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* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Grace's emotionally painful flashbacks of her abductions in "Take Me Back" play a lot like a long-repressed account of a rape incident.
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* HauntedFetter: "Hell Mall." Personal objects are brought to the mall, stirring the ghosts of (often violent) mental patients. Ghosts start appearing in the mall and possessing people - including Tucker, with others usually being harmed in the process.
* HauntedHouse: "I See Dead Fat People" has a weight loss center haunted by those killed in a SaunaOfDeath. One of the ghosts is able to follow Tucker and Wes around.
* HauntedHouse: "I See Dead Fat People" has a weight loss center haunted by those killed in a SaunaOfDeath. One of the ghosts is able to follow Tucker and Wes around.
* OddFriendship: Grace and Sal form one following being locked in an elevator overnight in "Bermuda Love Triangle."
* OurZombiesAreDifferent: The undead in "He's Dead, She's Dead." They're being revived by alchemist experiments, but they looked pale and behave (at best) primitively. Part of the experiments was finding out how to revive people without these drawbacks, and it was trial and error.
* OurZombiesAreDifferent: The undead in "He's Dead, She's Dead." They're being revived by alchemist experiments, but they looked pale and behave (at best) primitively. Part of the experiments was finding out how to revive people without these drawbacks, and it was trial and error.
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* OurZombiesAreDifferent: The undead in "He's Dead, She's Dead." They're being revived by alchemist experiments, but they looked pale and behave (at best) primitively. Part of the experiments was finding out how to revive people without these drawbacks, and it was trial and error.
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* CrazyPrepared: Wes has a tool for every occasion with him, to the point that someone just has to ask him for "Those wirecutters" and he immediately pulls out the right ones.
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* WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys: Radio Shack. Wes has a line of credit there.
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* AscendedFanboy: In "The King is (Un)Dead," Tucker gets to investigate a story about his childhood hero - ElvisPresley. He delightfully geeks out as much as Wes does about sci-fi shows.
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* ElvisImpersonator: In "The King is (Un)Dead," Tucker and Wes go undercover to a convention in the hopes of getting a photograph of the real Elvis. It turns out they're vampires.
* ElvisLives: Like a series about a tabloid wouldn't try this plot. In "The King is (Un)Dead," the staff is out to get a photograph of the real Elvis, though they don't know for sure he is still alive. Throws in a few twists, including vampires and a strong implication that [[spoiler:Elvis' presumed-stillborn twin, Jessie Garon, is the vampire hunter]].
* ElvisLives: Like a series about a tabloid wouldn't try this plot. In "The King is (Un)Dead," the staff is out to get a photograph of the real Elvis, though they don't know for sure he is still alive. Throws in a few twists, including vampires and a strong implication that [[spoiler:Elvis' presumed-stillborn twin, Jessie Garon, is the vampire hunter]].
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** In "The Mists of Avalon Parkway," a young boy named Victor is constantly getting harassed and picked on by everyone around him. Said people wind up getting killed by a fog monster, who is reacting to Victor's repressed emotions. To get it to stop, Victor has to stop repressing, which unfortunately requires Tucker to taunt the boy and even blame him for his mother's death in a car accident.
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* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: In "The Mists of Avalon Parkway," Tucker and Grace demonstrate increasing passive aggressive behavior towards each other. (Who deserves credit for a story, who's in charge, etc.) When it boils over, they trade back-and-forth insults over their personal faults. Sick of their nonsense, Wes interrupts to deliver one to both of them and basically tells them to get over their crap.
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** "The King is (Un)Dead" features several references to Elvis' music and movies.
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** "Hot From the Oven": The staff overcomes a cursed oven and ensures it will never hurt anyone again, but they were unable to save its last victim.
** Subverted in "A Snitch in Time." [[spoiler:While Tucker and Wes wonder what time Grace and her boyfriend have gone to, they pass by a store window displaying the famous ''V-J Day in Times Square'' photograph. The episode makes it seem like the kissing couple is actually them, but another shot shows them only observing it.]]
