History Main / TheCoroner

* In ''VisualNovel/SuperDanganRonpa2'', Tsumiki helps out by examining the corpses of the murder victims, determining how they died, which often provides vital clues for the trials. [[spoiler:She uses her expertise to help cover up the times her own victims died]].

* ''Series/TheCloser'' and ''Series/MajorCrimes'' has the non-nonsense Dr. Fernando Morales.

* Dr Sheldon Hawkes in the first season of ''Series/{{CSI NY}}'', replaced in season 2 by Dr Sid Hammerback when Hawkes decides to become a CSI himself. Hammerback has cool glasses. There's also been Dr. Evan Zao (who disappeared with no trace), Dr. Peyton Driscoll (who got PutOnABus) and Dr. Marty Pino (who showed up twice in season 2 [[spoiler: before showing up again in season 5, having been fired from the coroner's office, become a [[TheGamblingAddict gambling addict]], and making the money for his gambling debts ''by make drugs out of dead drug users'' and selling it. He also happens to get his wife killed in that episode and ends up in jail by the end of it.]]

* ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'': "As coroner, I must aver, I've thoroughly examined her...and she's not only merely dead, she's really most sincerely dead!

** Also Dr. Sidney Perlmutter - one of the MEs who eats his lunch in the morgue. Thanks to the industrial-strength disinfectants, it's the cleanest place in the city.

* The unfortunately-named Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David [=McCallum=]), ''Series/{{NCIS}}''. Also, his protégé, Jimmy Palmer, who recently earned his degree and can take over in Autopsy whenever Ducky's not available.

* Liza from ''Literature/{{Legion}}: Skin Deep''. In her late fifties, she works as the city coroner, although she prefers to be called "medical examiner". According to Stephen Leeds she spends most of the time playing internet games and prefers the dead to the living - but then again, he might be a little biased.

* The unfortunately-named Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David [=McCallum=]), ''Series/{{NCIS}}''.

%% Only one quote per page please.

!Examples:

* Dr Waldo Butters from the ''Literature/DresdenFiles'' series is a medical examiner (mostly on the night shift because of [[ContinuityNod an incident]] when he filed a bunch of vampire corpses as "humanoid, but not human"). He gives [[OccultDetective Harry]] (and sometimes [[FriendOnTheForce Murphy]]) information on suspicious or just plain weird cases that end up in the morgue. He [[SurgeonsCanDoAutopsiesIfTheyWant can do surgery if he wants]] when Harry can't go to the hospital because of those pesky mandatory reporter laws and the fact that he's a walking, snarking TechBane thanks to his magic, though unlike some examples of this trope, he hates operating on living people. He has a thing for polka, and as of ''Literature/SkinGame,'' is a [[spoiler: Knight of the Cross]].

* ''Series/ATouchOfCloth'': Like many crime drama tropes, this is parodied by Natasha, a female coroner whose every line dialogue consists of her aggressively flirting with Jack Cloth. She has an incredibly dry sense of humor, and at one point dissected a cat because she thought it would be amusing.

* Dr Waldo Butters from the ''Literature/DresdenFiles'' series is a medical examiner (mostly on the night shift because of [[ContinuityNod an incident]] when he filed a bunch of vampire corpses as "humanoid, but not human"). He gives [[OccultDetective Harry]] (and sometimes [[FriendOnTheForce Murphy]]) information on suspicious or just plain weird cases that end up in the morgue. He [[SurgeonsCanDoAutopsiesIfTheyWant can do surgery if he wants]] when Harry can't go to the hospital because of those pesky mandatory reporter laws. He has a thing for polka.

* This is a pretty common character archetype in ''WorldOfDarkness'' gamelines (the other would be the detective), since one's first brush with the supernaturals is usually [[KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade at the receiving end of their murderous power]], or examining someone who were in such an unenviable position.

* On ''Series/LawAndOrder'' and ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'', Elizabeth Rodgers (Leslie Hendrix). On ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'', Melinda Warner (Tamara Tunie).

