History ObfuscatingStupidity / LiveActionTV

* A subversion occurred in the Creator/VH1 Reality show, ''I Love Money 2'' where a contestant simply referred to as "It" floated into the final episode because he was likable, physically nonthreatening despite his size and just one more vote for the main alliance. Channelling Johnny Fairplay of ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' fame's "Dead Grandma" ploy, claiming he had a sick/dying grandfather won him the sympathy to reach the Final 3 where he [[OhCrap revealed it was a lie, he doesn't need glasses]] and dropping his UncleTomFoolery speech pattern, making it seem like he really ''would'' become the show's winner...only to [[WhatAnIdiot get lost, lazily reach a challenge the other two contestants were almost finishing then not even bothering to finish and simply ordering food]] and to cap the HumiliationConga, he dropped his plate on the ground.

* Like in the earlier films, the '50s ''Series/{{Zorro|1957}}'' television show had the title character disguise his secret identity with stupidity; however, instead of being a [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob rich fop]], his alter ego was a bumbling Zorro sympathiser who supposedly lacked the skills of his idol.

** In-series, it's also revealed that Schultz not only managed to get himself promoted to Hauptfeldtwebel (that's Senior Master Sergeant, or E-8 equivalent), he also ran a highly successful toy company in the interbellum years, and only re-enlisted because he had no better options when his factory was seized for the war effort.

* In one episode of ''Series/TheMentalist'', "Flame Red", the killer is [[spoiler:an intelligent young man named Tommy who has been pretending to be mentally retarded for some time, ever since he it got him out of a parking ticket because of the magical words "he didn't know any better." He gets angry after someone he knows is killed for greed, and [[KillItWithFire gets revenge.]]]]

** A few episodes suggest the Klink knows a lot more than he lets on. For instance on learning radio detection gear is being brought to the camp he immediately sends Schultz to warn the prisoners. Another episode had a resistance agent drop a message to Hogan in a way that made it clear either Schultz or Klink had to be responsible (Hogan doesn't notice this detail).

* During the 2015 Christmas Special of ''Series/EightOutOfTenCats'', Jimmy Carr asked Sean Lock and Jon Richardson to play a game of "Carrot in a Box".[[note]]A closed box is given to each contestant; One has a carrot in it, the other does not. One contestant peeks in his box, to see if there's a carrot in it, and then the other contestant must observe his reaction and decide which of the two boxes to keep for himself. Whoever ends up with the carrot wins.[[/note]] As Jimmy tries to explain the rules, [[spoiler: Sean does nothing but complain what a stupid idea it is, and seems to be missing the point of the game altogether. When instructed to peek into his box, he even reaches right in to grab the carrot, and then asks to keep his box because "there's a carrot in it". Jimmy chides him for screwing up the game and explains the rules to Sean once again (while everyone in the studio is crying with laughter at how badly the game is going), but Sean keeps arguing that he doesn't want to give up his box. Jon is finally given the choice of which box to take, and obviously picks the one Sean had just proclaimed as having a carrot in it.]] He then opens the box... [[spoiler:only to find it empty.]]

** Saul Goodman is an extremely talented lawyer and business associate, but has no problem letting Albuquerque think he's sleazy and incompetent.

* In ''Series/TheWalkingDead'', Carol often downplays her toughness and smarts. Early on in Sanctuary, Morgan notices the way she observes her surroundings, having noticed Rick do the same thing, and asks her if she was a cop. She turns it UpToEleven when she first meets Ezekiel, but later on in the same episode they have an earnest conversation, her dropping TheDitz act and him dropping his regal affectation.

* In the ''Series/MurderSheWrote'' episode "Murder in High C", the Genoan police inspector is "just a simple policeman from the mountains", who knows very little about opera or the arts. When he puts a cassette tape in the machine upside down and claims to also know very little about technology, Jessica just shakes her head.
-->'''Inspector Amati''': Signora Fletcher, come on! That little act has worked to my advantage for many years!

* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'': During an interrogation with a difficult suspect, Holt and Peralta try a technique they call "Smart Cop, Dumb Cop," where Peralta intentionally makes himself look out of his depth to catch the perp off-guard later.

* A similar plotline was also used in an episode of ''Series/TheLoveBoat'' (female HollywoodNerd starts acting ditzy and vapid to get a date).

