History FunWithAcronyms / LiveActionTV

** The movie ''AgentFromHARM'' had Mike and the Bots have blast coming up with [=HARM=]'s acronym.

* In ''Spin City,'' a con man manages to get the mayor to write his organization, '''C'''onvicts '''A'''re '''S'''aved by '''H'''orses a check, and asks him to just use the acronym.

*** And his [[EvilTwin evil prototype]] K.A.R.R. ('''K'''night '''A'''utomated '''R'''econnaissance '''R'''obot)

* A skit from the Belgian sketch comedy show ''Als ’t maar beweegt'' features Belgium’s latest entry to [[EurovisionSongContest Eurovision]], the Flemish answer to {{ABBA}} comprised of '''S'''tephanie, '''H'''erman, '''I'''ngrid and '''T'''ony.

* In ''[[MarriedWithChildren Married... With Children]]'', Al started an anti-feminist organisation known as the '''N'''ational '''O'''rganisation of '''M'''en '''A'''gainst '''A'''mazonian '''M'''asterhood, or NO MA'AM. The spacing and apostrophe are of course just for show.

* In ''{{Only Fools and Horses}}'', Del buys some headed notepaper for the business. He initializes everything, because "Modern businesspeople only speak in initials." Their company is '''T'''rotter's '''I'''ndependent '''T'''raders, and Rodney has a '''D'''iploma '''I'''n '''C'''omputerization. Lampshaded when Rodney comments:

* An episode of ''{{MST3K}}'' plays with the long, awkward acronyms often adopted by charities, by having both of the bots participate in walkathons for WALKATHON ('''W'''alkers '''A'''t '''L'''arge '''K'''inetically '''A'''ltruistic '''T'''hrough '''H'''ygiene '''O'''r '''N'''owledge -- the spelling of "nowledge" being intentional, as WALKATHOK wouldn't make sense) and HELPING CHILDREN THROUGH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. (Which is ''not'' the name of an organization, but actually the ''acronym'' for his organization's name. The name itself is about four sentences long, borders on absolute gibberish, and doesn't fit very well on a T-shirt, either: '''H'''i '''E'''veryone, '''L'''et's '''P'''itch '''I'''n '''N''' '''G'''et '''C'''racking '''H'''ere '''I'''n '''L'''ouisiana '''D'''oing '''R'''ight, '''E'''h? '''N'''ow '''T'''hen, '''H'''ateful, '''R'''ich, '''O'''verbearing '''U'''gly '''G'''uys '''H'''url '''R'''oyally '''E'''verytime '''S'''omeone '''E'''ats '''A''' '''R'''adish, '''C'''arrot, '''H'''ors d'oeuvre, '''A'''nd '''N'''ever '''D'''oes '''D'''ishes. '''E'''ventually, '''V'''ictor '''E'''ats '''L'''unch '''O'''ver '''P'''eoria '''M'''it '''E'''in '''N'''euesberger '''T'''od. )

** The GerryAnderson series are generally big on acronyms. From ''Series/{{Stingray 1964}}'', we have WASP (World Aquanaut Security Patrol): from ''{{The Secret Service}}'', BISHOP (British Intelligence Service Headquarters, Operation Priest); from ''{{Joe 90}}'', WIN (World Intelligence Network) and BIG RAT (Brain Impulse Galvanoscope, Record And Transfer). To name but a few.

*** And his [[{{EvilTwin}} evil prototype]] K.A.R.R. ('''K'''night '''A'''utomated '''R'''econnaissance '''R'''obot)

* On ''HowIMetYourMother'', Marshall and Lily buy an apartment on a new trendy neighborhood named Dowisetrepla. Only too late do they realize that it stands for '''Do'''wn '''Wi'''nd of the '''Se'''wage '''Tre'''atment '''Pla'''nt.

** The name of the episode? S.O.B.s, which also stands for [[http://saveourbluths.com/ Save Our Bluths]], a fan site [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin dedicated to saving the show]]. The web address even flashed across the screen at one point in the episode.

** '''M'''onster '''A'''ttack '''T'''eam from ''{{Return of Ultraman}}''.

** '''U'''niversal '''M'''ultipurpose '''A'''gency from ''{{Ultraman Towards the Future}}''.

* Subverted in ''{{Series/Heroes}}'': While playing to TheMenInBlack trope, Mr. Bennet denied working for the government by saying "I'm not a part of any organization with initials". Fans promptly played with it by adopting the FanNickname "Organization Without Initials".

* The [=H2IK=] sequence in ''DefyingGravity'' basically means "Hell if I know". It just makes the people saying it sound like they know what they're doing.

** The GerryAnderson series are generally big on acronyms. From ''Series/{{Stingray}}'', we have WASP (World Aquanaut Security Patrol): from ''{{The Secret Service}}'', BISHOP (British Intelligence Service Headquarters, Operation Priest); from ''{{Joe 90}}'', WIN (World Intelligence Network) and BIG RAT (Brain Impulse Galvanoscope, Record And Transfer). To name but a few.

* Chandler's job in ''{{Friends}}'' required him to pay attention to the '''W'''eekly '''E'''stimated '''N'''et '''U'''sage '''S'''ystems, as well as the '''A'''nnual '''N'''et '''U'''sage '''S'''tatistics.
** Also on ''{{Friends}}'', Joey gets cast on "Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E.", where the latter is a '''C'''ybernetic '''H'''umanoid '''E'''lectronically '''E'''nhanced '''S'''ecret '''E'''nforcer. Joey fails to realise this isn't just a happy coincidence.

