In an interview with E! earlier this week, “Parks and Recreation” executive producer Michael Schur confirmed what everyone who saw last’s week “Operation Ann” episode already assumed: “It’s real. Tom and Ann are dating and will have a relationship for some amount of time.”

So, it’s definitely happening, but is it a good thing? I’m onboard with Tann? Aom? PerkFord? because, as Schur said, “We have a lot of soul-matey relationships…and we just wanted to do a comedy relationship.” Yay comedy, boo love. It also gives both of them something to do (which has occasionally been a problem, especially with Ann) in the post-Entertainment 720/dating Chris Traeger-era of the show.

But just because seemingly every “Parks” character has hooked up with every other “Parks” character at some point (I can’t wait for the inevitable Ron/Donna fling to happen), that doesn’t mean every show should just start pairing characters all willy-nilly like. Here are 10 romantic relationships on other shows that should never by no means ever happen. Happy Valentine’s Day, no one!

From the mouth of a babe: Tina Fey has said time and time again that Liz and Jack will never hook up, even if he bought her all the off-brand Mexican cheese puffs her heart desires. Good. They have a great relationship as is, and if they ever did get together, it would be a disgrace to six seasons worth of near-perfect characterization. Put Frank and Jenna together (again) – they both kind of suck, might as well suck together.

During “Pool Party,” while Jim’s taking a Robert California-guided tour of his house, Cathy needs a Chicken Fight partner and she desperately wonders where Jim is. She’s Pam’s pregnancy replacement in the office, and although Jim and Pam aren’t nearly as charming as they once were (or as they think they still are), it would still be a disgrace for her to become Pam’s replacement…in Jim’s heart. (/blow heads off). Why are the writers even hinting at a fling between Cathy, who’s barely a character, and Jim? Sometimes I think the “The Office” has forgotten how to tell an effective story.

“Happy Endings” has recently hinted at a Dave and Alex reunion, but I like them better as friends. Without benefits. There’s no reason to disrupt the chemistry the cast has as is. Even though Alex is my favorite character on the show, I wouldn’t want another couple to compete with Brad and Jane. They rule.

If the last two seasons of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” have taught us anything, it’s that Larry David works better alone. Or at least without a wife/serious girlfriend. Seasons seven and eight have been the show’s best, partially because the show had run out of Cheryl/Loretta getting agitated at Larry stories. No disrespect is intended towards Cheryl Hines (who’s great on “Suburgatory”) and Vivica A. Fox; it’s just that the show found new momentum by having Larry date an array of women (and trying to woo Cheryl back, only to not want her when he does). Plus, he’s never gonna love someone as much as he does Jeff.

Because it’s more in-character and painfully funny (painful and funny?) to think he’s waiting for her after “New Jersey/Airport” and for them to not get together, than it is for him to wait her and for them to finally hook up. We don’t want to be robbed of moments as hilariously cringe-worthy as when he fu*ks up taking a bath with her. That would rob “Louie” of being “Louie.”

Or, I don’t want them getting back together. Producers have dropped few hints about what’s to come for season two of “Homeland,” but they have said, “Brody and Carrie have only just begun, and there’s an enormous amount unresolved.” I hope that doesn’t mean they’re going to sleep together again, because that would be disastrous from a show that didn’t have a single big misstep in its first season. Restrain yourself, “Homeland.”

I know it’s going to happen because the show has building toward Jess and Nick hooking up practically since episode one, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right decision. “New Girl” has recently found its footing and has settled into a nice comedic groove, and it’s far too easy for the Will They, Won’t They angle to screw up everything. Also, I might be jealous of Nick. Maybe.

HAHAHA. No.

Rachel and Tim are awesome, but “Justified” already has an abundance of awesome. Rachel and Tim ever getting together would detract from all the other awesomeness.

To recap: Rachel and Tim, awesome; Rachel <3 Tim, not awesome.

Oh wait, this is couples we wouldn’t want to see together. But imagine if “2 Broke Girls” actually got rid of the subtext and Max and Caroline just decided that sure, they’re gay, why not? The ratings would skyrocket — and perverted chef Oleg would have a heart attack…Maybe this isn’t such a bad idea.

