Line #81 DontExplainTheJoke/LiveActionTV


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8	* There was a "don't make the joke at all" example in a David Letterman monologue -- close enough. The setup was "President Clinton banged the ceremonial gong". Letterman stopped at this point and said "[[ObligatoryJoke you don't need my help with this one]]", then, apparently not happy with the audience response, yelled "'CAUSE HE'S BANGED EVERYTHING ELSE!" See, he ruined it, 'cause it would have been funnier if he'd left it to the imagination.
9	* Frequently PlayedForLaughs by Creator/ConanOBrien, in a high pitch laugh as a follow-up to a joke that no one in their right mind could possibly not get in under a second, as if the joke required any amount of explaining. "BECAUSE HE'S FAT!" According to a DVD commentary, back when Conan worked on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', he pitched that if a joke was obscure and might not work, his head would appear on the scene for a split second to explain the joke. Triumph the Insult Comic Dog also deliberately does this for humor, often explaining some of his most obvious insults to the insultees.
10	-->'''Triumph:''' You're nominated in the polka category. You're a polka musician. So what's your day job? (''laughs'') Because people hate polka!
11	* Creator/SethMeyers has a recurring segment on his ''Series/LateNight'' show in which he gives a surprise inspection of his writers, based on jokes they submit that Seth believes are too offensive, confusing, or just plain bad. Seth will read the joke, and will then proceed to explain it, resulting in a lot of fun to be had with the audience or occasionally, the crew. Seth also names who wrote the joke for added embarrassment.
12	* Daniel Tosh violated this rule on his show when he showed a picture of dozens of Japanese packed shoulder-to-shoulder into a swimming pool. He said that that must be the shallow end. "({{beat}}) Get it? Because they're all short! Yao Ming's from China!"
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16	* A variation on ''Series/{{Angel}}'': the Host (who has green skin) tells everyone his name is Lorne, but he doesn't like to use it for obvious reasons.
17	-->'''Angel:''' Right, like Lorne Greene!\
18	(''the others stare at him blankly'')\
19	'''Angel:''' You know, from ''Series/{{Bonanza}}''.\
20	(''the others keep staring at him blankly'')\
21	'''Angel:''' Come on, [[LongRunners that show had 15 seasons]]!\
22	(''[[RuleOfThree the others keep staring at him blankly]]'')\
23	'''Angel:''' ...I feel old.
24	* ''Series/BetterOffTed'': Linda is [[OperationJealousy trying to make Ted jealous]] by talking about meeting her ex-boyfriend for coffee, but ends up messing up [[{{Metaphorgotten}} the metaphor she was going it]].
25	--->'''Linda''': I gotta go meet Don at the Who Cares What People Think Café, where if someone sees something that they want, they just have it, and it's the best thing they've ever had. Because that meal's [[FlexibilityEqualsSexAbility been practicing yoga for seven years]]. In case you missed it, by "that meal" I mean me. I'm [[LampshadeHanging bad at metaphors]], but I'm [[SexGoddess great at sex]].
26	* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' does this all the time, mostly via Sheldon.
27	** Like when he summarizes the entire point of one episode:
28	--->'''Sheldon:''' It's the juxtaposition of the high-tech nature of space exploration against the banality of a malfunctioning toilet that provides the comic fodder here. (''beat, then his weird laugh'')
29	** Plus, he notes all of his own "hilarious pranks" with his {{catchphrase}} "Bazinga!" Sometimes the "hilarious prank" is simply telling a lie and then immediately taking it back.
30	--->'''Sheldon:''' Howard, your shoes are amazing. Where did you get them? (''{{beat}}'') Bazinga! I don't care.
31	** Somewhat subverted in a later episode, when it's explicitly stated he does this on purpose, ''because he thinks it makes the jokes funnier''.
32	** Howard also almost did this in ''The Vengeance Formulation'' when Bernadette didn't get a joke. Luckily, she stopped him in time with a ShutUpKiss.
33	* In an episode of ''Series/Bob1992'', After the gang sees the Mad Dog float and Chad makes a "I bet you never thought Mad Dog would be this big" and nobody laughs, Albie explains "it implies "big" as in famous, but instead, he's referring to size". When the others still don't laugh, Albie says it must have gone over their heads, before again explaining this joke ("because the float will be over everybody's heads."
