History Main / DramaticTVShutOff

* During the Yellow Temperance arc of ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'', Joseph uses his Stand, Hermit Purple, on a hotel television. He receives a message (through ManipulativeEditing): "There is a traitor who is among us all. Kakyoin, beware of him. DIO's loyal servant." Unfortunately, DIO hijacks the signal, and blow the TV up.

[[AC:Anime and Manga]]

* Similar to the ''1984'' example below, when Jonas first visits the Keeper of Memory in ''Literature/TheGiver'', the Keeper switches off the two-way speaker in his room, providing a degree of privacy Jonas had never known.

* During the Yellow Temperance arc of Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders, Joseph uses his Stand, Hermit Purple, on a hotel television. He receives a message (through ManipulativeEditing): "There is a traitor who is among us all. Kakyoin, beware of him. DIO's loyal servant." Unfortunately, DIO hijacks the signal, and blow the TV up.

When somebody is using a television (or radio, video game or other media device), a dramatic interruption can be created by somebody switching it off. This might be done because they cannot bear to hear or see what is being broadcast, because they do not want somebody else (often children) to hear the broadcast, or to put themselves into focus, when everybody else's attention is on the television.

This often happens just after something important has been broadcast, which the characters then discuss; or it can happen just ''before'' an important moment, which is then lost for ever (although nowadays, this can be averted with more modern devices, such as catch-up TV).

Note that this trope does not apply when somebody switches off a television simply because a programme has finished, unless there is a particularly dramatic reason to do so.

* ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'': Halfway during the movie's story, Marty and Doc figure out that Biff Tannen became filthy rich due to having gotten the sports almanac that was purchased from the future. So Marty infiltrates through Biff's luxurious building and, upon reaching his spa room where he's watching TV with two naked women, he grabs the TV remote to turn it off and then throws it at the spa's water. While Biff is merely baffled over it at first, he realizes how serious the situation is when Marty tells him that he knows about the almanac, so he asks the women to go away.

* ''Film/BridgetJonesDiary'': A deleted scene shows Daniel obsessively watching sport on TV, until Bridget switches it off to get his attention. He then reveals how he has booked them to go on a mini-break: when she reacts with delight, he quickly switches the set back on.

* ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'': When the Buckets have heard the news on the television that the last Golden Ticket has been found, Grandpa Joe mutters "turn it off", and they sadly discuss how Charlie's last hope has gone.

* ''Series/{{Monk}}'': Invoked by a fugitive bomber in "[[Recap/MonkS3E3MrMonkAndTheBlackout Mr. Monk and the Blackout]]" who causes the city to go dark during the airing of a concert right before a close-up of him in the audience is shown because he knew he'd be recognized. When the tv station runs the concert again to appease the viewers, he causes ''another'' blackout at the exact same point.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': In "National Treasure 4: Baby Granny: She's Doing Well: The Hole Story", Steve, Hayley and Jeff learn that Francine fell down a well 35 years ago and watch an episode of ''Morning Glory'' about it. As old footage of the rescue plays, Francine (who is suffering from major SurvivorGuilt related to the event) turns it off before they can actually see her emerging from the well.
* ''WesternAnimation/BeingIan'': In "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Ian believes he initially caused his older brother Korey [[TheRunaway to run away from home]], due to the amount of mean-spirited revenge pranks he pulled, with evidence like him taking his favorite comic books and a ladder propped up against the window ([[EntertaininglyWrong in actuality]], his friend invited him to an Armadillo Man comic book signing, which is where the ladder came from, and he took his stash of comics to get signed). When Ian gets the attention of his family to announce what had happened by standing in front of the television and turning it off, his brother Kyle simply mutes the TV instead. Before Ian can say anything however, [[CoincidentalBroadcast Korey happens to appear on TV]] via a breaking news segment, with each member of Ian's family reacting to the broadcast, which Ian believes they already know about how Ian was the one responsible for chasing his brother away. When his mom points out how Korey is on the TV, Ian then gets on Kyle's case about how he didn't turn it off like he asked, before embarking on a journey to rescue his brother [[ItMakesSenseInContext who is trapped on an unmoving escalator]].
* ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'': [[spoiler:Bojack starts spiraling after his encounter with Angela, to the point where he breaks into his old house in a drunken bender. He puts on one of the Horsing Around [=DVDs=], and watches a behind the scenes featurette of his audition. His old, hopeful self contrasts with his broken thousand yard stare in the reflection of the TV when it turns off.]]

