History CrossesTheLineTwice / LiveActionTV

* Due to its high levels of BlackComedy, ''Series/TheRevolutionWillBeTelevised'' tends to run on this when its more offensive characters appear. Examples include the CampGay host of [[ShowWithinAShow Double Fist TV]] turning up outside ''the real MI6 offices'' to ask if they can use their infamous torture chambers [[TooKinkyToTorture as a kinky nightclub]], encouraging the people of Britain to help Tony Blair get a sainthood for dropping "bombs of democracy" on Iraq and their response to a magazine naming Tony Blair "most influential person of the year" (sending alternate covers with Adolf Hitler and other various tyrants winning the award instead).

** A notorious sketch from one of the Creator/JohnGoodman episodes was probably aiming for this trope but instead crash-landed (quite literally) in NightmareFuel territory. Happy tourists on a plane to Hawaii are [[NightmareFuelStationAttendant (cheerfully)]] informed by the pilot that there is a vicious king cobra loose on the plane. Then, a few seconds later, he announces that the cobra is only on ''one'' side of the aisle, so the passengers on the other side don't have to worry. ''Then'' he announces that there are now ''twelve'' cobras on the plane, but that one side has seven cobras while the other side only has five. This is followed by [[HellIsThatNoise the most ghoulish and terrifying hissing imaginable]], which then yields to people screaming in pain and terror as [[NothingIsScarier the still-invisible cobras begin to strike]]. Only then do the cobras make their appearance, and they are [[EvilAlbino freakishly albino]] and have [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red eyes]]; the fact that they are obviously puppets is apparently supposed to make them comical, but instead it creates a plunge straight into the UncannyValley. To make matters worse, the main characters have to remain ''absolutely still'' so that the cobras looming over them aren't provoked to bite them...''[[AndIMustScream for several hours]]''. By the time their flight is even remotely close to Hawaii, their bodies are literally gushing sweat. Finally, one of the cobras make its way into the cockpit and bites the pilot...and the venom for some reason warps his mind, making him psychotic and causing him to imagine that an [[MagicalNativeAmerican "old Indian"]] is appearing before him in the ocean, beckoning him on. He steers the plane straight down toward the water and creates a fiery collision, killing himself and everyone else on board who was still alive (including the cobras, of course, not that that did any good). As the flames surge toward the TV screen, a ''gigantic'' albino cobra puppet with a woman's voice [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou appears right in the face of the viewers]] and [[FauxAffablyEvil gloats, laughs and tells jokes about what just occurred]] in her hissy voice. And as if all this weren't grisly enough, this was the very last sketch of the evening's program, which goes off the air at one o'clock in the morning. [[ParanoiaFuel No doubt countless herpetophobes checked]] ''[[ParanoiaFuel very]]'' [[ParanoiaFuel carefully under their beds before retiring that night]].

** [[spoiler: That [[HolyShitQuotient jaw-dropping moment]] where an innocent kid gets shot in Season's 5 "Dead Freight"]] would no way be funny. Someone [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_fcdP0UVqw editing a video to make it look like]] [[spoiler: Walt and Jesse were celebrating Todd shooting said kid witness (with Walt laughing, Jesse's "[[CatchPhrase Yeah]] [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch Bitch!]]" and everything)]] makes it just hilariously fucked up in the most possible way.

---> Roy: Well that's a great question, what you do is you start by building a regular robot, then you molest it and hope it and hope you continue the cycle.

** In another episode, Dwayne Johnson plays a MadScientist named [[SpecialPersonNormalName Roy]] who invents a child molesting robot with the hopes of winning an award for the world's most evil invention. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Everyone else in the room]] [[RapeISASpecialKindOfEvil is appalled.]]

** In another episode, Dwayne Johnson plays a MadScientist named [[SpecialPersonNormalName Roy]] who invents a child molesting robot with the hopes of winning an award for the world's most evil invention. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Everyone else in the room]] [[RapeISASpecialKindOfEvil are appalled.]]