34	* On ''Series/{{Bones}}'', Temperance Brennen [[CannotTellAJoke has long had trouble understanding humor]]. So when she does understand a joke, she's quick to point out to anyone, including the teller of the joke, ''why'' it's humorous. For example, in the episode "[[Recap/BonesS5E18ThePredatorInThePool The Predator in the Pool]]", she asks FBI Supervisory Special Agent Andrew Hacker if he is allowed to date her (due to regulations prohibiting relationships between agents and consultants). Hacker says he got permission, from himself:
35	-->'''Hacker:''' In fact, I not only granted permission, but I insisted that I see you socially.\
36	'''Bones:''' (''Pauses, then laughs'') That's funny, because you're satirizing bureaucratic rules by adhering to the letter of the regulations instead of the spirit of it. (''laughs again'')
37	* In ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'', the police officers have a rivalry with a local fire department which frequently expresses itself in bickering. The firefighters, when insulting the cops, tend to spell out their insults, suggesting that they're not quite as intellectually sharp as the quite witty detectives -- an impression strengthened by the fact that they nevertheless seem to consider doing this the height of wit. Such as this moment after a firefighter has presented Detective Peralta with a file that has a donut squashed between it:
38	-->'''Firefighter:''' ''[gleefully]'' It's a donut! Because you're cops!\
39	'''Peralta:''' Are you sure?
40	* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
41	** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E18KilledByDeath Killed By Death]]":
42	--->'''Cordelia:''' Oh, right. Your obsession with protecting Buffy. Have I told you how attractive that's not?\
43	'''Xander:''' Cordelia, someone's gotta watch her back.\
44	'''Cordelia:''' Yeah, well, I've seen you watch her back.\
45	'''Xander:''' What is that supposed to mean?\
46	'''Cordelia:''' Well, I was using the phrase "watch her back" as a euphemism for looking at her butt. You know, sort of a pun.\
47	'''Xander:''' Oh! Right. Hey!
48	** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E11Gingerbread Gingerbread]]":
49	--->'''[[AlphaBitch Cordelia]]:''' And If you hang with them, expect badness, 'cause that's what you get when you hang with freaks and losers. Believe me, I know. (''begins to walk away, turns back'') That was a pointed comment about me hanging with you guys.
50	** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E4OutOfMyMind Out Of My Mind]]", Willow teases Buffy about her new-found academic prowess:
51	--->'''Willow:''' Should I be watching my occipital lobe?\
52	'''Buffy:''' Your what?\
53	'''Willow:''' Occipital, the lobe in the back of your brain? You know, like, should I be watching my back? But, you know, the back of your brain.\
54	'''Buffy:''' Apparently not.
55	*** Even funnier because the occipital lobe contains the brain's visual processing centers. Which process the watching. Of the back. Of the brain.
56	** Taken to extremes by Anya in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E22Restless Restless]]", where, in Giles' dream, she takes up stand-up comedy and is so abysmal at it that she has to explain every joke just to get the crowd to laugh.
57	--->'''Anya:''' And then the duck tells the doctor that there's a man that's attached to my ass! You see, it was the duck and not the man that spoke.
58	* The teaser for a ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' episode had Woody not falling for a prank call, even though the caller [[spoiler:revealed to be Frasier]] tries to explain it to him... and vice versa.
59	* ''Series/{{Community}}'':
60	** "[[Recap/CommunityS1E12ComparativeReligion Comparative Religion]]" opens with the Dean making generic, non-denominational holiday greetings over the PA.
61	--->'''Shirley:''' I'm so sick of the Dean jamming his PC-ness down my throat!\
62	'''Jeff''': Pierce, I'd like to commend you for letting that one go.\
63	'''Pierce:''' (''after a beat, laughs'') PC-ness -- now I get it!\
64	'''Troy:''' (''laughs'') It sounds like 'penis' -- I just got it too!
65	** In "[[Recap/CommunityS2E04BasicRocketScience Basic Rocket Science]]", all of the group's problems are a result of the fact that Jeff explained to the Dean that the Greendale flag was a butt flag, which the Dean failed to see despite the fact that it said "E pluribus anus".
66	* In a season four ''Series/CriminalMinds'' episode, "Masterpiece", Dr Spencer Reid attempts to explain a joke that totally bombs:
67	-->'''Reid:''' (''to a lecture hall full of college students'') How many existentialists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?\
68	'''Rossi:''' Don't.\
69	'''Reid:''' (''smiles at Rossi in attempted reassurance'') Two. One to change the lightbulb and one to observe how it symbolizes an incandescent beacon of subjectivity in a netherworld of cosmic nothingness. (''Reid laughs, everyone else in the room is silent'') Um, an existentialist will question --\
70	'''Rossi:''' Okay! Before he does his quantum physics knock-knock joke...
