In the 30 Rock episode "Christmas Attack Zone", Liz downs her entire glass of white wine upon learning exactly want Jack was going to do: ambushing his mother with his biological father to get back at her for her hypocritical disapproval of getting Avery pregnant.
Annika: In episode 1.2 Annika narrowly escapes being killed when the boat on which they found a body explodes. Then she has to pick up her daughter, who's being sent home from school after she's been caught with vodka in a water bottle. Back home, a still-jittery Annika drinks Morgan's vodka.
Andor: Mosk is seen sitting against a wall in an alley taking deep pulls from a flask in the aftermath of the deadly riot on Ferrix.
Arrow. Subverted when after the Season 2 finale battle is over, recovering alcoholics Laurel and Quentin Lance agree they need an AA meeting. An earlier episode plays this straight with Laurel, but the Black Canary (actually Laurel's sister Sara in disguise) talks her out of it after seeing her AA tag.
Happens every now and then on Babylon 5. In one episode, Londo hands Vir an unpleasant mission while at the bar and Vir finishes off the drink his boss abandoned at the table before heading out. The temptation is probably pretty heavy for Garibaldi at times.
As with virtually every other liquor-related trope, Battlestar Galactica has developed this trope into high art. Virtually every major character says some variation of "I need/could use a drink" at least once in the series, typically at a very important moment.
The Big Bang Theory uses this as a Running Gag with Penny, notably in the Season 4 premiere where she is dragged into chaperoning Sheldon on his first "date" with Amy Farrah Fowler. As it becomes clear that Amy is the Distaff Counterpart of Sheldon, especially when it comes to No Social Skills, they eventually turn their combined lack of tact on Penny. Once it gets to calculating how many men she has slept with, she begs the waiter for a drink.
In the Bitchin'Kitchen, when Nadia asks Panos's wife how she deals with her marriage, her response is "A little ouzo goes a long way."
Amusingly subverted in one episode of Bones (paraphrased):
Brennan:[searching] I need vodka! Booth: So do I, Bones, but we're on duty here! Brennan: No... to preserve the tissue samples.
In The Borgias, a quite snarky version, courtesy of Machiavelli: "Now that we've surrendered Florence, can we at least pour the wine?"
In an episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries, Detective Mike Shepherd goes to a bar on karaoke night and orders a drink. Then he realizes that the coworker who has been aggressively flirting with him since the day they met is the first person singing, has deliberately chosen his favorite song (suggestively titled "Please Help Me, I'm Falling In Love With You"), and even dedicates the song to him in front of everyone. Mike turns back to the bartender and tells her to make it a double.
Anya in the Buffy episode "Doppelgangland". Subverted because she can't get even that as she's stuck in the form of a California high school student. "I'm 1,120 years old! Just gimme a frickin' beer!!"
A season later, in Buffy's "Something Blue", Giles is driven to his limits by the sight of Buffy and Spike engaged and smooching each other (under the influence of a spell gone bad). When Buffy asks Giles to give her away at the wedding and declares "we're family," Giles can only reply, "It's all right. I have more Scotch." (And he's had more than a few shots by that point.) Later in the season, after Spike's attempt to split the True Companions, he goes into a depressed funk and consoles himself with drink.
In "Life Serial", the Trio had made a pretty good attempt at destroying Buffy's life, and Spike tries to console her with whiskey. She drinks most of it on him, then he invites her out to a demon bar to get information. She goes because there'll be more alcohol and when a drink of some indeterminate spirits is about to be poured for Spike, Buffy takes the bottle and spends the night going through it. Every shot is straight.
In "Potential", Buffy is showing the potential slayers the demon bar and Clem plays a particularly frightening joke on them, causing Vi to say, "I could use a shot of that yak urine right about now."
In "Checkpoint", Quentin Travers does the Stuffy Brit version after Buffy reads him the riot act.
Travers: Uh, Rupert? When we inventoried your shop, we found a bottle of single malt scotch behind the, uh, incense holders. Giles: Well, it's, it's not, you know, during working hours... Travers: I think I could use a glass.
Sam has "always loved his beer" as one guest star put it. It's when he stops drinking that you should worry:
Madeline: Please, I'm not leverage. You want a beer? [opens the fridge] Sam:[slams the fridge shut] I don't want a beer, Madeline! Madeline: Okay, this is serious.
Played straight at least once, at the end of "Old Friends".
