If you're a couch potato, you've probably watched a fair number of TV shows. Maybe there's a certain thriller or sitcom you like better than the rest. But chances are your favorite series on Netflix has some tropes so similar to other shows that you know they're coming even before they happen. Here's my personal list of top TV tropes that tend to repeat themselves over the decades.

1. Phone conversations

If you're picking up a phone on a TV show, you'll be saying more words than the other line. Characters on shows often talk from the camera's side of the phone to give the audience lots of insight into the conversation, even if the lines are just the character repeating what the other person said. Sometimes they'll hold the information secret or tell it after they hang up, depending on the situation. But when the phone is on, they'll reply faster than the other side can talk.

However, there are the rare occasions when both sides are shown on camera, talking on the phone at a normal pace.

Well, relatively normal.

2. Silly suspense

This is often seen in horror movies as well as TV shows. A character will turn a corner, unaware of their surroundings. The music builds up and swells to a point at which the camera focuses on the character's face or vision. Suddenly, something pops into view! But it's not the killer or a trap. It's a piece of paper falling off a desk, or a curtain swinging from a window. These scares are often regarded as cheap and throw the audience into a false sense of fright. It catches them off guard to build up a larger scare when the killer appears center stage.

In video games, they are referred as "jumpscares," but if used too often or too randomly, they may not be so scary.

3. Dropping objects for added drama

Uh oh, looks like a conflict started up on screen. Better drop something to show that the dramatic tension isn't just in the face. This often happens as a symbol of the character's mood before, during or after a conflict. The example above from "SpongeBob" (albeit edited at the end with the "K") makes the pencil seem like it was put under hard work, just by showing it roll off his hand and having a steaming animation on the tip.

In the heat of an argument, however, it's better to have someone breaking your stuff than breaking your bones.

4. The unnatural, shaky camera perspective

What you see above is behind-the-scenes footage of a fight sequence being filmed. Observe how the camera man shifts back and forth for the right camera angles during the fight. Another camera man crouches on the ground in an almost fixed position as the fight goes on. Which do you think will be a better focus?

A film camera held for capturing the show might feel more realistic for a viewer, as if they are there, turning back and forth at various speakers in the room. However, the camera can be hard to keep still when focusing on one person, and switching frames can also distort that realism. A fixed camera on a stand, not in a hand, can make for better attention on the scene and not the shaky movements. Check out this neat animation to see how a camera position affects the final film:

5. Plot armor

Some characters seem to brave the toughest storms and fight hundreds but never bruise, or they fall off a cliff but never need a trip to the hospital. Why? That character is most likely important to progress the plot, so sustaining physical damage might prevent them from an important part of the show's story.

If the narrative calls for it, a character will die a dramatic death. But their injuries may be better understood if it wasn't the first time they showed pain on screen.

6. Deus ex machina

Deus ex machina in Hollywood terms means "Get out of jail free." To audiences, it means "god from the machine," an age-old method of allowing a conflict to be resolved by a force unknown before the point of resolution. It allows any object or ability that was not previously introduced to the scene to put that scene to an immediate end, usually in the protagonist's favor. It creates the "all hope is lost for the hero" feeling for viewers, but they know what happens the next nine times out of 10 when they feel that way.

Spoiler alert: In some movies or TV shows, it is a literal machine that saves the heroes.

7. Pop culture references

It's fun to hear your favorite TV characters talk about pop culture. The fact that they bring up a movie or event can make what they say funnier than it otherwise would be. In my opinion, it's a throw-away line to set up interest for the viewer as well as make the viewer feel like the character is telling a joke. It's often a line anyone can say, and the effect is that everybody watching will understand it and embrace the show more.

The GIF above is a perfect example. I don't watch "New Girl," but now I know about it since they referenced "Footloose," a movie I'm familiar with.

Are there more?

If you keep your eyes peeled while watching your favorite shows, I'm sure you'll find lots of tropes that are overused in TV shows and movies alike. Leave a comment below, telling us what other ones you can uncover!