- Babylon 5 has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with either Star Wars or Star Trek. Claiming otherwise in the presence of any of these three will result in you being fed to the Sarlacc, the Vorlon or the Borg. Possibly all three.
- The Big Comfy Couch: Do not spell Loonette's name as "Lunette".
- Breaking Bad: You're bound to annoy or piss off people if you try to pinpoint a single moment in the show where Walt "became" Heisenberg or generally treat Heisenberg as though he's a Literal Split Personality and a separate character from Walt battling him for control. Given that the whole point of the show is that Walt is Slowly Slipping Into Evil, fans tend to react negatively to outsiders or more casual fans trying to wrap Walt's whole character up in a neat little summation or miss that he's fully responsible for his own actions.
- The Colbert Report: Don't spell Stephen Colbert's name wrong. There is no such person as "Steven Colbert". Pronouncing the T in "Colbert" will cause similar levels of rage (though incidentally, in real life his last name IS pronounced with a T, he just had it left silent for the show's character, and it stuck with him even after he moved to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert which is actual Stephen Colbert, not the Colbert Show character).
- The Daily Show with John Stewart is not a thing. His name's Jon Stewart. Learn it, or suffer the consequences.
- Doctor Who:
- Referring to everyone's favourite Time Lord as "Doctor Who" or the show as Dr. Who is not going to ingratiate you with some of the fanbase. The origin, as noted on the main Doctor Who page, is that the character's name during the show's development was originally Dr. Who, a name retained in the credits and internal documentation for over 20 years, even though the character was never called that on-screen except in Mythology Gagsnote , once by accident — a scriptwriter had had a computer ask in dialogue "Where is Doctor Who?" and it was not corrected, and once in a deliberate trolling of the fanbase by Steven Moffat (and even then, he insisted it wasn't his name). He was called Dr. Who in the two movies released in The '60s, but those were clearly an Alternate Continuity. For other fans, "Doctor Who" is perfectly fine to use to refer to the character, especially since MOST of the actors who played the character refer to him as such, most notably Colin Baker. It's also often used to distinguish the character in circumstances where just referring to "the Doctor" might be ambiguous, confusing or unclear (for example, if discussing fictional 'doctors' then using "the Doctor" is potentially ambiguous whereas referring to "Doctor Who" makes it absolutely clear that the Time Lord is being discussed), though this will only be done very grudgingly by some.
- As a point of interest, the closing titles of the 2005 series, the first to be made after a lengthy hiatus, refer to the character as Doctor Who. Since the producers were by this time largely composed of passionate fans of the series who could be safely assumed to know all of the above, a likely explanation for this is that the producers wished to honor the use of "Dr. Who" in the credits of the show from 1963 to 1980; an attempt to deliberately wind up overly pedantic or sensitive fans by getting the name "wrong" can also not be ruled out. It certainly wound up one fan; David Tennant insisted on being credited as "The Doctor" when he took the role. However, Tennant is an outlier, as most who have played the role do in fact refer to the character as "Doctor Who".
- It's worth noting that there are a number of fans who don't object to "Doctor Who", either from newcomers or those outside the fandom, and get angry over what they consider elitist gatekeeping from fellow fans. Especially since 'Doctor' is, after all, a fairly generic and widely-used title, and referring to the character as 'Doctor Who' makes it clear who is being discussed for people who might not be immersed in lore.
- On that note, the Doctor's real name In-Universe is not "The Doctor"; that's just a title he chose for himself because his real name is a dark secret. Fans of the show will be very quick to point this out to you if you ask a question such as "why did his parents name him after a medical profession?"note "I'm the Doctor. Well, they call me the Doctor — I don't know why. I call me the Doctor, too. Still don't know why."
- Neither is his real name "Theta Sigma". That was a school nickname, which he claims to have disliked.
- Using "Timelord" instead of "Time Lord", or any spelling other than TARDIS (or Tardis, which annoys some but is a legitimate alternate rendering), is a bad idea. Or "Darlek", for that matter.
