Line #67 ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight/LiveActionTV


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6	It's not uncommon for characters in [[LiveActionTV live-action television series]] to [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight break the rules in order to do the right thing]]. Pretty much any cop show will have characters deciding this, going against their own bosses, other agencies, ignoring diplomatic rules, etc. so convinced are they that trying to solve a murder justifies doing ''anything'' they want. ''Series/{{Bones}}'' pretty surprisingly made this an AvertedTrope when Booth told the team he would ''not'' screw the rules to bust a suspect with DiplomaticImpunity because of the consequences far beyond their murder investigation.
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8	* ''Series/TwentyFour'':
9	** It seems like every episode involves Jack Bauer violating security protocol/administrative policy/ethical behavior/the Geneva Convention in order to "do what has to be done". He rarely pays for his actions.
10	** The same cannot be said of almost anyone else on ''Series/TwentyFour'', such as Gen. Brucker, who was arrested and considered a traitor because he defied Presidential orders and [[spoiler:surrendered IRK President Hassan to a terrorist cell, saving thousands of innocent people from a dirty bomb attack.]]
11	** Jack Bauer ended up spending several years in a Chinese camp being tortured, so...he's probably paid for it.
12	*** And pretty much anyone he ever cares about dies a violent death or turns out to be a traitor. He also gets fired, arrested, and otherwise punished repeatedly. While he may not always suffer long-term punishments, he surely doesn't gain much.
13	** This gets completely deconstructed in the final season, when Jack is determined to do 'what's right', but ends up causing a holy amount of mayhem and death. Luckily, he listens to reason at the end -- before he almost causes another world war.
14	* ''Series/TheAfterparty'': Danner breaks all sorts of protocol to solve Willow's crime because she doesn't want to condemn a girl guilty of being a package thief but innocent of murder. She is assigned to the records room with no chance for advancement as punishment, but Willow is grateful.
15	* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': In "T.A.H.I.T.I.", Coulson ignores orders from his superiors, gives Fitz-Simmons a file classified above their clearance level, and tracks down and assaults a SHIELD facility even ''he'' isn't supposed to know about, all to [[spoiler: save Skye's life]].
16	** By the following episode, Coulson's officially hit his breaking point, as he tells Skye to hell with the protocols and rules he used to put so much faith in -- he ''is'' going to uncover the whole truth behind [[spoiler: his resurrection]] and the secrets kept in the Guest House facility, no matter what.
17	* ''Series/AlexRider2020'': The paramilitary team who abduct and interrogate Alex. They do some pretty unpleasant things, but soon decide they're not actually okay with hurting a child.
18	** Mrs Jones did not have the authority to call in a team as backup when she realises Alex has been compromised. She still does and is completely unapologetic when Blunt brings it up with her.
19	* ''Series/BabylonFive'' sees this happen quite a bit:
20	** Both Sinclair and Sheridan are liable to violate commands from Earthforce (usually through LoopholeAbuse) to do what they feel is right.
21	** In the episode "Believers", Doctor Franklin disobeys a direct order from Sinclair so he can save a child from a disease that the child's parents won't let him cure for religious reasons. [[spoiler: Said parents find out about the surgery and kill their child, believing that the soul has left the body.]]
22	** Delenn repeatedly violates her orders from the Grey Council because [[spoiler:she believes the prophecy that the Shadows will return]], leading up to the episode "Severed Dreams" in which she [[spoiler:breaks the Council completely in a display of righteous wrath]].
23	** For his part, Sheridan gives another example in his speech (in the same episode) declaring the station's secession from the Earth Alliance because of Earth's recent atrocities. He basically lays the cards on the table and tells anyone who doesn't want to go along that they would be free to leave, but that Babylon 5 was not playing by Earth's rules anymore.
24	*** In defiance of what normally happens with this trope, when Sheridan says that anyone who disagrees with him is free to leave, one guy in the background takes off his headset and walks out the door. WordOfGod is that was because [[Creator/JMichaelStraczynski JMS]] always thought it was unrealistic that no one would object when a commanding officer defies orders.
25	** It's hard to name a character on the show who doesn't do this at least once. Full credit must go to Garibaldi, however. ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight is practically his personal mantra.
26	* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'': This is more or less ''the'' key trait of Karl "Helo" Agathon from the reboot. He's the guy who always does the right thing, no matter what price he has to pay or how hopeless a situation it puts him into; in the show's pilot, he willing dooms himself to die so that an OmnidisciplinaryScientist can have the last seat of a nuked world. And considering just how badly most members of the human fleet compromise their beliefs or abuse their power, there are times when Helo seems to be the only one with a conscience or sanity.
27	** In one memorable case, he disobeyed his commanding officers to prevent genocide... of a race of androids bent on annihilating the human race. YMMV whether this crosses into HonorBeforeReason territory.
28	** Lee Adama pulls this in the Season 1 and Season 3 finales.
