History ShaggyDogStory / LiveActionTV

* ''Series/{{Whitechapel}}'' was built almost entirely on this trope, so much so that it became a RunningGag:

** PlayedForLaughs when an Eastern European hockey player enters the bar and Sam tells Diane the story of how he got to America. He details all of the trials and tortures the man had to go through to get out of the Eastern bloc which awes Diane, then Carla ads "The following week, the rest of his team flew over on the Concorde."

** An early episode has El Chavo and La Chilindrina deciding to skip school one day, and they spend the whole time trying to prevent Don Ramón from finding out. Then, when El Chavo ends up getting mad and decides to blow the whistle so that Chilindrina gets scolded, Don Ramón reveals that it was ''Sunday'', thus rendering all the fretting from before pointless.

* In Season 6 of ''Series/{{Castle}}'', a few episodes revolve around Castle and Beckett getting what they need for their wedding (date, dress, venue, etc.), only for a number of [[DiabolusExMachina random incidents]] occurring in the season finale to ruin them all, forcing them to use alternate plans. [[spoiler:And then Castle disappears at the very end.]]

* ''Series/ElChapulinColorado'': One episode has El Chapulín helping a group of soldiers who are trapped in a destroyed fort, with no way to be sure whether they can go to the nearby town to get some water, and even fighting over a small canteen that's the last drinking water any of them has. At the end, a nurse comes to tell them that the enemy has already retreated and they can go safely to the town, only for one of the soldiers to suggest they should wash themselves before going to town, revealing a ''working faucet'' hidden under a hung helmet that they could have drunk from all along.

* ''Series/{{Batwoman}}'' played up several major storylines for Kate Kane from her father hating her costumed persona to her struggles to be accepted and even named a cosmic "Paragon." Then Creator/RubyRose left the series after its first season with new character Ryan taking over as Batwoman and thus rendering all of Kate's adventures almost meaningless.

** An early episode has El Chavo and La Chilindrina deciding to skip school one day, and they spend the whole time trying to prevent Don Ramón from finding out. Then, when El Chavo ends up getting mad and decides to blow the whistle so that Chilindrina gets sc, Don Ramón reveals that it was ''Sunday'', thus rendering all the fretting from before pointless.

* ''Series/PerfectStrangers'' had an episode where Larry got tickets to a Music/BruceSpringsteen concert and got a date with a lovely lady. [[note]] This was before he and Balki met Jennifer and Mary-Ann. [[/note]] Then Larry contracts a cold when Mr. Twinkecetti's daughter sneezes in his face. He tries to get better before the concert, but is surprised when Balki suggests a Myposian cold remedy which he says can completely cure him. When he fails to make any improvement before the concert, he agrees to the Myposian cold remedy. Larry ends up taking more than he was supposed to and falls unconscious. Then the shaggy dog is [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggerated]]. When Larry wakes up and goes to get ready for the concert, he discovers he's been unconscious for three days. Then Balki tells him he took the girl to the concert, but she left him for a guy with front row seats. Then it's revealed that Springsteen got sick as well, so the concert was postponed and Larry agrees to take Balki instead. Then Balki gets sick...

* ''Series/TopGearUK'' once had the hosts go to an auction to buy some cars. Richard buys an early Fifties Lanchester because his grandfather worked at the coachbuilder where the car was built. However, the car has a laundry list of mechanical issues (the physical list runs from his hand to the floor) and the hosts have been entered into a road rally in Spain. Richard endures the rally as best he can after fixing whatever possible, but still has a number of breakdowns. During the final host segment, he says he did the whole thing in honor of his grandfather since he built the car. It's then that Jeremy reveals that he discovered the Lanchester Richard bought was built at a different coachbuilder than the one his grandfather worked at.

* On ''Series/BabylonFive'', the character of Talia Winters was set up for a big arc from the first season. Kosh copied her fears, she was granted telekinetic powers, and she was growing increasingly disillusioned with the Psi Corps. When the actress wanted to leave, they wrapped up the "implanted personality" arc in one episode where her only significant role was in the last 10 minute "big reveal". She was then PutOnABus and was never heard from again, except for the implication she was killed off screen. This one's a big case of RealLifeWritesThePlot: Talia's actor, Andrea Thompson, had recently divorced Jerry Doyle (who played another major character, Michael Garibaldi), and was being offered a much juicier gig on ''Series/{{JAG}}''. She dropped out, and Talia's arc (except for the [[spoiler:[[HoYay relationship with Ivanova]]]]) was picked up by Lyta Alexander (who had been established in the PilotMovie but hadn't joined up for the first season over some contract dispute).

* In the ''Series/{{Bones}}'' episode "The Bones on the Blue Line," Sweets meets a young man on the Metro who gets an email saying that, after eight years of chemo, he's finally cured and is going to begin living his life to the fullest. Then there's a flash flood and he's killed instantly in front of Sweets' eyes.

* In ''Series/TheMandalorian'', most of the plot up until season 2 revolved around Din's effort to find Grogu a Jedi Master to help him control his powers. After handing him over to [[BigGood Luke Skywalker]], in ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett'' Luke offers Grogu a FriendOrIdolDecision in which he had to choose between the Jedi way or his surrogate father. Grogu chooses the latter and returns to Din as a [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Mandalorian]] foundling, essentially rendering most of the story until then pointless. To make matters worse, the events of the sequel trilogy are cemented as canon effectively leaving the Jedi extinct.

** This was Lampshaded in almost every episode thereafter,, where the detectives go to great and comical lengths to bring someone in alive, and almost always fail, or the criminal dies very shortly after being captured [[spoiler: (S4 E2, the criminal dies of advanced Ergot poisoning, and S4 E6, where the cult are killed in an prison-transport crash)]].

** Rickon Stark was absent for a large part of the series, implied to be working with the Umbers to restore Stark rule to the North. When he reappears, he quickly gets killed of by Ramsay. While his death scene serves a role in the story, causing Jon to attack Ramsay's forces at an inadvatageous position, his death itself is ultimately just the result of Ramsay being sadistic. This is even lampshaded by the name Rickon gave his winterwolf; Shaggy Dog.

* ''Conan'': Creator/NormMacDonald liked to tell these during his appearances:

* ShaggyDogStory: ''Series/TheBlueAndTheGray''" James lies about his age to join the Union Army but then contracts dysentery and dies before ever seeing the battlefield, which is very much TruthInTelevision for many soldiers on both sides of the war.