** In "Eve of the Daleks", Dan Lewis has to distract a Dalek while the others carry out ThePlan.

'''Dan:''' I'd get a friendlier voice, though. This one's a little bit grating. ''(Dan has moved in close so the Dalek's ray gun cannot hit him.)'' What kind of a welcome is that, eh? I'll report you to your manager!

** Skyler's old boss Ted becomes noticed by the IRS CID, due to massive tax fraud that she helped cover up. She fixes it by pretending to be a DumbBlonde secretary who only got the job by sleeping with Ted, and hopelessly screwed up the company's accounts by stupidity rather than intentional fraud. Plus, she gets revenge on Ted for getting her involved by not telling him about the plan beforehand, and making him sweat through part of the audit alone before showing up late as part of her character.

** His nieces Marah and Kapri, ThoseTwoBadGuys in the series, spend the bulk of the series being portrayed as TheDitz duo, practically [[MinionWithAnFInEvil a disgrace to be called evil]], and failing in every one of their attempts for their uncle's plans. In the third-to-last episode, it's revealed that it had been a façade from day one; they were just as cold, calculating, and intelligent as Lothor himself, and had been biding their time since the start to usurp his power. Then, once their plan seemingly fails and they kill the general that they coerced into working with them, it's revealed that they were in league with TheStarscream in their scheme. And ''then'' it's revealed that they were [[DoubleAgent Double Agents]], and had been Lothor's CoDragons in secret since the start. So, not only were they smart enough to fool everyone into thinking they were harmless, they were smart enough to trick everyone aside from their boss, the BigBad, as to whose side they were actually on.

* ''Series/Daredevil2015'':
** Wilson Fisk allows Madame Gao to believe he cannot understand Chinese, but later reveals that he is somewhat fluent. His obfuscation has mostly been so that he has an excuse to have James Wesley around for their meetings. Turns out Madame Gao is doing the exact same thing - she pretends that she does not speak English and requires a translator. Fisk also understands Japanese to an extent, but prefers to have Wesley provide a more TactfulTranslation of Nobu's remarks.

** Colonel O'Neill on ''Series/StargateSG1'', while far from a rocket scientist, usually presented a snarky persona that appeared much dumber than he actually was, often to fool his enemies or simply to annoy his allies. He also has a dislike for listening to {{Technobabble}}. Under closer examination, is an amateur astronomer (when he's not spying on his neighbors through his telescope) and a brilliant strategist/tactician. He is also fluent in Spanish, [[SmartPeoplePlayChess can beat General Landry in chess,]] can be diplomatic if he has to, and is smart enough to quickly pick up how to control an alien starship with a little guidance. He is also the only one who can come even close to keep an alien database in his head without dying immediately. Teen Cassandra lampshades this, saying, "Jack likes to pretend he's not as smart as he really is."

*** In the beginning of the same series, Rom is cast as a simpleton. Through CharacterDevelopment we discover he's actually a GadgeteerGenius (though he does have GeniusDitz tendencies). When your boss and older brother is a shady bartender it pays to play dumb, since you'll probably be interrogated on a regular basis. Rom himself [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this in ''The Assignment'' when he lands in jail.

** Colonel O'Neill on ''Series/StargateSG1'', while far from a rocket scientist, usually presented a snarky persona that appeared much dumber than he actually was, often to fool his enemies or simply to annoy his allies. He is an amateur astronomer (when he's not spying on his neighbors through his telescope) and a brilliant strategist/tactician. He is also fluent in Spanish, [[SmartPeoplePlayChess can beat General Landry in chess,]] can be diplomatic if he has to, and is smart enough to quickly pick up how to control an alien starship with a little guidance. He is also the only one who can come even close to keep an alien database in his head without dying immediately. Teen Cassandra lampshades this, saying, "Jack likes to pretend he's not as smart as he really is."

** The Doctor, particularly in his second and fourth incarnations, often used to play the fool to lull his enemies into a false sense of security ("Would you care for a jelly baby?"). (He also, often, played the fool because he simply felt like it, believing "there's no point being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes".) Later on, in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E9TheFamilyOfBlood "The Family of Blood"]], whilst pretending to be still human his blundering nervousness lulls the Family into such a state of arrogant superiority that they don't notice that the buttons he's "accidentally" pushing will destroy their ship until it's much, much too late. This was occasionally subverted, as well, with the enemies realising that this was what he was doing — most notably in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath "City of Death"]], in which Count Scarlioni's [[GenreSavvy understanding of the Doctor]] prevents him from being deceived.