Examples of Flat "What" in live-action television.
- David Letterman tends to quickly bolt out one if he hears something over the course of his show that's weird or otherwise catches him off-guard.
- Frequently, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on their respective shows in response to stupid world events.
- Barbara Walters interviewed Herman Cain as one of her most fascinating people of 2011 and gave this when he answered a question about theoretical cabinet positions with he would like to be Secretary of Defense. This from a man who admitted (and demonstrated) he didn't know squat about foreign affairs.
- The Apprentice: This is Lord Sugar's response to Karthik's boast "Give me a laptop, I'll make you a billion-dollar company." For context, this was following the defeat of Karthik's team by over £40,000.
- Blackadder uses this fairly regularly.
- Perhaps best demonstrated in Blackadder teaching Baldrick how to count
:Blackadder: Right Baldrick, let's try again shall we? This is called adding. If I have two beans, and then I add two more beans, what do I have?
Baldrick: Some beans.
Blackadder: (pause) Yes... and no. Let's try again, shall we? I have two beans, then I add two more beans. What does that make?
Baldrick: A very small casserole.
Blackadder: Baldrick, the ape creatures of the Indus have mastered this. Now try again. One, two, three...
Baldrick: Four!
Blackadder: So how many are there?
Baldrick: Three.
Blackadder: What.
Baldrick: And that one.
Blackadder: Three... and that one. So if I add that one to the three, what will I have?
Baldrick: Oh! Some beans.
Blackadder: Yes. To you Baldrick, the Renaissance was just something that happened to other people, wasn't it?
- Perhaps best demonstrated in Blackadder teaching Baldrick how to count
- Breaking Bad: In the first episode, Jesse asks Walther why he is getting into the meth game at age 50. Walther eventually responds with "I'm awake." This prompts a confused "What?" from Jesse.
- The Catherine Tate Show: Kate (Catherine Tate) insists that Ellen (Ella Kenion) guess how old her salsa instructor thought she was. Ellen guesses 42, prompting a flat "what" from Kate although you can still tell she was restraining her anger.Kate: Guess how old Tony thought I was.
Ellen: I really wouldn't like to.
Kate: Go on, just guess!
Ellen: Forty-two?
Kate: What.
Ellen: Forty-eight? - Community, right after Jeff telling off Abed's father for trying to control Abed vaguely backfires:Abed's Dad: Fine! You want to raise him? You raise him! I'm out!
Jeff: What.- This was Troy's reaction when Pierce brought his late mother's essence (a lava lamp) to class.
- Doctor Who:
- In "The Evil of the Daleks", the Second Doctor has just boasted that he's beaten the Daleks, only to be deflated by what the Emperor tells him.The Emperor: Silence! The Human Factor showed us what the Dalek Factor was.
The Doctor: What? - The Fourth Doctor was very fond of saying "what".
- The Tenth Doctor gets in at least one of these per season. Often combined with a Triple Take.
- His first use of it may have been in "Army of Ghosts", when the Cyber-Leader reveals the Cybus Cybermen didn't build the Void ship that broke the barrier between universes.
- Also used in his first encounter with Donna Noble (at the end of series 2's final episode "Doomsday" and again, when the same scene is replayed at the start of "The Runaway Bride"), when she suddenly, inexplicably appears out of thin air inside the flying TARDIS and starts berating him.
- Used exquisitely in "Last of the Time Lords", "Voyage of the Damned" and the mini-episode "Time Crash" (which reuse the same scene). The prow of (what looks like) an antiquated (read: early 20th century) ocean-liner smashes through to the interior of the TARDIS (while the TARDIS is in space!) and the Doctor, as any sane man would, responds in surprise. And then repeats himself for emphasis. Finally, upon discovering that the ship is, in fact, the Titanic, he finishes off in a perfectly flat "What."
- At the end of Jodie Whittaker's run, the Doctor's female incarnation regenerates into the earlier Tenth Doctor who delivers an increasily perplexed triplet of "What?"
- Martha does one in "Gridlock", when she learns that a ten-mile trip on "the motorway" in New New York will take six years.
- In "The Eleventh Hour", this is Young Amy's reaction when the Doctor tells her that the blue box he crashed in is actually a time machine.
- Eleven's flattest one was probably in "Closing Time":Val: Well there is the silver rat...
The Doctor: [turns around slowly] What. - Yaz gives one in "Legend of the Sea Devils" when the Doctor casually mentions having a wife.
- In “Power of the Doctor”, this is the Fourteeth’s first reaction as his new form is somehow the Tenth’s!
- In "The Evil of the Daleks", the Second Doctor has just boasted that he's beaten the Daleks, only to be deflated by what the Emperor tells him.
- Family Ties: This was Alex P. Keaton's response to Mallory and Nick's decision to get married.
- Full House: In episode 17 of season 7, this is Michelle's reaction to Papouli's death.
