History Main / CantGetInTroubleForNuthin

* ''[[ThirtyRock 30 Rock]]'' - after attaining A-list celebrity status, Tracy desperately wants out. He tries disgracing himself publicly, but all of his boorish antisocial antics are embraced as the quirks of a genius artist by an adoring public.

* ''SluggyFreelance'': the police arresting Torg for crimes and pranks pulled by Bun-Bun in a Torg costume.

[[AC: {{Folklore}}]]

A combo inversion of CantGetAwayWithNuthin and SelectiveEnforcement where the character actually wants to get in trouble, either for their own reasons ([[MischiefForPunishment such as enjoying the punishment]]) or to [[{{Frameup}} frame someone else]].

* In ''[[PGWodehouse Joy In The Morning]]'', Bertie Wooster tries everything to get Florence Craye to call off their engagement. Finally he kicks her beloved little brother in the pants, and she thanks him: he had destroyed some of her scrapbooks, and she was just about to kick him herself.

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* An episode of ''{{CSI}}'' had the VictimOfTheWeek in the B plot turn out to have been a homeless man. He tried to get sent to jail (for free food and shelter) by punching a police officer. Said officer realised what he was doing and left him handcuffed, apparently failing to realise this would lead to his death.
* In the earlier seasons of ''{{Supernatural}}'', Sam is rather disgruntled by the fact that, despite their tenancy to pull the exact same stunts in pursuit of the {{Monster of the Week}}, Dean is the one who builds up an impressive criminal record while Sam's name doesn't even appear in any legal database. Despite the advantages in the, you know, [[BuffySpeak not-getting-arrested]] department. Dean finds the entire situation amusing.

* Some of the members of the eponymous club in {{Glee}} try to improve their reputations by getting in trouble. Even an impromptu musical in the library just gets praise from the librarian and an invitation to perform at her church.
* In an episode of ''{{Series/Batman}}'', the Penguin, acting as a respected restaurateur as part of a Civillain scheme, has considerable difficulty when he actively ''tries'' to get thrown in prison so that he can consult an expert forger criminal colleague. When he was finally sent to prison, he learned [[spoiler: the colleague was just getting off]].

* Sometimes given as an explanation for Wally's behaviour in ''{{Dilbert}}''. He knows that his severence package would be greater than his future wages, so he's trying to get fired. The company know this as well, so they just put up with him. This is based on [[TruthInTelevision an actual colleague of Scott Adams at Pacific Bell]].

* In ''DudleyDoRight'', the titular character tries to get kicked out of the Mounted Police so that he can [[FakeDefector infiltrate Snidley Whiplash's gang]], but everything goes wrong, from "You blew up the dam! The irrigation problem has been solved!" to "You burned down that building! We had been trying to tear it down for years and never got around to it!". He finally does manage to get in trouble, though...[[spoiler: by eating his peas with a knife]], something no Mountie should ever do!

* In one episode of ''PepperAnn,'' Pepper-Ann wanted to get into detention (which she normally does) to keep her friend who got detention company, by doing nothing but wearing a bucket on her head and dancing like a moron in all her classes. She fails to get detention, but is referred to the school councillor.

In the second form of the trope, reminiscent of a SpringtimeForHitler plot, a character wants to be punished in order to escape a worse fate. Perhaps they want to be sent to bed without a disgusting dinner, or maybe a homeless person would rather spend the night in a LuxuryPrisonSuite than starve or freeze to death outside.

In the second form of the trope, reminiscent of a SpringtimeForHitler plot, a character wants to be punished in order to escape a worse fate. Perhaps they want to be sent to bed without a disgusting dinner, or maybe a homeless person would rather go to jail than starve or freeze to death outside.

A combo inversion of CantGetAwayWithNuthin and SelectiveEnforcement where the character actually wants to get in trouble, either for their own reasons or to frame someone else.

* In an episode of ''{{Series/Batman}}'', the Penguin, acting as a respected restaurateur as part of a Civillain scheme, has considerable difficulty when he actively ''tries'' to get thrown in prison so that he can consult an expert forger criminal colleague.

