I'm Not A Doctor But I Play One On TV - Television Tropes & Idioms

redirected from Main.ImNotADoctorButIPlayOneOnTV

alt title(s): Im Not A Doctor But I Play One On TV

Sometimes it would be really great to get a doctor or other medical authority to say something nice about your product and or service on TV. However, for some reason — FDA approval, budget, etc. — it will not be possible to actually get a real doctor to do this.

The solution, dress an actor up in a white lab coat, and give them a stethoscope. Even if he is a dentist. If possible put them in a set that looks like a waiting room, pharmacy, or hospital. As long as you don't say they're really a doctor you aren't going to get in trouble.

Trope named for a commercial from the 1980s in which Peter Bergman, who played a physician on The Young And The Restless, opened his pitch for Vicks Formula 44 cough syrup with this very line.

Not to be confused with Playing Doctor.

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, "Tobacco company."
Someone at the old spice marketing department looked at this page and went "Hey, I think I have an idea..."
- Well he does have a PHD in Horribleness... sorry. Couldn't resist.
- The commercial also refers to Doogie Howser.
Basketball player Dr. J has started doing Dr Pepper commercials, concluding with "Trust me, I'm a doctor." Ditto with Gene Simmons (as Dr. Love) and Dr. Dre.
- Sounds to me like a subversion since they are actually called 'Doctor'.
A Kermit-the-frog-themed parody of Five for Fighting's "Superman" that opens with the verse: "I can't stand to swim / Swamp soaks right through me / I'm not amphibian / I just play one on TV."
Many Male Enhancement ads combine this with Hot Scientist. According to her, 66% of men can't satisfy! Wait but she's not a doct- hey boobs.
Dr. Wattage from Wildguard is not a doctor, but the name sounds cool.
Australian television has currently (July-August 2009) 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 haircolor) who will continue where the other woman left of in mid-sentence and happily endorse a specific product. I assume that's because a doctor maybe cannot endorse a product directly on tv.
David McCallum isn't a doctor, but has spoken at forensic conventions. He does the research.
- Same goes for Randolph Mantooth, who played firefighter/paramedic Johnny Gage on NBC's Emergency! from 1972-79. He still speaks at firefighting and EMS conferences promoting safety in the fire service.
Parodied on 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 Pokemon, this could easily be a complete coincidence.
Parodied in the Yu Gi Oh The Abridged Series'' video "Marik's Evil Council 3"
Marik: Also joining us is celebrity voice actor Dan Green!
Dan Green: Hi. I'm Dan Green.
Bakura: What the bloody hell is he doing here? He's not a villain!
Dan Green: No, but I played a villain in one of the Pokemon movies.
Played with in a Venezuelan commercial for a headache/flu medication, where two animated mosquitoes says that the medicine in question can't work in dengue patients and the two models dressed as doctors are not of trust because they "only play as doctors on TV". Cue the "doctors" saying that the medicament indeed works even on that disease, and the narrator saying "Even TV doctors know it; [Brand Name], your best choice to relief even in suspected dengue".
Used as a plot point in the Micheal Douglas movie The Game: Douglas' character sees 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.
Parodied in one episode of Stargate SG-1, when Teal'c said that he wasn't the First Prime of Apophis (I think that was what they were talking about), Jack O'Neill responds with "He just played one of TV."

Unreadable Disclaimer

Commercials Tropes

Nine Out Of Ten Doctors Agree

Main Tropes Index

Troperville

Editing Help

Tools

Toys