Line #47 Main/TheIntern


1	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/TheInterns https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/interns.jpg]]]]
2
3	Variant form of NaiveNewcomer. The young guy (often the PluckyComicRelief) who is still new to the whole place. He's often brilliant, almost always irreverent, and almost always "not ready for prime time" (i.e. [[VomitingCop throwing up]] the first time he sees a serious accident, etc). Commonly treated as a ButtMonkey, especially if they're an ''unpaid'' intern, in which case whatever happens to them will be dismissed as "being paid in experience".
4
5	Often, it's clear that The Intern was a former TeenGenius, but is now learning that life is much tougher in the field.
6
7	Darker works will often have the employers treat the intern as a disposable RedShirt; this is a subtrope, DisposableIntern.
8
9	See also NewMeat, which is much the same trope but referring strictly to the military.
10
11	For the Creator/RobertDeNiro movie, go [[Film/TheIntern here]].
12	----
13	!!Examples
14
15	[[foldercontrol]]
16
17	[[folder:Comics]]
18	* Asok of ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'', though he's [[CharacterDevelopment growing out of this role.]]
19	* Tam Fox is a Wayne Enterprises intern in ''ComicBook/RedRobin'' who quickly finds herself out of her depth with Tim.
20	[[/folder]]
21
22	[[folder:Fan Works]]
23	* In ''Fanfic/CyberpunkAnotherDaybreak'', David gets his start with Hiden Intelligence when Isu offers him an internship with its cybersecurity division to help him get back on his feet following his mother's near-fatal car accident during a shootout on the highway. Rebecca, Kiwi, and Lucy initially use him as an errand boy to get cigarettes from the vending machine, but that ends after he's suddenly promoted to executive Corpo by becoming a Kamen Rider.
24	[[/folder]]
25
26	[[folder:Film]]
27	* Film/DrKildare might be the trope codifier. James Kildare, idealistic and brilliant young doctor at Blair General Hospital, was the protagonist of a film series that ran for 15 installments, though he was written out after the ninth film due to actor Lew Ayres declaring himself a conscientious objector. His mentor, Dr. Gillespie, became the protagonist for the remaining films.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	[[folder:Literature]]
31	* ''Literature/ThePsychologyOfTimeTravel'': Though she is technically not an intern, Odette is acutely aware of her junior position in the Conclave, the international time travel organization. She has not been conditioned to Conclave life and is upset by things that more senior time travellers take in stride. Despite some teasing for her sensitivity and normative morals, she proves to be clever and resourceful.
32	* Uli Divini in the ''[[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Medstar Duology]]'', as a teen surgeon. When he reappears in ''Literature/DeathStar'' he's twenty years older, more experienced, and ''much'' more [[TookALevelInCynicism cynical]], having been [[ResignationsNotAccepted hit by a stop-loss order and forced to serve continuously]].
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Live Action TV]]
36	* Ryan Howard of ''[[Series/TheOfficeUS The Office]]'' is this when he is introduced. He later becomes a SmugSnake.
37	* John Carter (Noah Wyle) on ''Series/{{ER}}''. It led to a really cool CharacterDevelopment of John Carter from The Intern to The VeteranInstructor, followed by him handing off his title to the next in line, much as Dr. Green had done to him, when he left the show. Of course, it took ''ten years''...
38	* Greg [[TheLabRat the Lab Rat]] on ''Series/{{CSI}}''.
39	* Dr. Bashir in the first few seasons of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''.
40	* The entire premise, especially in the first season, of ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' which comes full circle as JD, Turk, and Elliot, who were the first batch of interns in season 1, become residents and then attendings, acquire their own interns, and eventually wind up as senior staff by season 8 and are now in the role of mentors.
41	* In the first season of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', Scooter is cast as an inexperienced newbie whom Kermit was forced to hire as a gofer because his uncle owned the theater. Several early episodes feature Scooter coming to Kermit with ridiculous "fresh new ideas" for the show that Kermit puts into action against his will for fear of losing his lease. As the show went on, Scooter's antagonistic side was dropped and his uncle was barely ever mentioned.
42	* Calum Buchanan in ''Series/{{All Creatures Great And Small\|1978}}''.
43	* [=McGee=] was like this during his first season on ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', and Tony still taunts him for being this trope.
44	* Meredith, Christina, Alex, Izzy and George were all Interns [[WebcomicTime for the first three seasons]] of ''Series/GreysAnatomy''.
45	* Kenneth in ''Series/ThirtyRock''. Unusual in that he's implied to actually be the oldest person there, and yet he still does menial tasks.
46	* The main cast of the Russian sitcom ''The Interns''.
47	* Yuki in ''Series/{{Casualty}}'', and to a lesser extent, Lenny. A few seasons earlier, Toby fit the role pretty well.
