Line #126 MundaneUtility/LiveActionTV


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7	* In ''Series/{{Airwolf}}'', on occasion, String and Dom take the copter out for non-sanctioned tasks, such as checking out the story of a drunk friend that there's something weird going on near his house.
8	* The world of ''Creator/GeneRoddenberry's Series/{{Andromeda}}'' includes such wonders as {{Nanomachines}}, and they're available to pretty much everyone. How does maverick captain Beka Valentine use hers? Instant hair dye. [[spoiler: And blackmail.]]
9	* ''Series/{{Angel}}''
10	** Harmony is seen using her vampire super-strength to lift a cabinet in order to retrieve her shoe from underneath.
11	** In Season One, Wesley shows Angel a Kek dagger, which is the only weapon capable of killing a Kek demon. Angel informs him that Kek demons are in fact extinct. Then Cordelia grabs the dagger to cut brownies.
12	** Subverted once in the first season. Cordelia accidentally orders coffee ''beans'' for the office instead of ground coffee and suggests that Angel grinds them by squeezing the packet with his vampire strength. He tries it and manages only to burst the bag, sending coffee beans all over the office which Wesley promptly slips in when he arrives.
13	** Angel is looking for information on Wolfram and Hart's senior partner from the owner of a Mystic Book and Item shop. He is told that killing the demon requires a glove, which he just so happens to have and has been using as an oven mitt. Whedon seems to love this trope.
14	* ''Series/AxMen'': Shelby Stanga carries a long-barreled [[RevolversAreJustBetter revolver]], ostensibly to defend himself from the local wildlife. One day, while felling a large tree, made recalcitrant by Shelby's... questionable felling technique, he helps the tree tip over using the ''revolver''.
15	* Samantha in ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' was sometimes seen using her magic to do housework. Even though Darrin didn't approve. Which some people see as unreasonable. After all, while many people enjoy cooking, decorating and gardening as hobbies, ''nobody'' really enjoys dusting, vacuuming or doing windows.
16	* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'':
17	** Leslie has used an infrared laser to heat up her cup noodles, and liquid nitrogen to freeze and shatter a banana for her cereal because she couldn't find a knife to cut it.
18	--->'''Leslie:''' I'm trying to see how long it takes a 500-kilowatt oxygen iodine laser to heat up my Cup o' Noodles.\
19	'''Leonard:''' I've done it. About two seconds, 2.6 for minestrone.
20	** In one episode, the gang rigged Leonard and Sheldon's apartment so that all of the electronics are remote-controlled via the internet. When asked why, they all reply at the same time "Because we can."
21	** In another episode, after a particularly bad fight with Penny, Leonard takes out his frustration on his action figures... by putting them in the path of a high-powered laser beam and melting them!
22	** In yet another episode, though it may not have ever ended up happening, the guys make great use of their intelligence while helping Penny make penny blossoms... by planning to install bluetooth to help appeal to more men.
23	** Howard brings a prototype robotic arm he designed to show off to the guys by using it to pass out their Chinese take-out (although it took 28 minutes because he has to type the instructions). Later he has it giving him a massage, which gives him the idea to have it give him... [[BreakingInOldHabits another type of massage]]. It doesn't end well.
24	** When the university gets a new hydraulic thermoforming press, the gang uses it to make paninis.
25	** One episode has a whole subplot about Howard buying a 3D printer with his wife's money and using it to make action figurines.
26	* ''Series/TheBionicWoman'':
27	** In the original, Jaime's cyborg-enhanced superspeed was used to get dressed in a hurry, and while posing as a duplicate, she used it to hurry up a cigarette's burning (yes, the purpose is mission-based, but it's a rather mundane use). She also uses it to write on the blackboard fast.
28	** An episode of the ''Series/BionicWoman'' remake opens with Jamie racing at SuperSpeed down a dark alley at night, leaping over a fence InASingleBound and yanking open a car door... to reveal her underage sister necking with an older boy. As she broke a bionic toe jumping the fence, Berkut makes a point of telling her just how much it costs to replace.
29	* ''Series/BlackLightning2018'': All metahumans have (at least) a low-level HealingFactor. While this has obvious applications for recovering quickly from combat, Anissa is happily surprised to discover that it eliminates menstrual cramps completely.
30	* ''Series/TheBoys2019'': Starlight uses her powers to dim the lights when she's about to make love to Hughie, rather than break their embrace to reach over and turn off the lamp.
