History Main / RealTime

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' has the player in control continuously from the opening to the ending, and so everything is in real-time. There is one incident where what was supposed to be an instant teleport [[YearOutsideHourInside takes a week]], and this allows a TimeSkip without breaking from the format. It was still real time from Gordon, Alyx, and the player's perspective. Relativity: it's awesome!
* The same can be said of ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', from start to finish barring some long elevators. ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' has some timeskips and periods of unconsciousness in both the single player and co-op, so they don't pass.

The SuperTrope to this is ExtremelyShortTimespan. Compare BackToFront, AnachronicOrder, and ComicBookTime. All examples of TheOner not involving [[{{Overcrank}} over-]] or {{undercrank}}ing are in real time by nature.

Contrast MagicCountdown.

* A number of action-adventure shows over the years have attempted real time or near-real time in relation to some critical event, usually a bomb.

* ''Series/TwentyFour'' is the most notable example of "real-time", with the script writers conveniently forgetting that if the show were really happening in Los Angeles, Jack Bauer would be spending the majority of each show stuck in traffic. The very first episodes of the program featured Kiefer stating at the beginning "Events occur in real time." The show was not very rigorous about this, ignoring the limitations of the Real Time format constantly and generally using it simply to build suspense. The final episodes of ''24: Live Another Day'' and ''24: Legacy'' have a 12-hour TimeSkip after the last commercial break.

%%* The ''Series/{{American Gothic|1995}}'' episode "The Beast Within", although with a bit of cheating at the climax.

* Most episodes of ''Series/InTreatment'' take place in real time, as they are half-hour therapy sessions. A handful break the format, but not many.

* The ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E7ConversationsWithDeadPeople Conversations With Dead People]]" begins with an accurate to the ''minute'' (at the time of airing) title and time card, intended to imply that all the titular conversations are real time.

* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' did two real time episodes, Season 1's "My Coffee With Niles" and Season 6's "Dinner Party". In each, the real time even continues during the commercial break, as Frasier goes to the bathroom just before the break and returns straight afterward. In the latter, he's on hold for the first intermission, giving Roz the opportunity to go down, get her dry-cleaning, and come back up. However it does not hold true for the second intermission.

* The ''Series/BabylonFive'' episode "Intersections in Real Time" plays out in real-time, but only between commercials. During commercial breaks (the "intersections"), it is assumed that much time passes.

* The ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' episode "Ticking Clocks". It's lampshaded in the very beginning, as Hitchcock and Scully put a lasagna in the microwave and set it to bake for exactly 21 minutes and 30 seconds. The episode finds the 99 trying to catch a hacker who's in the building and attempting to hack into their servers.

* The episode "Life Time" on ''Series/{{MASH}}'', which has the doctors racing against the clock to save a couple of severely wounded soldiers. There's even a clock at the bottom of the screen that tells the time as the episode progresses.

* The ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' episode "Ticking Clocks". It's lampshaded in the very beginning, as Hitchcock and Scully put a lasagna in the microwave and set it to bake for exactly 21 minutes and 30 seconds. The episode finds the 99 trying to catch a hacker in the building who's attempting to hack into their servers.

* The ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' episode "Ticking Clocks" takes place in real time. Lampshaded in the very beginning, as Hitchcock and Scully put a lasagna in the microwave and set it to bake for exactly 21 minutes and 30 seconds. The episode finds the 99 trying to catch a hacker in the building who is trying to hack into their servers.

* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' episode "Ticking Clocks" takes place in real time. Lampshaded in the very beginning as Hitchcock and Scully put a lasagna in the microwave and set it to bake for exactly 21 minutes and 30 seconds. The episode finds the 99 trying to catch a hacker in the building who is trying to hack into their servers.
* ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'' eschewed quick cuts and jarring transitions. As described in ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: A Visual History'', "Each television visit was designed to resemble the flow of real life, with time to think or complete simple tasks." In Episode 1697, after Mister Rogers asked viewers to take a long, careful look at an African violet, the camera stayed fixed on the flower for 25 seconds.

There are no artificial attempts to show time compression, everything is occurring as it is happening. One minute onscreen equals one minute in show time.

%%* ''Film/{{Carnage}}''

%%* The episode "Life Time" on ''Series/{{MASH}}''.

[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused]] with HBO's ''Series/RealTimeWithBillMaher''. But yes, granted, the trope does apply there as well. Also not to be confused with the RealTimeStrategy genre of video games, as very few (if any) of them actually fall under this trope.

*** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and [[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 its sequel]] {{zigzag|gedTrope}} this trope. While the clock advances in real time, the seasons do not.

*** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and [[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 its sequel]] {{zigzag|gedTrope}} this trope.

* The aptly-named ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' episode "Thirty-Eight Minutes" is the only Real Time episode (except for the last scene) in the ''Franchise/{{Stargate Verse}}''. The title refers to the maximum length of time a Stargate can be open.