History SeriousBusiness / LiveACtionTV

* In Episode 6 of Season 2 of ''Series/MissFishersMurderMysteries'' most of the action revolves around the murder of a rugby player and the immediate suspicion that the rival team killed of the player. Throughout the episode everyone carries on as if this was all about winning the rugby match, including the deputy commissioner intervening with the investigation because he was a fan of one of the two teams.

* ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie'': Played straight by Fry and Laurie in their 'John and Peter' sketches where they treat running their health sauna in Uttoxeter as if they were running a multi-national corporation. They also inverted this trope with their 'Tony and Control' sketches in which MI5 agents treat terrorist attacks and defections with as much emotion as they do ordering coffee.

* On ''Series/TheSecretLifeOfTheAmericanTeenager'', EVERYTHING is serious business. If one character has a problem and/or something going on in their life, every other character will be talking about it to the character and with each other. It's high school gossip [[SerialEscalation to ever more ridiculous levels]].

* On an episode of ''{{Series/Smallville}}'', the editor of the school paper grills the student council candidates on their positions on administration policies ranging from the dress code to anti-drug locker sweeps before settling on an endorsement, while one of the candidates plots to assassinate her rivals to clear the field. Though in that candidate's defense, [[GreenRocks she wasn't that]] [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity mentally stable]].

** In "[[BaseballEpisode Take Me Out to the Holosuite]]", Sisko's private little war against Solok turns baseball into Serious Business until Sisko finally sees [[{{Aesop}} the light]] and decides to just have fun, since [[StrawVulcan Solok]] can't fathom the concept of enjoying a game you know you're going to ''[[GracefulLoser lose]]''.
** Subverted entirely in "Move Along Home", which has Quark playing a board game brought by some race from the Gamma Quadrant. Eventually he realizes the Seriousness of the Business as his pieces represent members of the crew who have been somehow teleported into the game and are thus in mortal danger through his actions. Although he plays conservatively from then on, he eventually loses a piece; assuming the corresponding crewman to be dead, he is stunned when ''all'' the missing crew reappear completely safe at the end--and he learns that he ''lost''. As the alien gamemaster explains, [[ShaggyDogStory it's only a game]].
* Touched on in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu3qDNnPKSs Troi explains]] her rather drawn-out method of eating [[TrademarkFavoriteFood chocolate sundaes]] to Riker.
-->'''Riker''': I had no idea you had such a ritual.\\
'''Troi''': Chocolate is a serious thing.
** In that episode, though, some real Serious Business comes about because nearly everyone on the ship gets obsessed with a video game-ish contraption... that rewards wins directly at the pleasure center of the brain, creating an addiction.
* In ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'' episode “Charades”, we see that Spock is something of a NeatFreak, but doesn’t really react all that much because of his Vulcan genes, preferring to clean up Sam Kirk’s mess himself. However, when he has his Vulcan half removed by another species, those traits explode, leading to Spock being held back by other members of the science team while Spock threatens to ''break him''.

-->'''Gordon''': Colin! You have impersonated a ''leisure centre manager''!

-->'''Sgt. Jeffords:''' Okay guys, let's take it easy on him. But seriously, I think you need to get checked for rabies.

-->'''Holt:''' How long you been planning this? A day? A week? A year? Or is this the only reason you became a cop to begin with?

* ''Series/LukeCage2016'': In season 2 episode 2, a reporter covering Luke Cage at a crossfit event claims he's "faster than Usain Bolt". This results in a RunningGag where every Jamaican, even Bushmaster, gives Luke a hard time about it as if he himself were the one who said it.

* In a weird meta-example, the British student quiz show ''Series/UniversityChallenge'' made [[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7906727.stm national]] [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/feb/22/university-challenge-trimble news]] [[http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/article5793104.ece headlines]] when the internet decided nobody should be allowed to be that clever. The young lady in question ended up being interviewed about her public image on ''national primetime breakfast news'', simply because some people objected to the way she smiled (was it embarrassment? Or smugness?) when she was told she'd got a question right. ''University Challenge'': Serious Business to everyone except those who actually play it. To make it even worse, the team that young lady was on ended up being disqualified after the winning the final because it was discovered that one of the other team members had graduated partway through the competition, and the rules could therefore be interpreted to state that he was ineligible. Serious Business indeed.

* In an episode of ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', {{Spelling Bee}}s are Serious Business, complete with a ShellShockedVeteran Spell Master and a Young Cub trying to reach the top... of Spelling! The episode was devoid of the usual hijinks and focused the humor on the absurdity of the subject. One of the series' better episodes.

** This is TruthInTelevision. Check out the documentary ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0334405/ Spellbound]]''. Seriously, check it out -- great viewing.
** This is referenced twice in ''Film/AkeelahAndTheBee'':
--->"Spelling bees are serious business"\\
and the less formal "Spelling bees are serious shit."
** UsefulNotes/DanQuayle felt the full brunt of this Serious Business himself a few decades back.

* [[GameShow Game shows]] generally use this trope by default, since they tend to take mundane things like [[Series/ThePriceIsRight auctions]], [[Series/TheHollywoodSquares Tic-Tac-Toe]], and [[Series/MervGriffinsCrosswords crossword puzzles]] and make them high energy and for high stakes. Contestants are even encouraged to act more excited than they are.

** Mi-nyeo is revealed to have smuggled contraband into the games via her prison pocket. It turns out to be... a couple cigarettes. The lighter, however, does turn out to be a Chekhov'sGun.