[[quoteright:217:[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Straightmanoots02_6683.png]]]]

->''"Well, the straight guy is never given enough credit...[[AbbottAndCostello [Bud] Abbott]] gets no credit for framing a gag, for the architecture, for the support, for the drive. He does everything except the punchline; he's amazing."''
-->-- '''Creator/MelBrooks'''

Somebody has to set up the joke so the funny guy can deliver the punch line. That's the Straight Man. He rarely gets the funny lines, but has to have impeccable timing and delivery so that the comic (the other half of a comedy duo) can hit it out of the park. [[AbbottAndCostello Bud Abbott]] (widely considered the greatest Straight Man of all time) had to say "WhosOnFirst" with just the right degree of earnestness and irritation so that [[AbbottAndCostello Lou Costello]] could get big laughs saying "Whaddya askin' me for?".

The best Straight Men are so good they can sometimes get laughs just by delivering a straight line so well the audience knows what's coming. (This is essentially the basis of Bob Newhart's "telephone" routines: he was playing the Straight Man to ''[[TheGhost nothing]]''.) Other straight men in comedy duos have included GeorgeBurns (with Gracie Allen), DeanMartin (with JerryLewis), and Dan Rowan (with Dick Martin of ''[[{{Rowan And Martins Laugh-In}} Laugh-In]]'').

In [[{{Dramedy}} less-comedic works]], the StraightMan is a {{Foil}} for the BunnyEarsLawyer, MagnificentBastard or LoveableRogue.

If the StraightMan is the lead in an ensemble like a PowerTrio or FiveManBand or even a show with LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, this can lead to them suffering DesignatedProtagonistSyndrome by being overshadowed by the rest of the cast who get more interesting plot roles and character development (see also StandardisedLeader).

The term can apply to women, but "comedic foil" is a more popular unisex term. In fact women in comic pairings have frequently played this role over the last few decades usually with WomenAreWiser coming into play.

In TV comedy, a Straight Man is frequently one half of an OddCouple. In a PowerTrio, they usually play the "helpless observer" role.

If you're looking for the trope for "the only sensible character", you probably want OnlySaneMan; the two tropes can and often do overlap, and it's pretty rare to have one of each, but the Straight Man and the Only Sane Man are ''not'' automatically the same character. See also TheComicallySerious, StraightManAndWiseGuy. Also DeadpanSnarker, which quite a few comedic foils are. If multiple characters take turns playing StraightMan, they have a game of SanityBall.

[[IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with]] a heterosexual man, as many, many examples on this page show.
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!!Example subpages

[[index]]
* StraightMan/{{Anime And Manga}}
* StraightMan/{{Film}}
* StraightMan/{{Live-Action TV}}
* StraightMan/{{Web Comics}}
* StraightMan/{{Western Animation}}
[[/index]]