** Season six piled on so much DeusAngstMachina that it became an in-universe example of crossing the line twice: when [[spoiler:Giles (very dramatically)]] returned at the end of the season, Buffy told him about all the horrible traumatic things that have happened ''just since he left'', never mind everything that happened before. Does he give her a hug? Tell her everything's going to be all right? Help her figure out how to stop the latest TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt plot? No - he ''breaks down in uncontrollable laughter''. A moment later, Buffy joins him. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny And so does the audience]].

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O81aRaRwURM Robin Williams' appearance]] on the penultimate ''Series/TheTonightShow with Creator/ConanOBrien'', a CrowningMomentOfAwesome that just happens to cross the line several times. If the crotch-grabbing and Tiger Woods marriage counselor joke weren't bad enough, irking Conan in the process, his Irish folk tune cranks it UpToEleven with Conan and Robin eventually ''doing the jig''.

* A planet destroyed is terrible. [[Series/{{Lexx}} A planet destroyed every week...]]

** Then there's the whole "pretending Kaylee's dead" from the pilot which Simon sums up best:
-->'''Simon''': That man's psychotic.
-->''(IronicEchoCut to Wash, Zoe, and Mal [[Funny/{{Firefly}} laughing their asses off]])''
-->'''Wash:''' You are ''psychotic!''

* In ''Series/BabylonFive'', we have Centauri Emperor [[TheCaligula Cartagia]] walking up to Londo & Co. in his pure white suit, except for his entirely blood-red hands, talking ''boredly'' about how his torturers--"excuse me, pain technicians, the ''used'' to be called torturers but ever since they [[WeirdTradeUnion got organized]] it's been ''pain technicians''"--just couldn't manage to make G'Kar scream, and, well, he'd just had to do it himself... On its own, the scene would be horrifying, but between the way the scene is written, Wortham Krimmer's utterly bored delivery as Cartagia, and Creator/StephenFurst's increasing facial contortions as Vir as the scene goes on, you can't help but laugh.
** Similarly: Watching the treacherous Lord Refa hunted down and torn limb from limb by angry Narns? Grimly satisfying. Watching the treacherous Lord Refa hunted down and torn limb from limb by angry Narns while [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsHcx9JWswE ''No Hiding Place'']] plays in the background? Funny as ''hell'.

* You wouldn't think a CookingShow would be able to get away with a ''Theatre/SweeneyTodd'' reference, but ''Theatre/Series/GoodEats'' did an [[WholePlotReference entire episode]] ("Oh My, Meat Pie") based off the story plot, complete with thinly veiled references to [[ImAHumanitarian the meat used]] in the pies. It worked precisely ''because'' [[RefugeInAudacity it was done with such a high level of audacity]].

** The Trickster runs on this trope. His ironic punishments are usually hilarious, (killing adulterers using TheHulk, [[AnalProbe anal probing]] an abusive pledge master and forcing him to slow dance, trapping Sam and Dean in TV Land where they are forced to reenact spoofs of Series/CSIMiami and Series/GreysAnatomy) if cruel and gruesome. It's part of what made him an EnsembleDarkhorse.

** A Weekend Update Segment featured then-writer Creator/AlFranken giving a report on how nasty California's Senate Race had become to Weekend Update Host Creator/NormMacDonald. Cue a fake political ad which consisted of a picture of Senator Diane Feinstein and a voice over that ominously intoned "Diane FEINSTEIN is against prayer in public school... Any why not? SHE'S A JEW!" cut back to a vaguely disappointed looking Al Franken sitting next to a shocked Creator/NormMacDonald who can only manage a weak "Wow..." [[StunnedSilence after a moment or too.]]

* You wouldn't think a CookingShow would be able to get away with a ''SweeneyTodd'' reference, but ''Theatre/Series/GoodEats'' did an [[WholePlotReference entire episode]] ("Oh My, Meat Pie") based off the story plot, complete with thinly veiled references to [[ImAHumanitarian the meat used]] in the pies. It worked precisely ''because'' [[RefugeInAudacity it was done with such a high level of audacity]].