29	* ''Series/BostonLegal'':
30	** Has one instance that stands out, though it's slightly less this trope and a little more of a threat to invoke the trope: Alan Shore [[spoiler: is defending an old acquaintance accused of murdering her fiancé literally moments before their courthouse wedding. But when it's revealed that the bride switched identities with a close friend years back, and claims that said friend is the real murderer, Alan finds proof that said friend came to the bride a year ago and wanted to go back to her real identity. The bride then killed her, and later murdered her fiancé as well.]] Alan followed up with this: "The only reason you're not sprawled on the floor under a bailiff with handcuffs is because of attorney-client privilege, and, frankly, I don't need this (case) that much. I've done a lot of talking over the years. I'm tired. I'm rich. Take the (plea bargain, 12 years for manslaughter) or I'll walk through that door. I'll get disbarred. And I'll put you away for life. Double first-degree. It'll be life. Until the end of your life."
31	** Alan Shore does this a lot. When he considers a client to be morally in the right, he has gone so far as to blackmail the opposing party into settlements. He even once pointedly did ''not'' [[CouldSayItBut advise a client to flee the country]] when the case was hopeless, but the cause just.
32	* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
33	** When the Council puts Buffy through a cruel test that involves stripping her of her powers and almost gets her and her mother killed, Giles breaks the Council rules and runs to her assistance. The Council says that while she passed the test, he did not, and fires him.
34	** Outside of her selfish nature Faith is willing to ShootTheDog and kill Angel in case he goes evil, cover up her accidental murder of a morally grey character, and allow herself to be killed to satisfy Buffy's thirst for vengeance and go against Angel trying to redeem her. Recently, she gets so upset with Angel tormenting himself that she tries to stab him in the back and turn him human so he can let go of the guilt he feels, only stopping because of the BodyHorror her actions would cause.
35	** Remember Kennedy? Well, she now has BodyguardBabes. While she is willing to protect a demon pedophile when told about a company Wolfram & Hart are involved in she notes they can't just take them out. She gets Buffy's help and ignores that little detail. Of course, ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem helps.
36	* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'': The fourth season finale has the eponymous hero going against the CIA [[spoiler: in order to get a chance to [[FindTheCure find a cure]] for a poisoned Sarah, who was struck down with a virus inflicted on her by the BigBad.]]
37	* ''Series/{{Chucky}}'': In "Goin' to the Chapel", Father Bryce's attempt to secure permission from the Vatican to perform an exorcism on Chucky results in him getting excommunicated. Despite this, he decides to perform the exorcism anyway, citing his duty to his faith and to the children in his care.
38	-->'''Father Bryce''': To hell with the Vatican, sister. We're going rogue.
39	* ''Series/ControlZ'': Sofía, with her observant skills, is willing to investigate and unmask the hacker and save her fellow students, even though Quintanilla keeps on telling her to stay out of trouble.
40	* ''Series/CriminalMinds'':
41	** The [[TrueCompanions BAU]] are willing to break the rules for each other.
42	** This line is used almost exactly in the episode "Amplification".
43	--->'''Prentiss''': Screw protocol, Reid's in trouble!
44	** In the episode "Penelope", Hotch tells the team regarding [[spoiler: Garcia getting shot]]:
45	--->'''Hotch''': I don't care about protocol, I don't care whether we're working this officially. We don't touch any new cases until we find out who did this.
46	* ''Series/{{Defiance}}'': This is the basis for the backstory of the Defiant Few. During a battle during the Pale Wars, soldiers on both sides saw that collateral damage was putting civilians, especially children, in danger, so they stopped fighting and worked together to save them, telling their superiors where to shove it when ordered to keep fighting. When news of this spread, it eventually led to a ceasefire and the end of the war.
47	* ''Series/DesignatedSurvivor'': During the first two seasons, FBI agent Hannah Wells breaks every rule of the book because she feels like it and there are no penalties. Even during her interview, she tells her boss that she probably isn't going to follow any orders and she is still hired.
48	* Lieutenant Brakenbury in ''Series/DoctorSynTheScarecrow''. Frustrated with being treated like a fool and increasingly disgusted with General Pugh's brutality towards the townsfolk, Brakenbury encounters Syn and his men disguised as a pressgang on their way to free unjustly-held prisoners (his love interest's brother among them) from Dover and quietly lets them pass. He also makes sure to point out in his report up the chain that Pugh failed to recognize them too, which would shield him while probably ruining the general's career.
49	* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'': [[Characters/DexterDexterMorgan Dexter Morgan]] breaks all laws — including his own — just to kill pedophiles.
50	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
51	** Many events in time are malleable and adjust to compensate for visiting time travellers (which is why the Doctor can, say, safely walk around with Shakespeare and introduce Charles Dickens to aliens without damaging the universe). Fixed Points, however, are moments of history that cannot (or at least must not) be changed, at the risk of unleashing horrible monsters that could kill a lot of people, or else seriously changing the timeline. Every now and then a character (occasionally the Doctor himself) will say "Screw it" and try to change these fixed points anyway. The results are never good, even when the character was making a moral stance, or trying to save someone's life.
52	** Benton is a positive example and pretty much embodies the trope in the classic series -- seen most prominently in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS11E2InvasionOfTheDinosaurs "Invasion of the Dinosaurs"]]; the Doctor is framed for causing the current crisis by a general, but Benton not only helps the Doctor escape but attacks the general in question.