Sam double-subverted this in a Season 6 episode — with four guys outside with guns, he turns to Barry and says, "OK... I need a beer." Barry tells him to keep it together, this is no time to get drunk. Sam actually wanted the can for a plan, for which he needed the beer, some scissors, Barry's wallet, and a glass. What's the glass for? To drink the beer, after he's done with the can.
In an episode when Rick Castle is practicing making drinks in the kitchen, his teenage daughter walks in saying "I need a drink." When he gives her A Look, she explains she meant water.
In another episode, Castle "quotes" Ernest Hemingway as saying, "Man, I sure could use a drink right about now."
In one of the earlier episodes, Castle takes Beckett to a fancy ball. After being introduced to the mayor, Castle asks Beckett if she wants a drink, her reaction was very much this trope, though she tried to back out of it (Castle ignores her).
Castle: Can I get you a drink? Beckett: Yeah. Vodka. Lots of vodka [he makes a great face and leaves to do so but she holds him back] ...But I'm on duty. So water? Castle:[rolls his eyes and smirks] Yeah. Vodka...
Beckett spent a few months in Ukraine as an exchange student, so, yes, she knows how to handle vodka.
Cheers, being set as it is in a bar, has been known to infrequently feature this trope.
Norm generally seems to live in a perpetual state of Needing a Freaking Drink.
A non-verbal example happens early on, when Carla tells Diane a shocking secret, causing Diane to take a large swig of the Gargle Blaster Carla's mixed up, much to Carla's alarm. The secret is in fact a giant lie, made to see if Diane will blab about it.
Diane: I don't believe it. Carla:(watching her drink in horror) Me neither. You're gonna die.
"Thanksgiving Orphans" has Diane so rattled from an embarrassing situation she drinks beer from a can. In fact, she spends most of the rest of the episode holding a drink.
A typical reason for Frasier showing up, usually responding to something during work hours. In the finale, his response to seeing Diane again is to darkly mutter how he's over her, then angrily demand Woody serve him "the meanest swill ya got!"
At the end of series 6, Rebecca grabs a whole six-pack from her fridge and prepares to crack them open. After Flanderization kicked in, and Rebecca became more of a neurotic screw-up, her habit of getting completely plastered became more common.
Chernobyl: This is provided by the Soviet government to the 750,000 liquidators of the Chernobyl accident, as the job is so grim and horrific that alcohol is practically needed to keep morale up. This is especially true for the animal liquidators who, after spending each day shooting animals and left-behind pets, are provided with as much vodka as they want, or need, in order to be able to mentally continue doing their job.
Stephen proceeds to pull out what appears to be scotch and first the Word says "Fight it" before he gives up and pours, changing the message to "F*ck it" and finishing with "Oh, sweet brown medicine, take away the pain..." as he downs the whole glass.
On the July 29th, 2014 show, Stephen introduced a new segment, called "I need a drink", which is exactly what it sounds like. He started the segment with a Bud Light Lime, before switching to a glass of Jack Daniels almost immediately after hearing about the first news report, then switched the short glass for a tall glass after hearing about Iraq. Finally, he started drinking rubbing alcohol straight from the bottle after hearing about truly depressing news from the States. He concludes the segment by saying:
Well folks, that concludes Stephen Colbert's I Need A Drink, which for the record did not work. Either this booze is broken or the news is just too damn sobering. We'll be right back.
In the Community episode "Mixology Certification" Annie starts off the night ordering Root Beers but as she gets progressively worked up about planning out her entire life she eventually ends up switching to screwdrivers.
In Crash Landing on You, when protagonist Se-ri vanishes into thin air after having recently purchased a very pricey life insurance policy, her insurance agent Soo-chan downs the entire beer in front of him.
The Cry of Mann: Implied: After everything starts to go wrong at Jouglat's funeral, Berry gives up on trying to keep everything in line, and just sits on the couch with a drink.
...I could do with a hot fudge sundae. And a bottle of vodka.
In the ill-fated early 90s reboot of Dark Shadows, after saving Josette from the zombie of Jeremiah Collins, his father Joshua says, "I need a stiff drink!"
After the Doctor's attempt to bluff the Slitheen by threatening to "triplicate the flammability" of a decanter of port fails (alcohol is already 100% flammable), he offers it to Harriet Jones (MP, Flydale North).
