History Main / TheUnsmile

* In ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow'', Rob is at work trying to figure out why his wife, Laura, seems so upset (occasionally prone to crying fits). Sally and Buddy suggest that maybe she's jealous of someone. Rob dismisses the idea, saying that when she's jealous, she "smiles". They don't understand what he's talking about until he demonstrates by squinting his eyes and showing a lot of teeth.

* Believe it or not, the infamous ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5FTJxfV3pc laughing scene]] was actually made for the lulz. The voice actors sound like they're doing a bad job, but it's intentional.
** Played straight after Operation Mi'hen. "Kimari practice smiling."

* ''Series/KamenRiderDrive''[='s=] [[SixthRanger Third Rider]], Chase, is TheStoic because he's a MechanicalLifeform; in his own DirectToVideo movie, his attempts to smile draw laughter and cause people to remark that he looks like a mannequin, which contributes to his desire to [[PersonalityChip gain human emotions]].

* ''Series/YoungSheldon'': In "Pish Posh and a Secret Back Room", Sheldon gives Mary a forced half-smile when she asks if he's fine. This makes her worried about her.

** Immediately after regenerating, the Thirteenth Doctor smiles in a similar manner. It's even worse because she's capable of a reasonable approximation of a smile, but [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/tardis/images/1/1c/ThirteenthDoctor3.jpg this]] is very much not it.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Whenever Data tries to smile, he [[http://tng.trekcore.com/hd/albums/season-4/4x11/datas-day-hd-285.jpg really shouldn't.]] He gets ''much'' better at it after the events of ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'' thanks to [[PersonalityChip his emotion chip]].

** When a young and impressionable Jem'Hadar makes his way onto the station in "The Abandoned", Odo tries to teach him how to smile. The Jem'Hadar makes an even ghastlier face than Odo usually does.
** After a BarBrawl in "Behind the Lines" leads to the deaths of several Cardassians and Jem'Hadar, Dukat and Weyoun both put on smiley faces to look like they're not pissed at each other. They're not fooling anyone.
** The stress of the Dominion War has a negative effect on Bashir's "boyish smile."

* Five Hargreeves from ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy'' is more likely to "smile" as a threat than in genuine happiness, but his smile to Agnes in the episode [[Recap/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019S01E01 We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals]] is hilarious uncanny valley nightmare fuel. It's not the sort of [[https://imgur.com/a/h6JKMxe smile]] that should ever be on a supposed 13-year-old's face.

* ''Manga/MyMonsterSecret'': Any time [[ChristmasCake Akari]] attempts a genuine smile (i.e. one that isn't a SlasherSmile or TranquilFury) she ends up with one of these. It's especially bad when she gets a job at a Maid Cafe and ends up terrifying her patrons.

* Happens in ''WesternAnimation/TimeSquad'' when the characters have to get Leonardo Da Vinci to paint Mona Lisa's portrait. He encourages her to smile, but it turns out she has really bad teeth.

* The first of the ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' LightNovels describes [[TheStoic Sousuke's]] attempt at smiling for a student picture as making him look like he's suffering from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigeminal_neuralgia facial neuralgia]]. The effort as depicted in the anime series looks similarly painful.

* Every smile Christopher Shouldered from ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' gives is unnerving, regardless of the intent behind it. This can be blamed on his [[MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily maw of sharklike teeth]].

** The Twelfth Doctor does this whenever he smiles while showing teeth, and it's creepy enough. However, in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E8TheLieOfTheLand The Lie of the Land]]", the Doctor [[spoiler:is supposedly BrainwashedAndCrazy, and his [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dwthelieofthelandpart3.png "smile"]] ''this'' time descends directly into the UncannyValley]].

* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' has Dr. Phlox, who most of the time smiles normally... unless he's ''really'' pleased, or trying too hard to be friendly. Then he moves well past UncannyValley and straight into NightmareFuel. Think [[Music/{{Soundgarden}} ''Black Hole Sun'']].

* ''WebAnimation/LuckyDayForever'': The only expression that the Whites can display. Used to show that they are in the UncannyValley.

* Selina Meyer on ''Series/{{Veep}}'' suggests that Amy flirt with a reporter for favorable coverage. Amy assures Selina that she can do that, and demonstrates with a horrifying "flirtatious" smile that quickly changes Selina's mind.

* Over the course of ''Series/WandaVision'', the Vision's smile in the title card grows increasingly more and more strained.

* In ''Manga/InuYasha'', Sesshomaru's expressions normally run the gamut from happy (read: completely impassive) to furious (read: slight frown). He's only shown (in current memory) fully smiling exactly ''once''. And when he does it is a thing of ''beauty'' to the viewers. But, given his normal disposition, his [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain retainer, Jaken]] has a slowly-building panic attack over it, eventually begging Sesshomaru to "go ahead and beat me, but please stop smiling!" More often, if Sesshoumaru starts to smile, it goes from a simple smirk to a SlasherSmile, then literally ear to ear in a horrifying way as part of his transformation to demon dog.

* In ''[ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManLeeAndDitko'', Jameson's smiles creeping people out serves as a Running Gag.

This trope is often accompanied by [[SickeningCrunch audible cracking]], and always played for laughs. Not to be confused with StepfordSmiler, though they can overlap. May be the result of FingerForcedSmile. Compare SlasherSmile, for when the smile goes from merely creepy to horrific. See also TechnicallyASmile. Opposite of WhenSheSmiles, where a smile is especially nice for a character who rarely shows it.