- Three of the actors to have played the Doctor regularly have their names misspelled:
- It's good idea to avoid referring to the actor that played the Fifth Doctor as "Peter Davidson" unless you enjoy the thought of being lectured on how Peter Davison is an actor, while Peter Davidson is the guy who used to draw Desperate Dan in The Dandy.
- Doctor Who Magazine's Fifth Doctor announcement managed to mess this up, reading "PETER DAVIDSON IS THE DOCTOR" (they lampshaded this later when Davison got a cover for "Time Crash").
- Similarly, the Ninth Doctor is Christopher Eccleston, not "Ecclestone".
- The Third Doctor was Jon Pertwee, not "John Pertwee", though in this case they are at least pronounced the same so the error can only come out in writing.
- Regarding the Doctor's incarnations:
- Don't refer to Christopher Eccleston's Doctor by any number other than Ninth, and especially not First. By extension, don't call John Hurt's incarnation (retroactively added between the Eighth and Ninth) by any number; his character is typically called the War Doctor.
- Journalists who claim that Jodie Whittaker is playing the "first female Time Lord" or "first Time Lady" tend to be on the receiving end of mass eye-rolling. Whittaker is the first official female Doctor, but the Doctor isn't the only Time Lord by a long chalk, and the others certainly weren't all male. (The Fourth Doctor traveled with a female Time Lord for years.) In fact, the Master (or rather Mistress) was a woman at the time Whittaker became the Doctor.
- Why, no — despite the opinions of some, Steven Moffat was not responsible for the revival of Doctor Who (it was Russell T Davies, for the record). Nor, for that matter, did Russell T Davies create or revive the show; the decision to revive it had already been made, he just produced the first 4 series. Terry Nation didn't create the show either, but at least you're in the right era with that one.
- The Daleks are not "robots"; they're tentacled aliens in Powered Armour. Infamously, there's one story where their own creator forgot this detail. This misconception was even referenced in the 50th anniversary biofilm, An Adventure in Space and Time, between the fictionalized versions of Doctor Who creators Sydney Newman (who was initially against putting robots or "bug-eyed monsters" in his children's history show) and Verity Lambert.
- That Daleks can't climb stairs — there was a scene implying that they could as early as 1965 in "The Chase", and it was explicitly depicted in "Remembrance of the Daleks" and "Dalek".
- The "D" in TARDIS stands for "Dimension" singular, not "Dimensions" plural. Although the show itself gets this wrong so often (starting in "The Time Meddler") that there's a case to be made that either's fine.
- Claiming that the Cybermen are a ripoff of the Borg will earn you a lecture on how calendars work and why 1966 predates 1989 (and quite possibly get you called an 'ignorant American' to boot).
- Saying "For someone who can travel throughout time and space, Doctor Who sure dose like modern day England" is not a hot take and would never shock or offend a Doctor Who fan, more likely make them roll their eyes at your attempts to be clever. The Doctor has stated several times that Earth is their favorite planet, other aliens even mock them for it. They consider themselves British, chose to live there while exiled from time and space travel and have a relatively good relationship with the British Government. And most of the Doctor's companions are from "modern day" so regularly going back there gives them a chance to keep in touch with their friends and families.
- Referring to everyone's favourite Time Lord as "Doctor Who" or the show as Dr. Who is not going to ingratiate you with some of the fanbase. The origin, as noted on the main Doctor Who page, is that the character's name during the show's development was originally Dr. Who, a name retained in the credits and internal documentation for over 20 years, even though the character was never called that on-screen except in Mythology Gagsnote , once by accident — a scriptwriter had had a computer ask in dialogue "Where is Doctor Who?" and it was not corrected, and once in a deliberate trolling of the fanbase by Steven Moffat (and even then, he insisted it wasn't his name). He was called Dr. Who in the two movies released in The '60s, but those were clearly an Alternate Continuity. For other fans, "Doctor Who" is perfectly fine to use to refer to the character, especially since MOST of the actors who played the character refer to him as such, most notably Colin Baker. It's also often used to distinguish the character in circumstances where just referring to "the Doctor" might be ambiguous, confusing or unclear (for example, if discussing fictional 'doctors' then using "the Doctor" is potentially ambiguous whereas referring to "Doctor Who" makes it absolutely clear that the Time Lord is being discussed), though this will only be done very grudgingly by some.
