Stealing lines from TV shows
By burrito88
@burrito88 (2774)
United States
March 8, 2013 11:28am CST
A few minutes ago, I saw and ad for a new TV show. I didn't pay attention enough to know if it's going to be a news type show or a reality show but my ears perked up at the end when the host said "I love it when a plan comes together", which is a line taken from the A-Team.
There there is a series of silly (no stupid) commercials for canned soup. In one of those, the woman in talking on the phone to a cook at the soup company and claims she told her mother-in-law that the soup was homemade, now her mother wants the recipe. Just as she's done saying that she says She's standing right behind me isn't she?" which is a line taken from NCIS. (It was also used by my local cable company for an ad promoting their phone ID system.)
Stealing lines like that is I guess supposed to be cute but to me over time as with the soup commercials (which I said before are mostly stupid), it gets to be annoying.
Have you noticed when ads or shows steal lines from older shows? How do you feel about it?
6 responses
@burrito88 (2774)
• United States
10 Mar 13
Perhaps, but it has been used by almost every character on NCIS at least one time except Gibbs.
1 person likes this
@Raine38 (12343)
• United States
8 Mar 13
I know that soup commercial. And I hope they have been a bit more original. I mean, aren't they suppose to be paying their creative team or marketing staffs to come up with some unique way to promote their products? Well, there is this commercial in our local TV about the services of a certain bank and how they can help people to get good deals on mortgages and they tell that they are like detectives in figuring out even the things that the realtor won't say. And they have one of their men go around acting like Monk, that detective in the show with the same name. And he goes around doing things that Monk does since he is obsessive compulsive (aligning picture frames that are on the wall, having wipes ready, etc). I don't like that!
@burrito88 (2774)
• United States
8 Mar 13
Monk was one of my favorite shows so I'd probably hate the commercial. I am surprised that the bank has not gotten any complaints from the local real estate board for defaming Realtors. Since real estate agents are licensed by the state, they have to be ethical and also usually have to take continuing education to maintain their licenses.
@mrswhitfield (2044)
• Indonesia
12 Mar 13
Sometimes I hear the samething, some shows or movie or TV series quoting a line from another show. I don't know if it called stealing or quoting, but I think there is nothing wrong with that.
@Otanetix (508)
• United States
9 Mar 13
I guess every so often we will encounter other shows, commercials, or movies using lines from other media. However, we live in a culture where media does a lot of things to appeal to us. Using familiar lines is a tactic that has been used a lot of times. It's how our cultures progresses. It's like looking at memes. Memes become viral and often become overused on various ways.
@burrito88 (2774)
• United States
10 Mar 13
One of the most famous lines quoted from a movie is a line that was never uttered in the movie. The line if from Casablanca where Rick is quoted as saying "Ply it again, Sam", while the correct line is "Play it, Sam". Of course one of the other famous lines is "This could be the start of a beautiful friendship" and then there is also "Of a the gin joints in the world etc."
@Laurenlynn (715)
• Canada
8 Mar 13
Hi burrito, I have not seen this at all but you have brought it to my attention that now I am sure I will be seeing all kinds. I must say you are very observant..
@cherigucchi (14876)
• Philippines
10 Mar 13
I admire that kind of sensitivity. I also notice that kind of stuff. I do really get annoyed by it especially when you knew exactly where it came from. I guess they just could not think of anything more to say...same thing the way other singers revive songs from the past, (but thats a different kind of story.)
@burrito88 (2774)
• United States
10 Mar 13
Redoing or covering songs is another can of worms. Sometimes it works. To me one song that didn't work was when Rod Stewart recorded his version of Free's "All Right Now". What made Free's version such a great rock song was the guitar lines and Stewart trial to make the song about the vocals. To me it didn't work.