Harriet: You pass it to the left first. [the Doctor hands the decanter to Rose]
After successfully determining the Slitheen's home planet and weakness to save Jackie and Mickey, the Doctor, Harriet, and Rose all help themselves to a few gulps of wine.
Jefferson: Come on. I don't often say this, but I think we could all do with a drink.
"The Wedding of River Song": Amy needs another glass of wine when she realizes she's the Doctor's mother-in-law.
"The Snowmen": Captain Latimer's first response when things start going wacky is to head for the drinks cabinet. The Doctor pours himself one too... then hands it to the Captain.
In the Dragnet 1967 episode "The Bank Jobs," a woman tells the protagonists how criminals forced her at gunpoint to help rob a bank. At the end she says, "I had three options: start screaming, faint, or have a drink. This is my fourth."
Elementary: "A Landmark Story" sees Holmes and Watson interrogating the Murderer of the Week about his connection to Moriarty. When Watson starts getting nervous about holding the man in their basement Holmes asks her if she wants some tea to soothe her nerves. Watson replies that she wants a drink, a comment that earns her a disapproving look from Holmes who's a recovering drug addict.
In the episode "No Quarter Given", a character is seen using a bottle of whisky as accelerant to set fire to his house, which has just been confiscated by the German occupiers; in the midst of splashing it around, he pauses to take a swig out of the bottle.
In the episode "Escape", there's a scene where Dr Martel walks into the room, silently pours himself a drink, and knocks it back, before announcing that the man whose injuries he was called to tend to has died.
Euphoria: Jules gets utterly trashed on Halloween in order to cope with Nate blackmailing her into giving false testimony to help him beat an abuse rap.
It was always right around song #9 that Terry Wogan would reach for a drink during his commentaries of the Eurovision Song Contest, and he often advised the viewers to do the same. Graham Norton, his successor, has proudly upheld this tradition.
One episode of Everybody Loves Raymond has Amy, upset by yet another visit from her meddlesome mother-in-law, ask where Debra and Ray keep their "after-Marie liquor." Ray starts in — "We don't have any liquor in the" — only for Debra to immediately cut him off: "Top shelf, behind the Cream of Wheat."
Another episode mixes this trope with Surprisingly Realistic Outcome. Debra down a few drinks at a house party after a battle with Marie. She goes out to her car to get some air, turns on the ignition to warm herself up, and then dozes off. Unfortunately, a cop comes along and arrests her for intent to drive drunk (even though she's clearly parked and the cop is apologetic, the keys are in the ignition and she's in the driver's seat, which is enough to, legally speaking, book her). After a lengthy comedy of errors, the judge, after spending five minutes with Marie and Frank, immediately reinstates Debra's license.
In "Gourmet Night", the chef Kurt drinks bottle after bottle when Manuel rejects his advances, leaving him incapable of cooking for the venerable guests. It is hinted at that this has happened before.
In "The Anniversary", Basil goes to the bar to fetch an ashtray; and in his desperation, he grabs a bottle and swigs from it. At the same moment, Manuel plucks Basil's arm, causing the drink to go all over him.
Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond.
Ian Fleming has just been fired by his only client for being an irresponsible Upper-Class Twit instead of a sober stockbroker. The waiter then comes up with another champagne bottle. Ian asks whose tab the bottle is on — on being told it's the client, he starts to drink the lot.
After Fleming and his secretary survive a bomb explosion, she agrees to go with him to a bar that doesn't close till 4 am.
Fras has a fondness for sherry, even having a decanter set aside in his apartment. One episode plays with it, when Niles comes over with bad news, and needs a steadying drink, only Frasier's out of sherry at the moment.
Niles: You always think it's going to happen to someone else...
A Season 7 episode has Niles bringing his new girlfriend Mel over. Daphne, who's just learned Niles has a crush on her but is engaged to someone else, and who hates Mel on sight, starts knocking back Bloody Marys.
Daphne: I agree with Doctor Crane. We could all do with another Bloody Mary. Frasier: I didn't say that! Daphne: It was implied.
In the same episode Mel makes a snide comment about serving alcohol so early in the day. Roz responds by downing her own Bloody Mary and escaping to the kitchen.
A double example appears in one episode of Friends: first Monica accepts Rachel's offer of margaritas after her painstakingly organised photo collection gets messed up; later, while collecting ingredients for the margaritas from Ross' apartment, Rachel accidentally overhears Emily leave a message on Ross' answering machine saying she's having doubts about re-marrying. She immediately unscrews the cap of the tequila she's holding and takes a swig straight from the bottle.