71	* ''Series/TheDailyShow'':
72	** Actor Creator/RussellCrowe makes a comment that falls flat with the audience and then remarks, "[[{{Pun}} And the crowd goes mild]]." After Jon Stewart attempts to correct him on his phraseology, Russell is forced to Explain the Joke.
73	** [[http://www.cc.com/video-clips/njmn0d/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-word-war-ii Explaining how "Obama got served".]]
74	** And yet, somehow ''inverted'' during Jon's [[http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-28-2011/louis-c-k- interview with Louis CK]] He began dissecting ToiletHumour during the interview, leaving Jon and the audience in stitches.
75	** The June 24, 2013 episode has a clip of Al Franken needlessly over-analyzing a straight-forward political cartoon for over thirty seconds.
76	** Quoth John Oliver, in the December 11th episode, while making suggestive hip motions, and while Jon keeps trying to interrupt to say everyone knows what he means, and he can stop now: "Our elected representatives all head home for... a merry triple-xmas. There's going to be a lot of stockings being ''stuffed'', John, if you know what I mean. Do you get what I'm saying? I'm talking about a {[[SoundEffectBleep beep]]}''fest'', Jon."
77	* Parodied on ''Series/DharmaAndGreg'':
78	-->'''Greg:''' So a man with a wooden eye walks into a bar and as you can imagine he feels very self-conscious--\
79	'''Mr. Montgomery:''' (''astutely'') Because he had a wooden eye!
80	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
81	** There's a rare straight example in the last story of the original series, [[Recap/DoctorWhoS26E4Survival "Survival"]], where a shopkeeper fails to understand the joke his friend is telling him, about two friends confronted by a lion, and the Doctor explains:
82	--->'''7th Doctor:''' He doesn't have to outrun the lion, only his friend. Then the lion catches up with his friend and eats him. The strong survive, the weak are killed — the law of the jungle! Yes, very clever, if you don't mind losing your friend. But what happens when the next lion turns up?
83	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]]: The Doctor locks the TARDIS by pointing the key at it, at which point it chirps and the light on top flashes. He then rather desperately tries to explain to Ood Sigma (TheComicallySerious) why this is funny.
84	--->'''10th Doctor:''' Like a car? You see? I locked it... like a car...
85	** The entire 2011 season with the 11th Doctor (beginning with the 2010 Christmas Special and ending with the 2011 one) was like one very long "don't explain the joke", where everyone kept asking "[[TitleDrop Doctor who?]]" and ended with even the Doctor shouting it. (Previous to this, nobody ever really asked "Doctor Who?" before; it was just the gag in the name of the show. The Doctor would simply introduce himself as "I'm called The Doctor" and people would just take that at face value and run with it.)
86	*** And there was no payoff to the gag: his name was still left unrevealed.
87	* ''Series/TheDrewCareyShow'':
88	** When Larry is forced to play Santa he suggests that store visitors would enjoy seeing him "unwrap his package." When Mimi doesn't like the idea, he helpfully explains that "when I said 'unwrapping my package' I meant 'expose myself!'"
89	** On another episode, Drew attends the wedding of Nicki, his former fiancée. In a toast Nicki's dad mentions whom she's been involved with.
90	--->'''Nicki's dad:''' losers, characters, and ne'er-Drew-wells. I mean ne'er-''Drew''-wells. (''points to Drew'') Hell, I mean that guy right there.
91	* ''Series/FatherTed'':
92	** The episode "Flight into Terror" features this example:
93	--->'''Ted:''' When everything's going OK, I just keep imagining all the terrible things that can happen, but when one of those things actually happens, it's just a rush! I am fearless. Like that film with Jeff Bridges.\
94	'''Dougal:''' I haven't seen that one.\
95	'''Ted:''' Not a lot of people have, Dougal, so it's probably a bad reference.
96	** Ted would often go a bit too far in trying to explain why what Dougal just said was stupid, though Dermott Morgan's delivery would usually make it work as its own joke.
97	* On ''Series/FilthyRichAndCatflap'', deluded failed light-entertainer Richie Rich makes a poor joke implying that his minder, Eddie Catflap smells. When Eddie remains silent, Richie feels the need to explain the joke ("Because ''you're'' so smelly.") Eddie bluntly responds that he got the joke, he just didn't think it was a very good one. Hence the lack of laughter.
98	* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'':
99	** Martin does this sometimes. "Tomorrow, I'm going to the birthday party of one of my old friends from the force, he'll be 16... Because you see, tomorrow's the [[UsefulNotes/LeapDay 29th of February]]... It only comes every four years... He's really 64..."
