Damned by Faint Praise in Western Animation.
- Arthur: In "Nicked by a Name", after Brain gives the other soccer teammates cool nicknames, when Arthur presses him for a nickname, Brain comes up with Average Arthur.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender:
- After seeing an absolutely horrendous meta episode play about them in "The Ember Island Players": "The effects were decent."
- In "The Fire Bending Masters," Aang tells Zuko that "I don't care what the others say, you're pretty smart." Zuko looks happy about the praise for a moment... then realizes what it implies.
- One of the final scenes in the series finale has Sokka drawing a picture of the entire team, and failing miserably. Everyone except Sokka shares a laugh after Toph says she thinks said picture is "perfect"... which isn't saying much, considering that she's blind.
- The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes: Carol Danvers tries to give a Rousing Speech to a prison full of criminals. She starts with "most of you aren't stupid".The Wasp: That'll win them over.
- One episode of Beavis And Butthead has Van Driessen putting on a mock graduation ceremony to encourage the class. This trope is all he can muster for Butt-Head, and he can't even manage that for Beavis.Van Driessen: Here you go, Butt-Head. You have... many... qualities.Butt-Head: Yeah.Van Driessen: Here's your diploma, Beavis.
- Bojack Horseman: In the episode "Free Churro", BoJack has to give a eulogy about his dead mother Beatrice. However, he struggles to find even a single nice thing to say about her, resorting to Trivially Obvious statements of fact or just making stories up when he isn't outright insulting her.
- An old Cartoon Network bumper parodying Super Friends sees Lex Luthor trying to restore order at a Legion of Doom meeting:Cheetah: What we need are a few items to help us in our purrrrrfect plan to stop the Super Friends!
Luthor: Cheetah, you have razor sharp claws! Brainiac, your mind games are deadly! Scarecrow, y-you're made of straw! What more do you need?! - Central Park: In Season 1 "Garbage Ballet", when Birdie tries praising the pottery on Esposito's desk:Birdie: Sir, not only are you a gentleman, you are an exceptional potter.
Esposito: Oh, I didn't make that. I made this.
(Esposito takes out a less-impressive pot)
Birdie: Well, you are a gentleman. - The Cleveland Show episode "Gone With The Wind", which dealt with the sudden death of Cleveland's much-reviled ex-wife Loretta, took this trope Up to Eleven. The pastor officiating at Loretta's funeral opens the eulogy by saying that he never knew her personally, but if he'd been told anything about her beforehand, it apparently wasn't pretty, because the best he can do is list the accomplishments of other women who happened to share her name.
- Daria:Jake: (on Daria's school photo) Wow, that's really sharp focus!
- Also in the episode "Too Cute": everybody is gushing about a minor character's new nose job, which Quinn politely says is "cute." Everybody acts as though this minor praise is a tremendous insult.
- Daria responds to a less-than-inspiring reading from Shakespeare with "Laurence Olivier, in his present state*, could not have done better."
- In an aversion, DeMartino's comment that Daria is "making me want to kill myself a little less than the processed sausages who call themselves your classmates!" was actually a show of affection by his standards.
- Family Guy:
- A Cutaway Gag "Stewie Kills Lois" had Ringo Starr showing the rest of The Beatles a song he had just written. Their response? "Very good! We'll put this right on the fridge, right here where everyone can see it."
- When Brian made Stewie say something nice about Diablo Cody, he said, "I . . . envy the tattoo artist who had that huge canvas of arm fat to work with."
- In "Coma Guy", Peter makes his family do embarrassing things to earn his forgiveness, which includes telling Timothy Olyphant how much they like him in Santa Clarita Diet (and only that show). To get them started, Peter says "I like your hair".Lois: Well, now I've got nothing!
- Futurama:
- Whenever the accomplishments of Zapp Brannigan are listed, they're usually something that sounds both pathetically easy and morally repugnant. To whit: a carpet bombing of Eden 7, a "bloody triumph" against the pacifists of the Gandhi Nebula, and single-handedly defeating the Retiree People of the Assisted Living Nebula. This is to instantly show that Zapp's tactical skills are only matched by his morality. One particularly cringe-worthy "accomplishment" is shutting down a rampaging group of Kill-Bots, which sound impressive, until he goes on to tell you he did it by throwing wave after wave of his men at them, overflowing the robots' kill-counters and causing them to explode.