Courtesy of Burnsy

In 1976, NBC unveiled a new logo to replace their ubiquitous peacock. It was fancy-looking N made up of two trapezoids, and it cost more than $600,000 to develop. Thing is, a Nebraska PBS affiliate already had a similar-looking logo — which only cost $100 to design. To avoid a lawsuit, NBC paid a $1 million package to the Nebraska station, along with another $55,000 to, according to Mental Floss, “pay for the costs related to not only the legal battle, but the development and implementation of a new logo.”

Moral of the story: NBC has been a screw-up for years; it’s only become particularly noticeable in the network’s awkward post-”Seinfeld”/”Friends”/”E.R”-era. And that sucks, because they’ve aired some of the best TV shows of all-time. That’s why they’re so easy to pick on: we tease because we love. Here are 12 reasons why NBC is in last place amongst the Big Four, with some helpful advice, too.

NBC would also like me to remind you to WATCH “SMASH,” THE MONDAY AFTER THE SUPER BOWL, in case you haven’t seen the ads for the show every three seconds for the last two months.

Here’s a list that NBC totally owns: PRODUCT PLACEMENT. Of the 10 shows with the highest number of free ads in 2011, four of them were on NBC. The network should just cancel all of their Thursday night series, and replace them a three-hour block of the hot girl from the T-Mobile ad telling us about 4G speeds.

Dane Cook and Whitney Cummings might both have shows on NBC next season. Let that sink in. The network that has produced four of the greatest shows of the past 20 years — “Seinfeld,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Community,” and “Freaks and Geeks” — is now asking Whitney Cummings and the guy who recently said that he “chainsaw-f*cked” a “disgusting whore’s c*nt” to save them.

“The Firm” doesn’t cost anything to make, but it’s a perfect example of why NBC has occasionally fallen behind Univision, ratings-wise: it’s a boring-looking drama about lawyers with no stars, based on a movie that came out 19 years ago, based on a book that came out 21 years ago. Its series premiere was watched by 46% fewer people than last season’s big midseason bust, “The Cape.” At least it’s already got the movie part covered.

Yes, “The Office,” the network’s only show in the Nielsen top-30 this season, is the obvious exception here, but let’s not forget “Coupling,” “Free Agents,” “Kath & Kim,” “Prime Suspect,” and “Teachers.” Scratch that: FORGET ALL OF THOSE. Collectively, the five series ran for a total of 44 episodes, and none made it to a second season. Listen to your Green is Universal initiative, NBC, and go local.

STOP THE PRESSES. NBC has a hit with “Grimm” — by their low ratings standards, at least — even though they’re doing their best to fu*k things up. First, “Grimm” was scheduled on Friday, a day where TV shows go to have a quiet death, proving NBC can’t realize a good thing even when it’s on their network. Then when the ratings started coming, the show took a month-long break. Then three more episodes aired, then another lengthy break, then two more, than another week off. Reschedule your otherwise woeful schedule to let a string of episodes of a show people actually want to watch air in a row. Otherwise, they’re going back to the ‘stache.

ABC had “Who Wants to Be Millionaire,” the number-one show for the 1999-2000 season. CBS has “Survivor,” which didn’t finish out of the top-10 until season nine, and “The Amazing Race,” the winner of eight Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality Program. Fox has “American Idol,” the highest-rated show for eight straight seasons. NBC has “Fear Factor,” a show that people only talk about when they’re discussing “donkey semen”; “The Biggest Loser,” which has never finished higher than #30; and “The Apprentice,” which hasn’t been relevant since 2005. The Peacock finally found a hit last season with “The Voice,” but it was a decade too late.

And “Emeril” and “quarterlife” and “Joey” and “The Paul Reiser Show” and “The Playboy Club” and so many more.

Who’d a-thunk “Father of the Pride” wasn’t going to be a HUGE hit? Not this bespectacled, talking penis. Search “Zucker” on Urban Dictionary and here’s what you get:

Synonymous with fu*ker because Jeff Zucker at NBC is the dumbest motherfu*ker in television.

a really dumb fu*kin move. Like somene sh*t themselves.

For a person or persons of authority to take away something which was rightfully earned by another party. From Jeff Zucker of NBC concerning late night television.

He is not liked.