** In "[[Recap/FuturamaS1E3IRoommate I, Roommate]]", this overlaps with MissingTheGoodStuff. The Planet Express crew gather at Fry and Bender's new apartment to watch a important episode of ''All My Circuits''. Just as Calculon is about to reveal his "terrible secret", Bender rushes into the room and the signal drops out; when he leaves, it comes back. This repeats a couple of times, with Calculon attempting to repeat his terrible secret only to get cut off again, until eventually everyone realises that Bender's antenna is interfering with the satellite reception.
** PlayedForLaughs in "[[Recap/FuturamaS3E14TimeKeepsOnSlippin Time Keeps On Slippin']]," where Leela first asks Zoidberg about for his opinion on Fry. The crustacean first says "he'd be honored" to listen to her troubles, [[GilliganCut only for it to cut a few minutes later]] (due to the Chronitons destabilizing reality itself that it causes time to skip ahead randomly), with Zoidberg having turned on the TV and ignoring Leela at some point, to which she yells at him to pay attention.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': The end of "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E16BornAgainKrabsIHadAnAccident I Had an Accident]]" has a [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext live action zebra run off with a gorilla]]. The camera then jumps to viewers watching the show, exchanging a dumbfoubded look, then turning it off.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': In "[[Recap/FuturamaS1E3IRoommate I, Roommate]]", this overlaps with MissingTheGoodStuff. The Planet Express crew gather at Fry and Bender's new apartment to watch a important episode of ''All My Circuits''. Just as Calculon is about to reveal his "terrible secret", Bender rushes into the room and the signal drops out; when he leaves, it comes back. This repeats a couple of times, with Calculon attempting to repeat his terrible secret only to get cut off again, until eventually everyone realises that Bender's antenna is interfering with the satellite reception.

-->'''Homer:''' Lord help me, I'm just not that bright.

[[AC: Anime and Manga]]

[[AC: Comic Books]]

[[AC: Film - Animated]]

-->'''Anita:''' Roger, after all that, your first big hit. It's made more money than we ever dreamed of.
-->'''Roger:''' Yes, I know. But I still can't believe that Pongo and Perdie would run away.

[[AC: Film - Live-Action]]

--> '''Marty:''' Party's over, Biff.

[[AC: Literature]]

[[AC: Live-Action TV]]

[[AC: Video Games]]

* ''WesternAnimation/Futurama'': In "[[Recap/FuturamaS1E3IRoommate I, Roommate]]", this overlaps with MissingTheGoodStuff. The Planet Express crew gather at Fry and Bender's new apartment to watch a important episode of ''All My Circuits''. Just as Calculon is about to reveal his "terrible secret", Bender rushes into the room and the signal drops out; when he leaves, it comes back. This repeats a couple of times, with Calculon attempting to repeat his terrible secret only to get cut off again, until eventually everyone realises that Bender's antenna is interfering with the satellite reception.

-> ''"How dare you, now switch the television back on!"''

* ''Series/{{Monk}}'': Invoked by a fugitive bomber in "[[Recap/MonkS3E3MrMonkAndThe Blackout Mr. Monk and the Blackout]]" who causes the city to go dark during the airing of a concert right before a close-up of him in the audience is shown because he knew he'd be recognized. When the tv station runs the concert again to appease the viewers, he causes ''another'' blackout at the exact same point.

** In "Day of Disaster", Brains is watching the Martian probe on the television, and Lady Penelope switches it off, saying that in her house, everything stops for a SpotOfTea.