- It's Downton Abbey, not Downtown Abbey. Only one "w". Noted by
xkcd. Also pointed out in an episode of NTSF:SD:SUV::. - Firefly: Do not call the ship “Firefly”. She’s a Firefly-class ship but her name is Serenity
- In the early days of the Glee fandom, spelling Quinn's name as "Quin", "Gwen", or "Gwynn" was a good way to expose yourself as a noob. Nowadays, the relentless exposure the show gets makes it kind of hard to misspell any major character's name if you're following it with any regularity.
- The Good Place:
- In the first season, Chidi (who's Senegalese) explains that he's actually speaking French (his first language) but that the Good Place is translating for him. He never said he didn't speak English and in fact he taught an ethics class at an Australian university, implying that he knew English but prefers to speak French. In the Season 2 finale, he speaks English outside the context of the Good Place with an American accent. Many people posted online, particularly the subreddit, about how they had found a huge Plot Hole because Chidi can speak English. [1]. It quickly became a huge point of contention within the fandom, who grew tired of people pointing out a plot hole that didn't exist. In the premiere of the third season, he explained that he grew up going to English speaking schools but went to an American university for undergrad which is why he speaks with an American accent and speaks even more languages than English and French, putting the kerfuffle to rest once and for all.
- At the end of Season 2, the concept of "moral desert" is brought up — the idea of doing good not for its own sake, but because you expect to be rewarded for it. note This concept predates the show, and is spelled just like that, with only one S — so while you might think it makes sense to spell it "moral dessert", actually doing so will get you stern corrections at best.
- In the first season, Chidi (who's Senegalese) explains that he's actually speaking French (his first language) but that the Good Place is translating for him. He never said he didn't speak English and in fact he taught an ethics class at an Australian university, implying that he knew English but prefers to speak French. In the Season 2 finale, he speaks English outside the context of the Good Place with an American accent. Many people posted online, particularly the subreddit, about how they had found a huge Plot Hole because Chidi can speak English. [1]
- Kamen Rider:
- Like with Super Sentai below, do not call it "Japanese Power Rangers".
- A Played for Laughs example. Do not call Decade's color pink. It's magenta.
- No, Kirby Buckets has absolutely nothing to do with a certain pink puffball. Also, don't call the show a rip-off of Out of Jimmy's Head either.
- Law & Order:
- As far as SVU, the show is called, for short, Law & Order: SVU or SVU, NOT SUV.
- Criminal Intent fans really hate it when the show is confused with SVU.
- Life with Derek.
- Don't say Derek was played by Evan Peters. He was actually portrtayed by Canadian actor Michael Seater. (Peters is American, by the way).
- A lot of Canadian fans don't take kindly to the show being called a Disney Channel series. Disney Channel broadcast the show in the U.S., but they didn't create it themselves.
- Lizzie McGuire: Do not spell the title as "Lizzie Maguire", "Lizzie MacGuire", "Lizzy McGuire", "Lizzy Maguire", or "Lizzy MacGuire". Also, it's Kate Sanders, not Kate Saunders.
- Luke Cage: An in-universe case in Season 2. When Luke is doing a crossfit to raise some money, a reporter says Luke is faster than Usain Bolt. This results in a running gag wherein every Jamaican that Luke interacts with acts offended at him as if he said it himself. Even Bushmaster gets in on the dissing.
- The Mandalorian: Referring to The Child/Grogu as "Baby Yoda" (especially after the character's true name was revealed), is a good way to deeply annoy hardcore Star Wars fans.
- The Muppets (and, by extension, puppet characters in general) are not "cartoon" characters. Cartoons are drawn and animated, whereas puppetry is a form of theater that happens in the real world.
- Also, don't refer to puppeteers as "voice actors". The physical part of the performance is just as important to bringing the character to life.
