History Main / CriminallyAttractive

* The ur-example is probably ''Film/{{The Maltese Falcon|1941}}'' and the ending scene where the FemmeFatale being led away in handcuffs while saying she really loves the detective is often in these examples via PopculturalOsmosis.

** Played with in "Mr. Monk Falls In Love," where the woman Monk falls for is accused of the murder, and Monk refuses to believe her guilt no matter how much the evidence piles up. While it first appears to be setting up the typical situation where she betrays him, ultimately the episode inverts the "accuses her incorrectly and loses her love" formula: the actual murderer was the woman's mother, who she was covering for - by accusing the correct murderer, Monk loses her anyway.

* Happens to [[FatalAttractor Tony]] a lot in ''Series/{{NCIS}}''. Once said woman turned out to be a pre-op transsexual.

* [[spoiler Lyle "Lockon Stratos" Dylandy and Anew Returner]] in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00''.

* ''Anime/OutlawStar'' had one TearJerker of an example, which is impressive, since it was also a PuppyLove. A girl Jim meets and falls for turns out to be the pilot of the ship sent to kill them - but neither ever realizes the other's identity, and both go into combat looking forward to their date. After the fight, Jim doesn't know why she didn't come...
* [[spoiler: Lyle "Lockon Stratos" Dylandy and Anew Returner]] in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00''.

* Max Payne in ''VideoGame/MaxPayne 2'' got involved with [[ProfessionalKiller hired assassin]] Mona Sax, who was suspected of gunning down a senator. She proved to be innocent of the crime, but that didn't stop another police detective [[spoiler: with a romantic relationship with the Main/BigBad]] from pursuing her relentlessly and eventually [[spoiler: trying to kill both her and Max]]. She proved to be a very capable ally of Max during the game, and the player actually plays as her at certain points in the game. [[spoiler: She doesn't survive the game in the end on the easier difficulty levels, however]].

* ''Series/{{Psych}}'': If [[FatalAttractor Shawn shows an interest in a woman]], start tallying the evidence against her. Especially if she reciprocates. Once, he actually slept with a competing psychic before he realized that she had committed the crime they were trying to solve.
** Luckily for him things are heating up with Juliette. [[spoiler: They're officially together now.]]
** Also happened to Lassie ([[spoiler: she was only partly guilty]]) and Gus ([[spoiler: of the RedHerring variety.]])

* Reversed in the ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' episode "My Funny Valentine", where [[spoiler: Faye is initially attracted to Whitney Haggis Matsumoto, but he turns out to be a petty con artist who was manipulating her into taking on his debts.]]

* Essentially applies in ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' fanfic "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/3175554/ Loyalty]]", where Johanna Mason is a Peacekeeper working in District Two who falls for Katniss even though Katniss is "officially" a poacher (although Johanna is informed by her superiors that most of them tolerate Katniss's activities anyway).

* Essentially applies in the ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' fanfic "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/3175554/ Loyalty]]", where Johanna Mason is a Peacekeeper working in District Two who falls for Katniss even though Katniss is "officially" a poacher (although Johanna is informed by her superiors that most of them tolerate Katniss's activities anyway).

Frequently turns up in the first episode/book of a series, with the implication that the official or victim's sense of betrayal or loss is what hardens him and forms him into the character we come to know. (Details vary: he might become a commitment-phobic womanizer, a [[CelibateHero celibate]] [[MarriedToTheJob justice machine]], a StrawMisogynist, or just an all-around [[DeadpanSnarker cynic]], but in any case it's all because of ''her''.)

For the man (and it's usually a guy) who seems to serially end up in these sorts of situations, see FatalAttractor. This trope is similar to DatingCatwoman, but riskier.

* A rare male example: In the film ''Film/TheThirdMan'', the protagonist arrives in Europe to discover that the man he's come to see is dead, and the police were investigating him. The protagonist spends the movie convinced that his friend must have been innocent, and was the victim of some underhanded police conspiracy. He learns later that [[spoiler: not only is the man ''still'' alive, but he's an amoral ManipulativeBastard, responsible for everything the police believed him to be]].

* The backstory to ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'' has Athos realizing his wife was a criminal and trying to kill her. In the present, D'Artagnan sleeps with Athos' ex-wife unaware of her true identity. She's a murderer and the villainness, so in the end, [[spoiler: the musketeers murder her]]. Yeah, it was a different time.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'', "[[Recap/DuckTalesADuckTalesValentine A DuckTales Valentine]]": Under the effects of Cupid's arrows, Launchpad falls in love with a shark. Luckily, the kids and Scrooge, who are very aware that Launchpad's attraction would result in a gruesome death, keep him away from it.
* Leo falls for Karai in ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' despite her relationship to the Shredder.

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1658375171094700200 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.]]]]]]

For the man (and it's usually a guy) who seems to serially end up in these sort of situations, see FatalAttractor. This trope is similar to DatingCatwoman, but riskier.

Now and then a detective will be strongly attracted to someone connected with a crime. She (it's usually a woman) may at some point in the episode become the DamselInDistress, but if not, she's either the perp or will be suspected of being the perp. If she did it, the detective will be reluctant to believe that she's capable of such a thing until the evidence is completely damning; if she's a Main/RedHerring, the detective will confront her prematurely and lose any chance of a romance with her. Sometimes overlaps with Main/FemmeFatale, but more often there is no InternalReveal of her true nature, she's perfectly nice and sweet until she turns around and holds the detective at gunpoint.

Frequently turns up in the first episode/book of a series, with the implication that the detective's sense of betrayal or loss is what hardens him and forms him into the character we come to know. (Details vary: he might become a commitment-phobic womanizer, a [[CelibateHero celibate]] [[MarriedToTheJob justice machine]], a StrawMisogynist, or just an all-around [[DeadpanSnarker cynic]], but in any case it's all because of ''her''.)

For the idea associated with the movie titled ''Film/FatalAttraction'', see Main/WomanScorned.