In the episode "Everybody Finds Out", Phoebe and Rachel decide to have Phoebe hit on Chandler to prove that he and Monica are seeing each other. This escalates to the point where they're in Chandler's apartment for a date. When Phoebe pours them wine and they toast, both promptly drain their entire glasses.
When Monica dates Fun Bobby, she notices that he drinks too much, and convinces him to stop. However, he was fun for a reason, and throughout the episode, Monica needs freaking drinks to deal with his boring stories.
At Ross and Emily's wedding rehearsal dinner Monica decides that it's time for her to get drunk when her parents start making out in front of her. She stops drinking to listen to the toasts, but then one of Emily's relatives mistakes her for Ross' mother which sends her straight back to the bar.
In the first episode, the Lannister brothers are coping with having to drink with the Starks by downing a few beforehand.
After Tyrion and Sansa are forcibly married to each other, they retire to their bedchambers. Tyrion partakes in some wine set up in there, asking Sansa if she drinks. She says she doesn't usually (possibly because she associates it with Cersei), but when it really hits her that she's going to have to go through with consummating the marriage, she promptly grabs a glass and starts drinking.
Tyrion often needs one (or perhaps a dozen) to deal with stressful situations like his wedding.
Although she is reluctant to drink at first, Sansa takes a big one when Cersei tells her about the rape that comes with the sack of a city.
During the Battle of Blackwater, the Hound returns from a sortie shouting, "Someone, bring me a drink... Fuck the water. Bring me wine!"
Sansa reaches for a drink of ale with her brother, Jon Snow, in "The Book of the Stranger", even if it doesn't go over quite as well.
Before the Battle of Winterfell, Tormund tells a somewhat disturbing story of how he got the name "Giantsbane." Ser Davos Seaworth, having initially turned down Tyrion's offer, remarks "Maybe I will have that drink."
On Good Girls Revolt Cindy grabs a drink in Ned's office when he makes clear to her that he’s not interested in a serious relationship after she’s told her husband she’s been having an affair.
In Season 5, Episode 2 of The Good Wife, Alicia comes home to find her meddlesome mother has taken Alicia's daughter shopping for dresses. Alicia asks if the dresses are appropriate, her mother insists (with characteristic telling indignation) that they are. Alicia says, more to herself than anything else, "I'm going to start drinking."
Good Omens (2019): As they did in the book (see Literature), after the Antichrist is delivered to Earth Crowley and Aziraphale get incredibly drunk on some vintage wine Aziraphale had stashed away.
In the series, unlike the book, Crowley does give up after the bookshop fire and is found in a bar, completely sloshed, lamenting his demonic luck to nobody.
Monroe’s response to finding out that a hardcore Grimm might be in town, he keeps drinking a glass of red wine like it’s a lifeline while telling Hank and Nick about it.
Also, in "The Three Bad Wolves", after finding out that Hap was willing to cooperate with a Grimm (and also that none of them were trying to kill each other), this was Angelina's response.
Happens a lot to Monroe in "Season of the Hexenbiest", though the circumstances are more emotional than physical in the above cases.
Nick and Monroe both do this in Face Off, Nick after seeing Renard kissing Juliette and being told they're probably under a spell and Monroe a bit later. They're having that kind of day — at the end of that kind of week.
Monroe does this when he and Nick are trying to figure out how to undo the spell on Renard and Juliette. The reason he needs one is that all the twists and complications in the process pretty much involve every character in the show.
A lighter version occurs in "Mr. Sandman" as Nick, Hank, Monroe, and Rosalee talk about Captain Renard and his... complex backstory.
In "The Waking Dead", Juliette, Monroe, Rosalee, and Bud are unanimous on this point after events in the spice shop.
Happens several times on Happy Endings. In one episode, after finding out that her husband Brad had taken her to a restaurant when they were dating, planning to break up with her, Jane says, "I will be at the bar, destroying myself."
Again in the Valentine's Day episode, after almost the entire gang has failed to have a good romantic evening, they watch Max leave after reconnecting with his ex-boyfriend Grant.
Penny: What should we do now? Dave: Let's get drunk.
Haven: Duke has a pretty good excuse when he's suddenly stranded in the past:
Duke:What Year Is This?? Man: It's 1955. It's the year you should think about sobering up. Duke: Actually, I think that it's the year I start drinking. Heavily.
