History Main / DirtyHarriet

* In ''Bollywood/{{Khalnayak}}'' Ganga (Creator/MadhuriDixit) goes undercover as a dancer to try to catch Ballu (SanjayDutt) and save her boyfriend's reputation. She gets in waaay over her head, however, when [[LoveMakesYouCrazy Ballu develops feelings for her]].

** Detective [=McDowell=] impersonates a prostitute to get close to a drug dealer who is surrounded by armed henchmen. It's not an extended undercover operation -- as soon as she is in the same room as the dealer, her colleagues storm the place. In the resulting scuffle, her top (that didn't cover too much in the first place) gets almost torn off, providing some gratuitous FanService.

** Detective [=McDowell=] impersonates a prostitute to get close to a drug dealer who is surrounded by armed henchmen. It's not an extended undercover operation -- as soon as she is in the same room as the dealer, her colleagues storm the place. In the resulting scuffle, her top (that didn't cover too much in the first place) gets torn off.

* In one episode ''Series/NYPDBlue'', Det. Kirkendall goes undercover as a call girl to get evidence against a suspected murderer. The operation is portrayed as unusual and risky (since there is good reason to suspect that her customer will try to kill her), is not undertaken lightly, and is not played for FanService.

* Pepper Anderson in the 70's series ''Series/PoliceWoman'' (played by Creator/AngieDickinson) and her colleagues went undercover in almost every episode. Since she was the only woman in the vice squad, some of her assignments fit this trope.

* In ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', in order to infiltrate a Hellfire Club private party, Moira [=McTaggert=] strips down to her undergarments and pretends to be one of the call-girls. Done fairly well as it's shown that she's not all that comfortable with it and is ''acutely'' aware of how vulnerable she is.

* CIA agent Moira [=McTaggart=] in ''Film/XMenFirstClass''.

* Nina in ''Anime/{{Monster}}'' resorts to this in order to find her brother.

* ''Anime/TrinityBlood'' has a fleeting scene where Catholic nun Esther is used as a bait to catch a criminal. Blatant fanservice, that.

* [[Creator/PamGrier Pam Grier's]] character in ''Film/{{Coffy}}'' goes undercover as a call girl for a local drug dealer/pimp in order to infiltrate the criminal underworld, although she's a vigilante, not a police officer. In the follow-up movie ''Film/FoxyBrown'', Grier plays another
vigilante character doing the same thing.

* ''{{Dexter}}''
** When we first meet Deb, she's working in the vice quad (that would be MiamiVice), assigned to a prostitution sting operation and is desperate to get assigned ''out'' of it. Especially when she ends up helping out at a murder scene... still in her disguise.

* {{Dexter}}'s sister Deb did this at the start of the first book, when she was working in vice. The tone of the books is much more negative than that of the show and Dexter as narrator spends some time on how incredibly unattractive Deb, a beautiful woman, managed to make herself look in such skimpy clothing. She wasn't trying, either, she has no fashion sense. By contrast, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debra_Morgan Deb in the show has a perfectly good fashion sense]].

** [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in the episode "Ballerina", as it's stated when describing [[Series/TheCarolBurnettShow the murderer's]] 40-year (and [[BlackWidow five-marriage]]) [[SerialKiller killing spree]], but otherwise not following the trope:
-->'''Fin Tutuola''': From [[ActorAllusion little orp]][[Theatre/{{Annie}} han ballerina]] to [[DirtyHarry Dirty Harriet]] in five easy steps.

* ''CodeGeass'': In season two, ActionGirl Kallen is forced to work as a [[PlayboyBunny bunny-girl]] at an upscale casino as part of [[LaResistance the Black Knights']] plan to recover the amnesiac Lelouch/Zero. She's almost dragged off for a "bunny hunt", but Lelouch intervenes.
* Episode 15 of ''SamuraiChamploo''.
* Minnie May in ''GunsmithCats'' filled this role as she had experience as the real thing, and easily passed the "audition" because of it.