31	* ''Series/BreakingBad'': In "Sunset", chemist-turned-methamphetamine-maker Walt goes to work in Gus Fring's lab. On his first day, he finds his new assistant Gale Boetticher, also an expert chemist, using his sophisticated knowledge and equipment to make really, REALLY good coffee. Walt's reaction upon tasting: "This is the best cup of coffee I have ever tasted -- [[CutLexLuthorACheck why the hell are we making meth?]]"
32	* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''
33	** In an episode, it turns out that Giles has been using a MacGuffin needed as the focus to restore Angel's soul as a paperweight (a ContinuityNod; when Jenny bought one the shopkeeper said he'd sold a couple as "new age paperweights").
34	** Buffy herself uses her superhuman strength to open a crate that her mom was unable to. Later, she used her superhuman strength as a construction worker for about a fourth of an episode, which pissed off her coworkers - they were being paid by the hour, so having someone speeding up the process was not welcome.
35	** Willow's overuse of magic in mundane life through the first half of season six. After she used it to smooth over a fight with Tara by [[MindRape making her forget it happened]], [[AddictiveMagic it was declared an addiction]]. And then one sentence uttered by Giles in the first episode of the seventh season [[AuthorsSavingThrow tried to make the bad storyline go away]].
36	* Despite the fact that the ''Series/{{Charmed\|1998}}'' witches are explicitly not supposed to use their powers "for personal gain", they frequently seem to find loopholes in this stricture large enough to do things like turning off boiling-over pots, stopping their favorite employees from being fired, and so on.
37	* ''Series/CloakAndDagger2018'': Tandy gets control of her powers a lot sooner than Ty, so this comes up a few times. Most of the things she does (such as looking at people's hopes to see how best to manipulate them or using her light daggers to cut into a safe) probably aren't [[NotTheIntendedUse what the powers were intended for]], but aren't quite ''mundane''. Using an AbsurdlySharpBlade to cut the plastic tag off some clothes? ''Definitely'' mundane.
38	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
39	** The title Doctor has in their possession the [[CoolShip most powerful ship]] in the known universe, able to appear ''anywhere'' in [[TimeAndRelativeDimensionsInSpace time and space]] in a matter of minutes. It's also capable of [[spoiler:towing entire planets]] and bestowing God-like powers on anyone who looks into its heart. They use it for sightseeing.
40	** The ''Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures'' novels take this to a whole new level of uselessness and silliness. The ship described previously, you see, is BiggerOnTheInside. There are a lot of uses for that kind of technology, but one wants to know when it started to seem to recurring antagonist Sabbath that fashioning a PaperThinDisguise by way of making himself appear somewhat slimmer seemed like a good use of the alien technology of an extinct HigherTechSpecies. Way to go, man, you just created Time Lord foundation garments, and I'm sure tons of ''zaftig'' Time Ladies would be really grateful if the Doctor hadn't [[WhereIWasBornAndRazed killed them all]]. Bizarrely, the Doctor is actually almost fooled by a disguise whose effects could be replicated by exercise and healthy eating.
41	** Also, the Doctor is able to pull all sorts of things out of their pockets as needed because ''they're'' bigger on the inside.
42	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E12ArmyOfGhosts "Army of Ghosts"]]: Jackie remarks that some of the alien technology the Torchwood Institute has in their possession would be great for carrying shopping home.
43	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E1SmithAndJones "Smith and Jones"]]: The Doctor has this to say regarding the whole StableTimeLoop involving him taking off his tie: "Crossing into established time streams is strictly forbidden. Except for cheap tricks."
44	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E15PlanetOfTheDead "Planet of the Dead"]]:
45	*** The Doctor uses his psychic paper to avoid paying bus fare by tricking the Oyster Card reader.
46	*** Carmen the psychic uses her powers to win £10 at the lottery each and every week.
47	** [[Recap/DoctorWho2013CSTheTimeOfTheDoctor "The Time of the Doctor"]]: The Doctor uses time travel to serve Christmas dinner on time after Clara doesn't leave long enough for the turkey to cook. He also complains about Clara using the dimension-shattering power of the TARDIS to deal with things like forgetting someone's birthday and not knowing how to use iPlayer.
48	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E6DemonsOfThePunjab "Demons of the Punjab"]]: The Doctor uses the [[MagicTool sonic screwdriver]] to untie a knot during the wedding ceremony.