* An episode of ''DarkwingDuck'' has Darkwing trying to get arrested so that he can [[GetIntoJailFree infiltrate a prison for supervillains]]. After repeatedly failing in his attempt to commit crimes, he is finally arrested [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin for jaywalking]]. (The police officers only agree to send him to the super-prison when he demonstrates that he can also do scary shadow puppets.)

* Sometimes used on ''PhineasAndFerb,'' but kind of subverted---the boys actually ''do'' happily tell their mother what they're doing on occasion (and even want to impress her), but only because they don't ''realize'' it could get them in trouble if she ever took them seriously.
** Given their parents' fairly lax attitude towards even the crazy things they ''do'' see, it seems unlikely they'd get in trouble anyway.
** Their (step)father appears to tolerate the behavior. But an alternative time universe shows that the mother would indeed be incredibly hysterical and worried and would [[spoiler: ''initiate a conformist, unimaginative future for children'']]

* In TheSimpsons, Homer tries to get himself disabled so he can work at home, but he doesn't get hurt. At one point, he walks around a hardhat area with no helmet and falling stuff keeps missing him. A wheelbarrow full of bricks falls on someone else, prompting Homer to quip "Probably better that ''didn't'' hit me".

* An episode of ''DarkwingDuck'' has Darkwing trying to get arrested so that he can infiltrate a prison for supervillains. After repeatedly failing in his attempt to commit crimes, he is finally arrested [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin for jaywalking]]. (The police officers only agree to send him to the super-prison when he demonstrates that he can also do scary shadow puppets.)

* An episode of ''DarkwingDuck'' has Darkwing trying to get arrested so that he can infiltrate a prison for supervillains. After repeatedly failing to commit crimes, he is finally arrested [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin for jaywalking]]. (The police officers only agree to send him to the super-prison when he demonstrates that he can also do scary shadow puppets.)

* [[TheSimpsons Homer]] tries to get himself disabled so he can work at home, but he doesn't get hurt. At one point, he walks around a hardhat area with no helmet and falling stuff keeps missing him. A wheelbarrow full of bricks falls on someone else, prompting Homer to quip "Probably better that ''didn't'' hit me".

** Their (step)father appears to tolerate the behavior. But an alternative time universe shows that the mother would indeed be incredibly hysterical and worried and would [[spoilder: ''initiate a conformist, unimaginative future for children'']]

* Sometimes used on ''PhineasAndFerb,'' but kind of subverted---the boys actually ''do'' tell their mother what they're doing on occasion, but only because they don't ''realize'' it could get them in trouble if she ever took them seriously.

* In the earlier seasons of ''{{Supernatural}}'', Sam is rather disgruntled by the fact that, despite their tenancy to pull the exact same stunts in pursuit of the [[Monster of the Week]], Dean is the one who builds up an impressive criminal record while Sam's name doesn't even appear in any legal database. Despite the advantages in the, you know, [[BuffySpeak not-getting-arrested]] department. Dean finds the entire situation amusing.

-->'''Dean:''' "You innocent, harmless young man, you!"\\

Occasionally the character will find that the person they are impersonating is a CompleteMonster or the TokenEvilTeammate, so anything nasty that they do actually comes off as ''nicer'' than usual. May overlap with PokeThePoodle.

* In ''AnAmericalWerewolfInLondon'', the titular werewolf realizes what he is and tries to get thrown in jail for the night, to no avail.

* [[TheSimpsons Homer]] tries to get himself disabled so he can work at home, but he doesn't get hurt. At one point, he walks around a hardhat area with no helmet and falling stuff keeps missing him. A very heavy object falls and presumably kills someone else, prompting Homer to quip "probably better that didn't hit me".

* In ''[[FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends]],'' Bloo wanted to be sent to bed without the awful, casserole-like dinner Frankie was trying to make. Unfortunately for him, everyone else got the blame because Harriman had hidden [[GRatedDrug a stash of carrots]] in his room and didn't want them discovered. Bloo ending up eating ''all'' of the dish.