48	* Zach on ''Series/{{Bones}}'', at first. When his internship ends, the team keeps him on. After he leaves the show, he's replaced by a rotating roster of interns.
49	* Bud Roberts (Patrick Labyorteaux) on ''Series/{{JAG}}'' served as an assistant to Harm & Mac during seasons 2-4, before he graduated from law school and became a judge advocate (military lawyer) in his own right.
50	* ''Series/EmilyOwensMD'': Emily, Will (Emily's friend from med school), Cassandra (Emily's high school AlphaBitch nemesis) and Tyra (Emily's confidante). They are supervised by brilliant but strict Dr. Bindari (heart surgeon) and friendly young doctor Micah, and they also compete for a position of Bindari's assistant.
51	* Dr. Robidaux on ''Series/MondayMornings''. She's actually a resident, but she's the youngest and least experienced on the team. Obviously, she's a very capable and competent doctor.
52	* ''Series/{{House}}'': Late in the series, there was an intern on House's team, Martha Masters. She must have been a genius of epic proportions to make it to the all stars team of all medical dramas at so young an age.
53	* ''The Late Show with Creator/DavidLetterman'':
54	** Donnie, the Intern Who Likes To Suck Up (played by Andy Dick pre ''[[RetroactiveRecognition Newsradio]]'')
55	** Johnny Dark as CBS's oldest intern - he's in his mid-50s and just doesn't give a crap anymore.
56	** Todd the Intern, who is ''still'' in the intern program, having started in 2009.
57	* The "disposable redshirt" version is used in ''[[Series/TheLibrarians2014 The Librarians]]'' "And the Horns of a Dilemma," in which the main cast investigate the mysterious disappearances of eight people who turn out to have been interns for the same company, Golden Ax Foods. [[spoiler:Golden Ax has recreated the Minoan Labyrinth via magic, sacrificing interns to the Minotaur to ensure the prosperity of their company.]]
58	* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'': April started off as a very snarky and aloof version of this, until she's hired as a full time and paid employee for the department, specifically as Ron's assistant.
59	* Mike Morton was officially an intern for the first season or so of ''{{Series/Emergency}}'', then became a resident. Interns appeared in one or two other episodes, including an especially cocky one who thinks he knows it all and looks down on the paramedics. Dr. Brackett assigns him to ride with Roy and Johnny for a day, and he's appropriately chastised by the end.
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Radio]]
63	* Sandy in ''Radio/AbsolutePowerBBC'', who has a better grasp of the real world than her employers, and wishes they'd do a better job in completing the work experience paperwork for her NVQ certificate. She later becomes a paid employee, but leaves the company in Season 3 and is replaced by Clive, who's just an idiot.
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:VideoGames]]
67	* Chika and the player character in the interactive romance novel ''VideoGame/{{Moonrise}}'' are in their first year medical internship. Her lowly status doesn't prevent Chika from talking back and shutting down her teachers or fellow interns if they're rude to her.
68	* Tia from ''VideoGame/PotionMaker'' was sent to work in Pio's store by the kingdom's potion academy in the palace. Probably to teach her humility, though she suggests it's because she's too skilled to be a mere student.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Web Original]]
72	* ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'' has one in Jocelyn, the team's underpaid intern and the host of ''The Desk of Death Battle'', which was apparently given to her by Wiz and Boomstick as an alternative to actually paying her.
73	* ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'' has several interns during the course of the show. All of them--with the exception of [[MauveShirt Dana]] and Maureen--are either [[RedShirt killed or otherwise never heard from again]], usually within a single episode.
74	** When Maureen stops blinking in-and-out of reality she calls Cecil out on his treatment of the interns, and the corresponding mortality rate, then goes back to working for him. Though she quits after surviving a couple more near death experiences.
75	* ''WebVideo/AcquisitionsIncorporated'' starred three interns to the eponymous company: ThePaladin Aoefel in seasons two through six, the LoveableRogue Viari from season seven onward, and the ForestRanger Morgane in season eight. Their job is usually to serve as the StraightMan for the utterly insane full-time employee trio.
76	* Honey and - as of episode 5 - Smore are a non-abused version of this in ''WebAnimation/ObjectTerror'', usually helping out in assisting Printer and Computer during the challenges. However, the latter decided to do this for the sake of his [[TheMole antagonistic plot in the series]].
77	* Ty is this to Schlatt & Co. in ''WebVideo/SMPLive'', being their young intern who gets paid "in exposure".
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Western Animation]]
81	* Major Monogram's assistant Carl, from ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb''.
82	* "Billy" from ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'', among several others, most of whom fall victim to the challenges in Seasons 1 and 3.
83	* [[SixthRanger Thomas]] from ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow''. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that he's actually a Russian spy sent to learn the secrets of American parks, and applied for an internship due to the fact that [[BeneathNotice nobody cares about the interns]].]]
84	[[/folder]]

Context Main / TheIntern