In the early 2000s, after losing the rights to air MLB and NBA games, NBC was feeling experimental, and just like a couple who thinks they’ll be fine doing It without a condom just this once, only to drop out of school nine months later, they later regretted their decision. XFL, founded by WWF owner Vince McMahon, had some good ideas (trash-talking announcers, no PAT kicks, etc.), but suffered from a poor launch-date (right after the Super Bowl, when most fans need a break from football) and lack of high-profile names (hey, Tommy Maddox!). The XFL didn’t work because of the same reason Arena Football, which NBC also aired from 2003-2006, never caught on nationally: THE NFL AND COLLEGE FOOTBALL ALREADY EXIST. Why bother with an inferior product when you can wait a few months for the good stuff to return?

The ratings weren’t great, but they were roughly on-par with other NBC shows, like “Whitney,” that weren’t put on hiatus until an undetermined time. Plus, and Warming Glow is the perfect example of this, the fans of “Community” are, well, fanatical. There’s no other show, sitcom or drama, that has the same rabid fan base as “Community,” and NBC did more harm than good by yanking it off the schedule.

The only reason late-night TV still exists is because of routine. When you actually break an episode of “Letterman” or “Fallon” down, you realize it’s annoyingly formulaic (“This is in the news…”) and mostly just excuse for celebrities to hawk their goods for free; that’s why the Internet and viral videos specifically are the best thing to happen to the format…for us, at least. When NBC did the unthinkable and moved “Leno” to 10 p.m., changing the show’s name to “The Jay Leno Show,” they pissed off old “Leno” fans, who didn’t want their routine interrupted. And then, when the ratings plummeted, they moved Leno back to a later timeslot, bumping Conan to 12:05 a.m., which pissed off young “Conan” fans, who then took to the Internet and the streets to loudly protest.

Elsewhere, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert cackled maniacally.

And NBC had a public relations nightmare that they’re still trying to smooth over.

A friend of mine, Oriana, wrote a blog post recently about what she would do if she ran NBC. My favorite part:

Accept that you’re basically a cable network.

The very type of shows you’re best known for, the shows we use to define your network, appeal to a demographic that no longer watches TV on Nielsen-approved devices. Advertisers are apparently as dumb as we’ve always thought, and are still content to use Nielsen numbers. What they don’t understand is how valuable it can be to know you’re reaching a very specific group of people. That’s what you have to do: Make advertisers understand the value of a smaller, far more focused audience.

This is, of course, no easy task, but if NBC can find a way to prove to advertisers that the millions of articles about “Parks and Recreation” online actually mean something, they could herald in a new era, an era in which the Nielsens don’t matter. You’d be hailed as kings! They just need to think differently, like they did with “Friday Night Lights” airing on DirecTV. Ratings don’t mean as much as they did even 10 years ago, and NBC could be the network that leads the march towards…whatever’s next. It’s a chance for them to be in first place again.

The “Ditz” or “Idiot” or “Moron” has always been a staple of television sitcoms, but it seems like they’re growing increasingly dumb in recent years. That may be a function of our own society. After all, in many cases this character archetype exists in order to make the viewer at home feel superior. It’s getting more and more difficult now, however, to create a character dumber than the average Nielsen viewer without adding a functionally retarded person into every sitcom. Remember Ralph and Potsie from “Happy Days,” or Joey from “Friends” or even Screech and Michael Kelso? Compared to modern television’s dumb characters, they seem almost Eisensteinian.

How far has the bar dropped? Here is a ranking of the 10 Most Profoundly Stupid Characters on Current Television Shows (Limit one character per show). The level of intelligence among these characters should speak for itself.

10. Tracy Jordan, “30 Rock”

9. Luke Dunphy, “Modern Family”

8. Randy Jackson, “American Idol”

7. Kevin Malone, “The Office”

6. Butters Stotch, “South Park”

5. Ryan Shay, “Suburgatory”

4. Butthead, “Beavis and Butthead”

3. The Entire Cast of “Jersey Shore”

2. Brittany, “Glee”

1. Ralph Wiggum, “The Simpsons”

I know Vince at FilmDrunk speaks of her frequently, but I’m not sure how often Matt used to write about Nikki Finke, the “TOLDJA” Lady over at Deadline.com. She’s like this old cat-lady who never leaves her house and yet somehow manages to out-scoop the rest of Internet civilization, often by berating television and movie executives or threatening to break their pacts with the devil. For this reason, I like to refer to her as Satan’s Desiccated Vagina.

Anyway, it has come to the attention of one of Finke’s underlings that NBC is planning a spin-off of “The Office” for mid-season 2013 that would revolve around Rainn Wilson’s character, Dwight Schrute.

