History Main / TheShowMustGoWrong

* ''DeCapeEtDeCrocs'': The heroes are forced to put on a play or die. At first it seems they're going to manage but then some of their friends show up followed by evil mimes and it all goes horribly wrong. [[spoiler: The play becomes SoBadItsGood and everyone is spared.]]

* In the ''{{WesternAnimation/Classic Disney Short|s}}'' "WesternAnimation/SymphonyHour", Mickey and friends perform the overture from Franz von Suppe's "Light Calvary Orchestra" on a radio program... after Goofy accidentally drops all their instruments down an elevator shaft.

* In ''{{Chowder}}'', the main cast (minus Endive) put on a play, and it is nearly completely ruined by Chowder when he takes his role ''too seriously''. And then it gets ''really'' weird

* In KingOfTheHill, Hank tries to make a video to impress the Dallas Cowboys, but his friends and family are so stupid that they mess everything up.

* An episode of ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' has the school hosting a production of Theater/RomeoAndJuliet, with Spender and Suzie playing the title roles. Ned and Cookie try to get Spencer out of the way so Ned can kiss Mose during the balcony scene, but stage manager Mose, assigned to make sure that "the show must go on", foils their every attempt. Eventually, both and Suzie and injured, and Ned gets to be Romeo after all...but unfortunately, Cookie has to play Juliet.

* The closing ceremony of the 2012 OlympicGames in London faked this for fun during the "Symphony of British Music" stretch: A HumanCannonball act proving a dud turned out to be the setup for [[Creator/MontyPython Eric Idle]] performing [[Film/LifeOfBrian "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"]], complete with a new verse about how TheShowMustGoOn. And the hijinks didn't stop there -- midway through the number he had to deal with an intrusion by Bollywood-style dancers!

* Occurs twice times in ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', first at the end of Act I when the Phantom turns Carlota's voice into a frog's and hangs a corpse from the rafters, ending with the famous chandelier incident. At the end of Act II, Christine reveals the Phantom's face in front of the entire audience and chaos ensues.

** Actually one of the biggest CrowningMomentOfFunny of the series.

** It turns out [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming far more endearing,]] though. Kind of like a home movie.

* Subverted in ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' when Jerry and George film the pilot for their show. It looks like they're struggling and it's going absolutely nowhere, but they successfully make a pilot. The show is canceled because of George and Susan's failing relationship; the show has no problem in itself.

* ''Literature/AuntieMame''

* A number of [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Warner Bros.]] cartoons have a show gone hilariously wrong. In "Show Biz Bugs," Bugs can seemingly do no wrong while everything Daffy does is a full-fledged FEMA candidate. Bugs puts Elmer on the spot in "Stage Door Cartoon," and it happens to Bugs himself in "Rhapsody Rabbit."

[[AC: LiveActionTV]]

* This trope must be the motto of TheMuppets. No matter what kind of chaos is going on backstage, the Muppets always keep the show going until the very end.

** ''MuppetVision3D'' has Kermit and co. attempting to demonstrate their new titular technology through a series of colorful setpieces. By the end, the show has gone so wrong that [[spoiler: the theater itself is partially destroyed]].

* The closing ceremony of the 2012 OlympicGames in London faked this for fun during the "Symphony of British Music" stretch: A HumanCannonball act proving a dud turned out to be the setup for [[Creator/MontyPython Eric Idle]] performing [[Film/LifeOfBrian "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"]]. And the hijinks didn't stop there -- midway through the number he had to deal with an intrusion by Bollywood-style dancers!

* The closing ceremony of the 2012 OlympicGames in London faked this for fun during the "Symphony of British Music" stretch: A segment set to Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Sky" climaxed with a HumanCannonball act that proved a dud; the human in question (actually a body double for the performer about to be revealed) slid into a small pit...and emerging from said pit? [[Creator/MontyPython Eric Idle]]. Cue [[Film/LifeOfBrian "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"]]! And the hijinks didn't stop there -- midway through the number he had to deal with an intrusion by Bollywood-style dancers!

** ''[[WesternAnimation/ABugsLife It's Tough to Be a Bug!]]'': Flik tries to stage a talent show featuring such questionable critters as an acid-spitting termite and a stinkbug, and then Hopper crashes the show to turn the tables on the "honorary bugs" -- aka humans -- in the audience as revenge on how they've treated bugs all these years.

[[AC: Radio]]

'''Mike Channel:''' Hello, it's a sunny Monday here on Radio Active, and my name is ''("Tra-ffic NEWS!")'' ... er, Mike Channel, traffic news will of course be coming up later in the show, but ''("Tra-ffic NEWS!")'' straight off today here's our first record... ''({{beat}})'' ''("Tra-ffic NEWS!")'' ... er, yes indeed, er, Radio Active, er, here, and I'm Mike Channel, er, w-which of course brings you the best sounds around, and ''("Tra-ffic NEWS!")'' and of course, good old, er, traffic news. But, er, straight off today, here ''is'' our first record- ''("Mike Channel!")'' Er, Mike Channel here, and- ''("Mike Flex!")'' er, Mike Flex will be here later on, but now- ''("Mike Stand!")'' er, Mike Stand was on earlier, but now- ''("Si-mon BATES!")'' ... Simon Bates is on Radio 1, but right now, here on the Mike Channel Show here on Radio Active, we have today's first record, that great hit of the Seventies, it's ''("Commercial time!")''

* ''[[Series/{{KYTV}} Radio Active]]'' made mishap-prone live radio something of a staple of its episodes. For example, in the 1983 episode "A Probe Round the Back", a spoof of "behind the scenes" documentaries, presenter [[PunnyName Anna Daptor]] (Helen Atkinson-Wood) interviews technician [[MeaningfulName Eric Alcock]] (Geoffrey Perkins) about the jingles he will be playing live for the upcoming show with [[PunnyName Mike Channel]] (Angus Deayton). Then the show begins:

* ''{{Frasier}}'' used this in the Mystery Theater episode. Frasier is reading a play for his radio show, and no one cooperates. Roz's can't speak properly because of Novocaine, Bulldog gets stage fright and can't talk, Gil gets arrogant and wants to tell a childhood story, and Niles gets fed up with everyone and "shoots" all of the characters (with the sound effects).
* Subverted in ''{{Seinfeld}}'' when Jerry and George film the pilot for their show. It looks like they're struggling and it's going absolutely nowhere, but they successfully make a pilot. The show is canceled because of George and Susan's failing relationship; the show has no problem in itself.

* In ''ModernFamily'', when Cam directs the school play, only one thing really goes badly wrong: the crane that's supposed to lift and lower Luke gets stuck with him at the top. Unfortunately, the premise is that Luke is flying around the world '''and landing''' in various places, and most scenes presuppose his return to the ground.

* "[[ShowWithinAShow Pyramus and Thisbe]]" is sometimes played this way in productions of ''AMidsummerNightsDream'', though it's already [[StylisticSuck pretty]] [[SoBadItsGood awful]].

[[quoteright:340:[[BittersweetCandyBowl http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/play_9579.bmp]]]]

* ''AuntieMame''

[[caption-width-right:340:When facing these situations, it is best to keep an professional attitude and a calm demeanor.]]