacey could have been (oe sometimes were ) a supermodel or showgirl.

Aside from that if you are doing a parody game you can't not include the sweeney. Birds, booze and shooters.

Oh and surely you need special parody plot twists. You have 24 hours to solve the case or you're finished, this time it's personal, good cop bad cop, etc

Cliches were at the heart of my 1980s Miami Vice parody Vice Squad: Miami Nights. Pm me Ian and I'll send you a copy.

Pete