No deals have been closed yet but I’ve learned that the proposed spinoff is a family comedy, which was the brainchild of Wilson and “The Office” executive producer/showrunner Paul Lieberstein. It will have Dwight (Wilson) living at the Schrute family beet farm and bed & breakfast, which have been featured on the show several times, including in an episode where Jim and Pam visited Dwight there. The potential spinoff will be introduced in an Office episode later this season set at Schrute Farms. “Paul and Rainn have been joking for years about Dwight’s life on the farm, his family and how ill-suited he is to run a B&B,” a source close to The Office said. “A while ago, it started to feel like a show to them. NBC agreed, it’s been further developed to include multiple generations, many cousins and neighbors.

It sounds like a terrible idea, not just because “The Office” — which will enter its 9th season next year, has already outstayed its welcome — but because the episodes that take place on the Pennsyltucky farm tend to be some of the weaker episodes. However, if they were to combine it with a spin-off of the “Home” episode of “The X-Files,” in which inbred’s inbred’s inbreds hide under the floorboards of Schrute Farm and pick of various members of the Schrute Family “American Horror Story” style, I would definitely throw my support behind it.

It should be noted, however, that despite the fact that this come from one the assistants of Satan’s Desiccated Vagina, it’s not official and, in fact, Rainn Wilson himself suggested in a Tweet yesterday that we should not “believe everything you read in the press, ok? However, it’s hard to distrust Satan’s Desiccated Vagina because she’s been known to throw her weight around and make projects happen just so her scoops turn out correct.

(Source: Deadline)

Rob (CBS) – Series premiere. The picture above, that’s Rob Schneider with his wife, Patricia Azarcoya Arce. So, between that and the mere existence of “Rob” – USA Today review headline: “What’s bad about “Rob”? The whole enchilada” – we now have Reasons #587 and #588 of “Why We Hate Rob Schneider.”

30 Rock (NBC) – Season premiere. Yeah, I totally should have included the Lemon Party. That, and Fresh-Ass: Based on the Novel Tush by Ass-Phire. I’m so happy this show’s back.

The Office (NBC) – Tonight’s episode, “Trivia,” sounds like it recycles two plots: 1) Andy tries to get everyone to double their sales, which he already tried to do in “The Incentive,” and it wasn’t funny; and 2) The summary closely resembles “The Quiz” from the original UK “Office.” I swear, if Andy says,” Exsqueeze me,” I’m DONE.

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (HBO) – Third and maybe final documentary in the “Paradise Lost” series, about the wrongful conviction, imprisonment, and eventual release of the West Memphis Three. The first two are excellent, and there’s no reason to think “Purgatory” won’t be as good. With music from Metallica!

The Finder (FOX) – Series premiere, about a former-military policeman (played by Geoff Stults) from Florida who can find anything. Shows set in Florida suck. More importantly, it’s Michael Clarke Duncan’s triumphant return to TV; it’s been too long since he played “Inmate” on “The Jamie Foxx Show.”

LATE NIGHT GUESTS: John McCain and Johnny Winter on Letterman; Gerard Butler, Betty White, and Ledisi on Leno; Meryl Streep, Stephen Merchant, and Kina Grannis on Kimmel; Hugh Laurie on Ferguson; Daniel Radcliffe, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and Common on Fallon; Ricky Gervais, Wladimir Klitschko, and James Durbin on Conan; Dolly Parton on Stewart; and Mike “Not Steve” Allen on Colbert.

After the jump, a cute “Parks and Recreation” skit that aired during last night’s People’s Choice Awards. It’s got Ron and Ann growing beards and Andy and April showing off their impressive sword-swallowing skills.

It’s hard to remember it now, but seasons two through four of “The Office” can rival the current and the last of seasons “Parks and Recreation” in sheer gloriousness. So much has happened since the marriage of Jim and Pam that it’s easy to lose sight of just how amazing the show once was, how it excellently combined the comedy of discomfort with the effervescent sweetness, and how Jim and Pam were once a sublime combination of Ben/Leslie and Andy/April.