- Game of Thrones:
- In "Harrenhall", Tyrion hears from Bronn that the city blames him for its troubles, calling him a "demon monkey".
- Arya reacts this way after the Waif plays 'the game of faces' with her.
- Good Luck Charlie:Amy: I made Charlie, so, in some way, I made that painting too!
Bob: But honey, by that logic, I made that painting too.
Amy: Oh really? So you carried that painting inside of you for nine months?
Bob: What.
- Life's Captain Tidwell reverses the usual scenario by using the Flat What as his go-to response to other people's reactions to his odd comments.
- Mad Men:
- Don Draper is fond of this. Very fond of this.
- Peggy has two when Stan confesses that he's in love with her.
- Don Draper is fond of this. Very fond of this.
- The Muppet Show: Sam the American Eagle looses a fine one on learning that his requested concerto (Chopin's Polonaise in A-flat) would be played by The Electric Mayhem. Sam is rather famous for these. He has a particularly beautiful one while reading "The Ant and the Grasshopper"; he reads the traditional Aesop's fable until he reaches the last line:Sam: And so it was, dear listeners... that the Grasshopper drove his sports car to Florida, and the Ant got stepped on.
Beat
Sam: WHAT. - The Office (US): This is Pam's reaction in the Season 2 finale when Jim confesses his love for her.
- Poirot: In the 2010 adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express, Mrs. Hubbard interrupts Poirot's evaluation of the crime scene by calmly saying that she saw the murderer, eliciting a dull "...Quoi."
- Power Rangers Mystic Force: This was Koragg's reaction when Nick rode in to battle on Koragg's own Cool Horse, Catastros. Previously, Koragg had been the only one able to tame and ride Catastros.
- The Practice. Murder trial, pretty routine for lawyers, prosecutors, and judge, obviously guilty defendant... and the Common Nonsense Jury surprises everyone with a verdict of Not Guilty. Helen does this, then delivers an epic "The Reason You Suck" Speech to the jury.
- Sesame Street: Elmo has one of these after the umpteenth time that Zoe insisting her pet rock Rocco is alive, this one in particular coming after Zoe tells Elmo they were late because "Rocco had to go to the potty."
- Sherlock: In "A Scandal in Belgravia", right before they go to visit Irene Adler, Sherlock asks John to punch him in the face. This is his response.
- Skins: Emily launches one when Katie tells her she does have to ask her who she sleeps with.
- Stargate:
- Cameron Mitchell of Stargate SG-1 says "what" with varying inflections so often that he's been accused of using it as his catchphrase. Obviously, at least one Flat What has come up.
- While she doesn't actually say it, Teyla's facial expression just screams this upon Sheppard telling her in a matter-of-fact tone what the last two digits of McKay's password mean. For reference, the password is 16431879196842.note Sheppard: It's the Ultimate Answer to the Great Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.
Teyla: ... (slowly turns back to her own computer)
- Happened quite a few times on Star Trek: The Next Generation. One of the funniest ones came from the episode "First Contact" (not to be confused with the later film of the same name) where Riker is trapped while undercover on a planet of aliens and tries to enlist the aid of a nurse to escape from the hospital they're keeping him in.Riker: Now, will you help me?
Lanel: If you make love to me.
Riker: <Beat> What?
Lanel: I've always wanted to make love with an alien.
(Of course, being Riker, he doesn't exactly object.) - Supernatural:
- Lucifer's reaction in "The War of the Worlds" when the Alternate Universe's Kevin starts talking about how Michael is going to take him to "paradise world" in the main universe so he can "meet hot women".
- Dean's reaction in "Destiny's Child" upon hearing that his and Sam's alternate universe counterparts get paid to hunt monsters.
- Teen Wolf: Jackson's reaction at being demoted to co-captain... alongside Scott.
- Third Watch: After a bad night, Doc does the math on how much they make on each run. Faith's response to the $13.85 is a Flat What.
- Titus: Both forms are running gags; the flat what is often used by Ken Titus, usually toward an unseen observer of his behavior.
- Torchwood: Miracle Day: At the end, when the team finds out that because of the blood transfusion, Rex is as immortal as Jack, Jack, Gwen and Rex let out three Flat Whats in a row. Doubles a Call-Back to the Doctor Who examples above.
- The Vampire Diaries: Jenna's reaction upon learning that John Gilbert is Elena's father.
- White Collar: Once, Neal is given tranquilizers and strapped to a bed. When Peter finds him, Neal's still in the bed (singing, no less) even though he freed himself a while ago.Peter: We gotta get you out of these binds.
Neal: Oh, you mean these? (raises arms and straps fall to the floor) What. - The X-Files: In "Die Hand Die Verletzt", Mulder admits that he agrees with a hick sheriff that a creepy woodland murder scene looks ritualistic, he simply didn't want to start a panic. Scully is Scully until she's interrupted by a rain of toads.Mulder: So... lunch?
