Basic Trope: A plotline is very similar to a well-known (or maybe not-so-well-known) news story, recent or otherwise.
- Straight: The plotline of an episode mirrors a story in the newspaper.
- Exaggerated: The only difference between the plotline of that week's episode and the news article happens to be the names of those involved.
- Downplayed: The plotline is based on a newspaper, but it more plays as a "What If?" scenario of the event rather than a reenactment.
- The plotline is a for-want-of-a-nail scenario such as if a planned revenge bombing of a ROTC after the Kent State Massacre didn't end with the plotters accidentally killing themselves with the bomb explosion or if the Columbine Shooting's bombs went off successfully.
- Justified: The show in question is a Docudrama, a Documentary, or simply wants to inject a bit of realism into the work.
- Inverted: A news story mirrors a plotline of an episode, series, or movie.
- Subverted:
- The plotline more closely mirrors that of previous episodes, another program, a book, etc.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story
- The major event setting up the story and the script for the episodes were written before an incredibly similar tragedy occurred in real life, but the episode or movie aired after.
- The plot appears to have been a copy of an existing event before revealing that it actually was the real one.
- Double Subverted: But those plotlines were Based on a True Story as well, just another one.
- Parodied:
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story, Based on a Great Big Lie
- Or even based on multiple headlines.
- It's based on an article by The Onion.
- The headline it's based on is "TV Show Steals Plot From Headline!"
- The story is ripped from a tyoped headline as is.
- Zig Zagged: Some episodes are based off events in the news or historical events, others are not.
- Averted: The plotline is not Inspired by… or otherwise based on real events.
- Enforced:
- We need to inject a sense of realism into the work, and possibly make it Darker and Edgier.
- The series is a satire and the writers think that the article they found in the newspapper would make an interesting story.
- Lampshaded: "This sounds familiar..."
- Invoked: The writers open the newspaper.
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: The writers, fearing lawsuits, or wanting to distance themselves from current events, agree not to do this.
- Discussed: "This sounds like something in the news..."
- Conversed: "That's because it is. Apparently, the writers are too lazy to come up with something even remotely original."
- Played For Laughs: The news story it's based off of was from "the lighter side of the news."
Extra! Extra! Back button stolen for Big Bad's evil purposes!