* In ''CatsEye'', police officer Mitsuko Asatani was once disguised as a bartneder wearing PlayboyBunny suit.
* ''TrinityBlood'' has a fleeting scene where Catholic nun Esther is used as a bait to catch a criminal. Blatant fanservice, that.

* The RogerCorman sexploitation movie ''Stripped to Kill'' and the inevitable sequel. A SerialKiller is killing strippers, so a policewoman becomes a stripper to lure him out.

* Played with in ''TheShield'', when a detective has to go undercover to catch a mob that's beating up prostitutes. ''Male'' prostitutes. Shane is very upset when he's forced into the role.\\
\\
Shane has no luck with this kind of thing. On another episode, the Strike Team had to find out which stripper at a club was luring johns into the alley and then robbing them with her boyfriend. When Vic tries it, he gets a blow job. When Shane tries it, he gets a tire iron to the head.

* In the 1980's cop show ''Series/{{Hunter}}'', Hunter's partner Dee Dee [=McCall=] poses as a street walker all the time (from the very first moment we see her, actually) on the pretext of 'gathering information'. [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything How a police officer is supposed to do this without blowing her cover the first time she refuses to jump into a car with a middle-aged pervert]] [[FridgeLogic is beyond sense]].

* ''Series/MiamiVice'': Practically the only thing Gina and Trudy ever seem to do is go undercover as prostitutes.

* Pepper Anderson in the 70's series ''Series/PoliceWoman'' (played by Creator/AngieDickinson) did this in almost every episode.

* Pepper Anderson in the 70's series ''Series/PoliceWoman'' (played by Angie Dickinson) did this in almost every episode.

* [[Creator/PamGrier Pam Grier's]] character in ''{{Coffy}}'' goes undercover as a call girl for a local drug dealer/pimp in order to infiltrate the criminal underworld, although she's a vigilante, not a police officer.

* Pam Grier's character in ''{{Coffy}}'' goes undercover as a call girl for a local drug dealer/pimp in order to infiltrate the criminal underworld, although she's a vigilante, not a police officer.

* In the ''[[ComicBook/GIJoeIDW G.I. Joe: Cobra'' miniseries, Jinx went undercover at a strip club in order to make contact with Chuckles.

* In the ''GIJoe: Cobra'' miniseries, Jinx went undercover at a strip club in order to make contact with Chuckles.

* ''MiamiVice'': Practically the only thing Gina and Trudy ever seem to do is go undercover as prostitutes.
* In the 1980's cop show ''Hunter'', Hunter's partner Dee Dee [=McCall=] poses as a street walker all the time (from the very first moment we see her, actually) on the pretext of 'gathering information'. [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything How a police officer is supposed to do this without blowing her cover the first time she refuses to jump into a car with a middle-aged pervert]] [[FridgeLogic is beyond sense]].

* Angie Dickinson's character in ''PoliceWoman'' spent a lot of time doing this.

A Dirty Harriet scenario is when a female law enforcement officer goes undercover in a role only a woman can take, like stripper or prostitute. This allows for the natural tensions of undercover work and of course allows a reason for her to [[FanService wear little clothing]]. There is a good deal of variation in the trope, allowing for non law enforcement characters, non sex work infiltration, and occasionally non females (but still able to pass as one or serving in the role).

A Dirty Harriet scenario is when a female law enforcement officer goes undercover in a role only a woman can take, like stripper or prostitute. This allows for the natural tensions of undercover work and of course allows a reason for her to [[FanService wear little clothing]]. There is a good deal of variation in the trope, allowing for non law enforcement characters, non sex work infiltration, and occasionally non females (but still able to pass as one or serving in the role.)

* ''TheBill'': Cathy Bradford, but there are other examples.

** [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in the episode "Ballerina", as it's stated when describing [[TheCarolBurnettShow the murderer's]] 40-year (and [[BlackWidow five-marriage]]) [[SerialKiller killing spree]], but otherwise not following the trope: