History TemptingFate / LiveActionTV

** LampshadeHanging in "[[Recap/AngelS04E14SpinTheBottle Spin the Bottle]]" when Lorne produces the {{Phlebotinum}}:

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct alphabetical order.

--->'''Lorne:''' A memory spell — provided by one of my clients — that is guaranteed to bring our Cordy back to the way she was.\\

'''Lorne:''' So, I'm an idiot. What are you — perfect?

** In the season 3 episode, Emmett Milbarge is telling a man to go away or else he will hurt him... not knowing he is being rude to an assassin. Luckily for him, the assassin doesn't think killing him is worth and starts to walk away, causing Emmett to call him "Pussy". That made the assassin shoot him in the eye killing him. If Emmett didn't call him that, well, he would still be alive...
** From the penultimate episode of season four:

* ''Series/FamilyFortunes'': In one episode of this British adaptation of ''Series/FamilyFeud'', a contestant gave "Over a fire" as a response to "Name a way of toasting someone." As he often did on off-the-wall answers, host Les Dennis quipped, "I tell you what, if it's up there, I'll give you the money meself!" Cue "Grill" lighting up on the board for 12 points - Les, man of his word, wrote the contestant a check for 12 pounds afterwards.

** One of the most striking examples is in the movie, when Wash [[spoiler: says, after a particularly skillful and heroic bit of flying, "I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I-" And is immediately skewered through the chest.]]

** In the season four finale, "The One With Ross's Wedding", Ross invokes this trope as a way of dooming his upcoming wedding to Emily:

* ''Series/MyCatFromHell'': One of cat trainer Jackson Galaxy's methods is testing a cat's "challenge line" - pushing a skittish cat to see how closely it can be approached before it will scratch or bite. Of course, if you do this, then sooner or later you're going to get scratched or bit.

** A positive version of this trope happens at the end of the sixth-season episode "Bullets Over Brock", where Reba, dismayed at the prospect of Brock and Barbra Jean getting a divorce, claims "I'll never be able to relax now." Then she sits down and turns on the TV, sees the video clip of Van at Jake's soccer practice that Cheyenne filmed, and promptly bursts into hearty laughter due to Van's over-the-top behavior in the clip. By the time the video clip sequence ends, Reba is calmly sipping tea, grinning and giggling happily, before muttering to herself: "[[IronicEcho I'm definitely relaxed now.]]"

'''Lucius Vorenus:''' We're perfectly safe — a very favorable offering was made to Triton[[note]]son of Neptune, god of the Sea[[/note]] before we left.\\

'''Jeremy:''' He's a three thousand year-old Greek ghost.\\
'''Dana:''' Well I'm a thirty three year-old television producer and for one hour every night this is my little corner of the world, and nothing screws up here unless I screw it up. You got that?! Why is there still water dripping on this desk?\\

** In the season one episode "The Short List", Josh is a little too confident about the ease with which the President's (initial) nominee for the Supreme Court will be confirmed, and doesn't so much tempt fate as lasso fate and drag it towards him:

'''Josh:''' Look, there is no reason—\\

** In season seven the Santos campaign staff spend the night before Election Day discussing what they're looking forward to now the campaign is over. Otto says he's looking forward to a job in the White House, which earns him a round of groans from the other staffers for tempting fate.

** A contestant had G L O _ E showing. Pat said, "Well, I'm gonna be surprised if you don't get this." Obviously, the answer would be either GLOBE or GLOVE — and it should be easy to guess one, then if Pat says it's wrong, guess the other. The contestant ''did'' guess [[spoiler:GLOVE]] before the timer started, and after being told that it was wrong, [[spoiler:spent the entire 10 seconds in silence, failing to come up with GLOBE]].

* ''Series/{{Daredevil}}'': In [[Recap/Daredevil2015S3E12OneLastShot "One Last Shot"]], Foggy Nelson notes (much to his own surprise) that their plan to get FBI Agent Ray Nadeem to testify against Wilson Fisk actually seems to have worked. Matt Murdock cuts him off mid-sentence and asks him not to test their luck. Seconds after Nadeem walks out of the courtroom Matt [[SuperSenses overhears]] one of Fisk's accomplices threatening the jury into rejecting the case.

** In "Year's End", embezzler Nelson Ravich is explaining why he let the Arrow scare him into making amends, [[YouHaveFailedMe only to get killed]] by the [[EvilCounterpart Dark Archer]].

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. In "The Thanatos Guild", there's the InUniverse version when Roy Harper doesn't want to be too optimistic about running away with Thea Queen to live HappilyEverAfter.
-->'''Thea''': Since when do you believe in superstition?
-->'''Roy''': Ever since I met your brother, there's not a lot I don't believe in.
-->''(an arrow [[PopTheTires slams into their tire]] to force them off the road)''
-->'''Thea''': Now I might believe it too.

** ''Series/StargateAtlantis'': In "[=McKay=] and Mrs. Miller", Rodney, Sam, and Jeannie are discussing a plan to harness energy from another reality. Jeannie points out that this would create dangerous, world-destroying exotic particles in the other reality. Sam assures her that the chances of them picking an inhabited reality is "astronomically slim". Shortly into the experiment, they find out that the other reality is inhabited and on the verge of destruction.

