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TV and movie cop clichés

News
25 July 2022
The clichés that keep us hooked!
cop with donut

Your Sunday night movie Copshop has some hardcore cops and even harder action! Before you settle in to watch, let’s look at a few movie and TV cop clichés that have us under arrest.
 

That doughnut-loving cop cliché

From The Simpsons to Family Matters, Twin Peaks, and Policy Academy, directors have taken a stab at the cop-loving doughnuts cliché many times over. In the 2020 live-action movie Sonic, the directors took on this famous movie stereotype again by introducing us to the doughnut lord – Tom Wachowski.



That dumb cop cliché

We’re often treated to laughs at the expense of the dumb cop character. Police Academy once again made use of this theme with Sgt Proctor earning this title as he fell victim to his colleague’s hilarious gags. South Park gave us the rather clueless Officer Barbrady, and The Simpsons gave us Chief Wiggum – pictured above since he loves doughnuts too!


That unlikely cop duo cliché

Movie and TV show directors absolutely love to team up characters that are as different as can be, and voila, an unforgettable duo is born! Some memorable unlikely cop duos are Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill’s characters, Greg Jenko and Morton Schmidt from 21 Jump Street, and let’s not forget Sylvester Stallone’s character Sgt Joe Bomowski and his overbearing mother in the fun-filled comedy Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. But the most beloved unlikely cop duo has to be Agent Carter and Agent Lee from the Rush Hour franchise. We guess that Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker make magic together!


That undercover cop saves the day cliché

We must admit that we’re a sucker for this one! A disguised cop goes undercover and gets caught up in one hell of a shenanigan. This has been done from movies such as White Chicks to Big Momma's House. But it was the movie Face Off that took it to the extreme! Who can forget that deadly undercover mission when John Travolta’s character Sean Archer swapped faces with the villainous Castor Troy (played by the very versatile Nicolas Cage)? We love it when the cop comes out the hero in the end.


That killing off my partner cliché

The emotional part of the movie as a cop bids farewell to their dying partner ­– which often happens at the beginning or at the end of a movie.  It often sets the cop off on a journey of self-discovery or vengeance! 

Get ready for thrills with Gerard Butler in the action-thriller Copshop this Sunday at 20:05 on M-Net 101. No cliches, just pure action! 
 

Check out the trailer below. 



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