# Sitcoms: Ever See a Character Apologise to Another for a Wisecrack? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 12, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-ever-see-a-character-apologise-to-another-for-a-wisecrack/634453 "2012-09-12T00:38:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-ever-see-a-character-apologise-to-another-for-a-wisecrack/634453/1 "2012-09-12T00:38:51Z")
When I zing a friend with a wisecrack, I’ll usually follow up with “I’m sorry, that was rude”, even if they are laughing along. Has anyone ever seen this happen on a show like _How I Met Your Mother_ or \*Seinfeld \*? I can picture Elaine needing to say this to George a lot in real life. Have you seen one sitcom character truly take offense at a joke made at their expense, where their reaction doesn’t feed into another joke or plot point, a la _Everybody Loves Raymond_? The closest I’ve ever seen to something like this was in the 1985 movie _My Science Project_, where hero John Stockwell tells comic relief Fisher Stevens to basically shut up. Stevens defends his chatty personality by saying “hey, this is me” and Stockwell drops it. it was the first time I’d seen a supporting character stand up for himself in a comedy/adventure. I guess what stands out is that the hero doesn’t get the last word and the retort wasn’t really all that funny. I know moments like this would ruin the standard sitcom setup/payoff joke flow, but it’s got to have happened a few times here and there. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-ever-see-a-character-apologise-to-another-for-a-wisecrack/634453/2 "2012-09-12T00:47:31Z")
I’ve only seen it when it’s a part of the character making the quip that they are usually nice to a fault. Usually, that reaction is also used for comedy, though. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-ever-see-a-character-apologise-to-another-for-a-wisecrack/634453/3 "2012-09-12T16:45:55Z")
As a matter of fact, I saw this on How I Met Your Mother this past Monday. Barney was getting on Ted’s nerves & Ted blurts out “Well, you know what I’ve seen? Your girlfriend’s cans!”\* Then Ted apologizes about how over the top that was & they share a condolence high-five. \*This ep’s subplot was Barney’s mixed feelings about his girlfriend being a stripper. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-ever-see-a-character-apologise-to-another-for-a-wisecrack/634453/4 "2012-09-12T16:56:42Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > As a matter of fact, I saw this on How I Met Your Mother this past Monday. Barney was getting on Ted’s nerves & Ted blurts out “Well, you know what I’ve seen? Your girlfriend’s cans!”\* Then Ted apologizes about how over the top that was & they share a condolence high-five. > > \*This ep’s subplot was Barney’s mixed feelings about his girlfriend being a stripper. This is where I’ve seen it often in recent years. The buddy type acknowledgement of a good insult. You’ll see it here on the board as well. It also happens in the emotional aftermath of verbal chick fights where they all kiss and makeup afterwards. ETA: Yeah, and the condolence high-five is a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-ever-see-a-character-apologise-to-another-for-a-wisecrack/634453/5 "2012-09-12T17:21:34Z")
The last episode of Friends kinda has this. Rachel talks about them being a couple and Ross comes back “unless we’re on a break”. Rachel kinda gives a glare to which Ross replies “Don’t make jokes…” ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-ever-see-a-character-apologise-to-another-for-a-wisecrack/634453/6 "2012-09-12T17:26:29Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > This is where I’ve seen it often in recent years. The buddy type acknowledgement of a good insult. You’ll see it here on the board as well. It also happens in the emotional aftermath of verbal chick fights where they all kiss and makeup afterwards. > > ETA: Yeah, and the condolence high-five is a thing. I first read that as “kiss and make out afterwards.” I was about to say, “I’ve seen that movie too!” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-ever-see-a-character-apologise-to-another-for-a-wisecrack/634453/7 "2012-09-12T17:58:40Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > I first read that as “kiss and make out afterwards.” I was about to say, “I’ve seen that movie too!” Took a lot of restraint not to continue with my fantasies of what happens next. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-ever-see-a-character-apologise-to-another-for-a-wisecrack/634453/8 "2012-09-12T19:28:05Z")
Frasier, maybe? Can’t think of a specific instance, but it always had a vibe of real people talking to each other, beneath the humor. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-ever-see-a-character-apologise-to-another-for-a-wisecrack/634453/9 "2012-09-12T21:03:16Z")
It happened twice on Seinfeld that I can remember, but they weren’t wisecracks. After Jerry makes fun of George for buying the periodontist John Voight’s car, George kicks him out to the street. A couple of street thugs scare Jerry and he slips while trying to run away in his cowboy boots. The next scene is George apologizing to Jerry about kicking him out of the car. The 2nd instance was when Jerry told on Kramer when he was trying to sneak his cafe latte into the movie theater. Jerry motions to the theater usher that Kramer was hiding something and Kramer’s kicked out and spills the drink over himself. Jerry later apologizes to Kramer. These two stand out in my mind because almost nobody ever apologizes, especially sincerely, for anything on that show ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-ever-see-a-character-apologise-to-another-for-a-wisecrack/634453/10 "2012-09-12T22:32:31Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > It happened twice on Seinfeld that I can remember, but they weren’t wisecracks. > > After Jerry makes fun of George for buying the periodontist John Voight’s car, George kicks him out to the street. A couple of street thugs scare Jerry and he slips while trying to run away in his cowboy boots. The next scene is George apologizing to Jerry about kicking him out of the car. Jerry apologized to George after George’s apology as well, IIRC. There was also an episode where Jerry said something smart-ass and George got pissed and said something like “Why do I even talk to you about these things?”, to which Jerry replied, “All right, I’m sorry.” ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-ever-see-a-character-apologise-to-another-for-a-wisecrack/634453/11 "2012-09-12T23:03:40Z")
On _The Big Bang Theory_, the guys pick on Penny’s new boyfriend Zack because he’s stupid, and then Leonard makes them all go over to her apartment afterwards to apologize to him for being obnoxious. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-ever-see-a-character-apologise-to-another-for-a-wisecrack/634453/12 "2012-09-13T04:43:36Z")
There was an episode of \*Everybody Loves Raymond \*where Debra hits a little too close to home in doing impressions of Frank and Marie at a party, and has to apologize. ---
**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-ever-see-a-character-apologise-to-another-for-a-wisecrack/634453/13 "2012-09-13T05:00:36Z")
These are good. I now remember Jerry saying “I’m sorry” a few times, usually with his hands out in front like _it was just a joke_. I always liked those moments between friends.