53	** SubvertedTrope as of new Season 6, where [[spoiler: it's demonstrated that fixed points of time and space are not always precisely as they appear]].
54	** In general, a key part of the Doctor's motivation for doing what he does is his righteous outrage at the rules and regulations the Time Lords lived by, which prevented them from acting to oppose evil instead of being content merely to stand aloof.
55	** Comes back to bite the Eighth Doctor in his earlier Big Finish adventures. Saving Charlotte Pollard from her death makes her a ParadoxPerson which causes history to start breaking down.
56	** This is key to the Series 9 StoryArc: In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E5TheGirlWhoDied The Girl Who Died]]", the Twelfth Doctor realizes that his face was once the face of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E2TheFiresOfPompeii the patriarch of the family he saved from the Pompeii eruption (a fixed point disaster) at Donna's behest]]; he has it as a reminder to hold himself to the mark and save whomever he is able to whenever he can -- because that is what doctors '''do''' -- even if he has to defy the laws of time and space sometimes (ToBeLawfulOrGood). Alas, when this inspires him to [[spoiler: save a Viking girl in a way that makes her immortal]], it turns into a case of NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished down the line, setting the stage for [[spoiler: her betraying him ''and'' the death of his companion Clara]] in "Face the Raven", kicking off a TraumaCongaLine and SanitySlippage. The result is a deconstruction of the trope in the finale "Hell Bent" as he decides to break the rules once more and [[spoiler: save Clara from this now-fixed-point event]], thus risking the safety of the universe, and is ultimately forced to realize that in this case he is '''not''' doing what's right, lawful, or good, but being a selfish AntiVillain instead.
57	*** Interestingly, he ''does'' manage to save Clara without a RealityBreakingParadox resulting in the end, his original plan for doing so working pretty much as intended. However, with a RealityBreakingParadox as the consequence of failure, you sure can’t blame everyone for ''treating'' him like he’d become the villain of the piece. Even Clara comes to see him as having gone too far and risked too much in order to save her.
58	* ''Series/DoogieHowserMD'':
59	** Doogie secretly operates on a desperate young boy's injured dog despite hospital regulations. When caught, he fights back, saying that he was only trying to do something kind and humane (“something I see far too little of around here.”).
60	** Another episode has Doogie giving his 16-year-old girlfriend Wanda a pelvic examination and performing an emergency appendectomy on her despite the rule that she needed parental consent. Doogie states that because it was a life-threatening situation, “under the same circumstances I’d do it again.”
61	* ''{{Series/Emergency}}'':
62	** In the pilot episode, the bill authorizing paramedics to treat victims in the field hasn't been passed yet. At an accident scene, Nurse Dixie [=McCall=] (the only one who is authorized) herself gets hurt. Gage shuts off the radio and treats Dixie and the original victim, knowing full well he's exposing himself, the fire department, and the hospital to the possibility of a massive lawsuit.
63	** In the season 3 episode "Fools", the paramedics receive instructions from Rampart that they '''know''' are wrong for the situation. Roy switches radio frequencies in mid-case -- a major no-no -- and talks to the backup hospital. The doctor there gives him the instructions he expected to get, and he obeys without hesitating.
64	* ''Series/{{ER}}'': Deconstructed with Doug Ross, as while his actions may have been for the greater good, there was no denying that he caused a lot of trouble along the way. This is ultimately his downfall, as his involvement in the MercyKill of one of his patients not only seriously jeopardizes the careers of his best friend and girlfriend along with his own, it nearly costs him his relationships with them.
65	* ''Series/TheExorcist'' has a few examples of this:
66	** Father Marcus cares very little for what his superiors think when it comes to his job, continuing to carry out exorcisms even when ordered to cease [[spoiler: and even after ''being excommunicated'']].
67	** Father Tomas quickly comes around to Marcus' way of thinking as well, working with him even against the Church's orders.
68	** Angela Rance doesn't think much of the Church's bureaucratic bullshit, asking (demanding, really) that an exorcism be carried out on her daughter even while the Church is still waffling on it.
69	* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'':
70	** The show is full of this. The most notable examples are Simon rescuing River, and Mal sheltering them. Then again, Mal's crew are smugglers, among other things, so it's not like they were keen on obeying the law in the first place.
71	** This is basically Mal's worldview. He doesn't care if it's going to get him killed or if it's against the law, he does what he feels is right.
72	--->'''Mrs. Burgess:''' My husband makes a distinction between legality and morality.\
73	'''Mal Reynolds:''' You know, I've said that myself, on occasion.
74	* ''Series/ForThePeople'': Happens quite often on the defence side, but especially in "Everybody's a Superhero" where Allison tries to convince the jury to disregard the law for the sake of her client who stole supplies from a relief ship.
75	** Judge Byrne tries this in "World's Greatest Judge" when he tries everything he can to stop a man from being sentenced to the mandatory minimum of ten years for drug possession, [[spoiler: but it doesn't work out]].
76	* Downplayed in the ''Series/FullHouse'' episode "Shape Up" -- no laws or rules are broken, but Stephanie breaks her promise to not tell anyone about DJ's ''extremely'' dangerous diet when she sees DJ collapse in the middle of a workout.
