History ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight / LiveActionTv

-->'''Picard''': I wanted someone who would stand up to me, someone who was more concerned with the safety of the ship and accomplishing the mission than with how it might look on his record. To me, that's one of the marks of a good officer.

* ''{{Series/MASH}}'': Hawkeye is one of the greatest examples of this as he is always a doctor first and an Army Captain second (if ever since he'd rather be a ''lot'' of things between doctor and army). He only ever pulls rank twice: once to get a sergeant to put out a cigarette he's smoking in a room full of flammable/explosive ether and once to order a sergeant to send a "moose" (i.e.: Korean woman whose family literally sold her into slave labor) back home. When the latter doesn't work, he resorts to his usual methods. While that only happens twice, it's easy to lose count of how many times he sees everyone as human and does the right thing despite going against army regulations and people like Frank Burns.
** In one episode, the doctors have been ordered not to give patients with hemorrhagic fever IV saline (because the saline itself can interact negatively with the disease), but they have a patient with the disease whose condition is deteriorating rapidly. Hawkeye and BJ have the thought that a lower-concentration saline might allow them to minimize the risk while still getting the benefits of the treatment, but it goes against the "no saline" order. If they do it and the patient dies, they could be held legally responsible for his death, but if they don't do it, the patient will almost certainly die, and the other patients they have in earlier stages of the disease will likely meet the same fate. It takes Potter about thirty seconds to tell the doctors to try the treatment. [[spoiler: Fortunately, it works, and the patient recovers.]]

*** Episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E1AmokTime Amok Time]]". Kirk violates Starfleet orders by returning Spock to Vulcan to save his life.

** Delenn breaking the Grey Council with a [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen royal]] display.
** As was Sheridan's speech (in the same episode) declaring the station's secession from the Earth Alliance because of Earth's recent atrocities. He basically lays the cards on the table and tells anyone who doesn't want to go along that they would be free to leave, but that Babylon 5 was not playing by Earth's rules anymore.

* It's not uncommon for characters in [[LiveActionTV live-action television series]] to [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight break the rules in order to do the right thing]]. Pretty much any cop show will have characters deciding this, going against their own bosses, other agencies, ignoring diplomatic rules, etc. so convinced are they that trying to solve a murder justifies doing ''anything'' they want. ''Series/{{Bones}}'' pretty surprisingly made this an AvertedTrope when Booth told the team he would ''not'' screw the rules to bust a suspect with DiplomaticImpunity because of the consequences far beyond their murder investigation.

----

* Pretty much any cop show will have characters deciding this, going against their own bosses, other agencies, ignoring diplomatic rules, etc. so convinced are they that trying to solve a murder justifies doing ''anything'' they want. ''Series/{{Bones}}'' pretty surprisingly made this an AvertedTrope when Booth told the team he would ''not'' screw the rules to bust a suspect with DiplomaticImpunity because of the consequences far beyond their murder investigation.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'':
** Sees this happen quite a bit.

* ''{{Series/Emergency}}'': The pilot, where Gage shuts off the radio and treats Dixie and the original patient, even though the paramedic bill hadn't been passed yet.

** The UrExample for the series being [[spoiler: Gibbs murdering the drug czar who had his wife and daughter killed]].

* Pretty much any cop show will have characters deciding this, going against their own bosses, other agencies, ignoring diplomatic rules, etc. so convinced are they that trying to solve a murder justifies doing ''anything'' they want. ''Series/{{Bones}}'' pretty surprisingly made this an AvertedTrope when Booth told the team he would ''not'' screw the rules to bust a suspect with diplomatic immunity because of the consequences far beyond their murder investigation.

** In one episode, the doctors have been ordered not to give patients with hemorrhagic fever IV saline (because the saline itself can interact negatively with the disease), but they have a patient with the disease whose condition is deteriorating rapidly. Hawkeye and BJ have the thought that a lower-concentration saline might give them some of the benefits while minimizing the risks, but it goes against the "no saline" order. If they do it and the patient dies, they could be held legally responsible for his death, but if they don't do it, they have no chance of saving the patient, and the other patients they have in earlier stages of the disease will likely meet the same fate. It takes Potter about thirty seconds to tell the doctors to do it anyway. [[spoiler: Fortunately, it works, and the patient recovers.]]

