American screenwriter Michael Jamin explains why characters never say goodbye on phone calls in films and TV

American screenwriter Michael Jamin was asked to explain why characters in films and television series never say "goodbye" when ending phone conversations. This phenomenon represents a common screenwriting convention that has puzzled audiences. The question was posed to Jamin as part of a broader cultural inquiry into cinematic tropes. The discussion was published on April 17, 2026, by France 24. The video content exploring this topic requires enabling audience measurement and advertising cookies for playback. Browser extensions that block video players may prevent viewing of the material. France 24 modified the publication on the same day at 15:07 after initially posting it at 14:35. The video is titled "Cinéma : pourquoi ils se raccrochent au nez ?" which translates to "Cinema: why do they hang up on the nose?" referring to the abrupt ending of calls. This specific cinematic device was examined alongside other cultural topics including art restitution by France, the success of the Animal Crossing video game series, and the work of painter Jürg Kreienbühl. The segment forms part of France 24's cultural programming that analyzes various media conventions and artistic phenomena.