History Main / Beat

* ''{{Futurama}}'': Used quite a few times through out the series, but most notably after the show returned to Comedy Central:
-->'''Farnsworth''': Yes, it's almost like a... comedy central channel!

* Many [[JumpingTheShark post-movie]] ''SpongebobSquarepants'' episodes have been criticized for their excessive inclusion of beats in their dialogue.

** Also from the {{DCAU}}, from the ''BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode, "Almost Got Him":
--->'''Killer Croc''': There I was, holed up in this quarry, when Batman came nosing around. He was getting closer... Closer...\\
'''Poison Ivy''': And...?\\
'''Killer Croc''': I threw a rock at him!\\
{{beat}}\\
'''Poison Ivy''': So, Harvey, what became of the giant penny?\\
'''Killer Croc''': It was a big rock...

-->'''Tigh:''' I did not!

-->'''Tigh:''' Unless I did.
* ''{{Seinfeld}} uses them regularly, often because the studio audience won't stop laughing.
-->'''Jerry''': She's talking about her panties so uh, I said 'You mean the panties your mother laid out for you?"
-->*beat*

* ''[~=Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog~=]'' loves this trope, using it on multiple occasions, and frequently paired with {{Metaphorgotten}}.

In ScriptSpeak, a beat ([[NamesTheSame no]], [[Game/MegaMan not]] [[EternalSonata any]] [[BitTrip of]] [[TheWorldEndsWithYou THOSE]] [[JetSetRadio Beats]]) is an instruction in the script to leave a short pause, no more than the space of a breath, after a line or gag. Used either to indicate 'thinking time' or to let it sink in to increase the impact of the [[DelayedReaction subsequent reaction]].

* ''ToyStory'':
-->'''Buzz Lightyear:''' ...and you, my friend, are responsible for delaying my rendezvous with Star Command.
-->''(beat)''
-->'''Woody:''' [[ThisIsSPARTA YOU! ARE! A! TOYYYY!!!]] You're not the real Buzz Lightyear, you're--you're an action figure. You are a child's ''plaything''!
-->''(beat)''
-->'''Buzz Lightyear:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity.]]
** And earlier...
-->'''Buzz Lightyear:''' I just want you to know that even though you tried to terminate me, revenge is not an idea we promote on my planet.
-->'''Woody:''' Oh ''(beat)'' Well that's good.
-->'''Buzz Lightyear:''' ... But we're not on my planet -- ''[[DeathGlare are we?]]''
-->''(beat)''
-->'''Woody:''' [[OhCrap Uhhh...]] [[CrowningMomentOfFunny No.]]
* In the ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' episode ''Epilogue'':
-->'''Amanda Waller:''' Finding Batman's genetic material wasn't hard. (Cut to a shot of Batman being bandaged by a paramedic while ''she'' collects a sample of his blood off the ground) He left it all over town.
-->(beat while [[BatmanBeyond Terry]] [[FlatWhat gives her a look]])
-->[[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Not even remotely what I meant.]]
** Also from the {{DCAU}}, from the ''BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode, "Almost Got Him":
--->'''Killer Croc''': There I was, holed up in this quarry, when Batman came nosing around. He was getting closer... Closer...\\
'''Poison Ivy''': And...?\\
'''Killer Croc''': I threw a rock at him!\\
{{beat}}\\
'''Poison Ivy''': So, Harvey, what became of the giant penny?\\
'''Killer Croc''': It was a big rock...
* Many [[JumpingTheShark post-movie]] SpongebobSquarepants episodes have been criticized for their excessive inclusion of beats in their dialogue.
* ''{{Ruby}}: The Adventures of a Galactic Gumshoe'':
-->'''The Android Sisters''': Humans are obsessed with money.
-->'''Human''': Not all of them, just some of them. ''(beat)'' Most of them. ''(beat and a half)'' Most of us.
* ''SpaceGhostCoastToCoast'': Uncomfortable pauses are used liberally in every episode, to the point of LampshadeHanging:
-->'''Space Ghost:''' It lets me blend.. just about anything! (beat)
-->'''Zorak:''' Beat!
-->'''Space Ghost:''' Classy people are always blending stuff. (beat)
-->'''Zorak:''' Beat!
* Thorougly used and abused by ''HarryHillsTVBurp'', ''especially'' when it comes to the lead-up to the CatchPhrase, as these often tend to sneak up on the audience.
* HarveyBirdman often blends longer beats with faster speed for comedic rhythm.
* [[{{Theatre}} Playwrights]] Samuel Beckett, Suzan-Lori Parks, and ''especially'' HaroldPinter are known for their use of the {{Beat}}.