* SassySecretary: Vera
* {{Seers}}: The tabloid employs one for horoscopes. The first is Ruby, but by the end of the season, she's replaced with Esperanza.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: In "Hot From the Oven," a cursed oven traps people in a void and makes them experience their worst fears. Wes faces a MonsterClown based on a traumatic birthday, Grace struggles with her abductions keeping her from getting close to anyone, and Tucker has to deal with failing to save everyone.
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* WrittenInAbsence: Donald is said to be out of town in "Bring Me The Head Of Tucker Burns."
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* WrittenInAbsence: Donald is said to be out of town in "Bring Me The Head Of Tucker Burns.Burns" and "I See Dead Fat People."
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** MarkSheppard plays Nitro, the owner of a bike shop.
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* FormerlyFat: Wes according to "I See Dead Fat People."
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* IChooseToStay: Events in "Pig Boy's Big Adventure" make Sal rather resentful of his life at the tabloid and consider joining hybrid creatures he's learned of. However, they prove to be too savage for him by murdering the scientist who experimented on them. Pig Boy is disgusted, but the real reason he goes back to the tabloid?
-->[[TrueCompanions "They're my friends."]]
-->[[TrueCompanions "They're my friends."]]
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* ADayInTheLimelight: "Pig Boy's Big Adventure," which details Sal's origins.
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* TheAllegedCar: Wes' van in the first two episodes starts out bad and progressively worse. By the end of the second episode, Donald has it towed to a dump just to end the embarrassment. He does replace it with a much better car, though.
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* TheAllegedCar: Wes' van in the first two episodes starts out bad and gets progressively worse. By the end of the second episode, Donald has it towed to a dump just to end the embarrassment. He does replace it with a much better car, though.
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* BluffTheImposter: An old man switches bodies with Tucker in "Only The Young Die Good." As the staff notices "Tucker"'s increasingly weird behavior, the real Tucker shows up. Tucker himself starts doing this - asking questions only the real one would know.
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* BluffTheImposter: An old man switches bodies with Tucker in "Only The Young Die Good." As the staff notices "Tucker"'s increasingly weird behavior, the real Tucker shows up. Tucker himself starts doing this - proves very GenreSavvy, asking questions only the real one would know.
* GadgeteerGenius: Sal.
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* HalfHumanHybrid: Sal obviously, but "Pig Boy's Big Adventure" shows even more hybrids are out there.
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* HalfHumanHybrid: Sal obviously, but "Pig Boy's Big Adventure" shows even more hybrids are out there. (For the record, they're 60% human and 40% whatever other animal in question.)
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* HappilyAdopted: Sal was raised by a farming couple, who he regards as his parents.
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* KickTheDog: In "Pig Boy's Big Adventure," after Sal is told his biological parents are still alive:
-->"Does it matter? They wanted a healthy baby, not a pig boy."
-->"Does it matter? They wanted a healthy baby, not a pig boy."
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* WhatTheHellHero: In "Pig Boy's Big Adventure," Sal learns that Donald wasn't entirely upfront about his origins and what he was told was actually a lie.
-->"I think I'm allowed to cash in a spaz attack on this one!"
** Same episode after the hybrids violently turn against the one who experimented on them, Sal is disgusted by their savageness and refuses to go with them.
--->"I'm not the animal you think I am."
-->"I think I'm allowed to cash in a spaz attack on this one!"
** Same episode after the hybrids violently turn against the one who experimented on them, Sal is disgusted by their savageness and refuses to go with them.
--->"I'm not the animal you think I am."
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* BadassBoast: The end of "Touched by an Alien," Donald tells his informant to spread a message to all his contacts:
-->"You let them know that those bastards sent their best mercenary out for me, and I sent it back to them... in a jar. You tell them that Donald Stern is packing heat, and I'm not afraid to use it."
-->"You let them know that those bastards sent their best mercenary out for me, and I sent it back to them... in a jar. You tell them that Donald Stern is packing heat, and I'm not afraid to use it."
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* BluffTheImposter: An old man switches bodies with Tucker in "Only The Young Die Good." When the staff later has to determine who's who, Wes asks a question that only Tucker would know, which works.
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* BluffTheImposter: An old man switches bodies with Tucker in "Only The Young Die Good." When As the staff later has to determine who's who, Wes asks a question that only notices "Tucker"'s increasingly weird behavior, the real Tucker shows up. Tucker himself starts doing this - asking questions only the real one would know, which works.know.
