TV's Most Obvious Cliches

Phone Exposition

If phone conversations in real life were anything like the ones on TV, each call would be a repetitive mess. Just look at NCIS or any crime procedural that relies heavily on investigators chatting on their cell phones. Since viewers usually only see one side of the conversation, the scenes are often filled with clunky dialogue to fill in the gaps. ("What? There's a bomb in the convention center? You're sending your team there now? OK, we will meet you there in five minutes, and yes, we'll bring the bomb-sniffing dogs.") And while we're on the subject of phone etiquette, why do TV characters never say "goodbye" before hanging up?