History LastNameBasis / LiveActionTv

* ''Series/ChouSeiShinSeries'': In ''Genseishin Justiriser'', Yuka eventually graduates from saying "Date-kun" to the {{honorific}}-free "Shouta". Shouta, however, is a bit slow on the uptake, but Shinya pays attention and remarks on it.

* On ''{{Series/Highlander}}'', Tessa was the only one to ever call Duncan by his first name. Everyone else ether called him Macleod or the shortened form, Mac. Even Tessa used it some of the time.

** The only person who consistently referred to him as "Bobby" was a recurring villain, who kept trying to prove that they're NotSoDifferent.

** Averted by the pathologist in seasons 1 and 2, who is always "[[FirstNameBasis Max]]" to the extent his last name was completely unknown until he showed up as a character on the prequel series ''Series/{{Endeavour}}''. Played straight with Dr. ([[EmbarrassingFirstName Grayling]]) Russell and Dr. (Laura) Hobson.

** Being in a low-level position and exceedingly polite to boot, Kenneth calls everyone "Mr./Mrs./Miss [last name]" or "sir/ma'am". In one episode, Liz noted that he "calls Tracy's lizard 'sir'."

* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'': Played straight to start with but averted over the course of the series as the characters become closer. Played straight with Hitchcock and Scully, however.

* ''Series/SexAndTheCity''-- Carrie was usually on a first name basis with her boyfriends through the years (with the exception of NoNameGiven Mr. Big) but for some reason referred to Jack Berger by his last name only.

** Inverted in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS15E1HorrorOfFangRock "Horror of Fang Rock"]]: Skinsale and the other toffs refer dismissively to the working-class Vince as "Harker"; the Doctor makes a point of addressing him as "Vince."

** The Fifth Doctor's companion Vislor Turlough was always referred to as Turlough.

* On ''Series/{{Becker}}'', the title character (Dr. John Becker) is on a last name basis with nearly the entire cast with everyone except for his nurse, Margaret and BlackBestFriend Jake.

* ''Series/{{Glee}}'': Noah Puckerman is usually called "Puck" and David Karofsky is frequently "Karofsky" "Dave."

* John Steed and Emma Peel always addressed each other as "Steed" and "Mrs. Peel" on ''Series/TheAvengers''.

* "Stiles" Stilinski of ''Series/TeenWolf'' is only Stiles. Even his father calls him Stiles. Perhaps because his given name is bizarre and apparently near-unpronounceable.

* ''Series/NewGirl'' has Schmidt, who is only ever referred to by his last name Schmidt(his first name is still unknown, and it is a bit of a long-running gag that we never find out). Even after they get married, Cece still calls him by his last name Schmidt.

''Series/{{Arrow}}'': Most characters are referred to by first names, but John Diggle is almost always "Diggle" or "Dig", unless he and Oliver are having a FriendshipMoment. Quentin Lance is usually referred to as "Detective Lance" and later, "Captain Lance." Some bad guys, like Damien Darhk, also frequently got the LastNameBasis treatment.

* In ''Series/CSIMiami'' With two execptions, all the main characters are on a first name basis; Tim Speedler usually goes by a shortened version of his last name, "Speed," and Horatio always calls Ryan "Mr. Wolfe." (Horatio himself is referred to as "H" most of the time.)

* Everyone in ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman'' called Sully by his surname sully. This was probably partly because he [[EmbarrassingFirstName was embarrassed by his name, Byron.]]

* Douglas Fargo of ''{{Series/Eureka}}'' is almost universally referred to as "Fargo". The only people who ever call him any derivative of "Douglas" are [[{{Crossover}} Claudia]] from ''{{Series/Warehouse 13}}'' (who does it in response to his claim that "everybody calls me Fargo") and himself (one of his passwords is "[[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Dougie the Vampire Slayer]]").
** His new girlfriend (played by Creator/FeliciaDay) refers to him as "Douglas" as well.