100	** "The previous act was a guy with a parrot -- Sargent Joe and Officer Chirpy. Dick Chirpy was one of the finest men I ever worked with... Did you see what I did? Chirpy sounds like it would be the parrot but it's actually the man... Dick Chirpy, you see, you'd think he'd be Sargent Joe... Joe is the parrot."
101	** When Frasier and Martin realize that they can't stand to live together without Daphne around:
102	--->'''Martin:''' You know how an Oreo has that soft creamy filling between two hard cookies? That's what keeps them together?\
103	'''Frasier:''' See your point, Dad.\
104	'''Martin:''' Daphne's kind of the centre.\
105	'''Frasier:''' I'll go and talk to her.\
106	'''Martin:''' Now, you and me, we'd be the cookie part.\
107	'''Frasier:''' I get it!
108	** In one episode, Frasier has a particularly awkward time trying to charm some of Martin's cop buddies, joking about a monkey murderer.
109	--->'''Frasier:''' Who do you suppose the monkey will get to defend him? Clarence Darrow?\
110	'''Cops:''' (''silence'')\
111	'''Frasier:''' The Scopes Monkey trial... You know, Darwin's theory of Evolution? It was turned into a Pulitzer Prize winning novel? "Inherit the Wind?" (''exasperated, he turns to a cop'') Is that gun loaded?
112	* Anytime someone tells a joke on ''Series/GarthMarenghisDarkplace'', it'll probably end up like this, probably with Thornton delivering the over-done line. For instance, in an episode where a character is killed by a screwdriver:
113	-->'''Sanchez:''' Let's all go for a drink.\
114	'''Liz:''' As long as it's not a screwdriver!\
115	(''[[OhCisco everybody laughs]]'')\
116	'''Thornton:''' I'd prefer a beer!
117	* On ''Series/TheGruenTransfer'', Wil Anderson fell victim to this when talking about ads tied to the legs of flies in a bookstore:
118	-->'''Wil Anderson:''' [[TakeThat The flies were especially attracted to the]] Creator/DanBrown books. (''{{beat}}'') 'cause they're shit.
119	* In an episode of ''Series/{{House}}'', Cameron attempts to imitate House by holding his red coffee mug, leaning on the white board and asking "Foreman, are you going to contribute? Or are you too busy stealing cars?" Everyone one stares at her blankly, prompting her to say, "I'm being House. It's funny."
120	* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'':
121	** From season one:
122	--->'''Robin:''' I got highlights.\
123	'''Ted:''' Oh, for the waiting room of your dental practice? (''awkward pause'') ''Highlights'' is a children's magazine.
124	** And when Barney hits on a girl in a hula dancer costume at Halloween:
125	--->'''Barney:''' So, what does a guy have to do to get ''laid'' around here?\
126	'''Hula Girl:''' Riiight. 'Cause I'm wearing a lei. (''walks away from him'')\
127	'''Barney:''' (''angrily'') It's not funny if you explain the joke!
128	** Another, not strictly a joke.
129	---> '''Hammond:''' I'm an architect without a home. You see the tragic irony in that?\
130	'''Ted:''' Yeah, I do --\
131	'''Hammond:''' Because I design homes --\
132	'''Ted:''' I see it --\
133	'''Hammond:''' But I don't have a home.\
134	'''Ted:''' Not lost on me at all.
135	* ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne'': The series has this as a RunningGag, since TheHero Aruto is a failed comedian whose repertoire consists almost entirely of cheesy puns, which his robot secretary Izu will then dissect in an attempt to find the humor. On more than one occasion this has resulted in Aruto desperately admonishing her not to explain the joke.
136	* A certain skit on ''Series/TheKidsInTheHall'' featured Kevin [=McDonald=] and Dave Foley as the burlesque comedy duo [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDo4JeRsVE4 McGillicutty and Green]], with Dave's character as the overly literalist straight-man. Two lines into Creator/AbbottAndCostello's "WhosOnFirst" routine, Dave's character interrupts and says, "Oh, I see what your problem is! You're confused by their names because they all sound like questions!" and proceeds to go on spouting excessively detailed descriptions of all the baseball player names.
137	-->'''Kevin:''' So, I understand you manage a baseball team!\
138	'''Dave:''' No, I'm a vaudevillain.
139	* {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d by the recurring segment "One of My Writers Explains a Joke" on ''Series/LateNight with Creator/SethMeyers''. The explanations almost always get bigger laughs than the original joke. Doubles as LampshadedTheObscureReference.