Based on Ricky Gervais’ brilliant UK series, many argued during the heyday of the US version that it was actually better than the original: It was a sweeter, less misanthropic version of Gervais’ series, and if anything, it was more palatable. As originally formulated, the series revolved around the branch manager, Michael Scott and his uncanny ability to stick his foot in his mouth, the will they/won’t they relationship of Jim and Pam, and a menagerie of eclectic and amusing oddballs that made up the rest of the Dunder Mifflin staff.

What’s happened in recent years, however, is that Jim and Pam did, and then Michael Scott left, and suddenly, those eccentric and oddball side characters — originally designed to be scene stealers with little screen time — have had to take on a heavier load. The oddballs and boobs became the main characters — one of them, Andy Bernard, became the new branch manager –and “The Office” lost its core, its voices of reason. In the beginning, when Michael Scott or Dwight Schrute would do something dumb, we knew we at least had Jim or Pam as our inside voice: They provided the sane perspective. But somewhere along the way, before Pam’s second pregnancy, and during the never-ending series of prank wars with Dwight, even Jim and Pam lost sight of reality, succumbing to one-dimensionality.

Now “The Office” is a mess of supporting characters, of oddballs and eccentrics, that bounce around each other with no real rhyme or reason; there’s not a lot of consistency in their characterizations; now, it seems, the more they’re onscreen, the less we really know about them. At one point, the characters drove the storylines; now, the increasingly inane storylines drive the characters. And it’s driving “The Office” into the ground.

After the first few episodes of this, the eighth season, I had some small hope that the showrunners would turn it around, that Andy would infuse “The Office” with new energy. I felt the direction they were heading in was to turn Andy Bernard into a version of Leslie Knope: A boss whose earnestness the cast would rally around, instead of mock. He would be determined and hard-working, and would take the business of selling paper way too seriously, and his staff would grow to respect it. Alas, Andy is just another version of a Michael Scott character that had already grown stale. And James Spaders’ Robert California, who I thought might resurrect the show’s moral center, is just another boob in the show’s collection of them. He’s like a smarter, wealthier version of Creed, if Creed were allowed to run the company.

Look: Situation comedies rarely survive creatively after 100 episodes: There’s only so many iterations of the same situation you can play with. We’re seeing the same thing on “Modern Family” in only its third season, but like “Modern Family,” “The Office” is still watchable, amusing at times, and often entertaining. But “The Office” has not only outstayed its welcome, it’s slowly destroying the brilliant characters it created over the first three seasons. Jim’s only purpose these days, it seems, is to continue his prank war with Dwight, a prank war that Dwight often gets the better of, which occasionally allows Dwight to be the show’s voice of reason. And you know there are problems when Dwight is a voice of reason. Pam has been reduced to a waddling pregnancy joke; nobody knows if Ryan and Kelly are together, week to week, and even fewer people care; Daryl got promoted into a job where he doesn’t seem to do anything; Stanley now employs a catchphrase (it’s a funny catchphrase, mind you, but “The Office” was supposed to be the anti-catchphrase comedy); Meredith is a series of drunk jokes; Angela’s obsession with cats ran its course four seasons ago, and now she’s getting the pregnancy jokes’ sloppy seconds; Oscar, who was once a cool gay character, is now a gay stereotype; and Kevin has somehow gotten dumber over the course of the series, which is saying a lot since there was once an episode where Holly confused him for a mentally retarded man. Indeed, the only character the show hasn’t completely destroyed is Creed, whose mind was destroyed in Vietnam.

Worse still: There’s no apparent end in sight. In its eighth season, “The Office” is the most popular sitcom on NBC. They’re bringing in Catherine Tate in the second half of the season (she was originally thought to be Michael Scott’s replacement, but she had stage commitments in the UK) and, who knows? She could replace Andy. There could be a never-ending succession of Micheal Scott replacements. “The Office” could run another four or five years, recycling plot lines, magnifying the caricatures, and hauling in a series of guest stars to take our attention away from the stale regular cast. But the longer “The Office” continues, the more we forget. Now this scene, back when Jim and Pam managed to stay ahead of the curve instead of bending with it, and back when “The Office” still had a keen sense of playful self-awareness and an unwavering sweetness, is little but a memory, a ghost of how great “The Office” once was and may never be again.

the office jim and pam wedding dance from Isthshowulikeit on Vimeo.

Imagine them eating in slow-motion, and you've got about three selections from this list.