On Home Improvement, Jill hastily asks for some liquor when she is worried about her son Brad driving by himself for the first time. In another instance, Tim gulps down his drink after he is Mistaken for Gay at a bar.
In the House episode "Role Model", House is pressured by Vogler into giving a speech. When House, in mid-speech, goes Off the Rails (putting it very mildly), Chase reaches for his glass, presumably of champagne, and downs the whole glass in one gulp.
In an early How I Met Your Mother episode, Ted is going to break up for the second time with a girl he dated much earlier in life — the first time he broke up with her he accidentally did it on her birthday. When he realizes it's her birthday yet again and she starts to say how he's brought hope back into her life, he turns to the waiter and says "Oh so much more wine."
Used in The Inspector Lynley Mysteries as "D'you fancy a drink?", usually said by one of the partners to the other after a particularly hard case.
Jen does this in The It Crowd when hearing of how a high school classmate has the perfect successful life that Jen wished she had.
JAG: The first season episode "War Cries" gives us Ambassador Bartlett, a snarky career politician who discusses matters of state and embassy security while sipping scotch. As the episode continues, we see that she has quite a bit to drink about.
Nate says or does this every now and then in Leverage. As a recovering alcoholic, it's a bad sign. Notably, at the end of The Twelve-Step Job, after he has been in rehab with a happy-pilled Parker for several days.
Sophie:[indicating that he should return to rehab] Well. Are you ready to finish what you started? Nate: I need a drink.
On The Love Boat, Stubbing falls in love with a passenger on a cruise to the Netherlands. He tracks her down to her place of business in Amsterdam...and discovers she runs a brothel. The shock of it nearly drives recovering alcoholic Stubbing to break his decade-long sobriety until Doc stops him.
Stubbing: I need... something... to help me cope with this. Doc: Yes, you do. But it's not this.
Averted after Lucifer's fight with Amenadiel in "#TeamLucifer". They end up smashing every bottle in the bar, so he can't fulfill this trope afterward.
Mad Men features this constantly, albeit usually without saying the phrase. Expect Roger (and Don during Season 4) to immediately reach for the booze when something goes wrong... or simply when they enter a room.
A noteworthy example in a M*A*S*H episode is when Hawkeye takes a challenge to abstain from alcohol. The story climaxes with Hawkeye having the terrifying experience of keeping a prisoner's grenade from detonating in the operating room. After the successful conclusion, the gang goes to the Officer's Club where Hawkeye gets a drink saying that he needs it. However, after a few fateful seconds, Hawkeye pushes the drink away, saying, "I'll be back when I want it, not when I need it."
In an earlier episode, Hawkeye and Trapper are talking to Henry about getting an incubator and decline his offer of a drink, because they've finally shaken off their hangovers from the night before. When the conversation takes a complicated twist shortly thereafter, Hawkeye responds with, "Maybe I will have that drink."
In the "Harper vs. Harper" episode of Mama's Family, Thelma files a suit against Naomi for damaging her carpet and Naomi files a countersuit for her damaged vacuum cleaner. After losing patience, Judge Packard fines Mama and Naomi $100 each, and they have to pay for their own damages to the carpet and vacuum cleaner, with the judge asking Vinton to accompany him after court adjourns:
Judge Packard: I'm going out for a beer. As for you, Vinton Harper, if you have half a brain in your head, you'll join me.
In Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., on the episode "Nothing Personal", Maria Hill tells Pepper Potts on the phone, after she's testified before Congress, "I swear, I need a cocktail and a lobotomy."
Daredevil: Subverted. Owlsley asks, "Does anyone need a drink as badly as I do?" and yet not touching a drop of his champagne. He is trying to convince Fisk and Vanessa to try the poisoned Champagne without drinking any himself.
The Defenders. As Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are taking the subway to Midland Circle for their final confrontation with the Hand, Jessica steals a beer can from a sleeping hobo and chugs it down while Matt and Luke stare at her.
Jessica: ...It's been a long week.
Subverted in an episode of Monk, in which Monk, who doesn't drink, is visiting Natalie's parents while despairing over a hiring freeze at the police department:
Monk: There's never hope. I wish I drank. Is it wonderful? Peggy: Yeah. It's pretty great.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters: Humorously enforced and subverted in "Secrets & Lies". When the main cast's plane hits a turbulent storm, Lee has Cate fish out a clear bottle which Du-Ho keeps "in case of emergencies", and he tells her to take a "big" swig out of it, telling her that she'll need it. Except it isn't alcohol in the bottle, it's just water, and Lee only needed the bottle half-empty so that he can use it on the dashboard as an altitude indicator.