* ''Series/{{Chucky'': In "Goin' to the Chapel", Father Bryce's attempt to secure permission from the Vatican to perform an exorcism on Chucky results in him getting excommunicated. Despite this, he decides to perform the exorcism anyway, citing his duty to his faith and to the children in his care.

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': [[{{Superman}} Clark Kent]] and ComicBook/LoisLane, naturally. ComicBook/LexLuthor starts out as this before [[ForegoneConclusion sinking into villainy]]. Also frequently Chloe Sullivan. [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Oliver Queen]] also loves this trope. In general, Clark and his friends use this trope quite a bit.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': When the Council puts Buffy through a cruel test that involves stripping her of her powers and almost gets her and her mother killed, Giles breaks the Council rules and runs to her assistance. The Council says that while she passed the test, he did not, and fires him.

** Remember Kennedy? Well, she now has BodyguardBabes. While she is willing to [[LawfulGood protect a demon pedophile]] when told about a company Wolfram & Hart are involved in she notes they can't just take them out. She gets Buffy's help and ignores that little detail. Of course, ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem helps.

** In the first season finale "Within the Serpent's Grasp", the whole of SG-1 disobeys orders to launch a first strike against Apophis and his assault upon the planet after the ObstructiveBureaucrat and CorruptBureaucrat [[WhatAnIdiot Senator Robert Kinsey]] shuts down Stargate Command. They get away with this because Kinsey very nearly ''doomed the human race'' and they saved the planet.

** By the following episode, Coulson's officially hit his breaking point, as he tells Skye to hell with the protocols and rules he used to put so much faith in — he ''is'' going to uncover the whole truth behind [[spoiler: his resurrection]] and the secrets kept in the Guest House facility, no matter what.

** Benton is a positive example and pretty much embodies the trope in the classic series — seen most prominently in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS11E2InvasionOfTheDinosaurs "Invasion of the Dinosaurs"]]; the Doctor is framed for causing the current crisis by a general, but Benton not only helps the Doctor escape but attacks the general in question.
** SubvertedTrope as of new season six, where [[spoiler: it's demonstrated that fixed points of time and space are not always precisely as they appear]].

* Downplayed in the ''Series/FullHouse'' episode "Shape Up"--no laws or rules are broken, but Stephanie breaks her promise to not tell anyone about DJ's ''extremely'' dangerous diet when she sees DJ collapse in the middle of a workout.

** In the season 3 finale, this is Davos's justification for going against Stannis's wishes by [[spoiler: freeing Gendry before Melisandre can sacrifice him]].

*** In "Vortex", Odo is desperately asked by a criminal - one whose crime he had personally witnessed, and whom he was ordered to escort to his homeworld with a runabout - called Croden to save his daughter from certain execution at the hands of his homeworld's draconian regime, and take care of her (arguing that Odo and the daughter were both outsiders in an alien culture, and would need each other). This was after Croden [[WhatYouAreInTheDark had an opportunity to leave Odo for dead]] and escape with his daughter on the runabout, but saved Odo instead, knowing the changeling would have to deliver him to his execution, which he didn't mind as long as his daughter was safe. When a Vulcan science vessel shows up, Odo tells them (much to Croden's surprise) that Croden and his daughter are survivors of another ship that crashed, allowing them to disappear into the Federation while Odo reports to Croden's homeworld that Croden is dead.

** This is arguably a major theme of the entire series--Sam and Dean's entire ''job'' entails a considerable amount of criminal behavior, but it's all in the service of saving the world.