- Do not spell Fozzie as "Fozzy", "Fuzzy" or "Fuzzie" and his catchphrase is spelled "Wocka, wocka", not "Wakka wakka".
- The piano-playing dog's name is Rowlf. Not 'Rolf' or 'Ralph' or any other variation. This one is particularly sensitive because Rowlf was Jim Henson's favourite character.
- In an In-Universe example on The Office (US), Jim intentionally did this to irritate Dwight. After an ethics meeting where they were told to avoid "Time Theft" in the workplace, Jim had a deliberately loud conversation with Andy about the Battlestar Galactica TV show. During that conversation, he talked about how the show has Klingons and Wookiees, is a shot-for-shot remake of the original, and is about a character named Dumbledore Calrissian who has to return a ring to Mordor. Meanwhile, Dwight — who earlier had pompously declared that he never got involved in non-work-related conversations in the office — is seething at his desk, trying his hardest to refrain from getting involved in this non-work-related conversation.
- On The Price Is Right, "Showcase Showdown" is when they spin the Big Wheel; "Showcase" is when they bid on the prize packages at the very end of the game. Many people have been chewed out for referring to the two segments as "The (Big) Wheel" and "Showcase Showdown", respectively, as it supposedly makes more sense that way. However, the fact is that the "Showcase Showdown" was not part of the show until it became one hour long. Originally, they played three pricing games and the top two winners would compete in "The Showcase". When the show became an hour, another three pricing games were played in the second half, and the end of each half had a "Showcase Showdown" to see which two players would go to "The Showcase", and it has been that way ever since.
- Saturday Night Live: SNL does not do "skits", they do "sketches".
- Schitt's Creek: Just try telling any Schitthead that you "can't get past the name" or that "poop jokes aren't funny," since the show is a charming, sophisticated and rarely vulgar Screwball Comedy with tons of heart, the fans will not be pleased.
- Scrubs: Jordan Sullivan isn't Dr. Cox's wife, she's his ex-wife. The entire joke behind their relationship is that they get back together after a messy divorce (even going on to have two children), but refuse to outright get remarried.
- Sesame Street: For the love of God, do not confuse Prairie Dawn with Betty Lou and vice versa. Fans will tell you that Betty Lou can be distinguished by her braids.
- Confusing the British original and American remake versions of Skins is likely to get this reaction from fans of the former — who make up the majority of the fandom.
- The Soup is the second incarnation of an older show that was named Talk Soup. When TV personalities refer to it by the old name (which happens a lot), you can be sure Joel won't let it pass without comment.
- Calling any version of Stargate "StarGate" or "Star Gate" will cause every fan of the series in the world to tell you just how wrong you are, and how it's nothing like Star Trek or Star Wars.
- Star Trek:
- Confusing it with Star Wars in the presence of either fandom is one of the most brutal suicide methods known to man. A troll jokingly asked in a YouTube comment if TNG was "the one with the ewoks". Insta-Flame War. This inspired several In-Universe examples:
- A joke about it was made in The Big Bang Theory, when Amy confusing Star Trek with Star Wars, and Penny stating that they (Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj) will get mad at her if they confuse both series, but in her opinion they are basically the same thing.
- Comedian and fellow nerd, Brian Posehn, discussed this in his stand-up, stating that the quickest way to piss off a nerd is to get their obsession wrong. He then gave an example by mentioning how he would drive out in front of people lined up to see the Star Wars prequels and shout, "STAR TREK SUCKS!"
- In the Italian graphic novel Venerdì 12 (from the same author as Rat-Man), the protagonist mentions having joined the local Star Trek fan club only to get booted out after asking where they kept the lightsabers.
- Potentially endangering his hold on the nerd vote, President Barack Obama one time used the phrase "Jedi mind meld."note
- Any suggestion that one franchise "can thank [the other] for its existence" is sure to be poorly received.
