History Series / GilligansIsland

* ItSeemedTrivial: In the episode "V is for Vitamins", the Professor is concerned about the lack of vitamin C in the castaways' diets and they try to grow oranges, even though the island has the wrong climate. It turns out that the island is ripe with grapefruit and lemons, which Gilligan knew about but didn't say anything because he didn't know that those fruit had vitamin C in them.

* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: A Season 3 episode has a visiting big-game hunter deciding to do this with Gilligan.

* RealityEnsues: One episode had Gilligan have to survive 24 hours being chased by an EgomaniacHunter who decided that HuntingTheMostDangerousGame was an acceptable alternative since he'd come to the island to hunt, but there was no game. Once the plot's over, even though Gilligan survived, the hunter doesn't take them back because if word got out he'd tried to murder a man for the thrill of the hunt he'd be arrested.

* MeaningfulName: In interviews, Sherwood Schwartz has (perhaps jokingly) said that the S.S. ''Minnow'' was named as a TakeThat to Newton N. Minow, famous for his vast wasteland speech.

* NoNameGiven: It was never established whether "Gilligan" was the character's first or last name, or what his other name was. Pre-production materials for the {{pilot}} indicate that the character was to be called Willy Gilligan, but the name never appeared in the series canon.
** The only time the name "Willy Gilligan" appears in any official media is in the stage musical, during the song "Lucky Guy." ("Though I messed up / And I know I will again / Sure as my name is *beat* Willy Gilligan...") Seeing that the script was written by Sherwood Schwartz and his son Lloyd, WordOfGod could definitely win in this case.

Iconic "stupid sitcom" from the 1960s, filled with {{Idiot Plot}}s, WhatAnIdiot moments galore, a LaughTrack, and a great cast of actors. The show featured seven stereotyped characters — a millionaire, his snobby wife, a famous actress, a farm girl, a college professor, an innocent misfit klutz, and the captain of the charter boat on which all of them had sailed — trapped on a DesertedIsland. Their little colony of survivors was usually awash in schemes, alliances, betrayals, and petty manipulations, usually over the most minor of things. Their own foibles and blind spots frequently sabotaged any chance of rescue or escape, and nobody ever seemed to learn anything from their mistakes.

...Wait, did we get mixed up with the article on ''Series/{{Survivor}}''? How about ''Series/{{Lost}}''? No? Okay, just checking.

* NoNameGiven: It was never established whether "Gilligan" was the character's first or last name, or what his other name was. Pre-production materials for the {{pilot}} indicate that the character was to be called Willy Gilligan, but the name never appeared in canon.

* AndTheRest: The first season's theme song is the TropeNamer. Bob Denver (Gilligan) insisted on having it redone to name the Professor and Mary Ann, and that version was used in season 2 and on.

* TheThreeFacesOfEve: Mrs. Howell (as her name implies) is the wife, frequent HeroicSeductress Ginger is [[DepartmentOfredundancyDepartment the seductress]], and sweet GirlNextDoor Mary Ann is the innocent.

* UnlimitedWardrobe: The Howells, Ginger, and Mary Ann. Induces lots of FridgeLogic. In the alternate theme song for the unaired (until 1992) pilot, the Howells brought "just enough bags for a six-hour ride (six hours?)". Why they felt it necessary to bring these things is never mentioned, but they both had lots of clothes...and apparently Ginger and Mary Ann are the same size as Mrs. Howell.
** Which tends to undercut some of the rationale behind events like Mary Ann chopping rather a lot off of Ginger's dresses when she had amnesia and thought she was Ginger.

Some of the cast reportedly disliked the show. The actress that portrayed Ginger (the movie star), Tina Louise, refused to do either the cartoons or the [[ReunionShow reunion]] movies because she considered the show "silly" and the concept ridiculous while also resenting that she'd ended up being typecast. (She had, according to Creator/DawnWells, also been lied to by the producers who had told her that the show was about a movie star stranded on a desert island and that ginger was the central character.) Ironically, with the death of Dawn "Mary Ann" Wells on December 30, 2020, Tina Louise is the last surviving member of the cast.

* {{Fainting}}: The emotional version happens twice in the episode "Ghost a Go-Go". When Gilligan pulls up the window blind and sees the ghost outside the hut and when the Skipper sees the ghost through the hut door walking through the trees, they both faint.

Some of the cast reportedly disliked the show. The actress that portrayed Ginger (the movie star), Tina Louise, refused to do either the cartoons or the [[ReunionShow reunion]] movies because she considered the show "silly" and the concept ridiculous while also resenting that she'd ended up being typecast. Ironically, with the death of Dawn "Mary Ann" Wells on December 30, 2020, Tina Louise is the last surviving member of the cast.

* ZillionDollarBill: In "The Sweepstakes", Gilligan wins a million-dollar sweepstakes and is invited to the Howell's country club. After feeling lonely he issues [=IOUs=] to the others so they may also attend. He quickly misplaces the wining ticket and they all get evicted.

* {{Expy}}: Gilligan and the Skipper were designed to be a modern day [[Creator/LaurelAndHardy Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy]].

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: [[Radar/GilligansIsland See here.]]

Some of the cast reportedly disliked the show. The actress that portrayed Ginger (the movie star), Tina Louise, refused to do either the cartoons or the [[ReunionShow reunion]] movies because she considered the show "silly" and the concept ridiculous while also resenting that she'd ended up being typecast. As of December 30, 2020 Louise is the last surviving member of the cast.

Some of the cast reportedly disliked the show. The actress that portrayed Ginger (the movie star), Tina Louise, refused to do either the cartoons or the [[ReunionShow reunion]] movies because she considered the show "silly" and the concept ridiculous while also resenting that she'd ended up being typecast. As of December 30, 2020 Louise is the last surviving member of “Gilligan’s Island”’s cast.

Some of the cast reportedly disliked the show. The actress that portrayed Ginger (the movie star), Tina Louise, refused to do either the cartoons or the [[ReunionShow reunion]] movies because she considered the show "silly" and the concept ridiculous while also resenting that she'd ended up being typecast. As of December 30, 2020 Louise is the last surviving member of the cast.

Some of the cast reportedly disliked the show. The actress that portrayed Ginger (the movie star), Tina Louise, refused to do either the cartoons or the [[ReunionShow reunion]] movies because she considered the show "silly" and the concept ridiculous while also resenting that she'd ended up being typecast.

* FakeHigh: Of the non-substance sort. In one episode, Gilligan's hair turns white, making him think he's prematurely aged, and acts like an old man. His hair ''then'' falls out, and he's bad, and the gang realize it wasn't a good idea for Gilligan to use concentrated ''bleach'' to wash his hair.

* ShoutOut: The episode "Up at Bat" contains numerous to the then-new ''Series/{{Batman}}'' series, including the famous "Bam! Pow! Biff!" fight scene.

* AplleForTeacher: In one episode, Gilligan, telling a random story to the Skipper, mentions one of his classmates getting in trouble for giving the teacher an apple. The exasperated Skipper says getting in trouble for that doesn't happen, whereupon Gilligan [[WorseWithContext clarifies that the apple was wormy.]]