Did people in the 1960s, when TV was a relatively new source of entertainment, predict that at the end of the “Mr. McBeevee” episode of “The Andy Griffith Show,” the previously-unseen-by-everyone-but-Opie titular character was going to appear? Like we would now. You see, Mr. B is a “Not So Imaginary Friend,” and because of Opie stating that he has 12 hands…The point I’m trying to make is: recognizing tropes have made us more cynical about TV, and that’s why I love them.

One of the reasons why shows like “Community” and “South Park” are so good is because they rarely go the easy route and do something that’s been seen a million times before. Their success comes from the way they subvert tropes, unlike, say, “Two and a Half Men” or “Family Guy,” both of which have been doing the same exact stories with the same exact jokes that “The Honeymooners” did in 1955. Just not as well.

On the following pages are 10 of my least-favorite TV tropes. If ever you’ve groaned at a character screaming in horror when they realize who their bedmate is, or turned the channel when someone thought they were high or drunk when they were actually just given a placebo, this list is for you. (Note: this is not the 10 WORST – it’s 10 that really bug me, even if some of my favorite shows use them. Please list your least favorites.)

#10. Ugly Guy, Hot Wife

TV Tropes Excerpt: “A very common trope, particularly in animation and sitcoms, is for a woman to be far more attractive than her significant other. This is largely a result of Hollywood-style casting for women’s roles in which average-looking women are virtually unknown, leaving a large amount of hotties needing work.”

Notable Examples: Peter and Louis Griffin on “Family Guy,” Kevin James and Leah Remini on “The King of Queens,” Homer and Marge Simpson on “The Simpsons,” Harry Goldenblatt‎ and Charlotte Yorke on “Sex and the City” (This one’s so overused that I’ve put it down at #10, because it’d be too obvious of a #1 choice, no matter how obnoxious the idea of James Belushi schtupping Courtney Thorne-Smith is.)

#9. We Want Our Jerk Back

TV Tropes Excerpt: “A common Sitcom plot where the total Jerk Ass learns his lesson, turns sweet and benevolent — and becomes absolutely intolerable, making the other characters yearn for the original personality. Eventually the character in question will revert to normal, and the reaction will either be relief, or realization that he really is worse in his obnoxious form.”

Notable Examples: Bender from “Futurama,” Peter Griffin from “Family Guy,” Roy from “Wings,” Reese from “Malcolm in the Middle,” Toby from “The West Wing,” Fun Bobby from “Friends” (This one’s frustrating because you know the character who goes from jerk-to-friendly will be back to acting like an asshole by the end of the episode. It’s a 22-minute/44-minute plot stall.)

#8. Annoying Laugh

TV Tropes Excerpt: “In some cases, the Annoying Laugh is used in place of actually fleshing out a character, since the type of annoying laugh can lead the audience to assuming the character basically is just as annoying as his or her laugh happens to be.”

Notable Examples: Janice from “Friends”, Kitty from “That ’70s Show,” Vince Masuka from “Dexter,” Urkel

#7. Spicy Latina

TV Tropes Excerpt: “This character is very hot-blooded and confrontational, and often times has a rough background where they had to learn to defend themselves.”

Notable Examples: Vanessa from “Six Feet Under,” Carla from “Scrubs,” Ana Lucia from “Lost,” Gloria from “Modern Family,” Santana from “Glee” (Replace every Spicy Latina — with the exception of Gloria — with a Sassy Black Nurse, and you’ve got yourself an improved show.)

#6. Exotic Animal in Urban Setting

TV Tropes Excerpt: This one doesn’t have a definition because it’s not a trope that exists. YET. It’s been bugging me lately because of the horse from “2 Broke Girls,” who the writers finally got rid of during Monday’s episode. No, they didn’t kill the thing, but rather sent him to a stable, out of the broke girls’ Brooklyn backyard. In a show full of stupid characters, Chestnut might be the worst. Except for Peach. She’s the WORST.

Notable Examples: Marcel the Monkey from “Friends,” Bear from “B. J. and the Bear,” Chestnut the Horse from “2 Broke Girls” (“Lancelot Link” is excepted because IT’S ABOUT TALKING MONKEYS)

#5. Dumbass Has a Point

TV Tropes Excerpt: “A character who’s normally Book Dumb, The Ditz, or possibly even the Ralph Wiggum comes up with a valuable insight. The character most often heard belittling their intelligence sighs heavily and concedes, ‘I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with him.’”

