Line #11 Main/ShowWithinAShow


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4	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_lwrqkd2tgg1qzvqzfo1_500.png]]]]
5	[[caption-width-right:350: A shame we only get to see one of these. We're sure the others are just as good!]]
6
7	->''"They fight! And bite!\
8	They fight and bite and fight!\
9	Fight, fight, fight!\
10	Bite, bite, bite!\
11	The Itchy and Scratchy Show!"''
12	-->-- '''ExpositoryThemeTune''' for ''JustForFun/TheItchyAndScratchyShow'', ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''
13
14	A fictional show that takes place within an actual show; or, occasionally, a fictional installment or incarnation of an actual show.
15
16	Shows-within-a-show are [[StylisticSuck usually of low quality]]. This is intentional: the low quality of the show is part of the joke or the misery of the characters involved. As a general rule, the more central the Show Within a Show is to the actual show, the better -- or at least higher-gloss -- it will be. On the other hand, FinaglesLaw dictates that TheShowMustGoWrong, so don't expect to get through it without at least one catastrophe.
17
18	Many comedies have short one-off gags where they parody existing shows. Most of the following examples are recurring and they come in up to four varieties (which can be overlapping):
19
20	# The characters are involved in the production of the show.
21	# The characters are fans of the show, or only see it occasionally.
22	# The show-within-a-show is a plot point.
23	# The internal show, in either variety, [[CrystalBallScheduling is eerily similar to the real show.]]
24
25	Sometimes these shows can be shown as SeparateSceneStorytelling.
26
27	For the pre-television history of this trope, [[JustForFun/TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples once again]] we must go back to Creator/WilliamShakespeare, who featured plays within plays both in comedy -- ''The Most Lamentable Comedy, and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe'' within ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'', and ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'' actually ''is'' one by means of a FramingDevice -- and in tragedy (''[[CatchTheConscience The Murder of Gonzago]]'' within ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'').
28
29	If producing the show is important to the plot, see HeyLetsPutOnAShow. If the story baits the audience into thinking the Show Within a Show is the actual show, brace yourself for the ProsceniumReveal. If the Show Within a Show ends up being produced in reality as a SpinOff, see {{Defictionalisation}}; while if the creator introduces one of their other works into the show as in-universe fiction it's CreatorsShowWithinAShow.
30
31	SuperTrope to GameWithinAGame, OneJokeFakeShow, PrisonerPerformance, SchoolPlay and SoapWithinAShow. SisterTrope with FictionalDocument and FictionalVideoGame. Overlaps with SetBehindTheScenes.
32
33	Compare with FramingDevice, MutuallyFictional, PlotParallel, PostModernism, PushedInFrontOfTheAudience, RecursiveFiction, RecursiveReality (of the "nested stories" variety), and WhoWouldWantToWatchUs.
34
35	[[https://nestflix.fun/ Nestflix]] is a Creator/{{Netflix}} parody site dedicated to these "nested" films and shows.
36
37	''Please note that tropes existing within the fictional work should be placed in the work page of the actual, extant work.''
38
39	----
40	!!Examples:
41	[[index]]
42
43	* ShowWithinAShow/AnimeAndManga
44	* ShowWithinAShow/ComicBooks
45	* ShowWithinAShow/FanWorks
46	* [[ShowWithinAShow/AnimatedFilms Films — Animation]]
47	* [[ShowWithinAShow/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
48	* ShowWithinAShow/{{Literature}}
49	* ShowWithinAShow/LiveActionTV
50	* ShowWithinAShow/{{Radio}}
51	* ShowWithinAShow/{{Theatre}}
52	* ShowWithinAShow/VideoGames
53	* ShowWithinAShow/WebAnimation
54	* ShowWithinAShow/{{Webcomics}}
55	* ShowWithinAShow/WebOriginal
56	* ShowWithinAShow/WesternAnimation
57
58	[[/index]]
59	----
60
61	[[foldercontrol]]
62
63	[[folder:Arts]]
64	* ''Art/SevenVirtues'': There are {{paintings}} within the painting, those on the ceiling of the church choir-like structure behind the woman more precisely.
65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
68	* In ''Animation/BreadBarbershop'', ''Donut Ranger'' is a show akin to ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' and ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' that is shown to have some decent popularity and merchandise in the foods' world. Bread and Wilk are big fans of it.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Model Trains]]
72	* The smallest-scale model train is in the window of a toy store--[[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1222496/Pictured-The-worlds-smallest-working-train-model-thats-tinier-fingernail.html which is in a model village that's part of a model train.]]
