History SeriousBusiness / LiveACtionTV

* In ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'', the detectives view a cop sleeping with a defense attorney as beyond the pale. When it's discovered that Jake slept with the defense attorney handling one of his cases without knowing she was a defense attorney, it's almost treated as if Jake has accidentally performed an act of bestiality.

* One episode of ''Series/MacGyver'', a DramaticHourLong show, had an episode open with a girl talking extensively about the horrors inflicted upon her hobby by store owners. The topic: counterfeit baseball cards. It's a good thing [=MacGyver=] is unfailingly polite, lest he tell her to just shut up.

** A prominent theme in the 50th anniversary comedy special ''Recap/TheFiveishDoctorsReboot'': Nothing, ''nothing'', is more important than appearing in ''[[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor The Day of the Doctor]]'', including [[Creator/SylvesterMcCoy having a role]] in a blockbuster $500 million dollar [[Film/TheHobbit movie]], or [[Creator/DavidTennant being present]] for the birth of your own child.

* The British series ''Playing for Real'' featuring the lives of the Real Falkirk Table Football Club, who lived and breathed Subbuteo.
* One episode of ''Series/MacGyver'', a DramaticHourLong show, had an episode open with a girl talking extensively about the horrors inflicted upon her hobby by store owners. The topic: counterfeit baseball cards. It's a good thing [=MacGyver=] is unfailingly polite, lest he tell her to just shut up.
** The scary thing is, some baseball cards can be worth thousands of dollars. A single counterfeit baseball card can constitute fraud on par with grand theft auto.
* In an episode of ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', {{Spelling Bee}}s are SeriousBusiness, 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.
-->"SPELL HIS ASS OFF!"
** 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 SeriousBusiness himself a few decades back.
** Much of the comedy in ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' stems from the main character and those around him blowing relatively minor things into full-blown SeriousBusiness, but another notable trope-relevant example comes when we learn that Frasier has been keeping a collection of taped recordings of his show. When he learns that one of them is missing and is unlikely to be able to be replaced, he enters a depression which sends him into his bed for like a week. He later gets over it when he meets his 'biggest fan' who happens to have a copy of the missing show and finds him an obsessive nut who's isolated everything from his life.
* When Dick Clark hosted ''Series/{{Pyramid}}'', he made sure it was SeriousBusiness. "I remind the audience once again, we need absolute silence, please. GO!" In one episode the contestant was awarded partial credit in the BonusRound because there ''wasn't'' absolute silence; an audience member started a loud Countdown when the clock hit 10 seconds.
* ''Series/ICarly'' The webcast seems to have only slightly less cultural impact than [[WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}} Dethklok]]. Sneaker manufacturers beg Carly to endorse their product. Television producers ransack the show for ideas in two separate episodes. It's watercooler discussion material, even amongst adults.
** The ''entire'' school ridicules Freddie after Sam reveals he hasn't yet had his FirstKiss, and he ends up missing school and avoiding his mom as a result of the embarrassment. [[note]]Okay, so he probably [[MyBelovedSmother does that last one a lot anyway.]][[/note]]
*** And then there was the time when Freddie was downright ostracized because he made an offhand comment about not liking the work of Website/YouTube sensation Fred, to the point where [[TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong Freddie was physically assaulted in an effort to...get him to change his mind.]]
** In ''iFight Shelby Marx'', Carly makes some joking comments about being able to "take down" an MMA fighter. Said fighter appears ''at her doorstep'' the next day, proposes an exhibition match for charity that is apparently so popular, it fills a stadium and is sold on pay-per-view. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] when the MMA announcer introduces her as "Carly Shay, who... has a web show."
* 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.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''.
** In "[[BaseballEpisode Take Me Out to the Holosuite]]", Sisko's private little war against Solok turns baseball into SeriousBusiness 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]].

* ''Series/FatherTed'':
** While preparing for the "all-priest, over-75, indoor football challenge match" against Rugged Island, Ted frantically tears the place apart looking for a bug placed by their opponents. Turns out he's ProperlyParanoid when the Rugged Island crew hurriedly drive away in their ice cream van.
** The Christmas special in which Ted leads a group of 7 other priests out of the lingerie section of a department store in the style of soldiers making their way back from behind enemy lines.
** The theft of a policeman's whistle results in helicopter patrols over Craggy Island, and townsfolk barricading themselves indoors.
** The King of the Sheep competition is taken very seriously, attracting the attention of shady types who aim to profit by rigging it.