49	** [[Recap/DoctorWho2019NYSResolution "Resolution"]] has the Doctor and company using the TARDIS to celebrate the New Year repeatedly in various times and places before they get pulled into the plot.
50	* In ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', Sikozu's radiation projection has been used not only to kill Scarrans but also to weld control panels and light candles.
51	** Jool's sonic scream is powerful enough to melt metal; naturally, she's used for welding when power goes out all over Moya.
52	** Moya's complex amnexus system is often used to clean the crew's dirty laundry.
53	** D'Argo once used his Qualta blade for blast fishing.
54	** Occasionally, D'Argo uses his extendable tongue for things besides stunning people: snatching up small objects in a hurry, or hanging from precipices- though this takes "a lot of plactith", according to D'Argo.
55	** Chiana and Jothee once got in trouble for apparently using "too much lootra oil" while cooking dinner: for those of you who haven't seen "Family Ties", lootra oil is a ''weapons-grade explosive.'' However, at the time, Chiana and Jothee weren't all that interested in cooking.
56	** When it's not being used to produce hallucinogens and poisons, Noranti's impressive knowledge of botany and chemistry (along with the associated hebarium) is being put to use in cooking.
57	** Once upon a time, Moya's [=DRDs=] were only used for repairing Moya, healing pilot and assaulting intruders: it all changed when Crichton taught one of them (that they inherited from a different Leviathan) to sing the 1812 overture...
58	** In "Taking the Stone", the hedonistic tribe has a habit of using looted alien tech for recreation, entertainment and even ritual. One prominent example is the sonic net- essentially a voice-activated safety net used for aerial training exercises- recycled by the tribe for [[SuicideIsPainless Taking The Stone]].
59	** Scorpius' neural clone ([[NotSoImaginaryFriend Harvey]]), originally created to collect and catalogue the wormhole information in Crichton's brain, is now used to bring some Crichton's funnier fantasies into the light. Harvey doesn't seem to mind all that much...
60	*** Suggested by Harvey but tragically never used:
61	---->'''Crichton:''' ''[about Scorpius]'' If he masters wormhole technology, what will he use it for?\
62	'''Harvey:''' Faster delivery of pizzas.
63	* As can be expected, Barry in ''Series/TheFlash2014'' learns to use his SuperSpeed for pretty much anything. This annoys Wells a bit, since Barry is not using the ability to stop other meta-humans or train his speed. While Joe is normally okay with Barry using his speed to get things done faster (although, technically, from Barry's perspective, they take exactly as much time as they normally would), except when they are decorating a Christmas tree. When Barry does this in about a second, Joe makes him undo it all and do it properly. When preparing for a date, Barry uses his speed to quickly try on dozens of different outfits. He can also avoid standing in line at a coffee shop by making everyone's drinks, including his own, in half a second, and treats everyone to pizza from cities hundreds of miles away. When wanting to take a picture with Wells, Cisco, and Caitlin, he presses the button on the camera, quickly runs around the desk to the others, then runs back to keep the camera from falling. The shutter speed is apparently fast enough to avoid a blur on the picture.
64	** [[spoiler: In season 2 when he is temporarily BroughtDownToNormal, there's a montage comparing his morning routine with powers to his morning routine without powers, with the latter having more of a depressing tone to it.]]
65	* ''Series/{{Forever\|2014}}'': Adam uses [[ResurrectionTeleportation slitting his own throat]] as a handy way to escape a building being searched by the cops in "The Last Death of Henry Morgan", as well as doing the same to Henry as a "favor" in "The Frustrating Thing About Psychopaths" when Henry is lying helpless with a broken neck, about to be discovered by Jo. Henry is seriously freaked out by how casually Adam kills himself in "Skinny Dipper" just to prove that he's really immortal.
66	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': In [[Recap/GameOfThronesS7E6BeyondTheWall "Beyond the Wall"]], Beric Dondarrion uses his FlamingSword to [[HealItWithFire cauterize]] Thoros of Myr's wounds. When Thoros succumbs to the pain and cold Beric uses the sword again to start a fire to burn Thoros' body, preventing his friend from coming back as a Wight.
67	** In ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'', the fire of Syrax (Rhaenyra Targaryen's dragon) is used to set the funeral pyre of Queen Aemma and her baby son ablaze, which is indicated to be standard practice in Targaryen funerals.
