Tvtropes.org
After spending way too much time at tvtropes.org, I have come up with a list of my favourite tropes from my favourite TV shows: (Firefly, House, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, NCIS, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, M*A*S*H, Star Trek: The Original Series, Magnum P.I., Life on Mars, Friends, Simon and Simon, Remington Steele, Friends, That 70s Show, The Sandbaggers):
Action Girl
Affably Evil
Anti Hero
Anyone Can Die
Arson Murder and Lifesaving?
Ask a Stupid Question
Bad Ass (all variations)
Big Damn Heroes?
Brutal Honesty
Buffy Speak
Bunny Ears Lawyer
The Combat Pragmatist
Cool Starship
Crowning Moment of Awesome
Crowning Moment of Funny
Deadpan Snarker
The Determinator?
Eye Take
A Father to His Men
Foe Yay
Geeky Turn On
Genre Savvy
Good Is Not Nice
Good Troi Episode
Growing the Beard?
Heterosexual Life Partners
Historical In Joke
Ho Yay
In Space!!
Insufferable Genius
Intrepid Merchant?
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
Killed Mid Sentence
The Kirk?
Lampshade Hanging
Lovable Rogue?
Mr. Vice Guy
Nerds Are Sexy
Oh Crap
Once Per Episode
Precision F Strike
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits
Running Gag
Sarcastic Devotee
Science Fiction
Ship Tease
Space Cossacks
Tall, Dark and Snarky
Vitriolic Best Buds
Waif Fu
Wrench Wench
Note that tvtropes.org appears to focus pretty heavily on sci-fi, scewing the results somewhat. But then again, so do I.
Based on lengthy analysis, it appears that I should also like:
Angel (I didn't like the first season, but maybe it gets better?) (Update: I really tried to watch this, but didn't even make it halfway through season 2. It's atrocious!)
Ashes to Ashes ((tried to watch, but the first episode opens with a cop bringing her young daughter to a hostage taking. I had to turn it off.)
Chuck? (Update: Loved seasons 1 and 2, the rest not so much.)
Community
Doctor Who (based on what I've seen, this makes sense) (Update: IN LOVE. OBSESSED. Though I prefer the Russell T. Davies years to the Moffatt years.)
Farscape
Scrubs
Sherlock (Update: Liked it about as much as I expected: Not bad, but not a favourite. Sherlock is just a bit too much of a jerk, and Mycroft and Moriarty were super annoying. Felt painfully derivative of Doctor Who at times. I know I love Doctor Who, and the Doctor is clearly at least partly inspired by Sherlock Holmes, but it was just a little too obvious that the shows were produced by the same team. The Doctor, Gregory House, and Ritchie/Downey's Holmes are so much more likable in their own ways.) (Second update: Watched series 2 and have fallen in love with the show. Series 2 is everything I like in a show: funny, exciting, scary and emotionally compelling. Also, Martin Freeman is fucking brilliant as John Watson.)
Stargate SG-1
Supernatural (I guess Tumblr is good for something after all)
Torchwood
That is, the above shows have at least four of the tropes in bold plus a several of the others on the list, or they have all five of the tropes in bold (and preferably at least a few of the others).
I find it interesting that Xena, The West Wing and Stargate Atlantis did not make the cut.
Action Girl
Affably Evil
Anti Hero
Anyone Can Die
Arson Murder and Lifesaving?
Ask a Stupid Question
Bad Ass (all variations)
Big Damn Heroes?
Brutal Honesty
Buffy Speak
Bunny Ears Lawyer
The Combat Pragmatist
Cool Starship
Crowning Moment of Awesome
Crowning Moment of Funny
Deadpan Snarker
The Determinator?
Eye Take
A Father to His Men
Foe Yay
Geeky Turn On
Genre Savvy
Good Is Not Nice
Good Troi Episode
Growing the Beard?
Heterosexual Life Partners
Historical In Joke
Ho Yay
In Space!!
Insufferable Genius
Intrepid Merchant?
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
Killed Mid Sentence
The Kirk?
Lampshade Hanging
Lovable Rogue?
Mr. Vice Guy
Nerds Are Sexy
Oh Crap
Once Per Episode
Precision F Strike
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits
Running Gag
Sarcastic Devotee
Science Fiction
Ship Tease
Space Cossacks
Tall, Dark and Snarky
Vitriolic Best Buds
Waif Fu
Wrench Wench
Note that tvtropes.org appears to focus pretty heavily on sci-fi, scewing the results somewhat. But then again, so do I.
Based on lengthy analysis, it appears that I should also like:
Angel (I didn't like the first season, but maybe it gets better?) (Update: I really tried to watch this, but didn't even make it halfway through season 2. It's atrocious!)
Ashes to Ashes ((tried to watch, but the first episode opens with a cop bringing her young daughter to a hostage taking. I had to turn it off.)
Chuck? (Update: Loved seasons 1 and 2, the rest not so much.)
Community
Doctor Who (based on what I've seen, this makes sense) (Update: IN LOVE. OBSESSED. Though I prefer the Russell T. Davies years to the Moffatt years.)
Farscape
Scrubs
Sherlock (Update: Liked it about as much as I expected: Not bad, but not a favourite. Sherlock is just a bit too much of a jerk, and Mycroft and Moriarty were super annoying. Felt painfully derivative of Doctor Who at times. I know I love Doctor Who, and the Doctor is clearly at least partly inspired by Sherlock Holmes, but it was just a little too obvious that the shows were produced by the same team. The Doctor, Gregory House, and Ritchie/Downey's Holmes are so much more likable in their own ways.) (Second update: Watched series 2 and have fallen in love with the show. Series 2 is everything I like in a show: funny, exciting, scary and emotionally compelling. Also, Martin Freeman is fucking brilliant as John Watson.)
Stargate SG-1
Supernatural (I guess Tumblr is good for something after all)
Torchwood
That is, the above shows have at least four of the tropes in bold plus a several of the others on the list, or they have all five of the tropes in bold (and preferably at least a few of the others).
I find it interesting that Xena, The West Wing and Stargate Atlantis did not make the cut.