* ''Series/RussellHowardsGoodNews'': "Every time UsefulNotes/GordonBrown smiles, a fairy dies." (For context, see below in the Real Life folder.)

This trope is often accompanied by audible cracking, and always played for laughs. Not to be confused with StepfordSmiler, though they can overlap. May be the result of FingerForcedSmile. Compare SlasherSmile, for when the smile goes from merely creepy to horrific. See also TechnicallyASmile. Opposite of WhenSheSmiles, where a smile is especially nice for a character who rarely shows it.

* ''Manga/SpyXFamily:'' Not wanting to start anything on the first day of school, Anya attempts to shrug off a boy's bullying by smiling like her mom, Yor, advised her to. Unfortunately, Anya's smile is accidentally one of the most [[https://i.imgur.com/od5GKJa.png smug looking faces]] ever put to paper (and later anime).
-->'''Anya:''' Ma's a liar. Smiling didn't help a bit. Her bully ends up being freaked out by that smile.

-->'''Anya:''' Ma's a liar. Smiling didn't help a bit.

* On ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow'', Rob is at work trying to figure out why his wife, Laura, seems so upset (occasionally prone to crying fits). Sally and Buddy suggest that maybe she's jealous of someone. Rob dismisses the idea, saying that when she's jealous, she "smiles". They don't understand what he's talking about until he demonstrates by squinting his eyes and showing a lot of teeth.

** In "The Sound of Drums," the Master does both an exaggerated smile and exaggerated [[AngryEyebrows frowny face]] while insulting his Cabinet, right before gassing them all to death.
--->'''The Master:''' You see, I'm not making myself very clear. "Funny" is like this. ''[makes exaggerated grin]'' "Not funny" is like this. ''[makes exaggerated frown]'' And right now, I'm not like ''[grins]'', I'm like ''[frowns]'', because you are traitors. [[SuddenlyShouting YES, YOU ARE!!]] As soon as you saw the votes swinging '''my''' way, you abandoned your parties and you jumped on the Saxon bandwagon! So... ''[sits down]'' ...''this''...is your reward!
** The Twelfth Doctor does this whenever he smiles while showing teeth, and it's creepy enough. However, in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E8TheLieOfTheLand The Lie of the Land]]", the Doctor [[spoiler:is supposedly BrainwashedAndCrazy, and his [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dwthelieofthelandpart3.png "smile"]] ''this'' time descends directly into the UncannyValley.]]

* On ''Series/{{Friends}}'', Chandler has a nice smile, but whenever he gets his picture taken it turns into a grimace.

* Will Graham of ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'' doesn't smile much, but when he does it's genuinely sweet - with the memorable exception of ''Roti'' during a stroke test. His lips curve upward, but it would have been ''less'' creepy if he'd burst into tears. Or thrown up. Or started screaming.

* From ''Series/{{Kaamelott}}'': Léodagan almost never smiles, which is why Arthur and Co. can't recognize him in a painting. And when he does smile... they find it very creepy.

* In ''Series/{{Peacemaker}}'' the leader of the [[PuppeteerParasite Butterflies]] complains that every human smiles differently and it needs to be relearned for each host. This is put to good effect later as a crowd of Butterflies with fresh hosts attempt to smile, still-bloody faces sporting a range of unnatural grins.
* On ''Series/{{Reba}}'', Van's "charming smile", which he believes is warm and inviting, is anything but.

* On ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'', the normally sullen, cynical Darlene had a boy, Barry, over to study in the hopes of getting him to ask her to an upcoming dance. Becky gives her some tips on flirting which includes smiling and being interested in what Barry has to say. Cue Darlene with a very over-the-top smile and craning her neck to try and get in his line of view. Roseanne sums it up thusly while her and Becky watch on:
-->'''Roseanne:''' What is she doing?
-->'''Becky:''' …Flirting?
-->'''Roseanne:''' Well, God, I hope she don’t hurt herself.

* In ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' episode "[[Recap/SherlockS03E02TheSignOfThree The Sign of Three]]", Sherlock's "smile" to scare off Mary's ex is both disturbing and hilarious (well, at least to the audience).

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* From ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'':

--> ''Your hide will make a fine poncho''!

* The music video for Bobby [=McFerrin=]’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” features [=McFerrin=] along with Creator/{{Robin Williams}} and comedian Bill Irwin trying to act happy despite personal difficulties, including putting on some very forced smiles.

* Akio Mutou, ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo''[='s=] resident AbsentMindedProfessor, is a nice enough man, but his face is incapable of making a smile that wouldn't "scare little children senseless".

* Two notable examples appear in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'':
** In one of her first trials, rookie attorney Athena Cykes tries to smile in the spirit of the Wright Anything Agency's motto, "The worst of times are when lawyers have to force their biggest smiles." Her partner Apollo remarks that her attempt at smiling looked like "a weird mix of terror and creepy grin".
** Aristotle Means frequently provides attempts at a toothy smile that look more like he's grimacing, baring his teeth and gums in a way Athena finds unsettling. [[spoiler:At the end of his VillainousBreakdown, he grins so hard his teeth ''shatter.'']]
* Shih-na from ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth'' gets a rather [[http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120801003814/aceattorney/images/a/a6/Shih-na_Grin_1.gif unsettling grin]] when she's nervous.

* The first of the ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' LightNovels describes [[TheStoic Sousuke's]] attempt at smiling for a student picture as making him look like he's suffering from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigeminal_neuralgia facial neuralgia]]. The effort as depicted in the anime series looks similarly painful.