68	* Not quite a "superhero power", but in an episode of ''Series/GreenWing'' the doctors used an X-ray machine to check inside bags of crisps (chips) and pick out the ones that had money inside them. (For non-Brits, there was a promotion run by Walkers, a huge crisp company, where instead of having to collect tokens or anything, there would just be £20 notes inside some crisp packets instead. It was actually finished some years before the episode aired, but it was a very popular promotion.)
69	** Apparently it ended prematurely when Walkers realised most of the £20 notes were being pilfered inside their own factory by the staff who packed the crisps...
70	* The ''Series/HarryEnfieldAndChums'' sketch, ''The Palace of Righteous Justice''; in which a team of He-man style superheroes debate how to deal with the dirty dishes on their kitchen table. The table is frozen solid, then cut in half with what can only be described as a lightsaber. They then burn down the house for some reason.
71	* In ''Series/{{Haven}}'', Vickie used her ArtInitiatesLife ability to calm a crying baby down by entertaining him with dancing leaves.
72	* Series/{{Heartbeat}}: In the premiere we see the protagonist vampire use his powers of levitation and super strength to fight off a dozen attackers. We later see his two vampire sidekicks use the same powers to more efficiently clean his mansion.
73	* Once the characters on ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' figure their powers out, they frequently make use of them.
74	** Claire was the first to do this. In the pilot, she recovers her class ring from the garbage disposal...while it is still on. In Season 2, when something falls into a pot of boiling water by accident, she nonchalantly sticks her hand in to retrieve it (after which her mother notes that just because she has powers doesn't mean she needs to use them all the time).
75	** Micah uses his technopathy to get his cousin free pay-per-view. Earlier, he helps out his family by taking cash from an ATM.
76	** Matt Parkman reads his wife's mind to help him set up the perfect night with her - such as putting on a song that's been in her head all day - and to cheat at his detective exam (to be fair, though, he is partly using it to overcome his dyslexia). In Season Two, he tests his mind-control by influencing Molly to finish her cereal.
77	** Meredith Gordon only appears in a few episodes, but she makes frequent use of her pyrokinesis to light stoves and cigarettes (and not a whole lot else).
78	** Ted Sprague uses radiation to warm up a frozen car quickly.
79	** Monica Dawson has rarely used her mimicry powers for anything else, the first time she ever uses them is to creates a tomato rose, a ShoutOut to the Marvel supervillain and ''Iron Chef'' fan Taskmaster with the same power.
80	** Gabriel Grey/Sylar was using his power to fix watches before he discovered [[MegaManning what else he could do with it]], and later uses telekinesis to fetch small objects on a regular basis.
81	** In Season Four, a woman is seen at the Carnival cooking with her powers.
82	** Samuel uses his terrakinesis (earth-control) to bury a grave.
83	** In Season One, Hiro used his time stop to cheat at gambling.
84	* Jonathan Smith in ''Series/HighwayToHeaven'' uses his powers as an angel of God to do things to help him with his duties. Although his powers sometimes help him do incredible things like catch bullets, these are most often of the mundane variety, such as keeping doors from opening so someone will have to stay and listen to his lecture, pushing little girls into swimming pools, making beer disappear out of glasses and pitchers (despite the fact that he served the beer in the first place), or appearing/disappearing without using the door. (Ta da!)
85	* ''Series/HomeImprovement'':
86	** In one episode, Tim Taylor got NASA to send him a tank of rocket fuel, which he uses to light a barbecue. He ends up accidentally launching the whole barbecue grill into low orbit.
87	** The guys at K&B Construction admit to using their job tools for cooking. Rock uses a trowel and blowtorch to make a grilled cheese sandwich, while Dwayne discusses making shish kebabs (calling his version Shish Ke-Billy Bob) with a truck dipstick and a hot engine.
88	* One episode of ''Series/{{House}}'' had House using a highly advanced and very expensive surgical robot to... cut a button on Cameron's blouse, make a very shallow incision on her face and blow air on her. It is a demo of the machine's precision, after all. Not that she isn't a little aroused... [[spoiler:it's House's hallucination, after all.]]
89	* In one episode of ''Series/TheInvisibleMan'', Fawkes is scolded for using his invisibility to get into movies for free.
90	** When asked by a kid if he ever used his ability to sneak into women's locker rooms, Darien refuses to answer. In the pilot, he was caught spying on a soldier and a nurse getting it on and gets a black eye for that.
91	** Then there was the time a meter maid caught him parking in a handicapped spot, so [[RefugeInAudacity he turned his legs invisible.]]
