Why Don’t TV Characters Say “Goodbye” When Hanging Up The Phone?
If you are anything like us, you have probably noticed that TV characters rarely say “goodbye” to one another when hanging up the phone.
It’s one of those things that you may not think about, but once you notice it, it’s hard to miss!
So, what is the reasoning for this? Screenwriter and producer Michael Jamin, who goes by @michaeljaminwriter on TikTok, has the answer.
He has spent decades writing and producing, lending his talents to shows like King of the Hill, Wilfred and Maron.
The explanation he offers is actually much simpler than we initially thought. As he shared on TikTok, a line like “goodbye”is what Jamin refers to as a form of “shoe leather.” In screenwriter parlance, this means that the line may make the scene more realistic but it does not add anything to the overall entertainment value.
“Shoe leather might make a scene feel more realistic,” he shared. “But it doesn’t necessarily make the scene more entertaining.” Other screenwriters may opt out of these goodbyes because they are looking to adhere to runtime concerns. “Not every scene is gonna be great,” Jamin continues. “We want to have the liberty to trim and pace up a bit.”
As time goes on, Jamin says that excluding these types of pleasantries becomes second nature for the average screenwriter. “Eventually you’ll get to the point where you’re not even writing ‘goodbye’ into the script, knowing from experience that you’e just gonna cut it later,” Jamin concludes.
If you would like to learn more, be sure to check out his video below:
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