Line #17 AwesomeMcCoolname/LiveActionTV


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6	[[AwesomeMcCoolname Incredibly cool names]] in television.
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8	* Deliberately invoked in ''Series/{{Andromeda}}'' with the [[StrawNihilist Nietzscheans]]. Their names tend to be references to historical or mythical tough guys with the last name usually referencing a historical location or people. For example, Tyr Anasazi is named after a Norse god and a Native American tribe. Gaheris Rhade is named after Myth/KingArthur's nephew and a German city, while his IdenticalGrandson Telemachus Rhade is named after the son of [[Literature/TheIliad Odysseus]]. A throw-away line in one episode mentions Trance wondering what a Nietzschean mother was thinking when she named her son [[UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan Genghis]] [[UsefulNotes/JosephStalin Stalin]].
9	* Subverted in an episode of ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' where Jake is temporarily partnered with Agent Jack Danger... who is a colossal dork who insists [[PretentiousPronunciation it's pronounced "Donger".]] ''Jackie'' Donger.
10	* ''Series/BurnNotice''. Sam believes that Chuck Finley has a cool name.
11	* ''Series/{{Castle\|2009}}'' gives us Richard Creator/{{Edgar\|AllanPoe}} "Rick" Castle and his daughter Alexis Castle. Castle's birth name is actually Richard Alexander Rodgers. He legally changed his name because he liked "Castle" better and was a big fan of Poe.
12	* Creator/StephenColbert used this to protect the identity of an ex-''[[Series/TheColbertReport Colbert Report]]'' security guard who had been deployed in Afghanistan.
13	-->'''Stephen:''' His name is [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Caesar]], but for security reasons I can't show his photo, and [[RuleOfCool for cool reasons]] I will refer to him as [[Film/SpaceMutiny Tank Gunbullet]].
14	* On ''Series/{{Cougartown}}'', Bobby assumes the name Ron Mexico, with everyone remarking on how cool the name is.
15	* In the "Gettin' Judgey With It" episode of ''Series/CutthroatKitchen'', in which the judges participate in the ordeal for a change, Richard Blais (pronounced "Blaze") mentions that he wants to take fellow judge/competitor Jet Tila's first name, so that he can call himself ''Jet Blais''.
16	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
17	** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS39E4FluxChapterFourVillageOfTheAngels Village of the Angels]]" introduces Professor Eustacius Jericho. The Doctor lampshades how awesome his name sounds.
18	** In "[[Recap/DoctorWho2023CSTheChurchOnRubyRoad The Church on Ruby Road]]" has Lulubelle, an infant who Carla Sunday and her daughter Ruby are fostering. While they think it's a [[WhoNamesTheirKidDude ridiculous]] name, the Doctor wishes aloud that ''he'' was named Lulubelle.
19	* ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'': Drake [[MinorWithFakeID acquires fake I.D.s]] for himself and Josh so they can attend a concert at an adults only club. He chooses the amazing psuedonyms Jefferson Steelflex and Alvin Yakitori.
20	* In a world of fantasy, like ''Series/GameOfThrones'', it's standard. Salladhor Saan is acknowledged as such -- "Salladhor Saan is a good name for songs."
21	* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'':
22	** Ted Mosby, having met a guy who calls himself TheCaptain, decides to name himself Galactic President Superstar [=McAwesomeville=]. To his credit, TheCaptain likes the name and uses it for Ted for the rest of the episode, not even missing a beat which helps make his affectations likeable.
23	** Marshall and Lily's baby's name is [[spoiler:Marvin Wait-for-it Eriksen]] and all the characters find it awesome.
24	* ''Series/{{Hunter\|NBC}}'': You probably couldn't pick a better name for a CowboyCop than Rick Hunter.
25	* Played for laughs in ''Series/ICarly'', with the bodyguard in "iSam's Mom". He's a war veteran who only speaks in a growling monotone. He's more than willing to be incredibly violent towards the slightest threat, and he's got a significantly large hole in his leg ''[[NoodleIncident that's not a bullet wound.]] '' His name? Gunsmoke.
26	* In ''Series/JimmyKimmelLive'''s 2010 "Handsome Men's Club" sketch Creator/EthanHawke demanded his name be legally changed to ''Handsome Hawke''.
27	* Napoleon Solo of ''Series/TheManFromUncle'', who, curiously, almost never uses a pseudonym. You'd think that after a while, THRUSH agents would stop being fooled by Napoleon Solo, Investment Banker. The ludicrousness of the name is {{lampshade\|Hanging}}d from time to time: for example, when he has EasyAmnesia and someone tells him who he is, he refuses to believe it.
28	-->'''Napoleon:''' Nobody's been called Napoleon since the Battle of Waterloo.
29	* One ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'' episode has Randy and Darnell discussing the Witness Protection Program [[spoiler:after revealing that Darnell was IN the program]], and Randy expresses a desire to be named 'Crash Fistfight'.
30	* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''
31	** The cast had a ball giving such names to the beefy protagonist of ''Film/SpaceMutiny'', Dave Ryder.