140	* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' does this, in "The Runway Job". And if ''[[NoSocialSkills Parker]]'' thinks you're going too far, you already did:
141	-->'''Eliot:''' Dated a ''lot'' of models. Lot of private fashion shows, [[LampshadedDoubleEntendre if you know what I mean]].\
142	'''Parker:''' Yes, yes.\
143	'''Eliot:''' Most of the dresses ended up on the ground.\
144	'''Parker:''' Yup, I get it, [[AllMenArePerverts you're a guy]].\
145	'''Eliot:''' It means they were naked.\
146	'''Parker:''' Okay, seriously?
147	* On ''Series/ModernFamily'', Mitchell and Cam were having dinner with an old friend who was jealous of their baby Lily. At one point she refers to Lily as Yoko.
148	-->'''Friend:''' Get it? Because she's Asian and she broke up our group!
149	* Used often in ''Series/{{Monk}}''.
150	** Such as in this example from the episode "Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever":
151	--->'''Lt. Randy Disher:''' Glad you like numbers, Billy. You're gonna be wearing some numbers on your shirt.\
152	'''Billy Logan:''' Is that right?\
153	'''Lt. Randy Disher:''' And they won't be lottery numbers.\
154	'''Billy Logan:''' I get it.\
155	'''Lt. Randy Disher:''' 'Cause you're going to prison.\
156	'''Billy Logan:''' Yeah, I get it.
157	** In "Mr. Monk Is on the Air", Monk, Natalie and Linda Riggs show up at Max Hudson's house:
158	--->'''Linda Riggs:''' I don't think he's home. \
159	'''Adrian Monk:''' Did you tell him I was coming? (''points to the welcome mat, which has the words "GO AWAY" written on it'')\
160	'''Natalie Teeger:''' No, Mr. Monk, that's not for you. It's a joke.\
161	'''Adrian Monk:''' It's a joke? How--how is that funny?\
162	'''Natalie Teeger:''' Um, well, I guess it's funny because it says the ''opposite'' of what a welcome mat would normally say.\
163	'''Adrian Monk:''' S-so it's an opposite joke?\
164	'''Natalie Teeger:''' Yeah. That's right.
165	* A ''Series/MrShow'' sketch has Creator/DavidCross once crack a joke in a flashback no one laughs at ("[She's] injested so much soil [from not washing her vegetables], her stomach ought to be listed in the 'Worm Apartment Guide!'"), that in the present day, he tries to explain himself ("You have soil, worms live in soil, worms would have an apartment guide if...").
166	* Played with several times on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', where the characters (usually Servo or Crow) would sheepishly explain a joke or {{Pun}} that they knew was bad.
167	* From ''Series/NoHeroics'':
168	-->'''The Hotness:''' I've got a risotto to heat up, and there's a certain little lady called Vicci who wants to play with fire... by that, I mean my cock and balls.
169	* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': Graham claims that Emma staying is "bad for local signage".
170	-->'''Graham:''' It's a joke... because you ran over our sign.
171	* In ''Series/PersonOfInterest'', a member of the Brotherhood introduces himself to Shaw as Mini, explaining that it's an [[NonindicativeName ironic nickname]] that pokes fun at his heavy build. It's a subversion, as Mini is lying because he doesn't want Shaw to know why he's really called that.
172	* On ''Series/PushingDaisies'', Olive knows that Lily is [[spoiler:actually Chuck's mother]] and talks to her at a convent:
173	-->'''Lily:''' This place knows things about me nobody knows.\
174	'''Olive:''' You mean that you holidayed here thirty years ago and found a baby in a cabbage patch? And by cabbage patch, I mean your lady parts?
175	* ''Series/RealTimeWithBillMaher'': Bill Maher sometimes feigns a halfhearted explanation of a joke, if there's not enough laughter. Sometimes he still does this when there is (to more laughter).
176	* ''Series/TheRevolutionWillBeTelevised'' does this on occasion. Many of the segments not featuring recurring characters begin with intros in order to explain what issue is being satirized.
177	* On ''The Rotten Tomatoes Show'', while reviewing the baseball movie ''Sugar'', Brett Erlich says "And he tries to steal home, [[LampshadedDoubleEntendre if you know what I mean]]. By having sex with her."
178	* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'':
179	** Creator/NormMacDonald as Burt Reynolds in the Celebrity Jeopardy sketches [[http://snltranscripts.jt.org/99/99cjeopardy.phtml finds]] an over-sized cowboy hat backstage. "It's funny. It's funny because it's ah, bigger than, ah... you know, a normal hat."