* In ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' most things were SeriousBusiness with many episodes focusing on one or two bits of this.
** The Soup Nazi. His soup is so good that people are willing to put up with the authoritarian regime that is his restaurant and rejected patrons become motivated to exact revenge rather than just finding someplace else to eat.
** Elaine had a boyfriend who shared a name with a well-known murderer. He decided to change it, but Elaine hated every one of his suggestions because of her associations with those names.
** Jerry's GirlOfTheWeek's stepmother not wanting to lose her spot on her stepdaughter's speed dial. Then the girl and her stepmother spend the rest of the episode changing their respective speed dials.
** Jerry discovers that his girlfriend was working for one of Jerry's former classmates who has been holding a grudge on him since a sprint in high school. They hold a rematch presided over by their high school gym teacher, and many of their old high school mates are there to watch.
** After being banned from the manicure shop, Elaine manically sobs all over Manhattan, to the point where she doesn't know where she's going.
** Never make a weird face at a doctor or "be difficult", lest you be instantly blacklisted by your medical professional and be denied medical services for the rest of your life. ''Even from veterinarians.''
** Jerry discovers he failed to return a library book in the 1970s, and the library finally retorts by sending a library security cop over to his house. The cop is a direct parody of the detectives on Dragnet and takes this job as seriously as if he were tracking down serial killers in a gritty police drama. When he enters into a monologue about people disrespecting the New York Public Library, it's so over-the-top yet so dead-straight-serious that Jerry (the actor) is clearly struggling not to burst out laughing.
* Many reality shows where there are groups of people competing against each other to win things like money, makeover of their house, etc. While everyone does want to win as badly as the next guy, the serious business comes into play when you got some of the competitors get drastic or act dramatic in order to have a shot at winning and act like losing doesn't exist in their dictionary. And then you have the people who say they gave up everything to be on the show (quitting their job, moving away from home, etc), not even thinking about what to do in case they don't win.
** Averted by one contestant, who dared to have a sense of perspective when she was kicked off ''Series/AmericasNextTopModel'' by not breaking into tears like she was meant to; as punishment for this, Creator/TyraBanks subsequently [[http://cnettv.cnet.com/tyra-banks-freaks-out-america-next-top-model/9742-1_53-10663.html went medieval]] on her ass.
** In the other vein of this example, shows about things like fashion tend to be played up way more than necessary. Shows like Series/WhatNotToWear, where a person's "bad" clothing (which are rarely worse than average) cause the hosts to treat the woman as if she were dying from some sort of clothes cancer. And to cure this, they ridicule said person's bought possessions while throwing them out. At one point, a person featured on the show hated the hosts' advice, prompting the male host to actually leave the room for several minutes to cool off. Over clothes.
** Most of the moms featured on ''Series/ToddlersAndTiaras'' take their girls' pageants ''way'' too seriously.
*** Parodied by Creator/TomHanks in a sketch of him preparing his daughter for such a contest. At one point, his daughter comments that she thinks he's putting her through all this because he wishes he could be in a beauty contest. At the end, they lose to Creator/RonHoward, who showboats as though he just won the Super Bowl.
* According to the ABC Family series ''Series/MakeItOrBreakIt'', gymnastics is incredibly serious business. Yes, they're training for the Olympics, but every single detail of the gymnasts' lives is overblown for the sake of drama.
* 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 various episodes of the ''Series/{{CSI}}s'': Bowling, competitive eating, a Scrabble-style word game, historical reenactment, and fashion have been shown to be deadly serious business to the people involved.