* In ''The Beiderbecke Trilogy'', the main characters are most commonly refered to as Mr Chaplain and Mrs Swinburne. In the second serial, the latter is utterly surprised that the former calls her "Jill", and he admits that he only did so because "I'm shit scared." This comes after the two have been in a sexual relationship for over two years, and known each other far longer.

** Rodney is "Doctor [=McKay=]" to most people, except Sheppard who uses both "Rodney" and "[=McKay=]" equally and Elizabeth who sticks with Rodney all the time.[[note]]Of course, "Rodney" is not his first name. It's ''[[EmbarrassingFirstName Meredith]]''. When he meets an alternate version on himself, he's distressed that people call that version Rod, which he could never get anyone to call him.[[/note]]
** Ronon is never refered to as "Dex", at most he might get a full name "Ronon Dex".

* In [[Series/{{Batman}} the 1966 Batman series]], Chief O'Hara's little known first name is Miles.

** It has Grissom, Brass, Hodges, and Ecklie, and [=McKeen=] for a while. They just used [=McKeen=] even while he was running after killing Warrick. Interesting that except for Grissom, all the other CSI are on a first name basis.

* In ''Series/CSIMiami'' every main character refers to each other on a first name basis, except Tim speed speedler who goes by solely by a short version of his last name speed real Horatio who always calls Ryan by his last name "Mr. Wolfe". Horatio is referred to as "H".
* ''Series/{{CSI NY}}'' has (Don)Flack and (Sheldon)Hawkes, although their first names get used sometimes as well, most often by Mac. Sometimes when a character answers the phone, they refer to themselves by last name. Stella does it a lot..."Bonasera". The superiors get it sometimes. Gerard comes to mind. Mac is an aversion of sorts,a rare example where it isn't a shortened last name, but a nickname for his first name.

** Booth almost exclusively addresses Brennan as "Bones" (and is the only person allowed to do so), not "Temperance", and ''never'' "Tempe"; even in the hallucination/dream she was "Bren". There were a couple of FirstNameBasis from Booth in season one, but none since TheTeaser of "The Woman in Limbo" (one of the most dramatic moments of the entire show.)

* (Erin) Silver from the sequel series ''Series/NineOhTwoOneOh'' is commonly called By her last name Silver even her mother and sister call her by her last name Silver too.

** It has Grissom, Brass, Hodges, and Ecklie, and McKeen for a while. They just used McKeen even while he was running after killing Warrick. Interesting that except for Grissom, all the other CSI are on a first name basis.

** In one of his first episodes, Rossi tells his teammates to call him Dave. Hotch at least seems to do this consistently. Likewise, Rossi tends to call Hotch by his first name Aaron.
** And while JJ is the only character not referred to by her last name, it's short for Jennifer Jareau, so they're not just using her first name either.

** J.J. also rarely calls Reid by his last name; she is the only one to call him "Spence".
** The only character to go completely by first name is Elle Greenaway, who disappeared early in the second season anyway.
** Since she's their boss, everyone also refers to Chief Strauss as "Strauss." The only one who uses her first name with any frequency is Rossi. [[FirstNameBasis She refers to him by his first name as well.]] She also calls Hotch by his first name Aaron.
*** Justified when Hodge is in the scene. They have the same first name (Aaron/Erin).
* ''Series/{{CSI}}'':

'''Kelso:''' And ''Mrs.'' Turkleton! '''The Turkeltons!'''

* In [[Series/{{Batman}} the 1966 Batman series]], Chief O'Hara's little known first name is Mile

* Kramer from ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}''. Is known primarily by his surname Kramer Even after his first name Cosmo was revealed, people still kept using his last name Kramer. (not that people weren't enamored by his first name Cosmo when it was reveaaled) Also true for Newman.