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* GoodParents: Wes' parents. They're just as big sci-fi fans as he is, even taking him to see ''TheEmpireStrikesBack'' - ''nine times''. They also overwhelmingly support his working at the tabloid (whereas Grace's mother doesn't and Tucker is certain his parents wouldn't). They do have one vice - swinging, which they had been doing since before Wes was born. Wes is naturally freaked out when he finds out, but he realizes that's their personal life and that it doesn't change how they raised him.
* IntrepidReporter: Tucker and Grace are the reporters, while Wes is the phtographer.
* MistakenForGay: Tucker and Wes in "Tears of a Clone" by Grace's mother.
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* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The ghost in "Let Sleeping Dogs Fry" is killing husbands and a sheriff in a rich neighborhood, as revenge for his death at their hands.
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* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The ghost in "Let Sleeping Dogs Fry" is killing kills husbands and a sheriff in a rich neighborhood, as revenge for his death at their hands.
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* ShoutOut: In one episode, a staffer pitches a story about [[Series/TheInvisibleMan a government-sponsored Invisible Man]].
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* ShoutOut: In one episode, "Touched by an Alien," a staffer pitches a story about [[Series/TheInvisibleMan a government-sponsored Invisible Man]].
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* AlchemyIsMagic: In "He's Dead, She's Dead," two self-proclaimed alchemists spent their lives trying to figure out a way to beat death. A few people CameBackWrong as a result of their experiments, but they were mindless and violent. One of the alchemists actually died before the episode - his body later abducted. [[spoiler:The dead alchemist is successfully brought back to life and as his old self, but he's then shot by his daughter for playing God.]]
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* AlchemyIsMagic: In "He's Dead, She's Dead," two self-proclaimed alchemists spent their lives trying to figure out a way to beat death. A few people CameBackWrong as a result of their experiments, but they were becoming mindless and violent. One of the alchemists actually died before the episode - his body later abducted. [[spoiler:The dead alchemist is successfully brought back to life and as his old self, but he's then shot by his daughter for playing God.]]
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* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The ghost in "Let Sleeping Dogs Fry" is killing husbands and a sheriff in a rich neighborhood, as revenge for his death at their hands.
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** One of the group therapy members in "Take Me Back" has prompted people to say [[Series/TheInvisibleMan "Shut up, Eberts."]]
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* MissionControl: Sal oversees the Archives and consequently does background research for many stories.
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* WholeEpisodeFlashback: "Take Me Back" opens with the police arresting Tucker, who was wearing an alien suit and re-enacting one of Grace's abductions. As the police detain him for questioning, flashback scenes are shown explaining how and why Tucker got into that position, as well as detailing Grace's past encounters with aliens and her feelings about it.
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* MysteriousPast: Donald. He was once a legitimate newsman and well-regarded in the industry, but he disappeared for about five years. No one knows what happened to him, but when he came back, he started publishing the tabloid. One episode sees Wes and Vera try to get to the bottom of it and do learn one secret that Donald doesn't want anyone to ever learn: [[spoiler:the date of his birthday]].
* OutOfOrder: Based on surviving production codes, several episodes were clearly aired out of their production order. This was rarely a continuity issue, but it was noticeable that "Let Sleeping Dogs Fry" (where Tucker can't work up the nerve to ask a new intern out) aired after "Bring Me the Head of Tucker Burns" (where Tucker starts a relationship that lasts the rest of the season).
* OutOfOrder: Based on surviving production codes, several episodes were clearly aired out of their production order. This was rarely a continuity issue, but it was noticeable that "Let Sleeping Dogs Fry" (where Tucker can't work up the nerve to ask a new intern out) aired after "Bring Me the Head of Tucker Burns" (where Tucker starts a relationship that lasts the rest of the season).
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* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: "Only The Young Die Good" doesn't give an indication that anyone besides Tucker got their bodies back, despite a couple of the victims being shown earlier in the episode.
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* WrittenInAbsence: Donald is said to be out of town in "Bring Me The Head Of Tucker Burns."