* ''[[Series/TheOfficeUS The Office]]'' has Pretzel Day. What's Pretzel Day, you ask?
-->'''Pam''': Once a year they bring in a little cart and they give away free pretzels. It's really not a big deal. [[LampshadeHanging ...To some people it is.]]
-->'''Stanley''': I wake up every morning in a bed that's too small, drive my daughter to a school that's too expensive, [[OverlyLongGag and then]] [[TheChewToy I go to work to a job for which I get paid too little]] - but on Pretzel Day? [[ThrowTheDogABone ...Well, I like Pretzel Day.]]
** One day, when Michael is out of the office, the entire staff spends hours debating over whether or not Creator/HilarySwank is hot. Simple attractiveness and willingness to have sex with her are apparently not necessarily part of the equation, and an organized debate ensues. The real icing on the cake comes when Oscar creates and presents a detailed diagram analyzing Swank's facial symmetry.
* ''Series/TheAdventuresOfLanoAndWoodley'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCnJWW-xPPM&feature=related 4:45]].
* Anything and everything that interests Justin of ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace''.
** Alex's own ''Quinceañero'', taken as seriously as suggested in the Real Life sub-page.
* According to Antony Bourdain in one of the Japan-centric episodes of ''Series/NoReservations'', Japan's entire ''culture'' is devoted to the Art of Serious Business. ''Anything'' can be Serious Business in Japan, from Tea Ceremonies to Cherry Blossom Viewings, to Baseball (see below).
** Also, when he visited France, he played petanque (much like bocce) with the locals, expecting them to be leisurely about the game. Instead, he discovered that they actually are fiercely competitive about it, especially since they put money on the line. Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxm_7mCpm7c
* Everything about the local agricultural fair in ''Series/AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall'' is SeriousBusiness, right down to the children's pet show. There's some rather nasty rumors of favoritism when James gives the blue ribbon to a goldfish.
* Anything that is the subject of an episode of ''Series/PushingDaisies'' is extremely serious business (enough to make people commit murder over it), including but not limited to dog breeding, circus performance, and fried chicken.

-->'''Ross''': You threw my sandwich away?! MY SANDWICH?! ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tqmXTYa3Xw MY SANDWICH?!]]''

* Played straight by [[Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie 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.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
-->'''Castiel''': (on cell phone) [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX8ytD8SOb4 This isn't funny, Dean! The voice says I'm almost out of minutes!]]
** Played with in another episode, where Dean yells at two fans of the Supernatural book series for not taking the job/lives of Sam and Dean seriously. Considering it's his life they're making light of, he is completely correct. They however assume he's merely doing this trope.
* Often played straight in Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus (The All-England Summarize Proust Competition) but subverted with 'The Society For Putting Things on Top of Other Things' where one member claims that they haven't put anything on top of another thing because they've decided that the whole thing's a bit silly. The chairman looks as if he's about to go beserk, and then suddenly agrees with him and decides to wind up the society.
* [[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.

-->"There is nothing ironic about show choir!"
-->"You can't quit Cheerios. It's blood in, blood out!"

** In the episode "The Best Burger in New York," it's revealed that Marshall has spent the last eight years of his life trying to find the restaurant where he once ate the best burger of his life. Though he actually takes it mildly compared to SpecialGuest RegisPhilbin.
-->'''Marshall:''' It's so much more than "just a burger." I mean ... that first bite ... oh, what heaven that first bite is. The bun like a sesame freckled breast of an angel, resting gently on the ketchup and mustard below, flavors mingling in a seductive pas de deux. And then...a pickle! The most playful little pickle! Then a slice of tomato, a leaf of lettuce and a ... a patty of ground beef so exquisite, swirling in your mouth, breaking apart, and combining again in a fugue of sweets and savor so delightful. This is no mere sandwich of grilled meat and toasted bread, Robin. This is God, speaking to us in food.
-->'''Lily:''' And you got our wedding vows off the Internet.

-->'''Ted''': Duck is delicious! Rabbit is all gamey!
-->'''Marshall''': We're not talking about flavor!
-->'''Ted''': Flavor counts!
-->(Later)
-->'''Marshall''': Who carries around a duck's foot for good luck?! Anyone?!
-->(Later)
-->'''Robin''': You wrap yourself in a comforter stuffed with rabbit hair, I'll wrap myself in one stuffed with duck feathers, who's cozier?! (Marshall tries to deflect) No, no, no, no! But who's cozier?!
-->(Later)
-->'''Ted''': Then why don't get a duck and a rabbit, stick 'em in a cardboard box, and [[BeastlyBloodsports let them fight it out]]?!
-->'''Marshall''': Because it's illegal, Ted!
-->'''Ted''': Only if we bet on it, Marshall!
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' has an example of this early on, even if it is downplayed: During ''Marco Polo'', The Doctor wins a large chunk of the Mongol Empire from the Khan in games of backgammon.
** A prominent theme in the 50th anniversary comedy special ''Recap/TheFiveishDoctorsReboot'': Nothing, ''nothing'', is more important than appearing in ''[[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor The Day of the Doctor]]'', including [[Creator/SylvesterMcCoy having a role]] in a blockbuster $500 million dollar [[Film/TheHobbit movie]], or [[Creator/DavidTennant being present]] for the birth of your own child.