92	* ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'' is the king of this trope: the Fourze Driver is a highly advanced spacesuit, so very few of the 40 Switches it can use are actually meant for combat. The show's intro showcases some of the more mundane uses of the Switches, such as using Aero as a leaf blower or Net to catch a butterfly, and Fourze often experiments with a new Switch by practicing its mundane applications. Even Kamen Rider Meteor, whose suit ''is'' made for combat, gets in on the trope: when he's forced into a golf match with Taurus, he uses his bo staff as a golf club.
93	* ''Series/KamenRiderWizard'' has a number of magical rings which are mostly useful for mundane tasks, such as Dress Up, which only has the effect of putting him in a tuxedo. Out of the rings that ''are'' useful for combat, Connect tends to stay on his finger most of the time because ThinkingUpPortals is just as useful for fetching [[TrademarkFavoriteFood donuts]] as it is for fighting.
94	* ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow''. In "Tender is the Nate", Sara Lance uses the ninja skills taught to her by the League of Assassins to vanish when Hank walks in on her making out with Director Sharpe in her office.
95	* ''Series/TheLibrarians2014'': Cassandra is the resident mathematician of the Librarians-in-training, able to calculate everything from the average walking speed and angle of an adult human male to the position of the sun well over twelve hours into the future. In the episode "And The Steal Of Fortune", she uses her intellect at the roulette table and ends up on a serious hot streak.
96	* ''Series/LoisAndClark'' frequently used Mundane Utility for comic effect. Clark sometimes used his heat vision for mundane tasks such as shaving (by bouncing the beam off a mirror) and reheating coffee.
97	** At low power, he can also use it to warm Lois's feet in bed after they hook up.
98	** Clark's father Jonathan once complained that Clark didn't have any potholders, to which Clark replied that he never needed one.
99	** The shaving example can be justified, since a regular razor blade would break before cutting his facial hair. This is demonstrated in one episode, when a scientist tries to cut Superman's hair and breaks the scissors (funny how that never happens when normal people try to cut hard things).
100	** In one pre-intro sequence, he flew to win a game of pickup basketball.
101	** As Superman, he uses his super speed to clean up Lois's apartment in a matter of about 30 seconds after she trashes it in a fit of rage. He even alphabetizes her Rolodex, much to her surprise.
102	* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': [[EvilSorceress The Dweller]] uses her powers to make a campfire for her group.
103	* ''Series/TheLostRoom'':
104	** The series features a number of [[CapitalLettersAreMagic Objects]] with seemingly random supernatural powers. The one thing they all have in common is that they're indestructible. This makes The Coat useful as a bulletproof vest, despite its actual ability being unknown.
105	** However, though The Comb can stop time, it cannot be effectively used to comb hair.
106	** In the pilot, the protagonist uses the Key to sneak into a football game.
107	** The band on the Wristwatch can be used to hard-boil an egg.
108	** The Bus Ticket can instantly transport anyone to a specific location on the side of a highway in New Mexico. The possessor uses it to get rid of people like an overly loud teenage girl who annoy him.
109	* ''Series/TheMagicians'': Since most magicians live relatively normal lives after graduating from Brakebills, it's not surprising that there is a wide range of spells that assist with mundane tasks, such as a carpentry spell that drives nails into wood without bending them, a conductor enchanting his baton to telepathically communicate with his orchestra, Josh incorporating potion magic into his cooking, etc.
110	* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:''
111	** ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': After getting their hands on some glasses with backscatter XRayVision, Skye and Fitz attempt to use them to cheat Ward in a game of cards. When Skye points out that with the glasses activated she'll be able to see Fitz naked, he immediately aborts the scheme... [[spoiler:and then [[PowerPerversionPotential Skye uses them to peek through Ward's clothes.]]]]
112	** ''Series/Daredevil2015'': Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter honed the killer aim that makes him a formidable assassin for Wilson Fisk as a child to be an expert pitcher on his childhood Little League team.
113	** In ''Series/Loki2021'', the Time Variance Authority keeps a desk drawer with several dozen [[spoiler:'''Infinity Stones''' taken from numerous alternate universes/timelines. Since the Stones don't have any power outside their original universe(s), the TVA employees use these as ''paperweights''.]]