77	-->'''DJ:''' You promised you wouldn't tell!\
78	'''Stephanie:''' I don't care! I'm not gonna let you get sick!
79	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
80	** In the Season 3 finale, this is Davos's justification for going against Stannis's wishes by [[spoiler:freeing Gendry before Melisandre can sacrifice him]].
81	--->'''[[spoiler: Gendry]]''': Why are you doing this?\
82	'''Davos''': Because it's right.
83	** Robb's opinion of marrying Talisa. [[spoiler:It doesn't end well for either of them.]]
84	** Jaime breaks Tyrion out of the dungeons and helps him escape being executed for a crime he did not commit.
85	** Shireen visiting Davos in prison (after being told by Stannis, in his usual blunt style, that she should "best forget him") and teaching him to read after learning that he is illiterate, despite Davos's own hesitation. She's a Baratheon, alright: tell her she shouldn't do something she's decided to do to see stubbornness ensue. Quiet, well-spoken stubbornness, in this case.
86	** In the Season 8 episode, ''[[Recap/GameOfThronesS8E5TheBells The Bells]]'', after seeing [[spoiler: Daenerys in an act of pure rage and spite, set the city of King's Landing ablaze and leads her armies in massacring its civilian population, Jon Snow and Davos decide they won't be complicit in Daenerys's war crimes and withdraw from the assault, taking their army and as many civilians as they can to safety with them]].
87	* In the series ''Gone'', the main characters are part of a task force investigating abduction cases, but there are several occasions where they decide that the abductions were justified. For example, a young girl was abducted from an orphanage because she was unlikely to be adopted conventionally as she had suffered the loss of 80% of her vision in an illness and her 'parents' couldn't legally adopt due to her new father's criminal record. In another case, a man seemingly abducted women, but it turned out that he was really trying to help them escape their abusive husbands. In these cases, the team decides to let matters stand, or at least testify in favour of the current situation.
88	* ''Series/TheHandmaidsTale'': Serena forges Fred's name on a transfer order to allow Martha (who was once one of the world's top neonatologists) in the hospital for treatment of baby Angela after he refused. Fred [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished whips her with his belt after he finds out what she did]].
89	* ''Series/{{House}}'':
90	** Dr. House so often breaks the rules and protocols that his Dean of Medicine every year prepares thousands of dollars just in case he does something that would require a lawyer's help.
91	** SubvertedTrope after Foreman breaks protocols at a different hospital to save a patient. The patient lives, but Foreman gets fired almost immediately and is blacklisted by pretty much every other hospital apart from Princeton-Plainsboro, to where he's forced to return.
92	* ''Series/{{JAG}}'':
93	** Harmon Rabb invokes this trope several times:
94	** In "Brig Break" when Lieutenant Austin is taken hostage.
95	--->'''Lt. Caitlin Pike''': ''Major Aspinal ordered us to start an investigation!''\
96	'''Lt. Harmon Rabb''': ''He suggested, Kate. I don't have to follow suggestions.''\
97	'''Lt. Caitlin Pike''': ''To him, a suggestion is as good as an order.''\
98	'''Lt. Harmon Rabb''': ''Damn it! They have my partner! I'm sorry Kate, but if that was you out there, would you want me to start an investigation or come after you?''
99	** In "Impact", when a UFO-like UAV from the [[CovertGroupWithMundaneFront Bradenhurst Corporation]] kills Marines with impunity in an accident, Harm is determined to bring them to justice.
100	* In the live action of ''Literature/TheKingsAvatar'', it covers the All-Stars Competition differently than in the original web novel. While Ye Xiu does step in to substitute for Tang Rou in the fan versus pro event, he only does so here because Sun Xiang took over for the Excellent Era player, instead of the Samsara player, and began publicly humiliating Tang Rou. While this was technically against the rules, it's fair game since Sun Xiang did it first.
101	* ''Series/LastResort'': This is the whole basis. Captain Chaplin receives orders under what he and his XO consider to be shady circumstances to launch nukes at Pakistan and rebels.
102	* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'':
103	** The BodyOfTheWeek in one episode was a [[AssholeVictim Serbian war criminal]] who was spotted by two of his former victims, who murdered him. [[spoiler: Benson and Stabler arrange things so that the killers get away with a light prison term. The boss chews them out; Benson explains it as "I think we did the only thing that's going to allow me to sleep tonight."]]
104	** A later episode has Agent Huang basically kidnap a young drug addict (the villain of the week was his legal guardian and was keeping him drugged up to stop him from testifying) to give him a technically illegal treatment to cure his addiction (since the patent on it expired so wasn't profitable for drug companies to get it approved for use in the USA). The villain threatens to report Huang so he'll lose his license [[spoiler: Huang reveals he already reported himself and got off with a slap on the wrist.]]
105	** Benson and Amaro listen to a woman's heartbreaking, near-death confession that she killed her husband's stalker mistress who had been tormenting the family during the woman's final dying days. The detectives, however, later realize she couldn't have been the killer because her illness would have made her too weak to commit the crime. When they then realize [[spoiler: the killer is the woman's young teenage daughter who has been through the TraumaCongaLine of watching her mother slowly and painfully die of brain cancer, her father acts like a cheating douchebag and her father's mistress publicly humiliates the family... Benson and Amaro quietly agree to accept the mother's confession and close the case]].
