Editing Reset button technique (section)

==Use as a frequent plot device==

In many series, the reset button trope is used as a standard, and frequently explicit, plot device.

Implicit usage of the technique can be seen in episodic fiction, such as when the results of episodes regularly cause what would seem to be massive changes in the status of characters and their world; however, it is understood by the audience that subsequent episodes will not consider such events. An example is ''[[South Park]]'', in which the character of [[Kenny McCormick|Kenny]] dies in almost every episode in early seasons, only to reappear in future episodes without explanation.

''[[The Simpsons]]'' is one show that generally uses this technique, while occasionally introducing lasting continuity changes. Creator [[Matt Groening]] referred to this flexibility as a "rubber band reality".<ref name="LAT_1">{{cite news|last1=Lloyd|first1=Robert|title='The Simpsons': Q&A with Matt Groening on reaching 500 episodes|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/02/qa-matt-groening-on-the-simpsons-at-500.html|accessdate=3 March 2017|newspaper=LA Times|date=20 February 2012}}</ref>

Shows using the reset-button technique sometimes point out, as a form of [[self-referential humor]], their own use of the device.

Alluding to the trope, the [[CBBC (TV channel)|CBBC]] television series ''[[Hounded (TV series)|Hounded]]'' features a literal reset button that, at the end of each episode, rewinds the entire day's events back to the beginning.