On an episode of Mork & Mindy, Mork tries to explain religion to Orson, who becomes so confused he decides he needs a drink.
Often invoked by Inspector Brackenreid. He thinks he deserves one to celebrate when they're successful, and he often feels he needs a shot to calm himself down.
Inspector Brackenreid once suggested it to Dr. Ogden. It was when Detective Murdoch and she had a falling out, and he began a relationship with a young widow.
In the final episode of Series 4, Murdoch himself suggests he needs one and that the Inspector could use one as well. Brackenreid knows it's a big deal because Murdoch drinks only very, very rarely.
In "High Voltage", Julia tells Emily and Lillian of her decision not to stand as a candidate in the provincial election, to her hearers' intense disappointment. After Julia leaves, Lillian says she knows of a bar that serves women, and Emily immediately expresses a desire to go there.
After Dr. Ogden cuts ties with Miss Hamilton over the latter's demands for censorship, she visits Dr. Grace at the City Morgue, in part to apologize for allying with Hamilton's Temperance League in the first place. (Dr. Grace had advised against it.) She produces a bottle of whiskey from a hidden compartment in a desk and the doctors quickly down three shots each.
Ms. O, head of the all-kid agency on the children's math edutainment show Odd Squad, sometimes gets flustered enough that she needs a freaking juice box.
In the second episode, the Queen returns to her castle after the wedding of Snow White and Prince Charming. A man, her father, offers her a drink, only for her to snap back, "Does it look like I need a drink?" He doesn't answer, but he (and everyone in the audience) is clearly thinking, "Yes, yes you do."
In Season 2, when Emma is reunited with her parents, she never expected they were the same age as her, not to mention being the Snow White and Prince Charming. This was her reaction to deal with the news.
Emma: Can we talk about this later? Like over a glass of wine or several... bottles.
It's almost a Running Gag in the show for people to go to Granny's for a drink after a rough day... which for people like Emma and Mary Margaret, becomes distressingly common. Leroy (a.k.a. Grumpy the Dwarf) hits the sauce pretty frequently as well.
Out of this World (1962): "Little Lost Robot": After hearing about the impossible task they're asking of her, Dr Calvin decides that the liqueur that General Kallner had offered her is exactly what she needs.
Toward the end of the Parks and Recreation episode "Dave Returns" (S4E15), Leslie says "And now I am going to endorse ten beers into my mouth because today has been very stressful." (Or words to that effect). Despite the large number of beers, it counts as needing a freaking drink and not Drowning My Sorrows because Leslie specifically cites stress as a factor, and it's a one-time thing (at a party at a bar, no less).
In Pawn Stars, Rick and Corey get a Peter Lik print. While staring at the image, Corey remarks that it makes him want to have a beer.
Person of Interest. John Dillinger (Reese's predecessor as The Man in the Suit vigilante) rescues a Damsel in Distress by shooting two hitmen about to kill her, then tells her he could use a drink after this traumatic experience. Cut to her waking up in his bed the next day, implying that he used the combination of alcohol and her gratitude to seduce her. This establishes Dillinger as a more sleazy and less moral character than John Reese.
Princess Agents: Yuan Song resorts to drinking after a day of enduring Xiao Ce and his demands.
The fifth season episode "Reba and the One": Late in the episode, Reba is enjoying some alone time at a restaurant when Brock and Barbra Jean show up there as well. Desperate to keep the masquerade going, Reba drags another patron to be her pretend date, at one point making an off-hand disparate remark about musicians. After the dust settles, Reba asks him about his occupation. His response: "I'm a musician." Remembering what she said earlier regarding musicians, Reba finishes the glass of wine in her hand in one gulp without a word.
Early on during the episode "Have Your Cake", Cheyenne volunteers herself and Reba into a diet to show support for Barbra Jean, who worries about being overweight, going so far as to tell Barbra Jean she could visit anytime she wants to, 24/7. Then this exchange takes place after Barbra Jean leaves:
Reba: Cheyenne, did you just tell Barbra Jean she could come over here 24/7?! Cheyenne: Now, mom, it's important to let her know she has support. Having a support system is how I got over my alcohol addiction. Reba:Alcohol. Good idea. Barbra Jean:[entering the house] Reba, I've got an idea — matching sweatshirts. [leaves] Reba: Alcohol. And a lot of it.