106	** A non-main character example occurs in the episode "Confidential". A convicted murderer is found to be innocent, but the man who actually committed the crime is killed before he can be brought to justice, meaning the innocent man will spend the rest of his life in jail unless evidence is found to prove his innocence. The only person who knows enough to help is the dead man's lawyer, Ingrid Block, but as his lawyer, she's duty-bound to keep his confidence. After her client's death, Block decides to break her oath and sacrifice her career so that the innocent man can be freed.
107	*** The final scene of the same episode reveals that [[spoiler: she was involved in setting up said client's murder. When she's questioned about it, she tells detectives that she had always hoped the law would catch up with him, but when she realized it wouldn't, she figured out another way to stop him.]]
108	* ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'' is kicked off by Rip Hunter's decision to attempt to alter history and prevent Vandal Savage's conquest of the future, despite orders from [[HeadInTheSandManagement the Time Master Council not to intervene]].
109	* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'': Every episode is about the team breaking hundreds of laws to help someone who's been screwed over by the (usually [[LoopholeAbuse loophole abusing]] [[LawfulEvil law-abiding]]) rich and powerful.
110	* ''{{Series/MASH}}'':
111	** Hawkeye is one of the greatest examples of this as he is always a doctor first and an Army Captain second (if ever since he'd rather be a ''lot'' of things between doctor and army). He only ever pulls rank twice: once to get a sergeant to put out a cigarette he's smoking in a room full of flammable/explosive ether and once to order a sergeant to send a "moose" (i.e.: a Korean woman whose family literally sold her into slave labor) back home. When the latter doesn't work, he resorts to his usual methods. While that only happens twice, it's easy to lose count of how many times he sees everyone as human and does the right thing despite going against army regulations and people like Frank Burns.
112	*** In one episode, the doctors have been ordered not to give patients with hemorrhagic fever IV saline (because the saline itself can interact negatively with the disease), but they have a patient with the disease whose condition is deteriorating rapidly. Hawkeye and BJ have the thought that a lower-concentration saline might allow them to minimize the risk while still getting the benefits of the treatment, but it goes against the "no saline" order. If they do it and the patient dies, they could be held legally responsible for his death, but if they don't do it, the patient will almost certainly die, and the other patients they have in earlier stages of the disease will likely meet the same fate. It takes Potter about thirty seconds to tell the doctors to try the treatment. [[spoiler: Fortunately, it works, and the patient recovers.]]
113	** Father Mulcahy also does this from time to time, particularly when obtaining supplies for the local orphanage. To make sure the children have what they need he often turns to the local BlackMarket. When this black market steals some vital medical supplies Mulcahy volunteers to use his underworld contacts to get the supplies back.
114	** In the episode "[[Recap/MashS9E5DeathTakesAHoliday Death Takes a Holiday]]", Hawkeye, B.J., and Margaret work on a dying soldier so he won't die on Christmas day. However, despite all their efforts, the soldier dies right before midnight. Hawkeye later changes the clock and then tells Margaret to put 12:06am on December 26 as the soldier's time of death. When Margaret says it would be falsifying a medical record, Hawkeye justifies it by saying that Christmas should not be the day the soldier's family thinks of as the day he died.
115	* ''Series/TheMentalist'': Lead character Patrick Jane is pretty much made of this. Over time, he starts to persuade members of his team to go along with it as well and even to adopt this mentality. Another team's leader [[StrawmanHasAPoint even comments on]] the fact that Jane seems to be a bad influence on the team he works with.
116	* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'': In the course of Barnaby's investigation in"[[Recap/MidsomerMurdersS7E1The Green Man]]" he discovers that a local officer and the court judge were both party to covering up Tom's murder of his abusive father, Eric Edwards. When he confronts the pair about their actions, they argue that there's no good in dredging up a thirty year old crime when all it'll do is ensure Tom is locked up in a mental asylum. Despite his misgivings, Barnaby agrees: when later asked about the investigation he lies that he didn't get anywhere with it.
117	* ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': When Raelle goes AWOL, Abigail and Tally leave Fort Salem to find her, and then enlist Bridey to help them, despite Bridey being ordered to keep them on base.
118	* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' Too many examples to count as Gibbs and his team practically embody this trope. They routinely break protocol and often break federal and international law as well in order to bring criminals to justice.
119	** The UrExample for the series being Gibbs murdering the drug czar who had his wife and daughter killed.
120	** In Gibbs's final episode, FBI Agent Parker, the man going after Gibbs for obstruction and carjacking to save an Alaskan wilderness, does this by uncuffing him after [=McGee=] cuffs him so that he won't be charged with harboring a fugitive. This gets him kicked out of the Bureau but allows for Vance to recruit him into NCIS.
121	* ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'': The season 3 finale had G. Callen killing "The Chameleon" for his murders of Agents Roarke and Hunter, as well as several other people, even when he was ordered to surrender him to the Iranian officials in exchange for the American agent that was held hostage. He is promptly arrested by the LAPD afterwards. He also suspected that he had the Iranians transfer the money via American channels specifically to get the SadisticChoice to force him to go free, a suspicion that was revealed to have been well-founded.
