A top 10 list of sitcom cliches? Isn't that cliched?

The folks over at MSN wrote up the ten most-tired sitcom cliches. They are:

Character meets someone who looks just like them. Not sure how much of a cliche this is, given that after their most recent example, Friends, the shows they note for this "cliche" are The Addams Family and Bewitched. The Friends example is only half accurate, as having Lisa Kudrow play identical twins is different than Ross having a doppleganger named Russ.

It's a stupid plot move - skewered pretty well on Seinfeld with the Bizzaro Jerry and friends - but perhaps not common enough to be a cliche.

Misunderstandings based on hearing part of a sentence. The whole wacky hijinx from eavesdropping idea is pretty lame. Good call.

Butlers who talk back I'm not sure butlers are common enough to warrant cliche status. One of the shows given as an example is Benson, which I'd disagree with given that Benson isn't exactly a butler on that show (he was on Soap, a show where a butler that talks back would be one of the least unusual characters).

Given that Seinfeld managed to skewer this idea, perhaps it's widely enough known to be a cliche. But I'm skeptical.

One character, two dates. Yeah, not good.

Add a baby or other child. I'd agree here as well, but have to note that one of the examples - Roseanne - is inaccurate. I don't think the change in who played Becky was a ratings grab as much as a contract issue. Also, how do you not reference cousin Oliver from The Brady Bunch here?

Baby birthing in unusual places. Again, probably not a cliche (especially when one of the shows listed as an example, 7th Heaven, isn't a sitcom), but it is hokey.

Stuck in a clip show. Characters are stuck somewhere, turns into a clip show. Clip shows in general are bad, not just the ones using the captivity of the characters as the device for the clips.

Fake illness to meet celebrity. OK, the two examples given are Diff'rent Strokes and The Brady Bunch. Is it a cliche when the examples are more than 20 years old?

Characters you don't see. Personally, I don't mind this one. The Wilson thing was a little tired on Home Improvement, but there are a number of characters we never saw - Carlton on Rhoda, Maris on Frasier, and Vera on Cheers, for example - whose appeal certainly wasn't hurt by not appearing on camera. As a recurring device, I have no problems with this.

Cross dressing. A bad idea generally.

An OK list, but hurt by poor examples and some weak entries. Suggestions to strengthen cliches or include new ones are welcome.