114	** ''Series/WandaVision'' also plays it for drama at the end of the penultimate episode. The BigBad is simultaneously impressed by the sheer scale of Wanda's magical achievements, to the point of bestowing upon her the title of "the ComicBook/ScarletWitch", and disappointed that she used said achievement simply to create [[StepfordSuburbia the perfect sitcom life]] for herself.
115	-->'''[[spoiler:Agatha]]:''' You have no idea how dangerous you are. You're supposed to be a myth, a being capable of spontaneous creation, and here you are, using it to make breakfast for dinner.
116	** ''Series/SheHulkAttorneyAtLaw'': Not only [[OpenMindedParent are Jen's parents cool with her being the She-Hulk]], she even uses her She-Hulk form to help her father move stuff out of his house.
117	* The title character of ''Series/{{Merlin\|2008}}'' often uses his magic to do household chores, to the great distress of his mentor figure (magic is illegal in Camelot, and anyone caught using or even knowing magic is put to death).
118	* On ''Series/TheMiddleman'', Cecil Rogers is cursed with immortality, after having used up a spot on the ''Titanic'' lifeboats for his tuba. He spends a number of years working as a stuntman.
119	* ''Series/{{Misfits}}'':
120	** Largely averted, given that most of the team can't control their powers. For example, much to Nathan's annoyance, Curtis can't use his time-travel powers to "nip back" to earlier that day and find out who stole his drug stash. However, Simon manages to get his invisibility under control fairly early on, and often uses it as a way of recording environmental footage for his collection without anyone noticing him- plus the occasional bit of ThePeepingTom PowerPerversionPotential.
121	** Inverted in the case of Brian, the Lactokinesis Man: everyone assumes that his power to control milk and other dairy products has nothing ''but'' mundane utility...only for several people to choke to death on cheese and yoghurt when Brian snaps and becomes a villain.
122	** Nathan manages this when he buys the power to [[RealityWarper warp reality]]: apart from cheating Las Vegas casinos, he also uses it to impress Marnie by conjuring a rose out of thin air.
123	* In the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode featuring ''Film/{{Gunslinger}}'', Tom Servo reveals that he has a complex understanding of reality to become a RealityWarper and pull off OffscreenTeleportation. He just uses it to scare Crow.
124	* ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'':
125	** The team tends to use a lot of very neat high-tech devices for mundane things in their myths.
126	--->'''Tory:''' We're popping popcorn with ''lasers''!
127	** It's also discussed in the episode where Adam and Jamie test the myth that the Red Cross inserts MindControl tabs into people who give blood. The doctor drawing blood comments that if Red Cross did do this (the myth was busted), they'd use it to solve their shortage of donated blood by getting donors to donate more.
128	* In the show ''Series/NoHeroics'', the opening credits show each character using their powers for mundane problems in their daily lives. Alex uses his heat powers to cook his TV dinner. Sarah uses her electronics powers to steal some cash from an ATM. Don uses his foresight ability to find out that his train is delayed. Jenny uses her super strength to move a car out of the way in a parking lot.
129	* In ''Series/OnceUponATime'', Literature/TheSnowQueen uses her cold-based magic to run an ice cream shop without freezers.
130	** In ''Series/OnceUponATimeInWonderland'', genie wishes are extremely powerful magic but they are also represented physically by rubies whose edges are good for cutting through ropes. Additionally, the Forget-Me-Knot is a magical object that lets the user view the past but it is also made of very strong rope that can be used to make a snare.
131	* Used in ''Series/PowerRangersJungleFury'', where one of the Kung Fu trained Rangers uses his martial arts skills for dramatic effect when making pizzas for an appreciative audience.
132	** Early seasons of ''Power Rangers'' [[AvertedTrope explicitly forbade]] this kind of behavior; one of Zordon's [[RuleOfThree three rules]] was that a Ranger may not use their powers for personal gain. Justin, in ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo'', was once chastised for using the Rangers' teleportation system to escape the wrath of school bullies.
133	* Ned in ''Series/PushingDaisies'' has the ability to bring dead things to life by touch, which he uses both to solve murders, and as a baker - he gets rotten fruit cheap and brings it back to life, ensuring that it will always be as fresh as possible.
134	* The Stasis Booths in ''Series/RedDwarf'' stop the passage of time within them, and are supposed to be used to create {{Human Popsicle}}s without the complications of freezing. In the episode "Skipper" [[spoiler: Captain Lister of an AU Dwarf]] has one installed in his office to keep his burgers hot.
