5 Dumbest Names for Fictional Hangouts.

This is food related...kinda...

So, Eric and I are watching Smallville today and the cutesy quips and ironically-named characters and subplot points made me think of other great shows with similarly contrived naming-schemes.

So,

What ARE the worst/dumbest/least-thought-out names for hangouts on our old favorite TV shows/movies? Here's my Top (Bottom) 5:

5. Cafe Nervosa, "Frasier"

Let me be clear. I like Frasier. I never liked Cheers, but the wildly successful and infinitely cleverer (more clever sounds better to me too, but grammar tells me "no!"). The idiosyncratic banter and perfectly stylized plot and dialogue make the show completely awesome in my book. But really? "Cafe Nervosa? It's like a bad dream in which coffee is a bad thing. HA! Nervous? I'm not nervous; you're nervous. Stop looking at me!

4. The Peach Pit, "Beverly Hills, 90210"

Ok gals. We all LOVED this show as kids. We thought we were so cool and adult for watching a show about rich (and frankly boring) teens who had "serious" problems. (Case in point: Donna's Virginity: will she or won't she and when, if ever?). I specifically remember sitting in a hotel room in Washington DC with my 5th grade Focus friends and saying "NO WAY!" a lot. Good times. However, "The Peach Pit" is a terrible name for a hangout. Especially if its not in G-E-O-R-G-I-A. Yes, yes, California has peaches--but they are not the "Peach State". The name itself is less cute and kitschy and more silly and contrived. I believe I remember hunky Dillon at some point saying, "Let's meet at the pit." Not so hunky anymore, eh ladies?

3. The Max, "Saved by the Bell"

Saved by the Bell was admittedly cheese custard with cheese danish, covered in cheese sauce. But the silly escapades at their local hangout, The Max (named after the crazy magician owner) were less cheesecake and more limburger. But hey, you gotta at least give it "street-cred" for early 90's over-the-top-ness. At least they weren't actually at The Max when Jessie had her diet-pill-induced psychotic-break. All together now: "I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so...scared..."

2. Central Perk, "Friends"

It's a dumb name. I love the city. I marginally like the show. Don't be cutesy. The name blows. That's all I have...

1. The Beanery, "Smallville"

Again, I love the show. Some of it is silly and sophomoric, but it's good and has weathered the test of time (now into its 10th season). It just that a person who loves comic books and terribly witty teen dramas needs a certain level of creativity. The Beanery? Why don't you just call it "It's a Grind"? (Weeds reference, if anyone missed it).

Anyhow, we love our addictive TV shows. 90's, 2000's and beyond. We grew up with them. But I can't help but thinking, the writers could have tried just a bit harder.