** Has one instance that stands out, though it's slightly less this trope and a little more of a threat to invoke the trope: Alan Shore [[spoiler:is defending an old acquaintance accused of murdering her fiancé literally moments before their courthouse wedding. But when it's revealed that the bride switched identities with a close friend years back, and claims that said friend is the real murderer, Alan finds proof that said friend came to the bride a year ago and wanted to go back to her real identity. The bride then killed her, and later murdered her fiancé as well.]] Alan followed up with this: "The only reason you're not sprawled on the floor under a bailiff with handcuffs is because of attorney-client privilege, and, frankly, I don't need this (case) that much. I've done a lot of talking over the years. I'm tired. I'm rich. Take the (plea bargain, 12 years for manslaughter) or I'll walk through that door. I'll get disbarred. And I'll put you away for life. Double first-degree. It'll be life. Until the end of your life."

** Remember Kennedy? Well, she now has BodyguardBabes. While she is willing to [[LawfulGood protect a demon pedophile]] when told about a company Wolfram & Hart are involved in she notes they can't just take them out. She gets Buffy's help and ignores that little detail. Of course ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem helps.
* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'': The fourth season finale has the eponymous hero going against the CIA [[spoiler:in order to get a chance to [[FindTheCure find a cure]] for a poisoned Sarah, who was struck down with a virus inflicted on her by the BigBad.]]

** In the episode "Penelope", Hotch tells the team regarding [[spoiler:Garcia getting shot]]:

** SubvertedTrope as of new season six, where [[spoiler:it's demonstrated that fixed points of time and space are not always precisely as they appear]].
** In general, a key part of the Doctor's motivation for doing what he does is his righteous outrage at the rules and regulations the Time Lords lived by, which prevented them from acting to oppose evil, instead being content merely to stand aloof.

** Another episode has Doogie giving his 16-year-old girlfriend Wanda a pelvic examination and performing an emergency appendectomy on her, despite the rule that she needed parental consent. Doogie states that because it was a life-threatening situation, “under the same circumstances I’d do it again.”

** In the season 3 finale, this is Davos' justification for going against Stannis' wishes by [[spoiler: freeing Gendry before Melisandre can sacrifice him]].
--->'''[[spoiler:Gendry]]''': Why are you doing this?\\

* In the series ''Gone'', the main characters are part of a task force investigating abduction cases, but there are several occasions where they decide that the abductions were justified. For example, a young girl was abducted from an orphanage because she was unlikely to be adopted conventionally as she had suffered the loss of 80% of her vision in an illness and her 'parents' couldn't legally adopt due to her new father's criminal record. In another case, a man seemingly abducted women, but it turned out that he was really trying to help them escape their abusive husbands. In these cases, the team decide to let matters stand, or at least testify in favour of the current situation.

* ''Series/WallenbergAHerosStory'': As Horthy points out, the protective passports hold no validity in international law. They're issues anyway.

** Mrs Jones did not have the authority to call in a team as backup when she realises Alex has been compromised. She still does, and is completely unapologetic when Blunt brings it up with her.

* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'': This is more or less ''the'' key trait of Karl "Helo" Agathon from the reboot. He's the guy who always does the right thing, no matter what price he has to pay or how hopeless a situation it puts him into; in the show's pilot he willing dooms himself to die so that an OmnidisciplinaryScientist can have the last seat off a nuked world. And considering just how badly most members of the human fleet compromise their beliefs or abuse their power, there are times when Helo seems to be the only one with a conscience or sanity.

** Remember Kennedy? Well she now has BodyguardBabes. While she is willing to [[LawfulGood protect a demon pedophile]] when told about a company Wolfram & Hart are involved in she notes they can't just take them out. She gets Buffy's help and ignores that little detail. Of course ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem helps.

* Lietuenant Brakenbury in ''Series/DoctorSynTheScarecrow''. Frustrated with being treated like a fool and increasingly disgusted with General Pugh's brutality towards the townsfolk, Brakenbury encounters Syn and his men disguised as a pressgang on their way to free unjustly-held prisoners (his love interest's brother among them) from Dover and quietly lets them pass. He also makes sure to point out in his report up the chain that Pugh failed to recognize them too, which would shield him while probably ruining the general's career.

** This is basically Mal's world view. He doesn't care if it's going to get him killed or if it's against the law, he does what he feels is right.