Notable Examples: Cosmo from “The Fairly Oddparents,” Patrick from “Spongebob Squarepants,” Brittany from “Daria,” Nathan from “Misfits,” Bill from “NewsRadio” (And this one’s been on my mind because of the George Clooney movie, The Descendants, and specifically, the character of Sid. He’s a lunkhead who asks inappropriate questions and laughs at Clooney’s mom (his sort-of girlfriend’s grandmother) having Alzheimer’s, but when it’s time for him and George to have a heart-to-heart, it turns out he’s actually very wise and misunderstood gentle idiot. UGH. NO. Just keep them dumb. That’s how we like ‘em.)

#4. Will They or Won’t They?

TV Tropes Excerpt: “Two characters, often combative but with obvious Unresolved Sexual Tension, resist going into a full blown relationship for a rather long time. Usually the two characters will be presented so that “they will” is the conclusion to root for; only rarely is the question of whether the writers think they should in any real doubt.”

Notable Examples: Ross and Rachel from “Friends,” Ben and Leslie from “Parks and Recreation,” J.D. and Elliot from “Scrubs,” Mulder and Scully from “The X-Files,” Sam and Diane from “Cheers,” Niles and Daphne from “Fraiser” (Most shows — particularly sitcoms — go down this route at least once. I don’t know why, either.)

#3. Psycho Ex-Girlfriend

TV Tropes Excerpt: “This is someone The Hero used to be with, but broke it off. Said Ex does not take rejection well.”

Notable Examples: While I was thinking of obnoxious tropes (like this one!) and writing this article, my fiancée was watching “The Good Wife” on CBS. During a commercial break, a promo for an upcoming hilarious new episode of “Two and a Half Men” aired, and one of the clips showed Ashton Kutcher’s ex-wife, Bridget (why, Judy Greer, why?), crashing her car into his house, because she’s cray-cray. There are hundreds of examples of this, from both good shows and bad, and they’re all equally annoying.

#2. Jerk with a Heart of Gold

TV Tropes Excerpt: “A person you would expect to be a big Jerkass turns out to be the nicest person you’ve ever met, or at the very least has some redeeming qualities behind their tough demeanor. Occasionally, they’ll actively try to make it a Hidden Heart of Gold.”

Notable Examples: Kim Kelly from “Freaks and Geeks,” Dr. Morris from “ER,” Dean from “Supernatural,” Dan from “Night Court,” Spike from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” Major Charles from “M*A*S*H” (I honestly can’t think of a show that doesn’t use this trope. Thing is, sometimes we want our jerks to remain jerks and not team up with the good guys. That’s what ruined Spike as a character on “Buffy.” It’s not always a bad thing for characters to be just evil.)

#1. SLOW MOTION to Signify DRAMA

Every slow motion scene on TV is part of the worst trope EVER. (With the exception of this one, from “Spaced.”) I hate slow mo. I bet it was created by the same monster who gave the green light to “Shasta McNasty” and canceled “Terriers.” I’m on to you, Mr. Forced Drama. Go listen to your the Fray CD, very slowly.

The above photo of Ben staring at Leslie’s non-wrinkled, non-hideous face: not a GIF. What follows after the jump: GIFs. Though they’ve been around since 1987, when CompuServe blah blah blah, GIFs have only really exploded in popularity over the last few years, thanks mostly to websites like Tumblr. They’re like pictures, but NOT. They’re like videos, but NOT. They’re hypnotic and funny, and can even sum up a whole half-season’s worth of story lines in two movable images (see: “Walking Dead” ones included.)

So, every Monday from now until THE FUTURE, we’ll be posting our favorite TV GIFs o’ the Week (the “o’” implies coolness!), from shows airing between the previous Sunday to Saturday. (In other words, for this week, it’d be any show ranging from “The Walking Dead” midseason finale to the Steve Buscemi “SNL” episode.) And we need your help! The three of us watch a ton of TV, but there are certain shows that slip through our proverbial cracks – so, if you find any O’ the Week-worthy GIFs for shows that aren’t, say, on Thursday nights, please send them to Joshua.Kurp@gmail.com. I’ll reply back with a “Simpsons” reference or picture of my guinea pigs (not a euphemism – they’re named Butters and Gob) or even a jovial “thank you!”