* The high school science fair in ''Series/{{Eureka}}''. Previous ones have taught Joe to come dressed in riot gear.
-->'''Allison''': You know how Texans feel about their high school football? Child's play.
* [[{{Yandere}} Relationships]] in ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration''. To the point that because Emma likes Sean, Peter frames him for possession of marijuana. This leads to Sean challenging Peter to ''more'' SeriousBusiness, street racing. [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin Sean goes to jail.]]
** Also {{Invoked|Trope}} with JT, Toby, and Rick: After the shooting, JT wouldn't play ''[[BlandNameProduct Draco's Quest]]'' with Toby, implying he thought video games made Rick snap. Rick was also into Dungeons and Dragons.

--> '''Riker''': "I had no idea you had such a ritual."\\
'''Troi''': "Chocolate is a serious thing."

* ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'': Everything from what sort of pen you keep in your pocket, to how you fold your handkerchief, to what sort of hat you wear on your way into the store are matters of dire consequence at Grace Brothers.
* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', "Our Mrs. Reynolds": Shepherd Book suggests you do not talk at the theater unless you want to end in a very SPECIAL level of hell, one also reserved for child molesters.
* In ''Series/FamilyTies'', the Keaton family, especially Alex, gets this way about contests and competitions of any sort.
** One episode has Alex and Steven become so obsessed with beating each other at TabletopGame/{{Scrabble}} that, at the end, they sneak downstairs at night in their pajamas for "one more game. The winner gets the deed to the house."
** In "Walking on Air," Alex, Elyse, Jennifer and Andy team up for a "Find [[CaptainErsatz Colonel Crackle]]" cereal contest. Alex soon takes charge, posting a giant map of Cleveland with potential "Colonel" sightings pinned, having his friend Skippy check the Colonel's dental records and do a hair analysis, and commandeering a newscaster's desk at Steven's TV station to call the "Crackle hotline" seconds before airtime (resulting in his being dragged off).
* Series/{{Angel}} and Spike had a [[BlatantLies polite discussion]] as to who would win in a fight, [[CavemenVsAstronautsDebate astronauts or cave men.]]
--> '''Wesley:''' You've been yelling about this for forty minutes... do the astronauts have weapons?
--> '''Spike & Angel:''' ''NO!''
* Matt and Danny on [[Series/Studio60OnTheSunsetStrip Studio 60]] work on a sketch show which is a SNL ripoff, yet they try to play it as being of the utmost importance and a platform for social change. This is a big problem for the series as a whole since Aaron Sorkin's trademark style of political filibustering is embarrassingly misplaced in a comedy series. Though many fans think the show would be shallow and soulless without that extra dimension.
* In ''Series/{{Community}}'' a number of activities including [[Recap/CommunityS1E09Debate109 Debate Class]], [[Recap/CommunityS1E21ContemporaryAmericanPoultry eating Chicken Fingers]], [[Recap/CommunityS2E04BasicRocketScience flight simulators]], and [[Recap/CommunityS1E17PhysicalEducation the game of pool]] are all taken dead seriously.
** Losing a pen is serious business in Annie's book. And the entire study group's, at that.
** Paintball is such serious business to the students that both times the college tries to have a friendly game it ends up causing thousands of dollars in property damage.
** One professor devoted his academic careers studying old sitcoms and wrote a detailed book analyzing ''Series/WhosTheBoss'', analyzing the show's title as a deep philosophical riddle. He is devastated when Abed disproves his main theory by pointing out that "the boss" obviously just refers to Angela.
** The Glee club is very, very important. [[MadnessMantra Regionals...]]
** The show uses this so often it's practically a RunningGag; there is next to ''nothing'' that either the study group or the school in general cannot blow completely out of proportion. Someone pushing a yam off a table becomes [[Recap/CommunityS3E17BasicLupineUrology a homicide investigation and trial]], the decision over whether to make a pillow fort or a blanket fort becomes [[Recap/CommunityS3E14PillowsAndBlankets a school-wide pillow-fought civil war]]. And so on. Jeff mentions at one point that the entire school is on 911's blocked caller list due to their constant antics.
* The competitive cooking series ''Series/IronChef'' plays this up as hard as it possibly can. Particularly in the American version.
** The Ohta faction turned it UpToEleven.
* In one episode of ''Series/KenanAndKel'', Ron Harper shows in Rigby's and everyone is excited to see him, especially the titular characters. However, he ended up slipping on a puddle of orange soda, injuring his knee. Thanks to that, ''all'' of Chicago are after Kenan and Kel.
* The ''Series/LegionOfExtraordinaryDancers'' premise and title characters.