135	** After losing his opportunity to buy a Stairmaster from an automated infomercial company in "Trojan", Lister turns the simulant that they just defeated into one.
136	** In "[[Recap/{{Red Dwarf Season XI Twentica}} Twentica]]", the Expenoids demand a device from the crew in exchange for Rimmer. Turns out that Lister and the Cat were just using it to prop up the pool table.
137	* ''Literature/TheReluctantKing'': After Jorian refuses to pay the wizard Abracarus for his demon-summoning service since it was a blunder, the latter retaliates by summoning a wraith that appears every night at his bed and moans "Pay your debt" for hours before disappearing.
138	* The aliens from ''Series/{{Roswell}}'' frequently used their powers to do all sorts of mundane things: listen to CD's, reheat food, restyle Maria's hair, etc.
139	** Notable: A episode parodies shows like ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' and shows one of the aliens using her powers for cooking, something she can't do because her husband doesn't know about her origins.
140	* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'': JD has used his medical knowledge for a hangover cure and feeding himself via an IV.
141	* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', Clark has been seen using heat vision to make toast, pop corn and heat drinks, using SuperSpeed to clean up and run to school whenever he misses the bus and SuperStrength for his many farm chores. He also uses SuperStrength and heat vision to make a diamond ring for Lana, likely a ShoutOut to the ''Film/SupermanIII'' scene. In one scene, he and his father prepared to go fishing and Clark remarked he could use his XRayVision to locate the fish. His parents, being aware of his powers, aren't fooled when he tries to use them to get out of trouble.
142	* ''Series/StargateAtlantis''
143	** Teyla has some kind of Ancient laser device that she uses to light candles. This was quite possibly its original purpose; the Ancients over-engineered everything.
144	** A Wraith in some AlternateUniverse episode uses his telepathic abilities to ''cheat at Poker''. (Although this is a partial subversion; he's using the money he gets to obtain material and tech to [[spoiler: build himself a device to broadcast the position of Earth to the rest of his kind.]])
145	* All the time in ''Series/StargateSG1'':
146	** In the episode "Allegiance", the "kawoosh" of an opening Stargate is used in a burial ceremony to disintegrate the bodies. Only to be expected, considering the cultural status the gate network has acquired in the galaxy.
147	** And in "Window of Opportunity" the Stargate itself is used by O'Neill and Teal'c as part of an interstellar game of golf (which they get away with because they're trapped in a GroundhogDayLoop at the time).
148	--->'''Hammond:''' Colonel O'Neill, what the hell are you doing?\
149	'''Jack:''' ''In the middle of my backswing????''
150	** When they gain temporary enhanced abilities due to ancient alien wristbands, the team is taken out of action for fear of possible side effects. So they use their super-speed and strength to do things like catch up on their reading and writing, perform experiments, rearrange furniture, and sneak off the base for a big tasty steak dinner.
151	* ''Series/StargateUniverse'': The Kino. A small, ball-shaped floating planetary exploration probe with a wide range of sensors to determine viability for human life and a camera for visual recon. Also good for spying on the women's shower. Eli also tried to hogtie a few dozen of them to make a flying platform. Coordination issues didn't allow it to maneuver, but its load-bearing capacity would turn out vital on several occasions.
152	* Phasers in ''Franchise/StarTrek'' get used for a staggering number of mundane utility purposes, in addition to being Starfleet's preferred weapon. Heating food and beverages. Heating rocks to serve as a campfire in wilderness survival. Cutting through doors and walls. Drilling and mining. Cleaning bulkheads and starship hulls. And so on.
153	** Phasers are standard issue cooking equipment, in addition to being a deadly weapon, and are available in galleys. Phasers in ''Enterprise'''s kitchen are an important plot device in Star Trek 6.
154	* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''
155	** The ''Enterprise'': The federation's finest flagship is used for the odd reception often. Seeing as the ''Enterprise'' '''is''' the flagship, using it to host receptions is not altogether silly. Nothing beats showing off your big guns to foreign ambassadors, as a way to say: ally with us and this'll protect you, attack us and this'll kick your ass. (It also sends a message to their enemies: attack our friends and you will ''piss us off''.) In fact capital ships have been used repeatedly for such reasons, from the Great White Fleet tour of the Pacific to the Japanese signing the surrender on the deck of the battleship ''Missouri''. There is a reason for the term "Gunboat Diplomacy".