- Regarding Star Trek owing something to Star Wars, the argument is that while it may be older, if it weren't for the the success of Star Wars, it would be just another forgotten '60s relic. This is due to the rumors that it was Star Wars blowing up at the box office that convinced Paramount to turn the new Trek series it was developing into a movie instead. However, multiple film plans and pitches had been in the works before then, so it wasn't as if Star Wars gave them the idea.
- Still others claim that Star Wars was inspired by Star Trek. This was completely untrue, as Lucas was not even a fan of Star Trek. His inspiration was science fiction B-movies of the '40s and '50s.
- Claiming that Star Trek is a rip-off of Star Wars.note
- Overlapping with Film, do not say that the J. J. Abrams Star Trek movies overwrote the timeline of the original series and beyond, as Abrams himself has made it very clear that the original timelime still exists unaltered, especially since Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard, which came after those movies, are set in the original timeline, with Discovery explicitly referencing the Abramsverse as a parallel timeline in occasional contact with the Prime Universe.
- In the franchise's early years, referring to the Enterprise's second-in-command as "Dr. Spock"note
- Confusing it with Star Wars in the presence of either fandom is one of the most brutal suicide methods known to man. A troll jokingly asked in a YouTube comment if TNG was "the one with the ewoks". Insta-Flame War. This inspired several In-Universe examples:
- Super Sentai and Power Rangers:
- A lot of Super Sentai purists get pissy if you use Power Rangers-specific terminology in the context of Sentai (e.g. "Zords" instead of "mecha") or if you refer to a Super Sentai character by the name of their Power Rangers counterpart (e.g. Rita Repulsa instead of Bandora the Witch). Some fans even go as far as to insist on using the term senshi (the Japanese word for warrior) instead of "ranger" when talking about the members of a Sentai (since the term "ranger" wasn't used for most of the teams prior to Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger, with the exceptions of Himitsu Sentai Gorenger and Kousoku Sentai Turboranger). Although, the introduction of the "Ranger Keys" in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger has made the term "Ranger" a bit more acceptable as a substitute for senshi among purists. The following series Tokumei Sentai Go Busters has introduced Megazord into the Sentai lexicon as well as the phrase "It's Morphin Time".
- The Red Rangers from Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger and Gosei Sentai Dairanger are named Tyranno Ranger and Ryu Ranger, not ZyuRed nor DaiRed like most Sentai heroes are. Also, the Sixth Ranger from Chouriki Sentai Ohranger is called King Ranger, not OhGold (and this is actually a double faux pas, as he's considered to be the team's black ranger by his Ranger Key, not gold at all, unlike his counterpart from Power Rangers Zeo). Official Parody Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger made reference to a similar mistake in this vein when one character referred to Boukenger as "Boukenranger", offending the resident Sentai fanboy.
- Best way to piss of a Power Rangers fan? Ask them you didn't know that Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was still on. It's not. It's just Power Rangers now.
- Or point out Zack and Trini's Ranger colors matching their ethnicity. It simply wasn't noticed by the crew until they filmed episode 10. Zack Trini And then there's the Austin St. John porn rumors... definitely not true in case you were wondering.
- Calling Power Rangers a Voltron ripoff elicits fans to question whether this person actually knows the origins of both shows which originated from the same company, Toei at about the same time, Though Super Sentai beats them both in by several years, the multi-piece transforming mecha concept wasn't added to the show until 1981, where Sun Vulcan aired at the same year with Go-Lion, the former actually beating the latter to the air. Though Super Sentai wouldn't have a five-piece gattai until 1987's Maskman. Strange enough theres been at least one case of the Reboot Voltron Force being accused of ripping off Power Rangers by an uninformed fan.
- The Untamed is NOT the original story to which the novel and the donghua are adaptations of. This is especially egregious since simple research would prove that the novel was published in 2015, the donghua aired since 2018, and the live-action drama aired in 2019. For good measure, the manhua was released in late 2017, while the audio drama was released around a month before the donghua aired.
- Word of Honor: Nothing enrages the fans more than saying the series or its source novel is a rip-off of The Untamed. They're based on two different novels by two different authors, and Faraway Wanderers was published in 2010 — five years before Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi was published and nine years before The Untamed aired.
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