Examples: Itchy & Scratchy from The Simpsons, The Scary Door from Futurama, or The Grand Inquisitor from Dostoevsky.
Interdimensional Cable from Rick and Morty is outrageous. GTA’s radio stations (VCPR was the best) and TV shows are often really funny. The Pißwasser beer commercial from IV always gets me.
It’s got a much… umm more improvisational… uhh feel. Oh geeze.
I like that someone figured out half assing things can be just as funny or even funnier than putting in the effort to make it look more professional.
Now I’m curious about who first bottled that lightning.
Maybe the makers of Aqua Teen Hunger Force? Half the characters in there seemed like they were making it up as they went and is the earliest one I can think of where that was a common theme.
Home Movies came later but is the earliest where that’s applied to media produced “in-universe” that I can think of.
Home Improvement was earlier than both and Tim was often out of his league on his show, but that was more of a “ill prepared but at least trying to be professional” act than “making it up as we go and not even trying to hide it”.
McBain in The Simpsons is a classic.
This video stitches the movie together somewhat.
“Sick, Sad World” from Daria
Came here to say.
I just referenced that on Lemmy a couple of days ago
Threshold Kids in the Video game control it was a kids TV series to teach kids in the game about the FBC it was kinda bonkers
yeah those were really fun/ disturbing
30 Rock has quite a few good ones:
- M.I.L.F Island
- Bitch Hunter
- TGS
Celebrity Homonym
OMG I would love for that to be a real show. It would have to be hosted by the actor who did it in the show; he was perfect.
“It’s always the other one. Let me see the card.”
“No! Never!”
Weirdly (or not, perhaps) MILF Island was turned into a real show (sort of) not once but twice. On The Cougar a 40-year-old woman was seeking a partner among male contestants who were all in their 20s. On the rather more disturbing MILF Manor a group of women between the ages of 40-60 stay in a villa seeking to pair up with a pool of younger bachelors, which turns out to be made entirely of the women’s sons. Wikipedia says in season 2 the ex-husbands were also added to the dating pool so the sons had to compete against their dads for the divorced moms.
My god. That… that’s enough reality tv, thank you
John Oliver sometimes runs random out of context clips of MILF Manor and I’m not sure actually watching them in context would make them any less ridiculous.
Loved MILF Manor. As weird as it sounds, MILF Manor season 2 was actually pretty touching at times. Season 1 was cringe overload. Both were great
I only saw a promo for it once and was pretty grossed-out, but had to at least look up the Wikipedia. I don’t think I was the target audience, other than it reminding me of 30 Rock.
Can’t forget The Rural Juror
Apparently I will forget you, Rural Juror. 😆
Community has Inspector Spacetime and the Kickpuncher movie series.
Troy and Abed in the Morning!
Nights
If it’s just general media within media, that Ben folds five ass crack bandit song was fucking killer
I always wondered if that was supposed to be Dave Matthews (real fans call him Dave) but the whole plan fell apart.
Just saw “The Play That Goes Wrong,” and it is a two hour masterpiece of a play within a play.
I see videos of complete productions on youtube. Go watch one.
Saw it live in the West End, it’s excellent
Awesome and funny play.
For something similar Noises Off is a hilarious movie about pretty much the same thing.
Noises Off is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in my life. Loved every second of it.
I just stated watching The Goes Wrong Show on Amazon. Not sure if I would appreciate more than 1 episode a night, but the first one had me laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe.
Tales of the Black Freighter from the Watchmen comics is pretty awesome.
All My Circuits on Futurama is one of my favorites on tv. Dramatic beeping intensifies.
The lusty argonian maid
from morrowind :3 (and not skyrim >>:c)
“Address Unknown”, a twilight zone/detective noir tv show within the universe of Max Payne.
Also “The Scary Door”, a twilight zone type show within the universe of Futurama.
You’re taking a vacation from normalcy. The setting, a weird motel where the bed is stained with mystery, and there’s also some mystery floating in the pool. Your key card may not open the exercise room because someone smeared mystery on the lock, but it will open… The Scary Door.
How can you be so sure aliens aren’t already among us?!
Amogus
Watched Asteroid City recently for the first time. I thought the play within the movie (and the intertwining back and forth of storylines) was really interesting and entertaining.
The Princess Bride is one of my favorite examples of this, especially because the “story within the story” is the main story, which is unusual.
The Never Ending Story too.
I was so disappointed when that ended
When I was a kid I absolutely loved movies with this format. It was like I was learning the story along with the characters on screen, and it just made it feel more real. Like the story was so old and with enough truth to it that they made a movie just about people learning about said story. It let you feel like the caring, kind old narrator was your adoptive grandpa, and he was revealing to you some ancient, fantastical part of our history. One that you could imagine really happened, even if the story had some exaggerations. Those opening sequences where they show a big old, leather bound book opening up to the first chapter (e.g. The Sword in the Stone)? HOOK IT TO MY VEINS
This is a literary device called a “bookend narrative.” If you want more stories like that, there’s your search term.
The book House of Leaves is presented as a documentary within a book within a book. Really fun read, too
I wonder how many times someone has tried to turn House Of Leaves into a movie or a series. It would be pretty wild no matter how they tried it.
I’m sure plenty of times, but the horror in HOL is pretty minimal tbh, I can’t imagine it would be easy to do.
Someone did make a phenomenal DOOM mod inspired by it though
After watching this very playthrough of MyHouse a few months ago, I still remember a few scenes. So very unsettling. buddy’s narration style is really compelling too.
Wormhole X-Treme! from Stargate SG-1
In-universe, creating that show was a genius move, if anything legit leaked they can just say it’s some fan fiction from the show and not from the real Stargate program.
Makes you wonder what the Stargate show was hiding :P
Well I grew up on a farm…
That’s the Wizard of Oz.
You got that from “I grew up on a farm”?
If you’re going to rip something off, choose something no-one knows.
Farscape flashback.
Gold.
“what do you mean it’s not a real show? Does my agent know? I still get paid with real money though right?”
The “I’d buy that for a dollar!” guy from Robocop.
