History Main / BadNewsIrrelevantNews

-->[[spoiler:[=ASGORE=] left me five messages today. four about everyone being angry. one about this cute teacup he found that looks like me. [[SarcasmMode thanks asgore.]]]]

'''Timmy:''' ''(angrily)'' Then what's the good news?!\\

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents''

* A Advertising/{{GEICO}}[[note]]The largest car insurance company in the US. For non-Americans, it's easier to note that it's the company that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway got the money to do all the investments.[[/note]] campaign (the [[Administrivia/RenamedTropes former]] TropeNamer, as it happens) used this trope. This type of spot goes like this: A guy talks to someone else, saying "I've got bad news. ''[insert story here]''...but I've got good news: I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to GEICO!" which of course is of no use whatsoever to the person hearing those words. Even Anime/{{Speed|Racer}}-about-to-fall-off-a-bridge on Trixie's insurance plan is of no immediate help to Speed Racer himself
** Parodied in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIrM4eQH1Fg this advertisement]] for a law firm in Washington State specializing in child custody cases: The lawyer is seen talking on the phone while a couple waits anxiously at a table. The lawyer hangs up and tells the couple he has good news. The woman sarcastically asks if he saved a bunch of money on car insurance, to which the lawyer responds with the actual good news about getting visitation rights for them.

* A series of [=TurboTax=] ads mention how you might suffer some horrible fate, like [[ToServeMan being eaten by aliens]], but at least doing your taxes is easy with [=TurboTax=].

* Multiple characters on ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'', as the emphasis on humor eventually turned most of them into idiot jerkasses. This was particularly apparent with Dr. Rip Studwell, a charming but self-absorbed fairy doctor who would rather talk about the success of his golf swings rather than diagnosing his patients:
-->'''Dr. Rip:''' Cosmo, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is I'm doing a tee off at 2:30!
-->'''Wanda:''' Uh, hello? Bad news.
-->'''Dr. Rip:''' Oh, right. The part about you.\\
-or-
-->'''Dr. Rip:''' It's me, Dr. Rip Studwell, with bad news and good news. The bad news is if we don't perform the fagiggly transplant soon, it's going to be too late.
-->'''Timmy:''' What's the good news?
-->'''Dr. Rip:''' I'm three under par after nine holes! See, at least ''one'' of us is happy!

* Makes an appearance in [[http://www.dragon-tails.com/comics/archive.php?date=011005 this]] ''DragonTails'' strip.

'''Cosmo:''' The good news is the alien we got you is actually the prince of the dreaded war planet Yugopotamia!\\

* This little gem from the [[spoiler:True Lab]] in VideoGame/{{Undertale}}:
->[[spoiler:[=ASGORE=] left me five messages today. four about everyone being angry. one about this cute teacup he found that looks like me. [[SarcasmMode thanks asgore.]]]]

* After the unfortunate switching of two crates is discovered in ''WebComic/StandStillStaySilent''. Bad news, the expedition ran out of food much earlier than planned. Good news: they aren't running out of candles anytime soon.

Maybe the messenger was just fulfilling his role as the comic relief, maybe he's a {{Jerkass}} with a really mean-spirited sense of humor, maybe he's [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered]] and can't comprehend that others might not regard the irrelevant news as good, or maybe he's TheDitz and was thoroughly convinced that his piece of good news was every bit well placed. Whatever the case, the receiver is usually anything but amused.

* ''{{Concession}}'' does it [[http://concessioncomic.com/index.php?pid=20061117 here]].
* ''IrregularWebcomic'' does it [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/1221.html here]] with good news and bad news in an order that makes the good news irrelevant news.

[[folder: Film ]]
* In the movie ''Film/TwentyOne'', a friend of the main character declares "[[ShoutOut I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance]]," but does not mention GEICO.
* Creator/{{Seltzer and Friedberg}}'s ''Epic Movie'' does this too, in a GagSub, but without the setup. [[FleetingDemographicRule Although given their modus operandi, we shouldn't be surprised.]]