During the sixth season episode "The Housewarming", Reba meets Brock at a bar as his confidant and Designated Driver, albeit unwillingly. Too bad for Reba, Brock spends most of their time at the bar talking about himself and Barbra Jean "getting it on", resulting in Reba taking shots, followed by her asking the bartender to "leave the bottle". In a twist of comedic irony, Brock leaves the bar without needing a ride, whereas Reba calls for one.
Reba:[talking through the phone] Kyra, can you come and pick up your mama?
Rome. This is Marc Antony's comment after the religious ceremony (implied to be long and boring) to make him tribune. Antony's slave agrees, "Perhaps after the meeting?"
Alex Trebek at least once in the Saturday Night Live "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketch, particularly after the response to the clue, "This Ringo was the 'Starr' drummer for The Beatles."
Sean Connery: Cravin Morehead. Trebek: Who is "Cravin Morehead"? Connery: Apparently you are! [Trebek pulls out a whiskey flask and takes a drink]
In another sketch, one category is "I Have A Chardonnay", which would automatically award points and allow Trebek to have a glass of wine if it's chosen. Cue Connery scratching out some of the letters with a marker to make it say "I Have a Hardon".
In Sex and the City, Carrie and Samantha are stuck on an interminably long train ride. This includes "dining with the Amish", a couple who happen to be sitting next to them in the cafeteria. Momentarily forgetting her company, Carrie says "Oh, God I need a big ol' drink." The Amish couple looks at her. "Sorry."
Sherlock. In "The Abominable Bride", Inspector Lestrade turns up to consult Sherlock Holmes who, noting how he keeps eyeing the decanter, orders Watson to pour him what he desperately wants. But Watson notes how quickly Lestrade has drained the glass, implying that he didn't "want" a drink, he needed it as the case Lestrade wants to consult Holmes on has him seriously spooked. Holmes congratulates Watson on his improving powers of observation.
Stargate SG-1: In one episode, Bra'tac is shown conducting a wedding rehearsal for Teal'c's son Rya'c and his intended, Kar'yn. Things go okay until they reach the point where Jaffa tradition dictates that the bride should kneel to her husband to show subservience, and Kar'yn refuses to do it. A loud and angry argument ensues between her and Rya'c, and finally everyone storms out of the room. Bra'tac comments "I see now why these things must be rehearsed" and takes a long drink from the ceremonial wine.
Stargate Universe, "Air" Part 3. Chloe Armstrong's mother finds out her husband is dead and her daughter is stranded on a ship billions of lightyears away. The way she throws down whiskey is this trope without the phrase.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Kira is helping two rival Bajoran clans resolve a territorial dispute. This exchange ensues.
Quark: Kira! I always look forward to your infrequent visits. Kira: Quark, save the small talk and get me a Stardrifter. Quark: So how are the negotiations going? Kira: Make it a double.
Star Trek: Voyager: Captain Janeway usually drinks coffee, but in "Scientific Method", she's getting increasingly frazzled because aliens are (unknown to everyone) secretly doing experiments on the crew. After a scene where she snaps at Tuvok, she then settles down and talks of visiting a holodeck program involving a little inn outside Siena, Italy. Tuvok replies that he will join her for a glass of wine.
In "Red Sky", Sam is escorting an elderly woman at a fancy-dress party, who is hitting on him ''very'' hard. At one point she presents him with a glass of champagne, raises her own, and says, "To us." Sam promptly downs the entire glass.
Also, in the episode "The Real Ghostbusters", Sam and Dean say "I need a drink" in sync after being thoroughly weirded-out by some LARPing fans. Of themselves.
Also, Castiel does a variation of this in the Season 5 finale (when they realise that they are really really screwed):
Castiel: I suggest we imbibe copious quantities of alcohol.
Castiel again, after the events of the episode "The Dark Side of the Moon". In the next episode, after he gets a call from the boys:
Sam: Are you... Are you drunk?! Castiel:No. [Beat]Yes. Sam: What happened?! Castiel: I went and found a liquor store. Sam: And? Castiel: And I drank it.
Also, Castiel in the episode "Free to Be You and Me". When Castiel is taken to a brothel by Dean and is introduced to a girl called Chastity, he downs a generously sized glass of beer before being pulled away to one of the back rooms.