156	** Next Generation-era ''Star Trek'' does this so much you forget about it. Instant matter creation is used to make everything from gift wrapping to coffee, teleportation devices are used to have dinner at home when you're at college, and rooms that can simulate ANY of the senses, touch, sight, smell, of ANY thing you can possibly imagine is used to play pool and glorified [[{{LARP}} LARPing]].
157	** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Kor uses the legendary Sword of Kahless, more or less the Klingon equivalent of Excalibur and the Holy Grail combined, as a fork. According to legend, Kahless himself used the sword to plow a field, skin a legendary monster, and carve a statue of his beloved. Worf considers what Kor is doing with it sacrilege, but Kor insists that it is meant to be used.
158	* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In one episode, Tuvok and Harry Kim are seen using their combadges to whisper to one another across the bridge.
159	* On ''Series/Supergirl2015'', Kara does this a lot:
160	** She uses her super-hearing to know when Cat is about to get into work, which lets her know when to use her heat vision to reheat Cat's morning latte.
161	** When Alex is stressed out because of a BattlefieldPromotion, Kara gets her favorite food. From a food truck in Chicago.
162	** When she's BroughtDownToNormal in an early episode, she first learns about it because she casually starts cleaning up some broken glass -- implying that she habitually takes advantage of her invulnerability for such things -- and actually cuts herself.
163	** In [[Recap/Supergirl2015S2E7TheDarkestPlace "The Darkest Place"]], Kara uses her heat-vision to reheat potstickers and cook pizza.
164	* [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Castiel]] from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' occasionally makes use of his angelic powers for rather mundane things, particularly during the time period when [[spoiler:he has [[CloudCuckooLander several screws loose]] due to absorbing Sam's [[ImHavingSoulPains soul pains]] from time spent in Lucifer's Cage.]] He sets up a Sorry game instantly, pranks Dean by inviting him to pull his finger and then exploding a lightbulb, and follows around a honey bee. Later when the Winchesters find out that all processed food in America has been drugged by the bad guys, Castiel uses his teleport to visit a little farm in Normandy and obtain ingredients to make them sandwiches.
165	* ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'':
166	** [[RobotGirl Cameron]] uses her superhuman strength to fight hostile robots, pound down concrete walls, and....pick up heavy loads to put in the truck on shopping trips. Her ability to [[AwesomenessByAnalysis rapidly analyze data]] is also used to do such things as plot stellar patterns, plan out a pool game, or to take a stress reading from a person by touching their neck.
167	** Sarah also decides in one scene that the best use for the futuristic superstrong deathmachine at the moment is.... to do the laundry. John calls her out on this, and Sarah hands him the laundry, [[HypocriticalHumor which he then hands back to Cameron.]]
168	* In an episode of ''Series/TimeTrax'', a scientist from the future "invents" devices 200 years ahead of their time. How does he use a device that instantly cools down any object? To chill a can of beer.
169	** It's implied that it was also used for this purpose in the 22nd century.
170	* Eric Northman in ''Series/TrueBlood'' used his vampire super-speed to clean up a gory mess in Bill's place as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alztsBDS38 seen here]].
171	* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S2E21ThePrimeMover The Prime Mover]]", Ace Larson employs Jimbo Cobb's telekinesis to help him win at gambling.
172	* ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019'':
173	** PlayedForDrama with Allison, who used her CompellingVoice to get her daughter to go to bed, which ultimately led to her husband divorcing her and her losing custody of her daughter.
174	** Sloane uses her gravity powers for tasks such as getting out of bed, bringing breakfast to bed, and [[PowerPerversionPotential having sex in the air]].
175	* In ''Series/Warehouse13'', it seems to be common practice to use various objects for mundane tasks, or to repurpose them. The automated vacuum sweeper, Claudia's use of a snow globe that freezes things to chill a bottle of cola, and Pete using [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Lewis Carroll's mirror]] to play ping pong with himself are evidence of this.
176	* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime2021'': Moiraine uses her magic to heat up the water of the bath she's sharing with Lan at his suggestion.
177	* In ''Series/TheWorstYearOfMyLifeAgain'', Alex, instead of using his knowledge of the future to buy lottery tickets or predict world events.... tries to impress the girl he has a crush on. Lampshaded by Simon, but justified in the script: Alex specifically says that he doesn't perfectly remember the first time he lived through the year, and if he had known he was going to have to relive it, he would have tried harder to remember things.
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Context MundaneUtility / LiveActionTV