73	* In a similar vein, some dollhouses might include a playroom or kids' bedroom... with a tiny dollhouse among the furnishings.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Music]]
77	* The song [[http://www.thefump.com/fump.php?id=1744 "Movie in a Movie"]] by Tony Goldmark is about a ridiculously big set of nested movies.
78	* Music/SelenaGomez's ''Love You Like A Love Song'' has a video where she is in a karaoke bar, with her singing in and out of the bar's TV.
79	* The Music/MichaelJackson music video for "Thriller" opens with Michael Jackson on a movie date with Ola Ray...which features Michael Jackson and Ola Ray in the lead roles.
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:Pinball]]
83	* ''Pinball/FamilyGuy'' has a miniature working pinball machine on the playfield, which is played by Stewie at key points during the game.
84	** ''Pinball/{{Shrek}}'', a reskinned version of ''Family Guy,'' has "Donkey's Pinball" instead.
85	* The VideoMode for ''Pinball/TheaterOfMagic'' is a [[DigitalPinballTables video pinball game.]]
86	* ''[[Pinball/LightsCameraAction Lights... Camera... Action!]]'' casts the player as a film Director who must finish a blockbuster action film.
87	* In the bonus rounds of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogSpinball'', Sonic operates an actual pinball table. You can see his reflection in the glass, and his eyes even move as you play.
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Podcasts]]
91	* The ''DJ in the Dark'' episodes on ''Podcast/HiNay'', where callers recount their experiences with the supernatural, often either foreshadowing events or revealing something in the background.
92	* ''Podcast/TrialsAndTrebuchets'' has the ''Diane Danger'' adventure novel series, which PlayerCharacters Mira and Integrity are fans of, as well as the [[HalloweenEpisode "Weenie Hollow" episodes]], which are framed as horror stories being read by characters InUniverse.
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
96	* All the [[TalkShowWithFists Talk Shows With Fists]].
97	* The comic book from which Thunderbolt and Lightning [[RefugeeFromTvLand originated from]] in Wrestling/{{GLOW}}.
98	* "Guapos University" and "Fitness con [[Wrestling/SarahStock Dark Angel]]" were among Wrestling/{{CMLL}}'s. Five episodes of the latter were put on Youtube in 2014.
99	* Wrestling/RingOfHonor has had ''Things That Piss [[Wrestling/TheWorldsGreatestTagTeam Charlie Haas]] Off'', ''Public Silas Announcement'', and ''Story Time With Wrestling/AdamCole'', among others.
100	* SHINE Wrestling has "Lucha Family Films(This does not exist)".
101	* Famous B's commercials on ''Wrestling/LuchaUnderground''
102	* Impact Wrestling has the ''Series/BigBrother'' style "Wrestle House'' complete with a confession cam (which [[CloudCuckoolander Crazzy Steve]] found the first day).
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
106	* ''Dog City'' (the cartoon) in ''WesternAnimation/DogCity''.
107	* ''Series/TheMrPotatoHeadShow'': This is actually the basic premise: the main cast films episodes of a TV show (not all of which we get to see) for a pair of network executives. However, what this show is or even its genre is different in every episode.
108	* ''The Muppet Show'' on ''Series/TheMuppetShow''.
109	* In an episode of ''Series/{{Dinosaurs}}'' (the early '90's animatronic puppet show), Earl watches a sock-puppet show where a woman refers to some skanky-looking characters as "cheap hose/ho's." (See {{Parental Bonus}}.) He says something close to, "I love this show. It's got one meaning that's funny for grown-ups, and one that's funny for kids!"
110	* ''Up Late with Miss Piggy'' on ''Series/TheMuppets2015''.
111	* In ''Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance'' episode "It's Time To Make...My Move", skekGra the Heretic and urGoh the Wanderer exposit the history of the Skeksis, Mystics, and the Dark Crystal through the ancient art of...puppetry. ("Yay.") So, in short, we have a puppet show performed by puppets for ''other'' puppets.
112	* ''Series/TheWubbulousWorldOfDrSeuss'' has a home improvement show called "House and Home".
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]
116	* "If you ever find out what you're watching is a show within a show, sit back and hang on for the ride of your life." -- [[Series/SaturdayNightLive Jack Handey]]
117	[[/folder]]
118
119	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
120	* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'':
121	** ''TabletopGame/GURPSTechnomancer'':
122	*** ''GURPS Magical Items 3'' includes a brief description of a setting where TheFairFolk battle with {{Magitek}} HumongousMecha in the chapter describing such mecha. The vignette for an earlier chapter on magic toys suggests that this setting is a popular kids' TV show in the world of ''Technomancer'', with its own line of living action figures.
123	*** The opening vignette of ''Technomancer'' has a police mage channel-surfing while on stakeout. What she finds are mostly news and commercials, but there's a trailer for a show where [[Series/TheXFiles FBI agents Cat Morrigan and Dara Skuld]] investigate rumours of TheFairFolk.