* On ''Series/TheCosbyShow,'' Cliff takes petanque with Dr. Harmon very seriously. Pinochle, too. The episode featuring a pinochle tournament shows him coming in second as a serious blow to his pride.
* ''Series/TheDailyShow'': [[http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-june-1-2011/me-lover-s-pizza-with-crazy-broad Jon Stewart takes pizza very seriously.]]
* The ''Series/HogansHeroes'' episode, "Go Light on the Heavy Water" had the heroes wondering why German troops are seemingly playing this trope with a barrel of water in a truck they are determined to keep secure. They find out that there is an ''extremely'' good reason why they're doing that: the water in question is heavy water, used for experiments for [[AtomicHate nuclear weapons]] and they are ordered to stop that delivery at all costs.
* 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 ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'', the detectives view a cop sleeping with a defense attorney as beyond the pale. When it's discovered that Jake slept with the defense attorney handling one of his cases without knowing she was a defense attorney, it's almost treated as if Jake has accidentally performed an act of bestiality.
-->'''Sgt. Jeffords:''' Okay guys, let's take it easy on him. But seriously, I think you need to get checked for rabies.
* 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.
* Jared on ''Series/OpenHeart'' is very serious about the volunteer program. And ''especially'' serious about restocking his supply closet.
* ''Series/{{Ghostwriter}}'': The first mystery has the gang unraveling a secret conspiracy of middle-schoolers who run an organized criminal enterprise... to fuel their arcade game addiction. They have built an actual cult around the game, in which they trade secret codewords to organize, hold ominous rallies in abandoned warehouses and take on the identities of their favorite characters from the game.
* In one episode of ''Series/NickyRickyDickyAndDawn'', the quadruplets' parents refused to take them to an amusement park because one of them ''forgot to flush the toilet''.
* ''Series/AgathaRaisin'': In "Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener", the village's annual open garden, and the competition for best garden, day leads to vandalism and murder.
* Zig-zagged, inverted and played for laughs in ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook''. In one sketch, a wife discovers a large bra that is not hers in amongst her husband's possessions and confronts him about whether he's having an affair in a tone of very slight annoyance. After the husband nonchalantly replies in the affirmative, they proceed to get into mildly irritable quarrel about this, the wife's [[TheGamblingAddict gambling problem]] and their mutually incompatible desires for a child. Until the husband figures out what's really bothering his wife... the time he accidentally left the fridge door open, resulting in a quiche and some milk going bad and having to be disposed of. ''This'' is treated as if it almost destroyed the marriage.
* In one episode of ''Series/TheWestWing'', a quote in the news that the President doesn't like green beans is treated as this by C.J and Toby, because a huge percent of America's green bean output is grown in Oregon, the President barely won Oregon in the previous election, and this risks potentially offending a huge part of the electorate there. Subverted when Charlie -- who inadvertently gave the quote -- points out that C.J and Toby are being ridiculous, the green bean quote actually ''is'' a minor issue, the Oregonians Charlie has met aren't idiots, and C.J and Toby assuming they'll all vote against Bartlet in outraged offence that he doesn't happen to enjoy eating a particular crop they happen to grow is in fact a very condescending and insulting attitude for them to take.
-->'''Charlie:''' Well, I'm sorry that I mouthed off to a reporter, but you're out of your mind.\\
'''C.J:''' No I'm--\\
'''Charlie:''' ''Education's'' a serious thing. Crime, jobs, national security. In eighteen months, I've been to Oregon four times, and not a single person I've met there's been stupid.\\
'''C.J:''' Everyone's stupid in an election year, Charlie.\\
'''Charlie:''' No, everyone gets ''treated'' stupid in an election year, C.J.