The initial entry follows, and even though Dustin already covered “Community” and many shows aired repeats, we’ve got Regis and Butt-head, di*k twirling, and Ruxin dancing. Yes.

My favorite “Simpsons” episode since 2008’s “That ‘90s Show.” Neil Gaiman makes everything better.

Consider this my weekly reminder to watch “American Dad!” (Via)

Spoiler? Eh, who cares. (Via)

I know this is from “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” but I don’t know if this scene actually aired last week. I grabbed it from Reality TV GIFs, and they’re usually on-the-ball(s) when it comes to updating, so I’m just going to assume it did, look at it some more, and then rinse my eyes out with a mixture of cat pee and acid. (Via)

Regis also loves …And Justice for All. (Via)

Nick Kroll pretty much ruled the week – not only did he dance on “The League,” he also had two very memorable appearances on “Conan” and “Community.” He owned the right to wear that #01 jersey.

Chung CHUNG. (Via)

(Via)

I’ve never been a huge Maya Rudolph fan, but her Whitney Houston impressions are always entertaining, because Rudolph’s very gifted at spewing fast-talking nonsense. Her character on “Up All Night” has FINALLY toned down, too.

Obviously. (Via)

Community (NBC) – For weeks, IMDb had the title of tonight’s episode as “Indoor Sports with Christian Bale.” But it was recently changed to “Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism.” Not nearly as titillating, so in the interest of increasing ratings, let’s pretend it’s called, “Outdoor Nudity with Brie and Bale.”

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (ABC) – Oh, how I hate that Mayor Burgermeister Meisterburger.

Parks and Recreation (NBC) – As much as I love Adam Scott and Amy Poehler, I’m growing a little weary of their will they/won’t they story. Here’s hoping tonight’s episode, about “things [coming] to a head for Leslie, Ben, and Chris,” finally resolves things, and that Andy and Ron do something wacky together. (Also, please enjoy this mash-up of the “Community” cast with the “Parks & Rec” credits.)

The Office (NBC) – Maura Tierney, who guest stars on “The Office” as Robert California’s (James Spader) wife, was one of my first TV crushes. Then again, considering my TV watching habits as a 12-year-old in 1999, it was either her, Caroline Rhea, or the mom from “Malcolm in the Middle.” I made the right choice.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX) – The Gang tries to see the greatest action movie of the summer, Thunder Gun Express, before it leaves theaters. I would trade every single movie that came out between June and August this year for a movie called Thunder Gun Express.

LATE-NIGHT GUESTS: Melissa McCarthy, Rick Perry, and T-Pain reminisce about “Gilmore Girls” on Leno; Ken Tucker fawns over “Pushing Daisies” with Kristin Chenoweth on Ferguson; Terry Bradshaw tries to talk about segregation with the Civil Wars while Maggie Q awkwardly laughs along on Kimmel; and Darrell Hammond tells the Dum Dum Girls and soon-to-be “SNL” host Steve Buscemi about that time he did rock at 30 Rock on Fallon.

Note: There have been a lot of hello’s and goodbye’s (now I get that Beatles song – John’s the walrus!) over the last few days, so I’ll make this brief: I look forward to writing more for Warming Glow, and I hope you guys and gals remain hyper invested in the content and quality of the website. (In other words, call us out on our sh*t.) It’s our shared interests in talking about good shows, making fun of bad ones, and looking at pictures and videos of cute puppies and people that drive WG, and we’ll do our best to continue Matt’s Internet-owning legacy. And I’ll make sure not a day goes by without at least one gratuitous “Simpsons” quote: “Ah, Oliver North, he was just poured into that uniform.”

See you tomorrow.

Leslie David Baker is better known as Stanley from “The Office,” a no-nonsense character who for years served as an unsmiling counterbalance to Michael Scott’s juvenile antics. Now Baker has recorded a heavily-autotuned party anthem called “2 Be Simple,” and I cannot for the life of me figure out of it’s ironic or serious. In the music video below, Baker wanders around his mansion in pajamas and a robe, enjoys a harem of sexy white girls, lords over a wild pool party, and shuns the advances of a peeping tom neighbor. It all feels vaguely like an ’80s sex comedy, and I can’t figure out why it exists, except for the likelihood that Baker woke up one day and said, “I’m Stanley from ‘The Office,’ and I wanna make a music video with some sexy white girls.” Well done, sir. Opportunity not missed.