* In ''{{Sky Girls}}'', there is a beat when Otoha accidentally knocks in the flimsy dividing wall between the male and female outdoor springs. HilarityEnsues:
-->'''Otoha''': All right! Let's do our best!
-->''*stands up and pumps arms dramatically, striking down the dividing wall*

-->''*male cast and female cast [[OhCrap stare]] at each other*''
* Kyon from ''{{The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya}}'', in his usual snarky way, will usually break a potential beat with a thought of his own. This doesn't happen when he encounters something he can't explain, like accidentally walking in on a Mikuru clothes-changing session.
** Also, Taniguchi walking in on Kyon and Yuki in a suggestive position [[spoiler:after the fight against Ryoko]].
--->'''Taniguchi'''(idly): [[MemeticMutation Wa-wa-wa-wasuremo-]]
--->*beat (during which he holds an [[LargeHam overly theatrical]] surprised pose)*
--->'''Taniguchi''': En... Enjoy yourselves! ''*flees*''
* In the ''[[TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' episode "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk," the new owners of the nuclear power plant assess Homer's usefulness. It goes about as well as you'd expect.
-->'''German Boss 1''': You have been safety inspector for two years. What initiatives have you spearheaded in that time?
-->'''Homer''': Uh... All of them?
-->'''German Boss 1''': I see... Then you must have some good ideas for the future as well?
-->'''Homer''': I sure do!
-->*Long beat; bosses glance at each other*
-->'''German Boss 2''': Such... as?
* Every so often on ''CashCab''. Most [[TermConfusion hilariously]] and [[TooMuchInformation unbelievably]]:
-->'''Ben Bailey:''' An alternative to permanent tattoos, what plant dye, popular in India, is used for temporary body art?
-->'''Contestant:''' I know this!
-->'''Ben Bailey:''' You do?
-->'''Contestant:''' {{Hentai}}!
-->'''Ben Bailey:''' ... ''({{aside glance}})''
-->'''Ben Bailey:''' ... [[SarcasmFailure The correct answer]] was ''henna.''
* ''BattlestarGalactica'' uses this trope to no end, but one example stands out: in the pilot miniseries, Adama calls Col. Tigh out on flipping over a table while completely hammered, inciting a fight between him and Starbuck. Tigh unsuccessfully defends his position.
-->'''Adama:''' Well, you did flip over the table first.
-->'''Tigh:''' I did not!
-->*beat*

* ''{{Phineas and Ferb}}''. Used fairly often, for instance in "Chronicles of Meap", when Isabella is irritated at Phineas for failing to realize that she might be causing the interference in his [[AbstractScale cute tracker]]:
-->'''Isabella:''' I still have to earn my You-Wouldn't-Know-Cute-If-It-Bit-Your-Leg-Off accomplishment patch.
-->*beat*
-->'''Phineas:''' [[ChasteHero Cool, let's go!]]
** In "That Sinking Feeling":
--->'''Doofenshmirtz:''' The lighthouse is gone and there's nothing you can do about it! So you might as well run back to Major Monogram and tell him you lost this one!
--->*beat*
--->*Perry walks out the door*
* This is actually written into combos for Fighting VideoGames. Here, the Beat (generally written as a "!" or "-") is used to either allow the opponent to fall into a more advantageous position, or to let the combo meter reset. In both cases, it counts as a delay in the combo due to the player's lack of action, but the same combo as the opponent is generally incapable of acting.
* ''GirlGenius'': Gil and Captain Vole discuss the false Heterodyne heir.
-->'''Vole''': De pipple of Mechanicsburg vould ''not'' ekcept [shutting down Castle Heterodyne] as proof dot she iz a Heterodyne.
-->'''Gil''': No, neither would my father.
-->'''Vole''':...not unless she danced nekked through de ruins vile trying to shoot down de moon, turned all de tourists into monsters—and den built a very dangerous fountain out of sausages.