122	* ''Series/{{Nikita}}'': In the first season finale, Nikita is captured by the CIA -- who believe her to be responsible for [[spoiler:the attempted assassination of the CIA's director]] -- and she is only saved when her ally, CIA agent [[ButtMonkey Ryan Fletcher]], [[TookALevelInBadass takes a serious level in badass]] and ''[[spoiler:holds the director of the CIA at gunpoint]]'', despite knowing he'll be sent to prison for it (possibly for life).
123	* ''Series/Numb3rs'':
124	** The finale of Season 4: One of Charlie's coworkers is arrested by the FBI because he was sending his biotech research overseas to Pakistan, which the bureau is concerned about even though the research is focused on crop development and is unlikely to be weaponized. [[spoiler:At the end of the episode, Charlie sends the rest of his colleague's crop research to Pakistan, then turns himself in to federal custody, and although the charges are dropped, Charlie's security clearance is revoked]].
125	** In an early Season 5 episode, [[spoiler:Don brings Charlie in on a case even though his clearance was recently revoked, due to the intensity of the perpetrators]].
126	* ''Series/TheOrville'': After Ed and Kelly are kidnapped, Alara is ordered to abandon them and bring the ship back to Earth. She initially follows the orders but changes her mind when Gordan tells her that Ed would never abandon her.
127	* ''Series/PanAm'': Has Colette bringing the Haitian refugee on board despite regulations, and Kate helping her fellow courier escape Berlin despite orders to the contrary.
128	* ''Series/ThePractice'': The firm represented a client in a hit-and-run accident. The client's doctor discovered on the plaintiff's medical charts that he had an aneurysm (which his own doctors missed) that would kill him if it wasn't treated. The client refuses to allow the firm to disclose this information. Jimmy Berluti defies attorney-client privilege to tell the boy and his mother of his condition, enabling the doctors to save his life and earning Jimmy a minor judicial censure.
129	* ''Series/PrincessReturningPearl'' is full of this trope. Basically it shapes practically all the "illegal" things that the main characters do.
130	* ''Series/{{Psych}}'': Shawn tries this trope when Juliet finds out he's been lying about being a psychic. Jules is not impressed.
131	-->'''Shawn''': I put away, like, over a hundred criminals. Most of them were murderers. I'm good at what I do, and what I do is good...isn't it?
132	* ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': In [[Recap/RevolutionS1E11TheStand The Stand]], [[spoiler: Jason Neville]] decides not to call in the airstrike on the rebels and even warns Charlie about the airstrike occurring in 12 hours.
133	* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': [[ComicBook/{{Superman}} Clark Kent]] and ComicBook/LoisLane, naturally. ComicBook/LexLuthor starts out as this before [[ForegoneConclusion sinking into villainy]]. Also frequently Chloe Sullivan. [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Oliver Queen]] also loves this trope. In general, Clark and his friends use this trope quite a bit.
134	-->'''Detective Maggie Sawyer:''' ''referring to a diplomat's son who Clark and Lois have caught committing murder as well as trafficking crimes As a consular guest in our country, I'm afraid Mr. Lyons can't be convicted of any crime he commits on our soil. Not even murder. I'm sorry, I can't touch him.''\
135	'''Lois:''' ''Well I can. [[{{GroinAttack}} kicks him in the groin]] (later on, Clark and friends happily find a legal loophole that allows them to bring him to justice)''
136	* ''Series/StargateSG1'':
137	** Oma Desala is an [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Ascended being]] who disagrees with the Ascended majority's policies of absolute non-interference with mortal beings. She bends the rules to try to help other people Ascend to join them. While the show usually takes her side in that debate, Oma's actions have also led to Anubis gaining Ascended knowledge and power, which is definitely a ''bad'' thing for the galaxy as a whole.
138	** In the first season episode "Enigma", Daniel Jackson goes against orders to help the Tollan get to their stargateless new world. One should note that he got away with it because A) he's a civilian, so he's not subject to military law, and it would be hard to find a civilian law to cover the matter, and B) his superiors (chiefly O'Neill and Hammond) agreed with the decision.
139	** In the first season finale "Within the Serpent's Grasp", the whole of SG-1 disobeys orders to launch a first strike against Apophis and his assault upon the planet after the ObstructiveBureaucrat and CorruptBureaucrat Senator Robert Kinsey shuts down Stargate Command. They get away with this because Kinsey very nearly ''doomed the human race'' and they saved the planet.
140	** In the Ori arc, three ascended ancients are shown to do this to help humanity. [[spoiler: One loses his memory and mind, one dies, and one decides to SealedEvilInADuel]].
141	** In fact, the entire series starts with Jack having to explain his use of this trope in the [[Film/{{Stargate}} Movie]]. Not only did he lie about nuking the Stargate when there turned out to be a threat, which would have wiped out the indigenous civilization (he took the threat itself out with the bomb instead), he lied about Daniel Jackson being dead so Daniel could stay with the wife he'd fallen in love with. General Hammond was not terribly pleased with the two of them when he found out the deception, but he got over it quickly enough.