* Zig-zagged and played for laughs in ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook''. In one sketch, a wife discovers a large bra that is not hers in amongst her husband's possessions and confronts him about whether he's having an affair in a tone of very slight annoyance. After the husband nonchalantly replies in the affirmative, they proceed to get into mildly irritable quarrel about the wife's [[TheGamblingAddict gambling problem]] and their mutually incompatible desires for a child. Until the husband figures out what's really bothering his wife... the time he accidentally left the fridge door open, resulting in a quiche and some milk going bad and having to be disposed of. ''This'' is treated as if it almost destroyed the marriage.

* Zig-zagged and played for laughs in ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook''. In one sketch, a wife discovers a large bra that is not hers in amongst her husband's possessions and confronts him about whether he's having an affair in a tone of very slight annoyance. After the husband nonchalantly replies in the affirmative, they proceed to get into mildly irritable quarrel about the wife's [[TheGamblingAddict gambling problem]] and their mutually incompatible desires for a child. Until the husband figures out what's really bothering his wife... the time he accidentally left the fridge door open, resulting in a quiche and some milk going bad and having to be disposed of. ''This'' is treated as if it almost destroyed the marriage.

* [[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 [[MervGriffinsCrosswords crossword puzzles]] and make them high energy and for high stakes. Contestants are even encouraged to act more excited than they are.

** The show uses this so often it's practically a RunningGag; there is next to ''nothing'' that either the study group or the school in general cannot blow completely out of proportion. Someone pushing a yam off a table becomes [[Recap/CommunityS3E17BasicLupineUrology a homicide investigation and trial]], the decision over whether to make a pillow fort or a blanket fort becomes [[Recap/CommunityS3E14PillowsAndBlankets a school-wide pillow-fought civil war]]. And so on.

** The episode with ''[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S05E15WildWorldOfBatwoman The Wild World of Batwoman'' also features the educational short film "Film/{{Cheating}}", which leads to a series of host segments where Crow is caught [[HypocriticalHumor plagiarizing Gypsy's essay about cheating]]. The rest of the crew react with overblown rage at Crow's academic dishonesty; Tom Servo in particular [[DisproportionateRetribution wants him dead.]]

* Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000: Bad movies cause psychological trauma and the Mads believe that the worst movie ever made would have the power to subjugate humanity.
** In the episode featuring ''Film/TheWildWildWorldOfBatwoman'', a short about Film/{{Cheating}} leads to a series of host segments where Crow is caught plagiarizing Gypsy's essay about cheating and the rest of the crew decide his fate. Tom Servo [[DisproportionateRetribution wants him dead.]]

** Mustn't forget the Geller Cup

* On many television shows, HighSchool is depicted as SeriousBusiness. Though, to be fair, this is a NewerThanTheyThink trope. It only really began around the time Series/SavedByTheBell premiered.

* ''Series/TheAdventuresOfPeteAndPete'' loves this trope played for surrealism. Smoothies, Prank Wars, people urinating in pools and the identity of the masked Ice Cream Man Mr. Tasty are all Serious Business. And Artie, the Strongest Man in the World fighting Killer Bees? [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight Normal Background Stuff]]. In addition, every single adult, be they a shop teacher, an underwear inspector or a postal carrier, treats their profession with a reverence usually reserved for war heroes and cancer researchers.

* Matt and Danny on [[Studio60OnTheSunsetStrip Studio 60]] work on a sketch show which is a SNL ripoff, yet they try to play it as being of the utmost importance and a platform for social change. This is a big problem for the series as a whole since Aaron Sorkin's trademark style of political filibustering is embarrassingly misplaced in a comedy series. Though many fans think the show would be shallow and soulless without that extra dimension.

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

** One professor devoted his academic careers studying old sitcoms and wrote a detailed book analyzing ''WhosTheBoss''. He is devastated when Abed disproves his main theory in front of the class. Tellingly, it did not seem to be serious business to Abed.
*** Specifically, the professor took the show's title as if it were an intricately complex philosophical question. Abed just assumed that it referred to the character of Angela.

** Just imagine if they do that to Michael Jordan - they're dead meat.

** Business doesn't get more serious than a stained glass window at Father Lewandowski's church. Because of a beef over that window, lives are destroyed, careers are made, a union is brought low, and the MCU is formed.