180	*** Speaking of Norm, his roast of Bob Saget was full of incredibly shitty jokes. Half the time he explained the joke. It was an anti-roast.
181	** Darrel Hammond's impersonation of Creator/SeanConnery did this [[http://snltranscripts.jt.org/01/01tjeopardy.phtml frequently:]]
182	--->'''Alex Trebek:''' Where did you get that magic marker? We frisked you in on the way in here.\
183	'''Sean Connery:''' I didn't have it in my pocket.\
184	'''Alex Trebek:''' That's disgusting. Please.\
185	'''Sean Connery:''' I bet if you frisked me, you would have found it.\
186	'''Alex Trebek:''' All right, that's enough.\
187	'''Sean Connery:''' Because I was keeping it in my butt.
188	** One of the many [[http://snltranscripts.jt.org/97/97iupdate.phtml highlights]] from Norm [=MacDonald=]'s term as ''Weekend Update'' anchor:
189	--->'''Norm [=MacDonald=]:''' Who are safer drivers? Men, or women? Well, according to a new survey, 55% of adults feel that women are most responsible for minor fender-benders, while 78% blame men for most fatal crashes. Please note that the percentages in these pie graphs do not add up to 100% because the math was done by a woman.\
190	(''uneasy laughter, groans'')\
191	'''Norm [=MacDonald=]:''' For those of you hissing at that joke, it should be noted that that joke was written by a woman. So, now you don't know what the hell to do, do you?\
192	(''laughter increases'')\
193	'''Norm [=MacDonald=]:''' Nah, I'm just kidding. [[CrossesTheLineTwice We don't hire women.]] (''riotous laughter and applause'')
194	** When Wayne ends up in [[http://snltranscripts.jt.org/93/93tmelrose.phtml Melrose Place:]]
195	--->'''Jake:''' What are you doing in Amanda's apartment?\
196	'''Wayne:''' Hi Jake. Jake, I'm, ah, I'm the new handyman.\
197	'''Jake:''' What do you mean?\
198	'''Wayne:''' You know, I'm unclogging her pipes.\
199	'''Jake:''' What are you getting at?\
200	'''Wayne:''' I've been having sexual intercourse with Amanda, repeatedly in different positions for many, many hours.\
201	'''Jake:''' What are you trying to say?
202	** Creator/JohnCleese and Creator/MichaelPalin explained the main premise of the Dead Parrot sketch from ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' while performing it on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', with Cleese's character saying "If you want to get anything done in this country, by which I mean the United Kingdom and its overseas dependencies, you have to complain until you're blue in the face." Fans of the sketch probably seem to think it is surreal due to a) not understanding British culture and b) not understanding that customer service is much, much better now than it was when the sketch was originally made. Case in point, the parrot itself is not actually that important to the sketch. A sketch with the same premise was written for another show by Graham Chapman and Creator/JohnCleese about a car. Palin and Cleese {{lampshade\|Hanging}}d this in a live performance when [[spoiler:Palin handed Cleese a full refund immediately, leaving Cleese dumbfounded and saying, "You can't say Thatcher hasn't changed some things."]]
203	** This one from the "Game of Game of Thrones" sketch:
204	-->'''Creator/BillHader''': You guys are on fire!
205	-->'''Creator/ZachGalifianakis''': And ice! Ice and fire! That’s a Game of Thrones joke!
206	-->'''Bill Hader''': ''([[SarcasmMode sarcastic]])'' It is? ''(rolls eyes)''
207	* In ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', after Elliot accidentally gives a patient an orgasm during an exam:
208	-->'''J.D.:''' I've never heard a woman make sounds like that before.\
209	'''Elliot:''' Oh, I'm sure you haven't.\
210	'''Turk:''' (''laughing'') See, it's funny because you've never really satisfied a woman.
211	* ''Series/ShaunMicallefsMadAsHell'':
212	** A RunningGag in season 9 was Shaun doing a detailed dissection of the premise of whatever joke Tosh Greenslade (playing himself in a wig and glasses) had just told.
213	** The reccurring segment "Lamentable Puns" has Shaun questioning Chris Lorax (played by Tosh Greenslade), sub-editor of Australia's ''Daily Telegraph'', on the obvious and cringeworthy puns in the paper's headlines. Lorax never quite grasps that Shaun isn't asking him to explain the puns but rather to explain why he thought they were appropriate for news headlines, especially when many of them involve death or violent crime.