* A Advertising/{{GEICO}}[[note]]The largest car insurance company in the US. For non-Americans, it's easier to note that it's the company that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway got the money to do all the investments.[[/note]] campaign (the [[SwitchingToGEICO former]] TropeNamer, as it happens) used this trope. This type of spot goes like this: A guy talks to someone else, saying "I've got bad news. ''[insert story here]''...but I've got good news: I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to GEICO!" which of course is of no use whatsoever to the person hearing those words. Even [[Anime/SpeedRacer Speed-about-to-fall-off-a-bridge]] on Trixie's insurance plan is of no immediate help to Speed Racer himself

* Multiple characters on ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'', as the emphasis on humor [[{{Flanderization}} eventually turned most of them into]] [[IdiotBall idiot]] [[{{Jerkass}} jerkasses]]. This was particularly apparent with Dr. Rip Studwell, a charming but self-absorbed fairy doctor who would rather talk about the success of his golf swings rather than diagnosing his patients:

* In the movie ''21'', a friend of the main character declares "[[ShoutOut I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance]]," but does not mention GEICO.

* ''WesternAnimation/IceAge: The Meltdown'', has the vulture that tells everyone that the flood is coming soon and they need to move fast if they are to survive. But there is good news, the more of them that die the better he eats. He never said it was good news for them.

* A highly surreal edge-case from ''TwinPeaks'': Agent Cooper is blessed in a [[PsychicDreamsForEveryone prescient dream]] with the good news that "that chewing gum you like is coming back in style".

* A comedian from ''TheTonightShow'' was talking to Manny Ramirez c. 2003. He mentioned that the Red Sox hadn't won a World Series in 85 years. "But you know what the good news is? I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance."

* BrooklynNineNine double-subverts this, in one episode, in which Hitchcock comes back from checking out a perp's alibi, and announces that he has good news and bad news. The ''bad'' (irrelevant) news is that his favorite taffy place was closed. The ''good'' news is... the perp's alibi checked out. As Peralta points out, that was actually also bad news.

* {{Seltzer and Friedberg}}'s ''Epic Movie'' does this too, in a GagSub, but without the setup. [[FleetingDemographicRule Although given their modus operandi, we shouldn't be surprised.]]

* The Geico commercials are directly parodied in [[http://www.captainsnes.com/2006/03/11/531-wright-does-the-unthinkable/ this]] ''CaptainSNES'' strip. The author notes below the strip, "I want a Geico commercial set in the end times."

* Inverted in the first ''ModernWarfare'', where Gaz's "good news" is there's a civil war in Russia, with Ultranationalist rebels against government loyalists. The bad news is a new guy's joining them.

* A {{GEICO}}[[note]]The largest car insurance company in the US. For non-Americans, it's easier to note that it's the company that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway got the money to do all the investments.[[/note]] campaign (the [[SwitchingToGEICO former]] TropeNamer, as it happens) used this trope. This type of spot goes like this: A guy talks to someone else, saying "I've got bad news. ''[insert story here]''...but I've got good news: I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to GEICO!" which of course is of no use whatsoever to the person hearing those words. Even [[Anime/SpeedRacer Speed-about-to-fall-off-a-bridge]] on Trixie's insurance plan is of no immediate help to Speed Racer himself

-->-- ''TheFairlyOddparents''

* Multiple characters on ''TheFairlyOddparents'', as the emphasis on humor [[{{Flanderization}} eventually turned most of them into]] [[IdiotBall idiot]] [[{{Jerkass}} jerkasses]]. This was particularly apparent with Dr. Rip Studwell, a charming but self-absorbed fairy doctor who would rather talk about the success of his golf swings rather than diagnosing his patients:

* An episode of ''Series/SledgeHammer'' has a newscast announcing that the police precinct has been contaminated by a weapons-grade virus.

* Subverted in [[http://www.drmcninja.com/page.php?pageNum=19&issue=3 this]] ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' strip.