* A rare aversion, given its professional setting, occurs in ''Series/TheWestWing''. The entirety of the central cast refer to one another by their first names (though "CJ" is obviously a nickname, her full name is heard numerous times). The only real exceptions are the President himself - who is occasionally addressed with his first name by either his wife or very close friends, and even then usually in private - and Mrs. Landingham.
** It is strongly suggested that the reason why Mrs. Landingham isn't on a FirstNameBasis with everyone is because all the staff are following the President's example: when the two first met, he was a high school student and she was his father's secretary; he once tried to call her "Dolores" and she insisted "Mrs. Landingham, please" - and he stayed on a LastNameBasis with her ever since, even after becoming President.
** Aside from the above flashback, the only other time the President calls her Dolores is [[spoiler: just before she dies]], asking her if she had ever bought a new car in her life.
* ''Series/SexAndTheCity''-- Carrie was usually on a first name basis with her boyfriends through the years (with the exception of NoNameGiven Mr. Big) but for some reason referred to Jack Berger by his last name only.
* In ''Series/DharmaAndGreg'', Greg's father Edward always referred to Dharma's father Larry as "Finkelstein".
* ''Series/{{Alias}}'' -- Since everyone's in the CIA, most of the characters in Alias go by surnames -- Sydney calls the male lead "Vaughn" even while giving birth to his daughter. This meant that his short-lived Season 3 wife earned a double take from the audience every time she called him "Michael," seeding distrust and dislike of the character well before her reveal as TheMole.
** {{Lampshaded}} in this exchange:
-->'''Sydney''': Vaughn?\\
'''Vaughn''': How come you never call me Michael?\\
'''Sydney''': I call you Michael sometimes.\\
[{{beat}}]\\
'''Sydney''': Vaughn.
* ''Series/PrettyGuardianSailorMoon'' has Ami starting out calling Usagi by her surname. An entire episode is devoted to getting her to use "Usagi-chan" and "Rei-chan", and we later find out that her mother, a doctor, is only able to communicate with Ami via messages on a whiteboard.
* Likewise, in ''[[Series/ChouSeiShinSeries Genseishin Justiriser]]'', Yuka eventually graduates from saying "Date-kun" to the {{honorific}}-free "Shouta". Shouta, however, is a bit slow on the uptake, but Shinya pays attention and remarks on it.
* On ''Series/CriminalMinds'', all but one of the main characters are typically referred to by their last names. Prentiss, Morgan, Rossi, and Garcia have been referred to by their first names more frequently in later seasons, but last names are still the most common.
** In one of his first episodes, Rossi tells his teammates to call him Dave. Hotch at least seems to do this consistently. Likewise, Rossi tends to call Hotch by his first name Aaron.
** And while JJ is the only character not referred to by her last name, it's short for Jennifer Jareau, so they're not just using her first name either.
** It should be noted that when talking with each other, Morgan and Garcia don't really use ''either'' given name, preferring intimate nicknames. One episode has an emotional moment between them where he calls her Penelope.
** J.J. also rarely calls Reid by his last name; she is the only one to call him "Spence".
** The only character to go completely by first name is Elle Greenaway, who disappeared early in the second season anyway.
** Since she's their boss, everyone also refers to Chief Strauss as "Strauss." The only one who uses her first name with any frequency is Rossi. [[FirstNameBasis She refers to him by his first name as well.]] She also calls Hotch by his first name Aaron.
*** Justified when Hodge is in the scene. They have the same first name (Aaron/Erin)
* On ''Series/TopGearUK'', presenter Richard Hammond is always "Hammond" to his co-presenter James May, but Jeremy Clarkson is "Jeremy" or even "Jezza" (unless May is annoyed with him, in which case it's "CLARKSON!") On the other hand, Clarkson and Hammond are on a first-name basis with each other and with May.
