Trope Bingo for tvholics
Downer Ending - A sad or tragic end to an episode or series. Carson goes boom on Stargate: Atlantis.
Villain Protagonist - The protagonist...not a nice guy...faces even worse characters. Andy Sipowicz beats up skells on NYPD Blue.
Deadpan Snarker - A steady stream of funny, cynical lines. Alex Eames of Law & Order: Criminal Intent is the queen of snark (and of Sheba).
Big Eater - A speed eater or one who eats enough for an entire football team. Liz Lemon of 30 Rock needs to chew with her mouth closed.
Darker and Edgier - A tone shift to make the story more "adult"...usually by adding more sex, violence, and/or profanity. In what might be the worst scene ever written for Doctor Who, the Doctor is changing fixed points in time as "the Time Lord Victorious." Look at his smug face when Adelaide realizes he saved her when he shouldn't have. She enters her house and before the door is even closed she's reaching for her gun.... Then the Doctor hears a gunshot as Adelaide re-establishes her proper ending in the timeline.
Foreshadowing - Clues or allusions embedded in the narrative that predict some later event or revelation. In Doctor Who and Torchwood, we see signs of the Master's rise to power as Prime Minister Harold Saxon (and his Archangel network) long before we meet him.