-->'''Gil''': [[RefugeInAudacity Well... yes, that goes without saying.]]
* ''{{Futurama}}'': Used quite a few times through out the series, but most notably after the show returned to Comedy Central:
-->'''Farnsworth''': Yes, it's almost like a... comedy central channel!
-->*beat*
-->'''Amy''': I get it!
* Seinfeld uses them regularly, often because the studio audience won't stop laughing.
-->'''Jerry''': She's talking about her panties so uh, I said 'You mean the panties your mother laid out for you?"
-->*beat*

-->'''Ben Bailey:''' ... [[SarcasmFailure I'm sorry]], it was ''henna.''

----

-->'''Buzz Lightyear:''' ... But we're not on my planet-- ''[[DeathGlare are we?]]''

[[beat]]\\

* Thorougly used and abused by HarryHillsTVBurp, ''especially'' when it comes to the lead-up to the CatchPhrase, as these often tend to sneak up on the audience.

* In ''{{Sky Girls}}'', there is a beat when Otoha accidentally knocks in the flimsy dividing wall between the male and female outdoor springs. HilarityEnsues

* Kyon from {{The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya}}, in his usual snarky way, will usually break a potential beat with a thought of his own. This doesn't happen when he encounters something he can't explain, like accidentally walking in on a Mikuru clothes-changing session.

* [[BattlestarGalactica Battlestar Galactica]] uses this trope to no end, but one example stands out: in the pilot miniseries, Adama calls Col. Tigh out on flipping over a table while completely hammered, inciting a fight between him and Starbuck. Tigh unsuccessfully defends his position.

-->* beat*

* ''GirlGenius'': Gil and Captain Vole discuss the false Heterodyn heir.

-->'''Gil''': [[RefugeInAudacity Well...yes, that goes without saying.]]
* {{Futurama}}: Used quite a few times through out the series, but most notably after the show returned to Comedy Central:

-->'''Vole''': De pipple of Mechanicsburg vould ''not'' ekcept [shutting down Castle Heterodyne]] as proof dot she iz a Heterodyne.

-->''* stands up and pumps arms dramatically, striking down the dividing wall*
-->* beat*
-->''* male cast and female cast [[OhCrap stare]] at each other* ''

--->* beat (during which he holds an [[LargeHam overly theatrical]] surprised pose)*
--->'''Taniguchi''': En... Enjoy yourselves! ''* flees* ''

-->* Long beat; bosses glance at each other*

-->* beat*

--->* beat*
--->* Perry walks out the door*

* Many [[JumpingTheShark post-movie]] SpongebobSquarepants episodes have been criticized for their excessive exclusion of beats in their dialogue.

-->(beat)

* ''{{Phineas and Ferb}}''. Used fairly often, for instance in "The Beak", when Isabella is irritated at Phineas for failing to realize that she might be causing the interference in his [[AbstractScale cute tracker]]:

** Also from the {{DCAU}}, from the ''[[BatmanTheAnimatedSeries]]'' episode, "Almost Got Him":

--->'''Isabella:''' I still have to earn my You-Wouldn't-Know-Cute-If-It-Bit-Your-Leg-Off accomplishment patch.

--->'''Phineas:''' [[ChasteHero Cool, let's go!]]
** In "That Sinking Feeling":
--->'''Doofenshmirtz:''' The lighthouse is gone and there's nothing you can do about it! So you might as well run back to Major Monogram and tell him you lost this one!
--->*beat*

* Many [[JumpingTheShark post-movie]] SpongeBob episodes have been criticized for their excessive exclusion of beats in their dialogue.

In ScriptSpeak, a beat ([[NamesTheSame no]], [[Game/MegaMan not]] [[EternalSonata any of]] [[TheWorldEndsWithYou THOSE]] [[JetSetRadio Beats]]) is an instruction in the script to leave a short pause, no more than the space of a breath, after a line or gag. Used either to indicate 'thinking time' or to let it sink in to increase the impact of the [[DelayedReaction subsequent reaction]].