** They all refer to each other with their last names fairly often, especially when communicating over the phone/radio on a large challenge or race e.g.: "May!" "Clarkson!" "Where are you and Hamster?" "We're just entering Switzerland, what about you?" as mentioned in the Real Life section, this is quite common between male friends in Britain where the surname almost becomes a nickname of sorts.
* In ''Series/TheMentalist'', it's generally seen as jerky or disrespectful for anyone to call anyone in the workplace by first name. Van Pelt, however, is commonly called 'Grace' because she's a rookie (or used to be), Bosco and Lisbon are intimate enough to do this, Van Pelt and Rigsby of course call each other by first names even after they break up the first time, [[DaChief for some bizarre reason]], Jane always calls Minelli 'Virgil', and [[YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious we know that things are getting bad]] when Jane calls Lisbon "Teresa". Or that he's pulling another BunnyEarsLawyer UndercoverAsLovers gambit, which, this being [[TheChessmaster Patrick Jane]], is far more likely.
** He does once tell her she can call him Patrick, but since he's [[LemonWackyHello under the influence of Belladonna]] she doesn't take him up on it.
* Series/{{Castle}} and Beckett. Initially, she only called him Rick when she was teasing him, but in Season 3, she occasionally used his first name [[YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious in serious situations]]. He's called her Kate a handful of times, all of them dramatic: [[spoiler:once when when she was emotionally upset and he was trying to stop her leaving the station, continuously shouting it out frantically when he was trying to find her in her exploded apartment, and several times in the season three finale episode]].
** It's revealed in one episode that he made up his last name, as it sounds better for a writer, and had his middle name legally changed to Edgar (after Creator/EdgarAllanPoe). His real name is Richard Alexander Rodgers.
** [[spoiler: Despite hooking up in Season 5 and marrying in Season 7, they still call each other Castle and Beckett. Even at home. In bed.]]
** Alexis also refers to her [[spoiler: new stepmom]] as Beckett, although this is probably due to hearing her dad call her Beckett for several years.
** Detectives Ryan and Esposito are very rarely referred to by their first names (Kevin and Javier) either, though "Espo" is a common nickname for Esposito.
* In ''Series/TJHooker'', everybody calls him 'Hooker'. Even his ex-wife. His given name, Thomas, was only mentioned once in the entire run of the series, and never again after that.
* In ''Series/{{Psych}}'' everybody calls Burton Guster "Gus." Also Lassiter is on a last name basis with everyone.
** Shawn never refers to Lassiter anything other than "Lassie". Lassiter, while initially annoyed, eventually accepted it as an inevitability, or is just ignoring it, hoping the annoying creature claiming to be psychic will go away.
** Gus's uncle Burton (for whom he was named) resents Gus prefering his nickname to his first name.
* On ''Series/TheOC'', Summer persists in calling Seth by his last name, Cohen, even after they're in a relationship.
* In ''Series/{{Skins}}'', James Cook's or simply just Cook just about everyone calls him Cook his first name James is used so rarely that it wouldn't be surprising if most of the main characters don't even know its James.
* It isn't clear whether or [[FirstNameBasis not]] this applies to ''Series/{{Leverage}}'''s [[OnlyOneName Parker]]. Also, Alec Hardison and Jim Sterling are almost never referred to by their first names just simply their surname Hardison an Sterling.
** Invertefd with Elliot Spencer. His last name is barely mentioned.
* On ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'', the staff of Grace Brothers - apart from very rare occasions - always addressed one another formally ("Mr. Lucas", "Mr. Humphries", "Miss Brahms", etc.). Among the characters, Captain Peacock and Mr. Grainger tended to use each other's given names (Stephen and Ernest, respectively) most frequently in private conversation.
** In the episode "The Old Order Changes", the culture of the store was (temporarily) changed to be more informal, and staff were required to address each other by first name. Mr. Lucas was not happy to have to reveal that his first name was "Dick".
* On ''Series/{{Wings}}'', Roy usually refers to everyone using their last names. (Unless he's trying to suck up to them for some reason.)
* On ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'', the two original partners typically only referred to each other as "Goren" and "Eames." When Eames occasionally referred to Goren as "Bobby," it was universally an example of YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious.
** The only person who consistently referred to him as "Bobby" was a recurring villain, who kept trying to prove that they're NotSoDifferent.
* On ''Series/AufWiedersehenPet'', Moxey's is simply Moxey to everyone his first name (Albert) is only used twice in the show, and the first time wasn't until the end of the second series. Sometime between these two uses, one character claimed that Moxey was his full name, although the police call him "Albert Moxey" only an episode or two later.
* Maxwell Sheffield, being British, refers to Fran as [[Series/TheNanny "Miss Fine"]] even as they start dating.
** He called her "Miss Fine" once or twice even after ''they were married.''
* Douglas Fargo of ''{{Series/Eureka}}'' is almost universally referred to as "Fargo". The only people who ever call him any derivative of "Douglas" are [[{{Crossover}} Claudia]] from ''{{Series/Warehouse 13}}'' (who does it in response to his claim that "everybody calls me Fargo") and himself (one of his passwords is "[[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Dougie the Vampire Slayer]]").
** His new girlfriend (played by Creator/FeliciaDay) refers to him as "Douglas" as well.
** Allison used to refer to Carter by his last name. Then they became close friends and, eventually, lovers. Naturally, she switched to "Jack".
* Everyone in ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman'' called Sully by his surname sully. This was probably partly because he [[{{EmbarrassingFirstName}} was embarrassed by his name, Byron.]]
* ''Series/PrisonBreak'': Varies depending on the character and their relationship. For example, Mahone calls Michael Scofield in season two when he's chasing him, varies it in season three (when they're uneasy allies), and Michael in season four when they become friendly.
* ''Series/{{Primeval}}'': Very few people call Nick Cutter, James Lester, and Capt.Tom Ryan by their first name, and Capt.Becker's name isn't even ''mentioned'' in the series. {{Word of God}} says it's Hilary. No wonder he never mentioned it.
* In ''The Beiderbecke Trilogy'', the main characters are most commonly refered to as Mr Chaplain and Mrs Swinburne. In the second serial, the latter is utterly surprised that the former calls her "Jill", and he admits that he only did so because "I'm shit scared." This comes after the two have been in a sexual relationship for over two years, and known each other far longer.
* Famously, ''Series/InspectorMorse'''s [[EmbarrassingFirstName full name]] [[spoiler:Endeavour]] wasn't revealed until 1997.
** Morse almost exclusively refers to his sergeant as "Lewis." The number of times Morse refers to Lewis as "Robbie" can be counted on one hand.
** Averted by the pathologist in seasons 1 and 2, who is always "[[FirstNameBasis Max]]" to the extent his last name was completely unknown until he showed up as a character on the prequel series ''Series/{{Endeavour}}''. Played straight with Dr. ([[EmbarrassingFirstName Grayling]]) Russell and Dr. (Laura) Hobson.
** Both Lewis and Morse nearly always refer to other cops and suspects by their surnames (Morse is exclusively "Sir" for Lewis). Superiors (like Chief Superintendent Strange, whose first name "James" is only revealed in ''Series/{{Endeavour}}'') are usually referred to by rank or as "Sir" in their presence, although even they generally get the surname treatment when Lewis or Morse is talking about them in third person.
** In ''Series/{{Lewis}}'' the titular character and Sergeant Hathaway share a similar dynamic, although Lewis uses "James" for his sergeant substantially more frequently than Morse did for him. The Chief Super is almost always called "Innocent." However, Lewis graduates to referring to Dr. Hobson as "Laura," foreshadowing their RelationshipUpgrade later in the series.

* On ''Series/TheInspectorLynleyMysteries'', the titular Inspector Lynley calls his partner Sergeant Havers one of two things: "Sergeant" or "Havers." He does call her "[[FirstNameBasis Barbara]]" when she visits his family in Cornwall, but when they get tangled up in a mystery - [[BusmansHoliday as they inevitably do]] - and they're back on duty, well, to quote Barbara, "It's bye-bye 'Barbara' and hello 'Havers'!" He also calls her Barbara [[YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious during particularly intense or emotional moments]], beginning in their second episode together ("Well Schooled in Murder") when her father dies and continuing in this vein through the next several series. By the sixth series, however, after [[spoiler:he leaned on her after his wife's death]], [[FirstNameBasis he calls her 'Barbara' almost exclusively]], reverting to 'Havers' only when he is cross with her; this signals a fundamental shift in their relationship. In contrast to her partner, Barbara never calls him ''anything'' other than 'sir', as he's her superior officer (and a Lord to boot, while she is working-class). Still, the ''way'' she says it evolves, from stiffly formal to fond and often teasing.
* Handled interestingly on ''Series/GilligansIsland''. The Howells are always referred to by the other regular characters as "Mr. Howell" and "Mrs. Howell", but are on a first-name basis with each other (though "Lovey" is a pet name, not her actual given name, which is Eunice). Ginger Grant is mostly called "Ginger", but is sometimes called "Miss Grant", especially by Mr. Howell. Mary Ann, though, is almost always just called "Mary Ann" to the extent that many fans wouldn't know the character's last name (it's Summers). The Professor and the Skipper have names, but even fewer fans know them, as they're always just referred to by their titles (their names are Roy Hinkley and Jonas Grumby, respectively). Gilligan himself is the really odd case, as he is never called any other name solely then Gilligan . It's not even known if that's his given name or his surname.
** "Gilligan" is fact his last name is what mainly what he been called the whole season just simply Gilligan. His first name has been revealed as William or Willy, but no one ever used it in the show.
* In Series/{{Blindspot}}, Dr. Patterson is only referred to by her last name.
* On ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'', Mr. Feeny referred to all of his students by their formal title and last name ("Mr. Matthews", "Mr. Hunter", "Ms. Lawrence"), though occasionally he would use their first name instead (particularly Eric, who for much of the show's run was no longer a student of his - and presumably to avoid the problem of having two "Mr. Matthews"es). (Stuart) Minkus was the only character whom ''everyone'' addressed on a LastNameBasis Minkus, except for Topanga.
* Mitchell of ''Series/{{Being Human|UK}}'' takes until season two to let on to the viewer that this is actually his surname (his given name is John). Justified, as being a century-old vampire he's of a generation where last name basis would have been prevalent.
* Series/{{Homeland}}. Sergeant Nicholas Brody is just simply "Brody" by everyone, including his wife.
* On ''{{Series/Highlander}}'', Tessa was the only one to ever call Duncan by his first name. Everyone else ether called him Macleod or the shortened form, Mac. Even Tessa used it some of the time.
* ''Series/DueSouth'' Fraser-rarely did anyone ever call him Benton. Thatcher and Welsh as well, but it was usually a formality, 'Inspector Thatcher' and 'Lt.Welsh'.
* ''Series/ForeverKnight'' (Don) Schanke. And by the same token, Schanke would sometimes just call Nick 'Knight'. The captains got it a lot too when they were referred to...even when the formal 'Captain' wasn't used, as in talking to them, it was often 'Stonetree' 'Cohen' 'Reese'. Lacroix was another last name guy. No one ever called him Lucian. Tracy usually only got the formal Detective Vetter version on the job sometimes, but never from Nick.
* ''Series/{{Roswell}}'' Sheriff Valenti, often even after he wasn't sheriff anymore, he was still Valenti. (Mostly because he was an adult character in a cast largely composed of teenagers; Maria's mother, his sometime-love interest, called him "Jim".)
* John Steed and Emma Peel always addressed each other as "Steed" and "Mrs. Peel" on ''Series/TheAvengers''.
* On ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', everyone calls John Crichton just plain "Crichton." Even his girlfriend, except for a few very serious situations. The only people who regularly call him "John" are [[BigBad Scorpius]] and [[EvilSorcerer Maldis]].
* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}''
** Averts this trope (unlike every other version of Sherlock Holmes), by [[FirstNameBasis having the leads call each other "Sherlock" and "John" exclusively]]--except for Lestrade. Sherlock doesn't even know what his first name is until part way through the second series, and it's implied the two have know each other for years.
--->'''Sherlock:''' Is that why you're here? You're incognito? Undercover with that ridiculous alias, ''"Greg!"''\\
