History Main / ImNotADoctorButIPlayOneOnTV

* From July to August 2009, Australian television has ads for some functional food. At first, a female doctor is introduced, saying that as a doctor, a healthy diet is important to her - then the camera in one fluent motion moves to a second, similar woman (although with different hair color) who will continue where the other woman left off in mid-sentence and happily endorse a specific product. Probably because a doctor may not be allowed to endorse a product directly on tv.

* Parodied on ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'' - Ash is disguised as a Mr. Mime for a circus act and gets kidnapped by Team Rocket who aren't aware of this. Upon revealing his disguise to them, Ash says "I'm not a Mr. Mime, I just play one on TV."
** This being ''Pokémon'', this could easily be a complete coincidence.

* Subverted in a Jack in the Box commercial where a guy in a lab coat rattles off a bunch of preposterous health claims about cheesy fries on a TV screen being watched by the Jack character and a suit. When Jack asks the suit where he found this guy, the suit replies, "[[StealthCigaretteCommercial Tobacco]] [[AcceptableProfessionalTargets company.]]"

* Many Male Enhancement ads combine this with HotScientist. According to her, 66% of men can't satisfy! Wait but she's not a doct- [[DistractedByTheSexy hey boobs.]]

* Dr Pepper ran an advertising campaign where they were endorsed by Julius Irving, Neil Patrick Harris, and Gene Simmons... also known as Dr. J, Dr. Doogie Howser, and Dr. Love (nickname from playing basketball, TV role, and Top 20 song, respectively). They exhorted you to trust them, because they were "[[TrustMeImADoctor real fake doctors]]".

* Dr Pepper ran an advertising campaign where they were endorsed by Julius Irving, Neil Patrick Harris, and Gene Simmons... also known as Dr. J, Dr. Doogie Howser, and Dr. Feelgood (nickname from playing basketball, TV role, and hit song, respectively). They exhorted you to trust them, because they were "[[TrustMeImADoctor real fake doctors]]".

* Used as a plot point in the David Fincher movie ''Film/TheGame'': Michael Douglas' character sees [[spoiler:the CRS representative that signed him up for The Game in a drug commercial and realizes he's an actor. He then makes a series of phone calls pretending to be a guy interested in hiring him so he can get his whereabouts.]]

** Reshma Shetty was out shopping when someone nearby collapsed. She immediately went into "work mode" and started telling people to call 911, helping the guy out, getting his history, etc. She was able to give a very good medical history to the [=EMTs=] who arrived and had to explain to everyone she wasn't a doctor but played a physician's assistant on TV.

* ''Series/{{Baywatch}}'' actor David Hasselhoff once came to the aid of a woman injured in a car accident, keeping her airway open until the [=EMTs=] arrived. When they asked him if was a paramedic, he declared, "No, ButIPlayOneOnTv".
* In January of 1996, actor Creator/MarkHarmon pulled two teenage boys from a burning car, immediately putting a blanket over the one who had caught fire and extinguishing the flames. Aside from the multitude of times he's played a doctor [[note]] and he also seriously considered becoming one for real [[/note]], Harmon worked as a lifeguard while in college and no doubt knew exactly what to do.

[[caption-width-right:338:Trust him, he's a doctor. [[Series/DoogieHowserMD On TV]].]]

See also TrustMeImADoctor.

Trope named for a commercial from the 1980s in which Chris Robinson, who played a physician on ''Series/GeneralHospital'' opened his pitch for Vicks Formula 44 cough syrup with this very line, which became a pre-Internet MemeticMutation. (How does ''playing a doctor on TV'' give someone any authority to prescribe actual medicine?)

* An episode of ''Series/ThePuzzlePlace'' in which the characters spend all day watching TV featured a commercial for the [[BrandX "Global Express"]] credit card in which a puppeteer opens with "Hi. I'm not a puppet, but I play one on TV." The fact that all of the characters on this show are puppets, and everything they've been watching stars live-action humans, makes this either particularly surreal or [[FridgeBrilliance brilliant]].

In the story mode of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', this is Johnny Cage's reaction when Raiden and Liu Kang try to warn him that Shang Tsung's tournament is NotJustATournament, but part of Shao Kahn's plan to conquer Earth;

-->'''Johnny:''' Look guys, I'm an actor. I save the world for the cameras. If
this emperor is really a threat, call the military.