* Dr Sheldon Hawkes in the first season of ''Series/{{CSI NY}}'', replaced in season 2 by Dr Sid Hammerback when Hawkes decides to become a CSI himself. Hammerback has CoolGlasses. There's also been Dr. Evan Zao (who disappeared with no trace), Dr. Peyton Driscoll (who got PutOnABus) and Dr. Marty Pino (who showed up twice in season 2 [[spoiler: before showing up again in season 5, having been fired from the coroner's office, become a [[TheGamblingAddict gambling addict]], and making the money for his gambling debts ''by make drugs out of dead drug users'' and selling it. He also happens to get his wife killed in that episode and ends up in jail by the end of it.]]

* The ever-cheerful George Bullard in MidsomerMurders (except for a brief spell when the ME was snarky replacement Dan Peterson). Bullard later retires and is replaced by Dr. Kate Wilding, who herself ends up leaving and being replaced by Dr. Kam Karimore.

* Common character in ''DeltaGreen'', examples include Dr. Jean Qualls and Dr. Joseph Gutierrez. There are also several pre-made PlayerCharacter templates for M.E.

* Quincy, eponymous main character of ''Series/{{Quincy}}'' (aka ''Quincy, ME'').

* Polina, the young pathologist from Martin Cruz Smith's ''Red Square''. She is hardworking and honest, which is a rarity in the Moscow militia (police forces), and jaded and cynical far beyond her years, which is not. As the novel is set in the last few months of the Soviet Union, the militia have to make do with dwindling resources. Case in point, she arrives at a theory that the victim of the book was killed by an incendiary device of copper sulfate and red sodium separated by a permeable barrier like paper or cheesecloth; when the sodium soaks through and comes in contact with the copper sulfate the device ignites. So to test her theory, she invites the lead investigator to come with her to the car junkyard, where her test equipment consists of [[StuffBlowingUp a stopwatch, a paintboard and brush, various membranes to be tested, and a bucket each of red sodium and copper sulfate.]] (When the investigator points out, rather gingerly, that they have militia technicians with body armor, bunkers, and very long brushes for this, she answers that she's quicker and better--and she is.)
* Liza from ''Literature/{{Legion}}: Skin Deep''. In her late fifties, she works as the city coroner, although she prefers to be called "medical examiner". According to [[TheProtagonist Stephen Leeds]] she spends most of the time playing internet games and prefers the dead to the living - but then again, he might be a little biased.

** His counterpart in ''Series/NCISNewOrleans'' is [[Creator/CCHPounder Dr. Loretta Wade]]. She loves the city and the surrounding area at least as much as Pride. In the ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' BackdoorPilot, she explains that she originally came with a round-trip ticket and still has the return ticket from all those years ago.

* Dr. Ogden in ''Series/MurdochMysteries'' is more sensitive than most examples, but her occasional mild jokes over the bodies are enough to make the straitlaced Murdoch uncomfortable. (And not for [[{{UST}} the usual reason]] being around Dr. Ogden makes Murdoch uncomfortable.) Her temporary replacement at the start of Season 4, Dr. Francis, maintains a constant stream of barbed sarcasm, apparently thinking Murdoch discovers murders just to annoy him. From Season 5, the coroner is Dr Emily Grace, who is essentially a younger Dr Ogden, although once Dr Ogden returns to Toronto, she also helps out occasionally.

She's really [[DeaderThanDead most sincerely dead]]!''

* In ''Fanfiction/ChrysalisVisitsTheHague'', the Bosnian Edith Saric fills this role... though she gets in trouble early on for trying to break out of it by going intrepid.

* Quincy, eponymous main character of ''{{Quincy}}'' (aka ''Quincy, ME'').

--> Not four assailants, Detective. Feingold raised his left hand to the light. [[WerewolfTheForsaken Four fingers. These are claw marks.]]