The 3 Worst TV Stereotypes of the Week: 'Why Are Men Such Pigs?'

Ahhhh, stereotypes. Where would we be without them? It would certainly be a lot more difficult to get to know characters on television because your first impulse assumptions (based on that person's career, income bracket, race or hometown), would be wrong. You would actually have to follow them through an entire season, waiting as complex personalities unraveled before you -- a simultaneous discovery process for both character and viewer. What a waste! Fortunately, the airwaves are brimming with stereotypes these days -- just don't venture too far out into cable. Let's take a look at this week's best and blandest.

1. Sleazy Lawyers/Men (The Defenders)

If my grandma had read the TV Guide's description of this week's Defenders episode and seen that "Pete defends an attractive cabana girl from accusations of assault and battery," she could have predicted what happened. To recap, for those who may have missed this recently extended series, Pete (Jerry O'Connell, outfitted as a slick-haired, pinky ring-wearing Vegas lawyer) met with a hot, bra-less cabana girl to discuss her recent assault. (Obviously, she was bra-less because sexy cabana girls tend to dress the same way all the time, whether they are pouring liquor down their bronzed chest behind the bar or meeting with a lawyer the next morning to discuss something serious like assault.) After Pete listened to hot cabana girl's tragic tale, he uttered, "Men are such pigs!" before slinking his way over to her. "Tell me what happened exactly," he said.

"It's easier if I show you," hot cabana girl said, before sliding his arm around her chest, all sexy-like and all "I totally wasn't assaulted last night because if I was I probably would not be in the mood to flirt shamelessly with you if I was"-like.

Later, when a coworker asked about the flirtation, Pete became defensive.

"I would never sleep with clients," Pete started. "Yes, I've slept with clients but it was before they were clients. Yes, I've slept with clients after they were clients but never ever ever would I sleep with a client while they were a client. "

After Pete had gotten hot cabana girl off trial, she asked Pete out on a date. And Pete, slicking his hair back again and twirling his pinky ring once, said "I would love to."

2. Drunk Girls (Parenthood)

Pity the high school girl who sees her crush making out with another girl at a frat Halloween party and chooses not to get stereotypically drunk, sloppy and embarrassing. Because no one at the party will know what is happening. At least, if they tuned into this week's "Orange Alert" edition of Parenthood which featured Amber (Mae Whitman, dressed in a banana suit -- a welcome wink at Arrested Development) and Kelsey hitting the costume party circuit. After Kelsey noticed Howard kissing anther girl, she attacked the keg and after one binge-y commercial break ended up flailing around in the pool while slurring insults at her crush.

"Stop embarrassing yourself," her crush shouted at her after a crowd had gathered around the pool. But it was too late. Amber had already called her mother, Sarah, who was on a date with Billy Baldwin. Within minutes both Sarah and Billy were on the scene, and in an overly dramatic moment that robbed the scene of its complete stereotypical-ness (not to mention any shed of legitimacy), Baldwin waded into the pool and rescued the drunk damsel from the shallow end.

3. Attention-Whore-y Television Actresses (Glee)

Lea Michele, Fox did not even air a new episode of Glee this week but you miraculously made the list for your scandalous GQ shoot. You single-handedly undermined Glee's core message and more importantly, you contributed to the stereotype that young starlets will rip off their clothes and pose spread eagle for a men's magazine if it means a few extra headlines. Congratulations!

Movieline's TV Stereotypes division salutes this week's winners.