142	* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
143	** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':
144	*** In "Time's Orphan", security guards stop Miles and Keiko O'Brien from stealing a Runabout in a desperate bid to save their daughter Molly. Odo waves the guards aside, comments that O'Brien should have done a better job of sneaking onto the hangar, and allows them to take the Runabout.
145	*** In "Vortex", Odo is desperately asked by a criminal -- one whose crime he had personally witnessed, and whom he was ordered to escort to his homeworld with a runabout -- called Croden to save his daughter from certain execution at the hands of his homeworld's draconian regime and take care of her (arguing that Odo and the daughter were both outsiders in an alien culture and would need each other). This was after Croden [[WhatYouAreInTheDark had an opportunity to leave Odo for dead]] and escaped with his daughter on the runabout, but saved Odo instead, knowing the changeling would have to deliver him to his execution, which he didn't mind as long as his daughter was safe. When a Vulcan science vessel shows up, Odo tells them (much to Croden's surprise) that Croden and his daughter are survivors of another ship that crashed, allowing them to disappear into the Federation while Odo reports to Croden's homeworld that Croden is dead.
146	** ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'': The character of Michael Burnham is characterized by her constant violations of direct orders and getting away with it; the reason why she is even part of Starfleet when she has no respect for authority remains unexplained.
147	*** Season 3 brings this trope to near parody level when Michael Burnham finally suffers some consequences for her violations, she has the audacity to validate her own demotion by telling her captain "Saru, you doing the right thing".
148	** ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'':
149	*** In "Cogenitor," Trip disobeys the Captain and befriends an alien belonging to that race's mistreated minority, a third gender. He shows her things she's never seen before, but eventually the Enterprise has to leave, and [[DeconstructedTrope the alien commits suicide.]]
150	** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'':
151	*** Episode "Suspicions" does this ''twice'' for Dr. Crusher. The first time, against the wishes of the family, she performs an autopsy on a scientist who she believes died due to foul play. In a subversion, the autopsy turns up nothing suspect and she's relieved of her position. Played straight the second time, when she steals a shuttlecraft and flies into a star to confirm her suspicions.
152	*** "The Wounded" features a KnightTemplar version: Captain Maxwell believes the Cardassians are preparing for war, but Starfleet won't listen, so he goes rogue and starts destroying ostensibly peaceful (and [[CurbStompBattle definitely defenseless]]) Cardassian ships and outposts. Turns out he wasn't completely bonkers, but he was definitely jumping the gun and got hit hard for it.
153	*** Subversion: Another episode finds Data in temporary command of another starship as part of a scratch fleet seeking evidence that the Romulans are violating the Neutral Zone, and goes against Captain Picard's orders in order to achieve the mission objective. When subsequently debriefed, he offers his apologies, whereupon Captain Picard points out that a Starfleet captain is not only authorised but ''expected'' to countermand orders if they have reason to believe the safety of their ship demands it; presumably they would need a ''very'' compelling reason to explain this after the fact, but Data had one and then some. (Actually TruthInTelevision for many navies.)
154	*** In "The Pegasus", Picard mentions he picked Riker as his first officer because of an incident where Riker didn't allow one of his previous captains to beam down. Picard was impressed by Riker challenging a captain's authority for the safety of the captain and the ship's crew.
155	---->'''Picard''': I wanted someone who would stand up to me, someone who was more concerned with the safety of the ship and accomplishing the mission than with how it might look on his record. To me, that's one of the marks of a good officer.
156	*** Nikolai Rozhenko in "Homeward" abducts a village from a pre-warp planet to ensure ''someone'' survives a coming disaster, bypassing the Prime Directive. Most other Prime Directive-related episodes discuss it; "Pen Pals", for example, has Picard and Worf support the Directive in the case of a doomed planet, with Geordi and Dr Pulaski aghast at the idea and supporting intervention, until eventually Data finds a [[LoopholeAbuse loophole]] that lets them save the planet.
157	** ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'':
158	*** Episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E1AmokTime Amok Time]]". Kirk violates Starfleet orders by returning Spock to Vulcan to save his life. T'Pau saves his career by telling Starfleet she asked for Kirk to come to Vulcan.
159	*** Episode "Balance of Terror". Kirk violates "inviolable" Starfleet orders not to enter the Romulan Neutral Zone because he feels the invading ship must be destroyed to avert a war.
160	*** Episode "The Menagerie", Spock risks the death penalty to return Captain Pike to Talos IV.
161	*** Pretty much any time the [[AlienNonInterferenceClause Prime Directive]] is mentioned in an episode, Kirk will wind up going against it to save the ship or the planet.
162	*** Averted in "Wolf in the Fold", when Kirk explicitly refuses the suggestion that he help Scotty escape the planet on which he had been charged with murder. While he does his best to, and eventually does, get Scotty cleared of murder, Kirk says that he'll allow Scotty to be jailed and executed if he's found guilty even if Kirk believes him innocent. Why? Because the planet is a strategically vital port, and [[{{Realpolitik}} helping Scotty escape its justice would sour them against the Federation]].
163	*** Although the episode "Turnabout Intruder" is mostly just embarrassing, when the bridge crew discusses Lester-as-Kirk's ranting about executing disloyal officers, Sulu says flatly that he'll refuse any such order.