124	*** A ''Pyramid'' magazine article on combining ''Technomancer'' with ''GURPS Action'' has a worked example called ''[[Series/MiamiVice El Paso Vice]]'', with an explanation that in the regular ''Technomancer'' verse it was a popular cop show in the 80s.
125	** ''TabletopGame/TranshumanSpace'':
126	*** Many [=InVid=] shows are mentioned in the text. The two that get the most attention (or at least a write-up of the fandom) are the space opera ''Starburst Station'' and the Arabian technofantasy ''The Golden Jihad''. ''Starburst'' fans (described in ''High Frontier'') have created a replica of the station in Earth orbit, where they live according to the (poorly defined) philosophy of the lead characters. Jihadis (described in ''Toxic Memes'') are more into creating [[FanWorks fanvids]] (which the original copyright holders encourage) and are slightly contemptuous of the Starbursters and their devotion to The Original Work.
127	*** The ''Pyramid'' article on combining ''Transhuman Space'' with ''GURPS Action'' uses the characters from ''Personnel Files: Martingale Security'' as an example. As with the ''Technomancer'' equivalent, it's explained that you can think of this as an action-adventure [=InVid=] series called ''Martingale!''
128	* Mention is made of a popular holoseries in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' called ''[[ComicBook/JudgeDredd Arbitrator Foreboding]]'', a member of the Adeptus Arbites who hunts down mutants and heretics with relish and a very big gun.
129	[[/folder]]
130
131	[[folder:Theme Parks]]
132	* Ride/UniversalStudios:
133	** The former ''Ride/{{Disaster}}'' attraction at Universal Studios Florida was based around the fictitious Disaster Studios, which created "films" such as "Apocageddon", "Das Schurke", "Baboon!", and "300 Knots Landing"; with their upcoming production being "Mutha Nature".
134	** The premise of ''Ride/HellsHigh'' from Ride/UniversalStudios' ''Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights'' 1998 was that the actors of a horror movie being filmed at a school were [[DemonicPossession possessed]] by murderous ghosts and started killing people for real when the director yelled "Cut".
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
138	* ''VisualNovel/SouthScrimshaw'':
139	** 'The Adventures of Seabun and Monaco' is a popular series of kids stories. Plots typically consist of Seabun's appetite for [[ExtremeOmnivore eating anything]] damaging a piece of underwater infrastructure, Monaco panicking about a terrible imagined outcome, a repair crew comes by to fix the damage, Seabun recognizing his fault and helps to fix it, and ending with Seabun returning to his burrow with a souvenir and sleeping [[HereWeGoAgain until he gets hungry again]].
140	** Another of the optional lore sections mentions a second documentary team is creating their own multi-part documentary called 'Building Bugs', focused on the insects of the planet. [[DoubleMeaningTitle The title refers to both]] the types of insects that build structures and what forces caused them to evolve that way.
141	[[/folder]]
142
143	[[folder:Web Video]]
144	* ''WebVideo/DreamMachine'': West Chesterham, the ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' parody that brought Leah to prominence, and then ''Series/{{Outlander}}'', the Outlander parody that becomes the main project the crew works on.
145	* ''WebVideo/NightmareTime'': The episode "Honey Queen" revolves around the titular Honey Queen pageant, and two contestants, Zoey and Linda. Parts of the show appear in the episode, namely the introduction, Zoey/Linda's talent segments, and the announcement of the winner.
146	* ''WebVideo/OnCinema'' features Tim and Gregg working on the web series, and later a TV show, ''Decker''. It also has the production of ''Eecker'' sometimes impact the plot of on cinema, especially if production has, in some way, created tension between the Tim and Gregg.
147	* The Peter Engel-style series ''Hall Pass'', starring characters Cassian and Elijah, features heavily in the second season of ''WebVideo/PrettyDudes''.
148	* ''WebVideo/StampysLovelyWorld'':
149	** The Helpers put on a play in the Theatre in Episode 69, "The Show Must Go On", for Stampy's [[MilestoneCelebration 4,000 subscribers special]]. The stories for the HalloweenEpisode "Secret Stories" (Episode 458) are shown through plays at the Theatre as well.
150	** The TV shows on the Telly Box television broadcasting studio, as the characters are involved in producing them.
151	** The films ''Renna'', ''Block of the Dead'', ''What Is This?'' and ''Beyond The Blocks: Far From Lovely'' are premiered in the Movie Magic cinema.
152	* Minor character Lakitu is the news anchor for ''Mushroom Kingdom News'', a news show in ''WebVideo/ThereWillBeBrawl''.
153	[[/folder]]
154

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