214	-->'''Lorax''': So we used the headline "Knife and Death" as a pun on "Life and Death", because the killer used a knife.\
215	'''Shaun''': That man is '''[[DudeNotFunny dead!]]'''\
216	'''Lorax''': (''{{Beat}}'') [[{{Catchphrase}} Just a bit of fun...]]
217	* This was the basis of a running joke on ''Series/ShootingStars''. Here's an example:
218	-->'''Bob''': What is the name of the inventor of the steam engine?\
219	[''The teams offer no answers'']\
220	'''Bob''': Well, I'm surprised you didn't get that. The clue was in the question: '''Watt''' is the name of the inventor of the steam engine?\
221	'''Vic''': What is it, then?\
222	'''Bob''': No, Vic, '''Watt''' is the name of the inventor of the steam engine?\
223	'''Vic''': Oh! Yes, right! [''Beat''] What is it, then?
224	* Several of the commentators on [=TruTV=]'s ''The Smoking Gun Presents'' need to learn and live this trope's title. Not ''all'' ViewersAreMorons, after all, and several are repeat joke-killers by way of explaining something that was funny until it got explained to death.
225	* ''Series/{{Spaced}}'': "So it wasn't so much an Eskimo roll, as a case of rolling right Inuit!" (blank look) (Delivered in the same tone) "Inuit's another word for Eskimo!"
226	* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'':
227	** When Geordi is telling a joke to Data, the android. But then, Data is well known for literally not having a sense of humor, [[HypocriticalHumor so his failure to get the joke is, in fact, the joke]]. (Which, of course, makes one wonder why Geordi tried telling him a joke in the first place.)
228	--->'''Geordi:''' ...so the guy staggers to his feet, and goes back to the girl, right? Well, she smiles, looks him straight in the eye, and says, "Just try that in hyperspace!"\
229	(''Geordi laughs while Data remains silent'')\
230	'''Data:''' I see. So the difficulty in attaining such complex positioning in a zero gravity environment, coupled with the adverse effects on the psychological well-being of the average human male is what makes this anecdote so amusing! Yes. Very humorous, indeed. Hysterical, in fact.
231	** In the following example, Guinan's explanation not only fails to save the joke, it reveals that the joke was never funny to begin with (although that was probably not the show writer's intention):
232	--->'''Guinan:''' Look, it's just you and I here. We're talking, we're having an intimate conversation. Why? Because you're a droid and I'm annoyed.\
233	'''Data:''' But why?\
234	'''Guinan:''' Because that's what I am.\
235	'''Data:''' Have I said something to offend you?\
236	'''Guinan:''' No.\
237	'''Data:''' Then why are you annoyed?\
238	'''Guinan:''' Because you're a '' 'droid'', and I'm a '' 'noid''.\
239	'''Data:''' Humanoid.\
240	'''Guinan:''' Yes.\
241	'''Data:''' You told a joke.\
242	'''Guinan:''' Yes!\
243	'''Data:''' I am not laughing.\
244	'''Guinan:''' Yes!\
245	'''Data:''' Perhaps the joke was not funny.\
246	'''Guinan:''' No. The joke was funny, it's you, Data.\
247	'''Data:''' Are you sure?
248	** "Descent: Part I" opens with Data playing poker with the holographic recreations of Creator/StephenHawking ([[AsHimself played by Hawking himself]]), UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein, and Sir UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton, and Hawking delivers this punchline:
249	--->'''Hawking:''' [[AC:[[OrphanedPunchline ...but then I said, in that frame of reference, the perihelion of Mercury would have precessed in the opposite direction]].]]
250	--->'''Einstein:''' (''laughing'') That is a great story!
251	--->'''Data:''' Quite amusing, Dr. Hawking. You see, Sir Isaac, [[DontExplainTheJoke the joke depends on an understanding of the relativistic curvature of space-time. If two non-inertial reference frames are in relative motion]]--
252	--->'''Newton:''' Do not patronize me, sir! I invented physics!
253	* In the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "Workforce", where the crew is brainwashed by an alien society and used as part of its... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin well, yeah]].
254	-->'''Jaffen:''' ...So, the man kept making these rude comments -- all of them about my father -- and he couldn't figure out why I wasn't insulted. Finally, I just had to tell him I'm ''Norvalian''; I don't ''have'' a father.\
255	'''Tuvok:''' (''laughs raucously'')\
256	'''Jaffen:''' It wasn't that funny, Tuvok.\
257	'''Tuvok:''' On the contrary! The man was ignorant of how your species procreates. His attempt to disparage you ultimately humiliated ''him''. Irony is often a source of humor.\
258	'''Jaffen:''' Well, when you put it that way... it wasn't funny at all...