32	** They also mocked an example of this concept mercilessly in the episode ''The Final Sacrifice''. What was the character's name? Zap Rowsdower, for a middle-aged pudgy Canadian man with a mullet. With a name like that you'd expect some sort of [[MemeticBadass badass]].
33	** Also during ''Hercules Against the Moon Men'', Joel and the bots try to come up with macho names a 'la Alan Steel. Crow chooses "Drake Tungsten", whereas Servo settles for "Ric Drywall". Which is admittedly better than his first choice, "Russ Tyle-Floor", or any of Crow's suggestions: "Adam Plexiglas", "Nick Pigiron", "Jim J Bullock"...
34	** The episode ''12 To the Moon'' featured an early version of the Ryder treatment, with an international lunar mission being headed by your standard symbol of '50s American superiority, a muscular blonde idiot. Being completely unremarkable in every other way, Mike and the 'bots saddle him with names like "Dirk Beefbroth", and "Plank Ironchest".
35	* ''Private Eyes'': "Hey, Matt Shade! That's a P.I. name if I ever heard one!."
36	* From ''Series/{{Psych}}'':
37	** It is a RunningGag with Shawn introducing Gus with an overly cool nickname to other people.
38	--->'''Gus:''' My name is Gus, but you can call me... John Slade.
39	** The victim in "Cloudy... With A Chance Of Murder" has one of these: Jackson Hale. At the murder trial, the defense attorney asks Hale's assistant if he'd considered adopting a [[ThemeNaming weather-related]] PunnyName such as "Bolt Lightning," "Cloudy [=McMillan=]," and... "[[OddNameOut Wendy Morningdew]]."
40	* In ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode "Back to Reality", the crew all hallucinate that they have returned to Earth, and are given new identities. Kryten's name turns out to be "Jake Bullet" and he's a member of the police force. Lampshaded:
41	-->'''Kryten''': ''Jake Bullet'', Cybernautic Detective. I like that! That sounds like the kind of hard-living flatfoot who gets the job done by cutting corners and bucking authority. And if those pen-pushers up at City Hall don't like it, well, they can park their overpaid, fat asses on ''this'' mid-digit and swivel -- swivel till they squeal like pigs on a honeymoon.
42	-->'''Rimmer''': On the other hand, "Mr. Bullet," perhaps the Cybernautics division is in charge of traffic control, and you just happen to have a rather silly macho name.
43	-->'''Kryten''', looking sheepish: Oh yes, that's a very good point, sir. I didn't think of that.
44	** Of course, this being ''[[RuleOfFunny Red Dwarf]]'', Kryten does turn out to be [[spoiler: a traffic control cop]].
45	** There's also the droid that Kryten knew, who went computer senile and claimed his name was "Rameses Niblick the Third Kerplunk Kerplunk Whoops Where's My Thribble".
46	* ''Series/RemingtonSteele'': The title character's name was chosen because it sounded cool.
47	* From ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'':
48	-->'''Keith:''' How come I don't get a nickname?\
49	'''J.D.:''' Not everyone's last name lends itself to a nickname, Keith.\
50	'''Keith:''' My last name is '''Dudemeister!'''\
51	'''J.D.:''' And what am I supposed to do with that, okay? I'm not a magician!
52	* One episode of ''Series/SimonAndSimon'' had the brothers chasing a computer hacker-turned-electronic bank robber who called himself "Anthrax Vermilion". Rick Simon off-handedly remarks that its a perfect "action hero name" as long as you don't think of the meaning (anthrax being a deadly disease, vermilion being a shade of the color red." And its subverted in the fact that it turns out that "Anthrax Vermilion" is a nine-year-old boy played by Creator/RobbieRist.
53	* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Sam and Dean Winchester. "Like the rifle."
54	* ''Series/TopGear'':
55	** When Jeremy Clarkson was designing a home-built electric car, he named it the Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust. However, he also named the prototype: "Geoff".
56	** His co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May had separately decided as a matter of principle that an electric car should have a rugged name instead of something vaguely smart like "Intelligentsia".
57	** In another episode, Hammond refuses to believe the actual name of Lamborghini's new chief test driver, Max Venturi, who replaced their old chief test driver, Valentino Balboni. Clarkson jokingly responds:
58	--->'''Jeremy Clarkson:''' You don't need a driving license to be a Lamborghini test driver. Just turn up for the interview, go "Look, I'm awfully sorry, I'm drunk and I'm mad, but I'm called Velociraptor Clint-Thrust!"
59	** While the presenters have regular, mundane names, Clarkson did think this about the name Lamborghini gave to their launch control system.
60	--->'''Clarkson:''' Some cars have launch control, but they have something here called "thrust control". I mean... that sounds like the title character of an airport thriller. ''Thrust Control''.
61	* On ''Series/TheTonightShow'', Jay Leno once said Creator/AntonioBanderas had a cool name.
62	* Colin and Brad of ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' were both fond of inventing these for their newscaster personas, most frequently innuendos. The most memorable, however, would be "Chesterfield Snapdragon [=McFisticuffs=]".
63	* ''Series/TheXFiles'', episode [[Recap/TheXFilesS03E17Pusher ''Pusher'']]: Pusher thinks that Agent Frank Burst has a really great name.
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Context AwesomeMcCoolname / LiveActionTV