'''Lt. Harmon Rabb''': ''Damn it! Thay have my partner! I'm sorry Kate, but if that was you out there, would you want me to start an investigation or come after you?''

* ''{{Series/MASH}}'': Hawkeye is one of the greatest examples of this as he is always a doctor first and an Army Captain second (if ever since he'd rather be a ''lot'' of things between doctor and army). He only ever pulls rank twice: once to get a sergeant to put out a cigarette he's smoking in a room full of flammable/explosive either and once to order a sergeant to send a "moose" (i.e.: Korean woman whose family literally sold her into slave labor) back home. When the latter doesn't work, he resorts to his usual methods. While that only happens twice, it's easy to lose count of how many times he sees everyone as human and does the right thing despite going against army regulations and people like Frank Burns.

* ''Series/TheOrville'': After Ed and Kelly are kidnapped, Alara is ordered to abandon them and bring the ship back to Earth. She initially follows the orders, but changes her mind when Gordan tells her that Ed would never abandon her.

* ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': In [[Recap/RevolutionS1E11TheStand The Stand]], [[spoiler: Jason Neville]] decides not to call in the air strike on the rebels and even warns Charlie about the air strike occurring in 12 hours.

** Oma Desala is an [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Ascended being]] who disagrees with the Ascended majority's policies of absolute non-interference with mortal beings. She bends the rules to try to help other people Ascend to join them. While the show usually takes her side in that debate, Oma's actions have also lead to Anubis gaining Ascended knowledge and power, which is definitely a ''bad'' thing for the galaxy as whole.

* Star Trek:

* In the TV adaptation of ''Literature/TheSaddleClub'', Lisa, Carole and Stevie decide to kidnap Prancer in the middle of the night because she was being abused by David [=McCloud=] and from going to the slaughter house. The {{irony}}? In the books themselves, David [=McCloud=] is a kind man who helps run the local animal shelter.
* ''Series/{{Titus}}'': The final episode sees Amy confronted by the man who sexually assaulted her when she was younger. After finding out who he is, Titus and company have the molester cornered in a school bathroom, ready to wail on him with a baseball bat. The school principal, who up until this point has been nothing but an ObstructiveBureaucrat, says he has to call school security, but tells Titus to "call me when I'm done."
* ''Series/UntoldStoriesOfTheER'': Several hospital personnel have been shown clashing with a supervising nurse trying to enforce hospital rules. One notable incident concerned a car crash which involved a widow and her late husband's dog, one of the few reminders the widow had of her military husband who was killed on active duty overseas. The ER staff put the widow's needs ahead of the hospital's rules, saving the dog's life while they wait for the local veterinarian to pick up the dog.

** Benton is a positive example and pretty much embodies the trope in the classic series — seen most prominently in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS11E2InvasionOfTheDinosaurs "Invasion of the Dinosaurs"]].

* In the series ''Gone'', the main characters are part of a task force investigating abduction cases, but there are several occasions where they decide that the abductions were justified- for example, a young girl was abducted from an orphanage because she was unlikely to be adopted conventionally as she had suffered the loss of 80% of her vision in an illness and her 'parents' couldn't legally adopt due to her new father's criminal record, or a man seemingly abducted women to help them escape their abusive husbands- and decide to let matters stand, or at least testify in favor of the current situation.