259	* In an episode of ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'', Max embarrassed herself repeatedly during student-body presidential elections by trying to get people to laugh at her burns against Cody by explaining them.
260	* ''Series/{{Suits}}'':
261	** In a season two episode, Harvey and Mike are investigating a bank, regarding a prime real-estate deal. Mike uncovers evidence and a motive about a nasty trick the bank is trying to pull on several real estate agencies, and gives it to Harvey. Harvey quips "We can take this to the bank," as they go to confront them. Mike remarks "Oh yeah...cuz we're actually going to the bank."
262	** From a season one episode:
263	--->'''Jessica:''' Unlike some people I know, Louis's references don't begin and end with ''Film/TopGun''.\
264	'''Harvey:''' Hey, I love Louis, and I don't care ''what'' you say, I am not leaving my wingman. (''{{beat}}'') See, that's funny, because that's from ''Top Gun''.
265	* ''Series/TheTonightShow'':
266	** Creator/JohnnyCarson was a master at telling jokes that nobody gets. His sheepish explanation would get the laughs.
267	** Happens quite often on ''Series/TheTonightShow with Creator/JayLeno'', when Kevin Eubanks doesn't get the joke, and Jay has to take time out to try to explain it. Sometimes Jay just explains the joke even when everybody gets it for some reason.
268	* In an episode of ''Series/TopGear'', the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car was asked if he knew Creator/TomCruise well. The response was a rather clever joke about not knowing him well because of attending different churches. After getting a respectful nod from Jeremy Clarkson, the guest then proceeded to ruin his own joke by adding "I'm in the one with Jesus, baby."
269	* ''Series/TheVicarOfDibley'': [[TheTag Every episode]] ends with Geraldine telling [[TheDitz Alice]] a joke, which Alice in most cases either doesn't get at all or completely misinterprets, and Geraldine tries to explain it. Some episodes threw in variations on this theme:
270	** [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness In the pilot]], Alice gets the joke immediately and goes into gales of laughter that runs on so long that Geraldine is put off by it.
271	** One time Geraldine tells a BlackComedyRape joke about Superman using his SuperSpeed to have sex with Wonder Woman, only for it to turn out she was having consensual sex with the Invisible Man at the same time. Alice gets the joke but [[DudeNotFunny genuinely doesn't think it's funny and storms out]] after [[SeriousBusiness calling out Geraldine for impugning Superman]].
272	--->'''Geraldine:''' ''(yelling after her)'' Prude!
273	** In the episode that ends with Alice and Hugo on their honeymoon, Geraldine tells Hugo's father David the joke, then starts explaining it out of habit even though he already laughed.
274	** The final episode of the entire series throws in a subversion. [[spoiler:Once again Alice doesn't get the joke or Geraldine's attempts to explain, but then the camera pans back to reveal Geraldine's new husband, Harry, who very drily explains the actual mechanics of the joke's humour (in just about the most unfunny way possible). Alice finally gets it and bursts into hysterical laughter, leaving Geraldine speechless with disbelief.]]
275	* In ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'' when Pete learns that Artie has used an artifact to regrow his appendix about once a year in order to have an excuse to meet Vanessa, the cute Warehouse doctor.
276	-->'''Pete:''' If only there were some way for you to... interact... with Vanessa, that did not involve invasive surgery. Perhaps some kind of... I don't know... social ritual... one involving the sharing of food or the enjoying of... filmed entertainment with maybe some duds that have been milked. (''{{beat}}'') I mean a date.\
277	'''Artie:''' I know what you mean!
278	%%* ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'': "It's like puddle, but spelled differently!"
279	* In the episode "Meat Jerking Beef Boys'" of ''Series/{{Workaholics}}'', the guys are asked by a realtor not to drink on the roof while she's having an open house. Their response:
280	-->'''Blake:''' Alright, you got it, no problem. Weed only. Super blunt Sunday!\
281	'''Adam:''' Super bowl Sunday! We'll just smoke bowls!
282	* ''Series/TheYoungOnes'' featured an episode where their house was invaded by a vampire. Mikel tried phoning Battersea Dog's Home to help, Ric suggested he should have gone for Doggersea Bat's Home. Cue half a minute of wrangling as Ric tried to explain why that joke worked.
283

Context DontExplainTheJoke / LiveActionTV