* In ''KnightRider'', Michael and co. worked for the '''F'''oundation for '''L'''aw '''A'''nd '''G'''overnment. Despite the catchy acronym, they only use "FLAG" a couple of times on screen, preferring to say "The Foundation".

** The GerryAnderson series are generally big on acronyms. From ''{{Stingray}}'', we have WASP (World Aquanaut Security Patrol): from ''{{The Secret Service}}'', BISHOP (British Intelligence Service Headquarters, Operation Priest); from ''{{Joe 90}}'', WIN (World Intelligence Network) and BIG RAT (Brain Impulse Galvanoscope, Record And Transfer). To name but a few.

* In one of the recurring "Celebrity Secrets" segments aired during LateNight With ConanOBrien, John Tesh claimed his last name was also an acronym for his goal in life: '''T'''ickle '''E'''very '''S'''ingle '''H'''uman.

*** And in the 2009 reboot, it was '''K'''night '''I'''ndustries '''Three''' '''T'''housand.

* According to the novelization of ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration's'' {{pilot}} episode, Geordi [=LaForge=] is wearing a '''V'''isual '''I'''nstrument and '''S'''ensory '''O'''rgan '''R'''eplacement. Geordi comments that he sometimes wonders how long it took them to come up with that one.

* ''StarTrekEnterprise'' had a team of {{SpaceMarine}}s called [=MACO's=] (for '''M'''ilitary '''A'''ssault '''C'''ommand '''O'''perations). Which gave them an excuse to wear a cool mako shark on their arm patch.

* An episode of ''{{Community}}'' has a couple examples:

* S.A.M. from ''SesameStreet'', which stands for '''S'''uper '''A'''utomatic '''M'''achine. Those who were [[NightmareFuel severely freaked out]] by him as children would argue '''S'''atan's '''A'''utomaton of '''M'''alice would be more accurate.

* An AllThat sketch had the '''L'''eague of '''A'''mazing '''M'''agnificent '''O'''utstanding '''S'''uperheroes.

* ''GetSmart'' had the organisations CONTROL and KAOS, neither of which stood for anything.

* In an episode of ''RedDwarf'', Rimmer is attacked by a creature which removes all his anger, and leaves him suggesting that they humanely rehabilitate the beast. To that end he proposes an organisation known as the '''C'''ommittee for the '''L'''iberation and '''I'''ntegration of '''T'''errifying '''O'''rganisms and their '''R'''ehabilitation '''I'''nto '''S'''ociety. He himself recognises that the acronym could be a problem.

* Subverted in ''{{Series/Heroes}}'': While playing to the {{MIB}} trope, Mr. Bennet denied working for the government by saying "I'm not a part of any organization with initials". Fans promptly played with it by adopting the FanNickname "Organization Without Initials".

** Another funny WordPlay from the pedophilia special refers to the H.O.E.C.S. [[DontExplainTheJoke (hoax)]] games that pedophiles use to physically interact with children [[BeyondTheImpossible through the Internet.]]

* Several ''RobotWars'' contestants used this trope for naming their robots, by far the most hilarious was S.M.I.D.S.Y ('''S'''orry '''M'''ate '''I''' '''D'''idn't '''S'''ee '''Y'''ou).

* Lindsay from ''ArrestedDevelopment'' mentioned a charity organisation called "HOOP". While the name itself sounded innocent, it was in fact for an anti-circumsicion thing, and stood for "'''H'''ands '''O'''ff '''O'''ur '''P'''enises". And then, when the show was about to be canceled, Michael and George Senior {{Jossed}} the idea of an eventual ChannelHop, saying that the '''H'''ouse '''B'''uilders '''O'''rganisation refused to work with the Bluth Company.

** Same thing in ''[[{{ptitleolsdue4jfzga}} 30 Rock]]'', only there the alleged charity is the "Chicago All Saints Hospital."

** In "The Bus Pants Utilization", the guys are developing Leonard's idea for a new smart phone app. Sheldon suggests naming the app "the ''S'''urprisingly '''H'''elpful '''E'''quation-'''L'''inked '''D'''ifferential '''O'''ptimized '''N'''umerator", and pretends the acronym was unintentional.

* One can not help suspect that the name of the '''C'''elestial '''I'''ntervention '''A'''gency from ''Series/DoctorWho'', which frequently flouts the all-important [[{{Alien Non-Intervention Clause}} law of non-interference]] is not [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean unintentionally]] reminiscent of a certain terrestrial organization.

*** And the first syllables of the Go-ongers' surnames (Souskue '''E'''sumi, Ren '''Ko'''usaka, Saki '''Ro'''uyama, Hanto '''Ji'''ou, Gunpei '''I'''shihara) spell out the Japanese pronuciation of "ecology", '''EKOROJII'''

* MyNameIsEarl has '''B'''lack '''L'''adies '''O'''f '''W'''restling, which Joy's black sister Liberty Washington becomes a member of.

* ''MadanSenkiRyukendo'' has the '''S'''hoot '''H'''ell '''O'''bduracy '''T'''rooper organization, or SHOT, which its titular heroes belong to. Another fine example of GratuitousEnglish.