** This is parodied in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. "There is nothing that will ever happen in the rest of our lives that's as important as what's going on right here, right now in High School, by these lockers."

* In ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'', the detectives view a cop sleeping with a defence attorney as beyond the pale. When it's discovered that Jake slept with the defence attorney handling one of his cases without knowing she was a defence attorney, it's almost treated as if Jake has accidentally performed an act of bestiality.

* in Episode 6 of Season 2 of ''Series/MissFishersMurderMysteries'' most of the action revlolves 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.

* Zig-zagged and played for laughs in ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook''. In one sketch, a wife discovers a large bra that is not hers in amongst her husband's possessions and confronts him about whether he's having an affair in a tone of very slight annoyance. After the husband nonchalantly replies in the affirmative, they proceed to get into mildly irritable quarrel about the wife's [[GamblingAddict gambling problem]] and their mutually incompatible desires for a child. Until the husband figures out what's really bothering his wife... the time he accidentally left the fridge door open, resulting in a quiche and some milk going bad and having to be disposed of. ''This'' is treated as if it almost destroyed the marriage.

* ''Series/AgathaRaisin'': In "Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener", the village's annual open garden, and the competition for best garden, day leads to vandalism and murder.

* The competitive cooking series IronChef plays this up as hard as it possibly can. Particularly in the American version.

** One episode has Alex and Steven become so obsessed with beating each other at {{Scrabble}} that, at the end, they sneak downstairs at night in their pajamas for "one more game. The winner gets the deed to the house."

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', "Our Mrs. Reynolds": Shepard Book suggests you do not talk at the theater unless you want to end in a very SPECIAL level of hell, one also reserved for child molesters.

* in S2 Ep6 of ''Series/MissFishersMurderMysteries'' most of the action revlolves 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.

* In one episode of ''Series/NickyRickyDickyAndDawn'', the quadruplets' parents refused to take them to an amusement park because one of them ''forgot to flush the toilet''.

-->'''Pam''': Once a year they bring in a little cart and they give away free pretzels. [[LampshadeHanging It's really not a big deal.... To some people it is.]]

** One day, when Michael is out of the office, every employee spends hours debating over whether or not Creator/HilarySwank is hot. Simple attractiveness and willingness to have sex with her are apparently not necessarily part of the equation, and an organized debate ensues. The real icing on the cake is Oscar creating and presenting a detailed diagram analyzing Swank's facial symmetry.

* ''Series/BreakingBad'': In the appropriately titled episode "Fly", Walter White encounters a fly buzzing around the meth-cooking laboratory he's working at, and he spends most of the episode hunting it down, deeming it a "contamination" that could ruin his cook. Jesse Pinkman, his partner in crime, is understandably puzzled as to why Walt is making such a fuss over a common housefly.

* On ''Series/TheWire'', the annual basketball game between the East Side and West Side drug crews is such serious business that the entire neighborhood in which it is held shuts down for the day, and the leader of one of the crews thinks nothing of paying $20,000 to hire a ringer for his team.

* On ''Series/TheCosbyShow,'' Cliff takes petanque with Dr. Harmon very seriously.
** Pinochle, too. The episode featuring a pinochle tournament shows him coming in second as a serious blow to his pride.

* Just about any sitcom episode focused on an upcoming dance will portray it as SeriousBusiness. Expect the main character to be practicing day and night for the event, and for the sake of conflict, expect to see some boastful {{Jerkass}} in direct competition with him to claim the name of "Best Dancer." Even if the dance in question is just a simple charity event for the main character's workplace.
* Just about any KidCom episode focused on an upcoming Student Council election will treat it this way. Expect the candidates (except, of course, for the show's main character) to all have these ridiculously elaborate campaigns that would put even a U.S. Presidential Campaign to shame. Expect one of these competing candidates to be a {{Jerkass}} or AlphaBitch plotting to blackmail the main character (for whatever reason). And expect the election results to be practically nationally televised. See also: AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil.
** On an episode of ''{{Series/Smallville}}'', this is taken UpToEleven. The editor of the school paper grills the 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]].

* ''[[TheOfficeUS The Office]]'' has Pretzel Day. What's Pretzel Day, you ask?

* Anything that is the subject of an episode of ''PushingDaisies'' is extremely serious business (enough to make people commit murder over it), including but not limited to dog breeding, circus performance, and fried chicken.