*** Later in the episode, when things inevitably go south for Draven [[ItMakesSenseInContext (who is now gigantic)]], he attacks the Rangers while shouting, "YOU WON'T LEAVE THIS DIMENSION ALIVE!" Yes, I believe a Mr. Tommy Oliver would like to have a word with you.

* ''Series/DeadliestCatch'' One of the deckhands [[DoNotTauntCthulhu taunts the frigid and stormy Bering Sea]]. Naturally, the Bering Sea [[LaserGuidedKarma responds]] as only an ocean can. By instantly turning the crab boat's deck into a frigid swimming pool.

* ''Series/DeadliestCatch'' One of the deckhands [[DoNotTauntCthtulhu taunts the frigid and stormy Bering Sea]]. Naturally, the Bering Sea [[LaserGuidedKarma responds]] as only an ocean can. By instantly turning the crab boat's deck into a frigid swimming pool.

** Towards the end of the episode "The Ghost and Mrs. Hart", Barbra Jean suggests to Reba about asking the Ouija board whether Brock has been well-mannered while he was in Las Vegas, but Reba asks dismissively: "You don't think that thing really works, do you?" Cue its planchette starting to move on its own, causing both Reba and Barbra Jean to freak out in panic.
** A positive version of this at the end of the sixth-season episode "Bullets Over Brock", where Reba, dismayed at the prospect of Brock and Barbra Jean getting a divorce, claims "I'll never be able to relax now." Then she sits down and turns on the TV, sees the video clip of Van at Jake's soccer practice that Cheyenne filmed, and promptly bursts into hearty laughter due to Van's over-the-top behavior in the clip. By the time the video clip sequence ends, Reba is calmly sipping tea, grinning and giggling happily, before muttering to herself: "[[IronicEcho I'm definitely relaxed now.]]"

** ** Towards the end of the episode "The Ghost and Mrs. Hart", Barbra Jean suggests to Reba about asking the Ouija board whether Brock has been well-mannered while he was in Las Vegas, but Reba asks dismissively: "You don't think that thing really works, do you?" Cue its planchette starting to move on its own, causing both Reba and Barbra Jean to freak out in panic.

* ''Series/{{Reba}}'' has a positive version of this at the end of the sixth-season episode "Bullets Over Brock", where Reba, dismayed at the prospect of Brock and Barbra Jean getting a divorce, claims "I'll never be able to relax now." Then she sits down and turns on the TV, sees the video clip of Van at Jake's soccer practice that Cheyenne filmed, and promptly bursts into hearty laughter due to Van's over-the-top behavior in the clip. By the time the video clip sequence ends, Reba is calmly sipping tea, grinning and giggling happily, before muttering to herself: "[[IronicEcho I'm definitely relaxed now.]]"

* ''Series/WillAndGrace'': When Karen and Lyle are together, Lyle raises the concern that Karen might have trouble getting along with his daughter. Karen confidently asserts that she and Lyle's daughter would have no problem with each other. Then [[TheVamp Lorraine]] (whom [[YourCheatingHeart Karen's ex-husband]] cheated on Karen with) walks in saying: "Hello, mother." [[PeopleFallOffChairs Karen falls off the chair she's been sitting in.]]

''[[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5ZXxUqDwzs&feature=related Cue the hammer slipping out of Tory's hand and]] [[IncrediblyLamePun nailing]] Grant in the shin, missing the steel-toe cap of his shoe.]''

* ''Series/WillAndGrace'': When Karen and Lyle are together, Lyle raises the concern that Karen might have trouble getting along with his daughter. Karen confidently asserts that she and Lyle's daughter would have no problem with each other. Then [[TheVamp Lorraine]] (whom [[YourCheatingHeart Karen's ex-husband]] cheated on Karen with) walks in saying: "Hello, mother." [[FaceFault Karen falls off the chair she's been sitting in.]]

** ''[[Series/PowerRangersNinjaSteel Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel]]'': Things appear to be going very well for the villain Draven in the tenth episode, "Dimensions in Danger". After all, he's got an army of evil Rangers and is on the brink of conquering all dimensions by shattering the barriers between them using his three Mega Arrows. Having already fired the first arrow, he shoots the second one. He then informs the Ninja Steel Rangers, "You don't have any chance against my entire army!". Cue ten Rangers from past seasons literally showing up out of nowhere to help them.

** LampshadeHanging in the episode "Spin the Bottle" when Lorne produces the {{Phlebotinum}}:

** Wesley's "I think we're winning!" [[GilliganCut Next scene]], they're tied up.

** Played straight. Blackadder has been convicted of a crime at his court-martial and is going to be shot the next morning:

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** This show is pretty guilty of this, usually in combination with GilliganCut. Find us someone in the series who actually ''hasn't'' done this, and we'll be impressed. Xander seemed to tend to get the worse of it though.

** After Danny witnesses the mess in Stephanie and Michelle's room as the result of Michelle's leaf-collection "hobby", Danny meets Jesse in the kitchen and asks him if the day can get any worse. Then they see the cement truck pouring cement into the house as the result of CarMeetsHouse.

** When Jesse's attempt at playing multiple instruments at once goes badly wrong ([[EpicFail it ends with an amplifier short-circuiting]]) during "Comet's Excellent Adventure", he [[GetOut orders Joey out of the basement studio]], claiming that he doesn't need Joey anymore. The phone rings right as Joey is about to leave, prompting Jesse to request Joey's help by getting the phone and answering the call while Jesse himself tries to fix the broken amplifier.