- In the Christmas episode, Leela sings of the toy-making Neptunians, "You did the best you could I guess, and some of these gorillas are okay...." The Neptunians, not used to even this much, cheer, "Hooray! We're adequate!"
- During the presidential election episode, Nixon's head is asked if he would steal candy from a baby. A visibly flustered and stammering Nixon equivocates, then states he would certainly never hurt a child. note
- Garfield once pointed out that when your boss tries to set you up with his daughter, the more praise for things like her personality, the fatter she is.
- In the Goof Troop episode "The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy," Goofy decides to give Pete a compliment. The compliment in question is "Pete's a swell kinda guy, once you get past his personality!" What makes this even funnier is that Goofy himself believes this is a meaningful compliment.
- In Gravity Falls episode "A Tale of Two Stans", the principal of Stan's high school compares Stan and his twin brother to his parents thusly; "You have two boys. One is very gifted, and the other is sitting outside this room and his name is Stanley."
- In Inside Job (2021) Reagan reunites with her team, telling them things she likes about all of them. Unfortunately for Myc the only thing she can think of is that he makes everyone else look better by comparison.
- King of the Hill: Hank Hill has so little in common with his son Bobby he has difficulty even faintly praising him. When Bobby is suffering from feelings of extreme stress, Peggy tells Hank to compliment him, then when Hank is speechless, she has to provide him with one; "He has nice hair." Which Hank only proceeds to turn into even fainter praise.Hank: Your mother likes your hair.
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic:
- This happens in "Lesson Zero." Twilight Sparkle, (literally) madly desperate to find a friendship problem for her weekly report to Princess Celestia, tries to make a problem by getting the Cutie Mark Crusaders to fight over her favorite childhood toy, Smarty Pants. The Crusaders aren't interested in the ratty old doll, however, but are trying to be polite about it. When pressed to compliment it, the only thing Sweetie Belle can come up with is "Um, I really like her... mane?"
- This comment is later played for laughs later in the episode, when Sweetie Belle says it with complete sincerity and excitement, albeit under a hypnotic spell that makes her (And others) obsessed with the doll.
- As they're wont to do, the fandom has turned this into a meme, and it's now the stock response when you're commenting on someone's poorly designed pony OC.
- Happens again in Read it and Weep, where the only thing Rarity can think of to comfort the just-hospitalized Rainbow Dash is that the hospital gowns match the curtains.
- "Suited for Success" has this happen a number of times. First, when Rarity reveals the dresses she made for the other five, they can't think of anything better to say than "it's something." Later, when Rarity has Fluttershy in her dress and asks what she thinks she says "it's...nice" and similar until Rarity browbeats Fluttershy into telling the truth. Finally, when their revised dresses are shown to them, Rarity's best compliment on the new designs is "I'm happy that you're happy."
- This happens in "Lesson Zero." Twilight Sparkle, (literally) madly desperate to find a friendship problem for her weekly report to Princess Celestia, tries to make a problem by getting the Cutie Mark Crusaders to fight over her favorite childhood toy, Smarty Pants. The Crusaders aren't interested in the ratty old doll, however, but are trying to be polite about it. When pressed to compliment it, the only thing Sweetie Belle can come up with is "Um, I really like her... mane?"
- In the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode "T.K.O.", after K.O. has a sub-par day compared to Enid and Rad:K.O.: Why can't I be strong like Rad and Enid? And how could I call myself a hero when I can't even shoot a power fist when I need it?
Enid: Hey, power isn't everything, brush-head. You've got your own heroic qualities, like ... being cute! At least you're cute.- Shortly afterward, when Mr. Gar commends the heroes:Mr. Gar: Good work, employees! I'll now praise your acts of heroism one by one: Enid, very impressive foot-eye coordination, as always; Rad, well done saving that small child with your finger beam. Great improvements from you both!
Rad: Yes!