164	** ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'':
165	*** In the first episode of the same name, Captain Pike groans “Screw General Order 1.” when he decides that he needs to stop a world that is plotting on using a warp-capable device as a weapon despite meaning that he’s tap dancing over the Prime Directive.
166	*** Actively discussed in the season season episode "Ad Astra Per Aspera" as Una is put on trial for hiding her identity [[spoiler:as a genetically modified alien]] and Starfleet was more than willing to make Una a scapegoat despite the fact that many of these captains would happily dance over the Prime Directive to do things they believe is right.
167	** ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'':
168	*** In "Thirty Days", Tom Paris screws the [[AlienNonInterferenceClause Prime Directive]] to try to save an [[SingleBiomePlanet ocean planet]] that was slowly being destroyed by an oxygen mining operation. He gets a demotion and 30 days in the brig for his effort. And he didn't even save the planet.
169	*** In "Pathfinder", Reg Barclay goes against his superior's orders to test a method of long-range communication that he believes can help Starfleet make contact with Voyager. He's about to be reprimanded for his actions, but then Janeway is able to answer Barclay's signal. Barclay's superior apologizes for doubting him and Admiral Paris congratulates him.
170	* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
171	** Castiel does this. Angels aren't supposed to defy their superiors, but he ends up hunted and losing his abilities because he decides to help Sam and Dean send Lucifer back to Hell. The other angels want Lucifer to destroy the world because they want Paradise.
172	** This is arguably a major theme of the entire series -- Sam and Dean's entire ''job'' entails a considerable amount of criminal behavior, but it's all in the service of saving the world.
173	* In the TV adaptation of ''Literature/TheSaddleClub'', Lisa, Carole, and Stevie decide to kidnap Prancer in the middle of the night because she was being abused by David [=McCloud=] and from going to the slaughterhouse. The {{irony}}? In the books themselves, David [=McCloud=] is a kind man who helps run the local animal shelter.
174	* ''Series/{{Temps de chien\|2023}}'': In order to save Maggie (one of the fishermen's dog), Antoine needs an echograph, with the nearest one being at a hospital. He calls the hospital and is told that he can't use their echograph on the dog because it's a matter of salubrity. Not willing to give up, Antoine decides to discreetly bring Maggie to that hospital even if it's against the law:
175	-->'''Antoine:''' I don't care about the fucking salubrity. We're gonna do the echo. Nobody's gonna decide for us!
176	* ''Series/{{Titus}}'': The final episode sees Amy confronted by the man who sexually assaulted her when she was younger. After finding out who he is, Titus and company have the molester cornered in a school bathroom, ready to wail on him with a baseball bat. The school principal, who up until this point has been nothing but an ObstructiveBureaucrat, says he has to call school security but tells Titus to "call me when I'm done."
177	* ''Series/Transatlantic2023'': In the first episode, Varian is asked why he's risking his life to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis, even if it risks his protected status as a journalist in France. He replies that he can't stand to let an injustice happen without doing anything.
178	* ''Series/UntoldStoriesOfTheER'': Several hospital personnel have been shown clashing with a supervising nurse trying to enforce hospital rules. One notable incident concerned a car crash that involved a widow and her late husband's dog, one of the few reminders the widow had of her military husband who was killed on active duty overseas. The ER staff put the widow's needs ahead of the hospital's rules, saving the dog's life while they wait for the local veterinarian to pick up the dog.
179	* ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'': "[[Recap/WalkerTexasRangerS3E24AndE25Standoff Standoff]]" has Walker taking on an assassin threatening to kill a Mexican Presidential candidate when the Rangers are dismissed as security during a banquet, where said assassin is holding the attendees hostage, including Alex and C.D. Walker, of course, disobeys orders and sneaks into the banquet hall to free the hostages.
180	* ''Series/WallenbergAHerosStory'': As Horthy points out, the protective passports hold no validity in international law. They're issued anyway.
181	* ''Series/WhiteCollar'': Neal does this frequently. If doing what he knows is right means breaking a few rules, he's all for it.
182	* ''Series/TheWire'': One of the defining characteristics of Jimmy [=McNulty=]. Also shown with Bunny Colvin and Lester Freamon. [[spoiler:They all pay for it.]]
183	* In the ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' season four premiere "Alex Tells the World", following the harrowing season three finale [[spoiler:in which all the wizards in the world had been supposedly captured by the government, everyone brushed off the experience and intended to go on with the lives as usual, except for Alex, who was appalled that everyone just wanted to carry on like everything was fine in spite of the magical community being in danger, and as such, called a press conference to tell people regardless of the rule not to reveal the existence of wizards. However, the whole thing actually turns out to have been a SecretTestOfCharacter by Professor Crumbs to see if the Russo siblings could keep from exposing magic, and Alex [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished unfortunately failed]]. Apparently, the wizarding world's existence had to be kept secret at all costs, even if its own safety was in jeopardy]].
184	* ''Series/TheXFiles'': Justified constantly. The agents' superiors are constantly ordering them to back off, but the world needs a lot of saving that nobody else will do anything about, so...

Context ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight / LiveActionTV