# Embarrassingly bad "comic relief" in old TV drama **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [May 29, 2021, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187 "2021-05-29T21:14:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2021, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/1 "2021-05-29T21:14:31Z")
I was watching E. R. the other day, and some of the comic relief scenes are cringe-worthy. For example: A birdwatcher with minor injuries tells Doctor Greene that she studies the similarities between bird courting behavior and human courting behavior, leading to Greene surreptitiously watching Susan Lewis - and he decides she’s seeing Morgenstern. Any other examples of heavy-handed cringeworthy comic scenes in what would otherwise be a drama? (actually, Star Trek 5 has a good example - [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/T9SSiHh0Y_8/hqdefault.jpg "Star Trek V - Scotty "I know this ship like the back of my hand..." (KLONG!!)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9SSiHh0Y_8) - come on, that’s just embarrassing) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2021, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/2 "2021-05-29T21:45:33Z")
Kirk sitting down to think on the head that slides out of the wall in the brig is at least as cringe-worthy. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2021, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/3 "2021-05-29T22:10:07Z")
Star Trek 5 never happened. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2021, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/4 "2021-05-29T22:42:52Z")
I have never watched E.R., so I will have to take your word for it. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2021, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/5 "2021-05-29T22:56:17Z")
> **[ER 3.7, No Brain, No Gain: Mark Shoots His Shot](https://90sflashback.wordpress.com/2019/01/29/er-3-7-no-brain-no-gain-mark-shoots-his-shot/)** > > Summary: Carol runs into Mark as they’re on their way into work. He’s preoccupied and calls her Susan, prompting Carol to say they should just get married already. She reveals that ever… > The birdwatcher takes pictures of various people in the ER, then tells Mark she’s actually an anthropologist doing a comparative study on the mating rituals of humans and birds. For example, Chuny and the paramedic she’s flirting with are doing the same courtship dance some grouses do. She also thinks Jerry and Wendy are flirting, and that Wendy’s just seconds away from shaking her tailfeathers in Jerry’s face ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2021, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/6 "2021-05-29T23:02:26Z")
^^^Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d07c76/32.png) [@Hermione1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione1)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2021, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/7 "2021-05-29T23:23:03Z")
You ought to watch The Nostalgia Critic’s review of STV…right after this moment, he cuts to a Three Stooges end title card. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2021, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/8 "2021-05-29T23:49:19Z")
Speaking of _Star Trek_, every single time a Ferengi was ever on-screen. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/9 "2021-05-30T00:28:13Z")
Not so. There were a ton of great Ferengi episodes in DS 9. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/10 "2021-05-30T00:33:25Z")
You didn’t watch the same show I did. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/11 "2021-05-30T00:35:11Z")
[One of the best scenes in TV history.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VhSm6G7cVk) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/12 "2021-05-30T00:48:45Z")
Not quite the same thing - hard as it may be to believe, there were episodes in which the Ferengi were not comic relief (now the ones where the Ferengi were comic relief were especially dire). ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/13 "2021-05-30T01:02:59Z")
Of all the lame jokes in _ **TNG** _, Worf thinking prune juice was “The drink of a warrior!” was by far the lamest. 🥺 ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/14 "2021-05-30T01:13:02Z")
On **St. Elsewhere** Dr. Craig is getting ready for a party at his house, trying to decide where to put the bouquets of flowers they just picked. He turns to his wife and says, “I’ll put the roses on your piano; put your tulips on my organ.” What a groaner. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/15 "2021-05-30T01:15:47Z")
I know there were episodes _supposed_ to be serious, but they were still horrible comic relief. (Ed Wood tried to do his movies seriously.) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/16 "2021-05-30T03:26:07Z")
On Bonanza, a “funny” Hoss episode was always accompanied by what I call “clown music”. It always let you know that it was a light hearted episode, in case you couldn’t tell. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/17 "2021-05-30T03:49:00Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Of all the lame jokes in _ **TNG** _ , Worf thinking prune juice was “The drink of a warrior!” was by far the lamest. 🥺 - One of my favorite lines. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/18 "2021-05-30T05:07:02Z")
Since people are mentioning Star Trek: The Next Generation I nominate the Pakleds from the episode “Samaritan Snare”. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/19 "2021-05-30T11:52:13Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I know there were episodes _supposed_ to be serious, but they were still horrible comic relief. (Ed Wood tried to do his movies seriously.) I don’t think the problems with The Battle > **[The Battle (episode)](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/The_Battle_(episode))** > > When a group of Ferengi present Captain Picard with the derelict remains of his old starship, he begins to lose himself in the past. "Captain's log, Stardate 41723.9. In response to a Starfleet order, we are in the Xendi Sabu star system having... have anything to do with the Ferengi (this is one of the least embarrassing episodes of the first season) > [@terentii](#): > > Of all the lame jokes in _ **TNG** _ , Worf thinking prune juice was “The drink of a warrior!” was by far the lamest. I didn’t mind that. Worf, being an alien, has unusual reactions to things, so another such unusual reaction doesn’t mess up his characterization. Dr. Greene acting like an idiot, or Scotty like a boastful klutz, does wreak havoc with their previous characterization for a cheap laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187/20 "2021-05-30T12:17:25Z")
Monk is another character that is handled very inconsistently for humor’s sake. Sometimes he’s horribly naive - like when he thinks that a necktie on the doorknob of a college room means that the his roommate and his girlfriend are “organizing his closet.” But when it’s mystery-solving time, he has no trouble understanding motives. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassingly-bad-comic-relief-in-old-tv-drama/943187.md?page=2)