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* AlchemyIsMagic: In "He's Dead, She's Dead," two self-proclaimed alchemists spent their lives trying to figure out a way to beat death. A few people CameBackWrong as a result of their experiments, but they were mindless and violent. One of the alchemists actually died before the episode - his body later abducted. [[spoiler:The dead alchemist is successfully brought back to life and as his old self, but he's then shot by his daughter for playing God.]]
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** "Bermuda Love Triangle": The two undersea lovers are reunited and happy together, but the episode ends with Tucker, Wes, Sal and Grace pondering their own relationship failures.
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* BluffTheImposter: An old man switches bodies with Tucker in "Only The Young Die Good." When the staff later has to determine who's who, Wes asks a question that only Tucker would know, which works.
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** Grace's mother was played by Adrienne Barbeau.
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* OurZombiesAreDifferent: The undead in "He's Dead, She's Dead." They're being revived by alchemist experiments, but they looked pale and behave (at best) primitively. Part of the experiments was finding out how to revive people without these drawbacks, and it was trial and error.
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* CoveredInGunge: Just about OnceAnEpisode, someone gets slimed.
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*** And DanteBasco as a noodle delivery boy
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* WhatCouldHaveBeen: NBC was interested in the series, ordering and shooting the pilot. Somewhere along the line, it wound up on Sci-Fi.
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* WhatCouldHaveBeen: NBC was interested in the series, ordering and shooting the pilot. Somewhere along the line, it wound up on Sci-Fi. Sci-Fi.
* TheWorldIsNotReady: In "He's Dead, She's Dead," Donald admits that he wants the tabloid to be seen with legitimacy, but nonetheless insists on keeping their secrets from the world. He says that people are just not yet ready, but will be one day.
* TheWorldIsNotReady: In "He's Dead, She's Dead," Donald admits that he wants the tabloid to be seen with legitimacy, but nonetheless insists on keeping their secrets from the world. He says that people are just not yet ready, but will be one day.
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* TheAllegedCar: Wes' van in the first two episodes starts out bad and progressively worse. By the end of the second episode, Donald has it towed to a dump just to end the embarrassment. He does replace it with a much better car, though.
* TheAntichrist: Referenced in the pilot, as Graces comes back from an interview and calls him "Full of crap." A few episodes later, baby Julian in "Baby Got Back" is an on-screen example - being possessed by one of the Devil's foot soldiers.
* TheAntichrist: Referenced in the pilot, as Graces comes back from an interview and calls him "Full of crap." A few episodes later, baby Julian in "Baby Got Back" is an on-screen example - being possessed by one of the Devil's foot soldiers.
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** In "Baby Got Back," a Satanic cult is led by [[HomeImprovement Al Borland]].
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* HollywoodExorcism: The staff attempts one in "Baby Got Back" to save baby Julian. Donald reluctantly leads the effort. They're interrupted by the cult before they can finish.
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* MaternallyChallenged: In "Baby Got Back," a baby abandoned at the tabloid office winds up in Grace's care. She had earlier flat-out stated that she didn't think she was ready for motherhood and objected to bringing children into the world as it is. Nonetheless, she demonstrated some HiddenDepths.
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* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Donald.
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* HalfHumanHybrid: Sal obviously, but "Pig Boy's Big Adventure" show even more hybrids are out there.
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* HalfHumanHybrid: Sal obviously, but "Pig Boy's Big Adventure" show shows even more hybrids are out there.there.
** In "Here There Be Dragons," a woman gives birth to a baby that's half dragon.
** In "Here There Be Dragons," a woman gives birth to a baby that's half dragon.
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** "Here There Be Dragons" features GeorgeTakei as a prideful father.
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* IJustWantToBeNormal: Tucker quickly recognizes the tabloid's stories are true, but early on, he kept trying to find the kind of "human interest" stories he used to report on. Adapting to the tabloid and honing the required instincts took a little time.
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* BlackAndNerdy: Wes. His apartment is full of sci-fi memorabilia.
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* FakeGuestStar: Sal and Vera.
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* FriendsRentControl: Wes' apartment is pretty large for a tabloid photographer. As he explains it, "Rent control."