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': In "Time's Orphan", security guards stop Miles and Keiko O'Brien from stealing a Runabout in a desperate bid to save their daughter Molly. Odo waves the guards aside, comments that O'Brien should have done a better job of sneaking onto the hangar, and allows them to take the Runabout.
** In "Vortex", Odo is desperately asked by a criminal - one whose crime he had personally witnessed, and whom he was ordered to escort to his homeworld with a runabout - called Croden to save his daughter from certain execution at the hands of his homeworld's draconian regime, and take care of her (arguing that Odo and the daughter were both outsiders in an alien culture, and would need each other). This was after Croden [[WhatYouAreInTheDark had an opportunity to leave Odo for dead]] and escape with his daughter on the runabout, but saved Odo instead, knowing the changeling would have to deliver him to his execution, which he didn't mind as long as his daughter was safe. When a Vulcan science vessel shows up, Odo tells them (much to Croden's surprise) that Croden and his daughter are survivors of another ship that crashed, allowing them to disappear into the Federation while Odo reports to Croden's homeworld that Croden is dead.
* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'': In "Cogenitor," Trip disobeys the Captain and befriends an alien belonging to that race's mistreated minority, a third gender. He shows her things she's never seen before, but eventually the Enterprise has to leave, and [[DeconstructedTrope the alien commits suicide.]]
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'':
** Episode "Suspicions" does this ''twice'' for Dr. Crusher. The first time, against the wishes of the family, she performs an autopsy on a scientist who she believes died due to foul play. In a subversion, the autopsy turns up nothing suspect and she's relieved of her position. Played straight the second time, when she steals a shuttlecraft and flies into a star to confirm her suspicions.
** "The Wounded" features a KnightTemplar version: Captain Maxwell believes the Cardassians are preparing for war, but Starfleet won't listen, so he goes rogue and starts destroying ostensibly peaceful (and [[CurbStompBattle definitely defenseless]]) Cardassian ships and outposts. Turns out he wasn't completely bonkers, but he was definitely jumping the gun and gets hit hard for it.
** Subversion: Another episode finds Data in temporary command of another starship as part of a scratch fleet seeking evidence that the Romulans are violating the Neutral Zone, and goes against Captain Picard's orders in order to achieve the mission objective. When subsequently debriefed, he offers his apologies, whereupon Captain Picard points out that a Starfleet captain is not only authorised but ''expected'' to countermand orders if they have reason to believe the safety of their ship demands it; presumably they would need a ''very'' compelling reason to explain this after the fact, but Data had one and then some. (Actually TruthInTelevision for many navies.)
** In "The Pegasus", Picard mentions he picked Riker as his first officer because of an incident where Riker didn't allow one of his previous captains to beam down. Picard was impressed by Riker challenging a captain's authority for the safety of the captain and the ship's crew.
** Nikolai Rozhenko in "Homeward" abducts a village from a pre-warp planet to ensure ''someone'' survives a coming disaster, bypassing the Prime Directive. Most other Prime Directive-related episodes discuss it; "Pen Pals", for example, has Picard and Worf support the Directive in the case of a doomed planet, with Geordi and Dr Pulaski aghast at the idea and supporting intervention, until eventually Data finds a [[LoopholeAbuse loophole]] that lets them save the planet.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'':
** Episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E1AmokTime Amok Time]]". Kirk violates Starfleet orders by returning Spock to Vulcan to save his life.
** Episode "Balance of Terror". Kirk violates "inviolable" Starfleet orders not to enter the Romulan Neutral Zone because he feels the invading ship must be destroyed to avert a war.
** Episode "The Menagerie", Spock risks the death penalty to return Captain Pike to Talos IV.
** Pretty much any time the [[AlienNonInterferenceClause Prime Directive]] is mentioned in an episode, Kirk will wind up going against it to save the ship or the planet.
** Averted in "Wolf in the Fold", when Kirk explicitly refuses the suggestion that he help Scotty escape the planet on which he had been charged with murder. While he does his best to, and eventually does, get Scotty cleared of murder, Kirk says that he'll allow Scotty to be jailed and executed if he's found guilty even if Kirk believes him innocent. Why? Because the planet is a strategically vital port, and [[{{Realpolitik}} helping Scotty escape its justice would sour them against the Federation]].
** Although the episode "Turnabout Intruder" is mostly just embarrassing, when the bridge crew discusses Lester-as-Kirk's ranting about executing disloyal officers, Sulu says flatly that he'll refuse any such order.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In "Thirty Days", Tom Paris screws the [[AlienNonInterferenceClause Prime Directive]] to try to save an [[SingleBiomePlanet ocean planet]] that was slowly being destroyed by an oxygen mining operation. He gets a demotion and 30 days in the brig for his effort. And he didn't even save the planet.