Mr. Gar: K.O.! (eagerly awaiting what Mr. Gar has to say about him) Ehh, uh... good hustle out there, now get this cleaned up.
K.O.: (dejected as Mr. Gar hands him the broom) Oh.
- Shortly afterward, when Mr. Gar commends the heroes:
- A Pup Named Scooby-Doo: In the episode "Horror of the Haunted Hairpiece", the pizzeria owner offers Shaggy and Scooby free samples of his breadsticks (literally, they're sticks), and Scooby says that they were "crunchy."
- In the Robot Chicken sketch Ebert and Roper at the Movies (where Roper is replaced by M. Night Shyamalan after Roper comes down with a case of who-gives-a-[bleep]), the only movie Roger Ebert isn't openly scathing in reviewing falls under this trope:Roger Ebert: Rudy was about a man who overcomes obstacles to fulfill his dream of playing football. Rudy II is about 90 minutes long.
- Rocko's Modern Life: In "The Fatlands", Bloaty and Squirmy are in the middle of a Cowboy Episode when they run afoul of the Blood Brothers, a trio of mosquito bandits, who decide to show off the half-assed "dancing" act they've been working on. Not wanting to provoke the bandits any further, Bloaty and Squirmy describe the act as "interesting", but the Blood Brothers immediately see through their "back-handed compliment" and decide to go ahead and drag them into the desert and shoot them dead.
- The Simpsons:
- In the pilot Christmas Episode, "Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire", Marge is penning a letter to be included in the family's Christmas cards. Talking about the kids, she writes, "Maggie is walking by herself, Lisa got straight As, and Bart... we love Bart."
- A similar thing happens in "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish." When Homer goes to see his children sleeping for (what he thinks is) the last time, he tells Maggie to "stay as sweet as you are", tells Lisa "I know you'll make me proud" and after hesitating a moment he tells Bart "I like your sheets."
- With Bart again, in "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield", after realizing how much she's changed by trying to impress the women at a posh club, she decides she doesn't like how she's turning out and that she likes Homer's in-your-face humanity, she likes the way Lisa always speaks her mind and she likes Bart's... Beat "...I like Bart!"
- In "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show", after showing his friends and family the "Poochie" which he's voice acting for, Homer's guests all leave muttering incoherently and Carl says "You should be very proud, Homer... you have a wonderful home."
- Also, in "Realty Bites", when Marge becomes a real estate agent, Lionel Hutz sits her down to teach her the jargon.Hutz: There's (ominous) the truth (shakes head in disapproval), and there's (smiling) "The Truth!" Lemme show you. (opens a brochure)
Marge: It's awfully small.
Hutz: I'd say it's awfully ... cozy.
Marge: That's dilapidated.
Hutz: Rustic.
Marge: That house is on fire!
Hutz: Motivated seller! - In "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy", Grandpa Simpson apologizes to Homer for horribly insulting him. The best compliment he can come up with? "I was always proud... that you weren't a short man."
- Done to the point of Stealth Insult in "Thursdays With Abie" when Homer describes why he loves aquatic parks:Homer: I love coming to aquatic parks! Sure they have less rides than amusement parks, less fish than aquariums, but the parking is ample!
- In "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can", Homer sees a commercial for Krusty Burger's new Ribwich, which is made of "letter-graded meat" that Krusty caps off saying "I don't mind the taste!" (Which may actually be high praise coming from someone who hates Krusty Burgers).
- Then there's Homer's description of Grand Funk Railroad:"You kids don't know Grand Funk? The wild shirtless lyrics of Mark Farner? The bong-rattling bass of Mel Schacher? The competent drumwork of Don Brewer? Oh, man!"
- The Spectacular Spider-Man subverts this when Aunt May tries to set Peter up with Mary Jane Watson, saying she has "a wonderful personality." Peter shudders, quite certain it means she's ugly, and the phrase "wonderful personality" becomes a Running Gag. Then Peter actually meets her. The Green Goblin says the same of the Master Planner when discussing New York's crime bosses one season later.
- On one episode of Total Drama, Beth has to come up with a haiku highlighting one of Heather's positive attributes. The first line is "Heather has ten toes," and the rest summarizes how that makes swimming easier.