* You wouldn't think a CookingShow would be able to get away with a ''SweeneyTodd'' reference, but ''Series/GoodEats'' did an [[WholePlotReference entire episode]] ("Oh My, Meat Pie") based off the story plot, complete with thinly veiled references to [[ImAHumanitarian the meat used]] in the pies. It worked precisely ''because'' [[RefugeInAudacity it was done with such a high level of audacity]].

* In the ''Series/SanfordAndSon'' episode "A Guest In The Yard", the white homeless bum and freeloader Gus, when ordered by Sanford and Lamont (both of whom are black) to leave their property, threatens that he'll never contribute to the [[UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement NAACP]], which makes for a pretty {{egregious}} [[DisproportionateRetribution reaction]]. Fred fires back with the priceless response that he, in return, will never contribute to the ''[[UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan KKK]]''.

** Creator/LanceReddick pays tribute to Creator/LevarBurton's two most famous [[Series/{{Roots}} roles]] by wearing a [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration VISOR and combadge]]...over a pair of manacles and slave pants.

* In the ''SanfordAndSon'' episode "A Guest In The Yard", the white homeless bum and freeloader Gus, when ordered by Sanford and Lamont (both of whom are black) to leave their property, threatens that he'll never contribute to the [[UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement NAACP]], which makes for a pretty {{egregious}} [[DisproportionateRetribution reaction]]. Fred fires back with the priceless response that he, in return, will never contribute to the ''[[UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan KKK]]''.

** ''Series/TheOfficeUK'' had a similar theme: David Brent's jokes failed ''so badly'' it quickly became funny for the sheer awkwardness of his self-delusion.

* ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'': Working oneself to death by exhaustion is usually disturbing, especially since in Japan, this happens quite a bit. However, it quickly stops being disturbing because said person dying just revives by being shot out of a warp pipe and treats dying like all he needed was a cup of coffee. And this happened no less than ''12 times. ''

** "Undertakers Sketch" was mentioned by John Cleese during Chapman's eulogy, which itself massively pushes the bounds of taste in homage to Chapman, who Cleese described during it as the "prince of bad taste".
-->'''Cleese''': Graham Chapman, co-author of the 'Parrot Sketch,' is no more. He has ceased to be, bereft of life, he rests in peace, he has kicked the bucket, hopped the twig, bit the dust, snuffed it, breathed his last, and gone to meet the Great Head of Light Entertainment in the sky. And I guess that we're all thinking how sad it is that a man of such talent, of such capability for kindness, for such unusual intelligence, a man who could overcome his alcoholism with such truly admirable single-mindedness, should now so suddenly be spirited away at the age of only forty-eight before he'd achieved many of the things in which he was capable, and before he'd had enough fun. Well, I feel that I should say: nonsense. Good riddance to him, the freeloading bastard, I hope he fries. And the reason I feel I should say this is he would never forgive me if I didn't. If I threw away this glorious opportunity to shock you all on his behalf. Anything, for him, except mindless good taste.
* ''Series/{{Bottom}}'' has more than its fair share of these - sometimes feeling like a live-action Tom and Jerry. One episode has Richie chainsawing Eddie's lower legs off...twice.

** In the most recent episode hosted by Dwayne Johnson, there is a sketch where an Franchise/IndianaJones parody (Johnson) and his two sidekicks are about to enter a temple in a jungle when the natives appear and fire a poisoned dart at him. The Short Round parody sucks the poison out, then later gets shot himself. Dr. Bones sucks out the poison saying that he was repaying the Short Round's kindness earlier. Then the doctor gets shot in the nipple, the Short Round sucking. The sketch ends with both of them getting shot in the crotch, and the two of them aligning themselves to suck the poison out of each other, with the female sidekick (who spent the entire sketch complaining that she couldn't suck out the poison/get it sucked out of her) carried off by the natives.

* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia''. When one episode involves two characters getting addicted to crack to get better unemployment benefits...

* ''Series/{{NTSFSDSUV}}'': After having his death faked, the President of the Navy is forced to lay undercover in a four-star hotel room. He's so horrified by this situation that he compares himself to Anne Frank.