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* ArbitrarySkepticism: Tucker in the pilot. He just can't bring himself to believe anything, even after Donald shows him the archive room. Of course, this plays a part in his {{Foreshadowing}}.
* BrilliantButLazy: Sal
-->'''Donald:''' He's a smart guy, but a lazy pig.
-->'''Donald:''' He's a smart guy, but a lazy pig.
* DarkIsNotEvil: A number of the monsters. The creature in the pilot is rather benign once you get to know him. He's even the spiritual leader of the galaxy.
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* {{Foreshadowing}}: The pilot strongly hints something in Tucker's background keeps him from getting a job anywhere else. His then-girlfriend even warns him about being manipulated. A later episode reveals that he did a story in college about a teacher taking advantage of a co-ed. Tucker thought it was the truth, but the "witnesses" were only out to mess with the teacher and lied. When the truth came out, Tucker became a joke in journalism circles.
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* {{Foreshadowing}}: The pilot strongly hints something in Tucker's background keeps him from getting a job anywhere else. His then-girlfriend even warns him about being manipulated. A It's later episode reveals revealed that he did a story in college about a teacher taking advantage of a co-ed. Tucker thought it was the truth, truth when another co-ed came forward, but the "witnesses" were only out to mess with the teacher and lied. When the truth came out, Tucker became a joke in journalism circles.
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* MagnificentBastard: Donald, the tabloid editor. [[spoiler: Until the finale]]
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* WhatCouldHaveBeen: NBC was interested in the series, ordering and shooting the pilot. Somewhere along the line, it wound up on Sci-Fi.
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* AudienceSurrogate: Tucker
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* {{Foreshadowing}}: The pilot strongly hints something in Tucker's background keeps him from getting a job anywhere else. His then-girlfriend even warns him about being manipulated. A later episode reveals that he did a story in college about a teacher taking advantage of a co-ed. Tucker thought it was the truth, but the "witnesses" were only out to mess with the teacher and lied. When the truth came out, Tucker became a joke in journalism circles.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Sal obviously, but "Pig Boy's Big Adventure" show even more hybrids are out there.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Sal obviously, but "Pig Boy's Big Adventure" show even more hybrids are out there.
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* HeterosexualLifePartners: Tucker and Wes
* HeyItsThatGuy: Sal was [[RevengeOfTheNerds Booger]] and [[HeyItsThatVoice later]] [[DanVs Dan]].
* HeyItsThatGuy: Sal was [[RevengeOfTheNerds Booger]] and [[HeyItsThatVoice later]] [[DanVs Dan]].
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* AlienAbduction: One of the main characters claims that she was abducted several times when she was a child by at least two different alien races. One of these later returns to check up on their subjects... and remove their brains.
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* AlienAbduction: One of the main characters Grace claims that she was abducted several times when she was a child by at least two different alien races. One of these later returns to check up on their subjects... and remove their brains.brains.
* BlackBestFriend: Wes to Tucker.
* CliffHanger: "A Snitch in Time" ends the series on one. [[spoiler:Grace falls for a man from the future and apart of a temporal witness projection. She leaves with him when he is relocated to 1945. Meanwhile, a {{Jerkass}} cop long suspicious of Donald storms the building and intends to detain the staff for questioning.]]
* BlackBestFriend: Wes to Tucker.
* CliffHanger: "A Snitch in Time" ends the series on one. [[spoiler:Grace falls for a man from the future and apart of a temporal witness projection. She leaves with him when he is relocated to 1945. Meanwhile, a {{Jerkass}} cop long suspicious of Donald storms the building and intends to detain the staff for questioning.]]
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* ShoutOut: In one episode, a staffer pitches a story about [[Series/TheInvisibleMan a government-sponsored Invisible Man]].
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* HeadlessHorseman: The Headless Biker from Hell in "Bring Me The Head of Tucker Burns".
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* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Has never been released on DVD in any form other than bootleg. Even few clips survive on the internet.
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* MagnificentBastard: Donald, the tabloid editor. [[spoiler: Until the finale]]
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* HistoricalInJoke: The Native Americans sold Manhattan to the European settlers because there was a monster living underground there.
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* ETGaveUsWiFi: Aliens created the Internet, according to the pilot episode.