And generally Dean does this on a regular basis. The only thing that separates this from Drowning My Sorrows is how quickly he recovers afterwards. Considering the things that are trying to kill him/beat him/torture him, you know things are really bad when he stops drinking! This is also a sign of him being absolutely crushed by everything and still (somehow) going: he stops enjoying things that used to make him feel good.
Spoofed in "Monster Movie". A witness to a monster attack drinks from a huge beer stein when giving his statement to the Winchesters, the next witness drinks from a supersize soda cup.
In "Frontierland" Sam shows Samuel Colt a copy of his diary from the future to convince him to help. Looking at the two diaries, Colt comments he's either had too much to drink or not enough.
Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms: Bai Qian jumps off Zhuxian Terrace, becomes a high goddess, and regains her memories of everything she's gone through before and after becoming mortal. Unsurprisingly, a drink is the first thing she asks for.
Charley: I need a... Sarah: Drink? Charley: I was gonna say a minute.
In the The Twilight Zone episode "Night of the Meek", Mr. Dundee is skeptical of Corwin's claim that his bag magically produces gifts and sarcastically asks for a bottle of 1903 vintage brandy. Corwin immediately pulls a bottle of the brandy out for Mr. Dundee, rattling both Mr. Dundee and the police officer with them. They both decide to spend Christmas indulging in the brandy.
The Untamed: When Wei Wuxian talks about Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan and how they had many bad things happen to them despite being heroic and selfless people, Lan Wangji suddenly snatches Wei Wuxian's drink and downs it out of frustration. This is clearly because both of them remind him of Wei Wuxian's situation: a good man who had everything wrong going for them because of things outside their control — all of which were pinned on him anyway.
The Walking Dead has the Season 4 episode "Still". Beth Greene decides that she needs a freaking drink. She's lost everyone, except Daryl, her father was killed in front of her, and she was driven from her home and into the undead filled wilderness. Again. The episode revolves around Beth's search for booze.
WandaVision: In the second episode, as Wanda's at the planning meeting for the town's upcoming talent show ("for the children"), which is run by the tyrannical Dottie, her next-door neighbor Agnes quietly mutters how anyone can get through the meeting sober, while holding a drink.
In The West Wing, when C.J. tells Abbey Bartlet that the swing vote on her medical review board is recusing himself:
Abbey: Claudia Jean? Let's go get drunk.
The Wire: the stress of the job often drives McNulty and Bunk to drink, which leads to nights of highly irresponsible behavior by both. Rawls also has a routine at the Homicide department, where after breaking bad news to someone, says they look like they could use a cup of coffee, before leaving the room to get them one.
In Wolf Hall, Cromwell's attempt to reconcile Ambassador Chapuys with Henry ends in disaster. After Henry nearly punches Chapuys to the ground he turns on Cromwell and, in front of the court, accuses Cromwell of trying to turn him into a Puppet King. Cromwell manages to withdraw intact by making a blacksmith's gesture that confuses the king, but the next scene has him sitting in a quiet room with a goblet of wine in his shaking hand.
"Syzygy": A planetary alignment causes everybody to behave strangely. Agent Mulder drinks a very decadent screw-driver made of half-frozen orange juice put in a small bottle of vodka. A moment later, Detective White comes over to his motel room and takes a swig from his bottle as well. Agent Scully is messed up, too, but she prefers a Cigarette of Anxiety.
"Tempus Fugit": Agent Scully takes a soldier who is an important witness to the bar to meet a federal marshal. He has had a tough day, and Scully is very understanding.
Scully: You want a drink? You need a drink.
"War of Coprophages": Mulder and Dr. Ivanov each have a glass of scotch after Dr. Ivanov was shown the alien robot cockroach. Dr. Ivanov particularly looks like he really needs it.
In one episode of Yes, Minister, Jim Hacker comes home and states 'I want a triple scotch'. Bernard comes in and is asked by Annie if he wants a scotch. He says, 'Yes, could I have a large one please' to which Annie replies 'so, another triple'.
Young Sheldon: In "A Tornado, a 10-Hour Flight and a Darn Fine Ring", after witnessing Sheldon's usual behavior, the stewardess offers Mary a gin and tonic and she takes it.
after the 2006 Midterms (and giving the Democrats control of the House), Stephen Colbert was visibly depressed, slouched over and with his head in his hand. The bullet point reacted to this by displaying this exact phrase/Trope Namer.