Basic Trope: A work set in the past shows a character praising something that the audience knows will fail.
- Played Straight: Alice (whose show takes place in 1995) watches the first episode of Trope City and likes it enough to proclaim that it will last quite a few years. The audience for her show knows that Trope City was cancelled before it could finish its front thirteen.
- Exaggerated: Alice declares Trope City to be the best television show ever after only watching the first promo. In reality, Trope City was cancelled and pulled off the air after airing only one episode.
- Downplayed: Alice watches the first episode of Trope City and decides it should provide a good way to spend its time slot. In reality, the show got a full first season, but wasn't picked up for a second.
- Justified: Trope City was a niche show with an Audience-Alienating Premise, but Alice fits into that niche and is willing to accept the premise. Additionally, she doesn't have the benefit of hindsight that her viewers do.
- Inverted: Trope City ran an entire decade in real life, but Alice watches the first episode, declares it the worst show ever, and predicts it will be cancelled soon.
- Subverted:
- Trope City was cancelled early in real life, but on Alice's show, it gets picked up for its back nine and an early second season renewal.
- Trope City(ABC) was canceled early, but Trope City(WPRT), the show Alice is watching, lasted a decade.
- Double Subverted: But then Alice sends Bob, the star of Trope City, a fan letter heaping enormous praise on him and the show. Bob becomes uncomfortable with the massive attention and quits the show, forcing its cancellation. Thus, Alice was the surprise reason Trope City was cancelled.
- Parodied: Alice predicts that Trope City will last several years and get lots of praise...even though the show was already announced as only having a limited release and is burned off during the summer months on a Friday.
- Zig Zagged: ???
- Averted: Alice takes a liking to Trope City which her audience remembers had a respectable run for a few years.
- Enforced: The production company that produces Alice's show owns the rights to Trope City and they're trying to drum up interest for a revival.
- Lampshaded: "Oh, this is the best show ever. Wait, let me guess. Trope City isn't going to last."Narrator: It wouldn't.
- Invoked: Alice goes on an internet forum to discuss the show and a troll constantly criticizes it. Alice takes the bait and keeps praising it until she insists that it will last a long time.
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: Before Trope City debuts, Alice talks about it with her friends and they talk about times they got into a show they liked and saw it cancelled swiftly. Alice decides not to declare the show the best ever until more people agree with her.
- Discussed: "Are you alright with Trope City getting cancelled? You said it would run for years." "Just shut up."
- Conversed: "I can see Alice's reasoning and we have the gift of hindsight, but she couldn't suspect the show wouldn't last?"
- Deconstructed: The cancellation of Trope City causes Alice to question her taste in television shows and seriously consider if there's something wrong with her mentally.
- Reconstructed: But then Alice starts to accept that not everyone has the same taste she does and decides she's fine with other people not liking the shows she likes. However, she still makes grandiose claims about the shows.
- Played For Laughs: ???
- Played For Drama: Charlie constantly teases Alice about liking Trope City and always brings it up as a shortcoming. Eventually, Diane and Eric get fed up with the teasing and force him to stop.
- Implied: Alice tells Bob that he needs to stop having unrealistic expectations. Bob says, "What about you and Trope City?", and Alice gives him a death glare.
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