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[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* This point is brought up in ''{{Batman}}'' comics on occasion; one of the main reasons that SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker has given for not [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim simply killing]] Batman is that the Joker sees Batman as his unwilling straight man.
** LexLuthor is also the straight man when the [[VillainTeamUp villains team up.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* On the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', Rincewind and Sam Vimes seem to play the straight man [[OnlySaneMan for the entire world]].
* The trope is lampshaded and identified by name in the ''DresdenFiles'' novel ''Blood Rites'' when Harry observes that one of the incidental characters is a born Straight Man and could provide some enterprising wise guy with perfect straight lines for life.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Newspaper comics]]
* ''FoxTrot'' zig-zags this. In the early years of the strip, Roger and Andy were both rather straight, with Andy occasionally being the funny one. However, someone slipped an IdiotBall into Roger Fox's shorts and he never removed it, so Andy was pretty much the straight one throughout most of the comic's run, although there have been notable instances where ''Roger'' was the straight one.
* [[CalvinAndHobbes Hobbes]] also acts like this to Calvin; although there are times where Calvin can identify a little bit of quirkiness from Hobbes.
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[[folder: Professional Wrestling]]
* Vladimir Kozlov acted as one to Santino Marella.
* When Curt Hawkins and ZackRyder teamed together, they were semi-regulars on JohnMorrison and TheMiz's online show ''The Dirt Sheet''. Hawkins would play the StraightMan to Ryder who was essentially playing the "tool" gimmick that he would adopt on ECW.
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[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* PPDA, the puppet for Patrick Poivre D'Arvor, acts as the straight man for absolutely everybody else in ''Series/LesGuignolsdelinfo''.
* Kermit the Frog from ''Franchise/TheMuppets'' is the famous Straight Man to everyone else in the cast. You have to feel sorry for what he has to put up with sometimes, especially from [[{{Tsundere}} Miss Piggy]], [[SoUnfunnyItsFunny Fozzie]], [[AllDrummersAreAnimals Animal]]... The guy doesn't really get a break.
* One of the all-time great straight men is Bert, the Straight Man to Ernie on ''Series/SesameStreet'' (though he did deliver the punchline occasionally, usually in his AsideGlance at the end of the sketch).
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[[folder:Radio]]
* BobAndRay were an exception to this, as each man could ''simultaneously'' be the straight man and the goof, all in the same routine.
* Bud Abbott from ''AbbottAndCostello'' most famously in the "WhosOnFirst?" routine.
* In CabinPressure, ''[[InsistentTerminology Captain]]'' [[BenedictCumberbatch Martin Crieff]] is usually this to his co-pilot Douglas.
* Neddie Seagoon, played by Harry Secombe, was pretty much the StraightMan to the entire cast of ''TheGoonShow'' -- when he wasn't joining in the general surreal mess and leaving the announcer of the day (especially if it was Wallace Greenslade) as the StraightMan instead.
* ''HamishAndAndy'' has Andy
* The title character of ''TheJackBennyShow'' typically played the straight man to everyone else in the cast. As Benny said, "I don't care who gets the laughs on my show, as long as the show is funny."
* Dougal (Graeme Garden) in ''Radio/HamishAndDougal'' ... usually. He's certainly more likely to be holding the SanityBall than anyone else, with the possible exception of [[WomenAreWiser Mrs Naughtie]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Stand-up Comedy]]
* Initially, GeorgeBurns had his wife Gracie Allen in the Straight Man role in their comedy act... until he realized most of the laughter was at her set-up lines and not the actual jokes. He switched roles with her and spent the next several decades as one of the classic straight men.
* Carl Reiner to Creator/MelBrooks' 2000-years-old man is another classic of the trope.
* DeanMartin to JerryLewis.
* Dick Smothers to Tom Smothers.
* JeffDunham to his puppets. Given that he is voicing the puppets, it is regularly {{lampshaded}} that he is being the straight man ''[[TalkingToHimself to himself]]''.
* Opera singer Marilyn Mulvay was the straight woman for VictorBorge.
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[[folder:Video Games]]
* Phoenix Wright in the [[PhoenixWrightAceAttorney series of the same name]], who appears to act as the straight man for ''everyone''.
** And in the fourth game, Apollo takes on this role, even playing the straight man to Phoenix.
** And Edgeworth in [[spoiler: case 5 of ''Trials and Tribulations'' and]] ''Investigations''. So basically the protagonist is always the world's straight man.
* Peter Puppy in ''VideoGame/EarthwormJim'', who also qualifies as a DeadpanSnarker at times is usually more serious and sensitive than Jim.
* Sam from ''SamAndMax''. This becomes a plot point in one episode where a villain specifically wants a straight man to help out with his plan, and Sam is the perfect kind of [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall easy-to-manipulate character who just does what he's told]].
* A significant percentage of Merrill's jokes in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' come from her interpreting Silly!Hawke's sarcastic remarks literally.
* From ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', we have Wade & Herren. As confirmed by the developers, Herren is the straight man while Wade is the funny man.
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[[folder:Web Animation]]
* In the original ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' series, this role generally fell to Church, Grif, Simmons and Tex (although Tucker and Sarge had their moments too). After the Blood Gulch Chronicles, while the old characters are unchanged, Agent Washington, the new guy, fits the bill much more so until [[spoiler: he starts working for the Chairman and with Maine again, and then once again after his HeelFaceTurn.]]
--> '''Wash''' "You are really an odd group of people."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In ''KateModern'' season 1, Tariq is often this to Gavin.
* In the ''WhateleyUniverse'', Fey and Tennyo play this role to their roommates, [[GenkiGirl Chaka]] and [[CloudCuckoolander Generator]] respectively. Also, Greasy is the StraightMan and ButtMonkey for Peeper.
* Daniel from ''AgentsOfCracked'' to Swaim. He himself is occasionally the straight man to other cast members.
* Paul from LlamasWithHats, to Carl's ComedicSociopath.
[[/folder]]

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