''[beat]''\\
'''John:''' That's his ''name''.\\
'''Sherlock:''' ...is it?\\
'''Lestrade:''' Yes! If you'd ever bothered to find out!
** Mrs. Hudson is also always referred to simply as "Mrs. Hudson." One commenter described the look on Sherlock's face during the exchange with Lestrade as "The moment Sherlock began to consider that Mrs. Hudson's first name might not be 'Mrs.'"
* On ''Series/DawsonsCreek'', Pacey usually calls his girlfriends by their last names. Namely (Andie) [=McPhee=] and (Joey) Potter.
* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': Rumplestiltskin's human Storybrooke counterpart Mr. Gold is regularly referred to just as 'Gold,' particularly later in the first season and especially by Regina (The Evil Queen). Though he might not even ''have'' a first name, since Mr. Gold [[FakeMemories isn't who he actually is anyway]].
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'': Finch regularly addresses everyone formally, and usually only calls Reese "John" when he's worried about him and/or Reese is in more danger than usual. Although since Reese and Finch aren't their real last names (Which have not been revealed), it's more like Assumed Last Name Basis. This includes always referring to Root as Ms. Groves, although she always calls him "Harold".
** Sameen Shaw is generally referred to by her last name Shaw.
* On ''Series/{{Becker}}'', the title character (Dr. John Becker) is on a last name basis with nearly the entire cast with everyone except for his nurse, Margaret and BlackBestFriend Jake.
* On ''Series/BreakingBad'', Jesse never really gets over his high school habit of calling Walt "Mr. White." He calls his partner by his first name exactly once during the series, and it's a deliberate sign of disrespect. Oddly enough, Walt is one of the few people to consistently call him "Jesse" rather than "Pinkman."
* In 15 seasons of ''Series/{{ER}}'', you could probably count on one hand the number of times John Carter was called by his first name John or Simply just his surname Carter just about everyone an By the ER staff Calls him Carter, anyway--his parents an grandparents and his wife, did call him "John".
* ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles'': Played straight with (Vince) Korsak and (Barry) Frost. Mostly played straight with Maura Isles, who most people refer to as Dr. Isles, except Jane who calls her Maura. Mostly averted with Jane and Frankie, probably because they are siblings who work together, and a "Detective Rizzoli" and an "Officer Rizzoli" in the same place [[OneSteveLimit would get confusing]].
* ''Series/FallingSkies'' has John Pope, whom everyone refers to as simply "Pope." Pope himself refers to Tom Mason by his last name, at least when he's in a (relatively) friendly mood.
* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' has an interesting example. Most of the main characters are referred to as "Agent Last Name" or just their last name, with first names only being used during moments of emotional intensity between characters that are friends or more than friends...except Agent Fitz. ''Nobody'' calls him Leopold or even Leo. Even after Simmons became his girlfriend (later wife) and he started regularly calling her Jemma, she still refers to him as Fitz. Most likely a personal preference on his part.
* On ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', Howard and Raj are often referred to by their last names (Wolowitz and Koothrappali), especially in the early seasons.
** Naturally, several people from the University are referred to by their titles and last name, such as President Seibert and and Dr. Gablehouser. Barry Kripke is also an example, he is rarely referred to by his first name, and refers to the other characters by their last names only.
* ''Series/GhostHunters''' Dave Tango is often referred to as "Tango".
* The men in ''Series/SirArthurConanDoylesTheLostWorld'' are typically referred to by their last names. Typically, only Marguerite will refer to them with their first names.
* ''Series/WelcomeBackKotter'':
** Most of the Sweathogs go by their last name.
** The expectation that all students refer to their teachers by a courtesy title and their last name is addressed briefly (and effectively) in the Season 2 episode "Sweathog, Nebraska Style", when Gabe's teenaged sister-in-law, Jenny, who is temporarily staying with him and Julie, temporarily joins the Sweathogs. Jenny is being obnoxious and, as he tries to call the class to attention, she calls him by his first name, prompting him to immediately call her on it ("In class, I am Mr. Kotter").
* In ''Series/TheYoungAndTheRestless'', Philip Robert Chancellor IV plays with this trope, as everyone commonly calls him "Chance", the short version Of his last name.