A list of works referencing H.M.S. Pinafore.
- Aaron Sorkin, in two films he's written - Malice and Charlie Wilson's War - has a character give a Long List of their qualifications, and end it with, "And I am never, ever sick at sea."
- Chariots of Fire: Harold Abrahams, a member of the Gilbert and Sullivan club at Cambridge, leads other club members into a sing-a-long of "He is an Englishman" at one point.
- The Good Shepherd: In the first Flashback involving the main character, Edward Wilson, we see him in college performing "I'm Called Little Buttercup" in a production of the play, dressed in drag.
- Raiders of the Lost Ark: When Indiana and Sallah realize the Nazis are digging in the wrong place to find the ark, Sallah starts singing, "I am the monarch of the sea." Later, after Indiana and Marion say goodbye to him, Sallah sings, "A British Tar."
- Star Trek: Insurrection: Picard and Worf lead an out-of-control Data into singing "A British Tar", distracting him long enough for their shuttle to dock with his scout ship, because Data was in the Enterprise's production of HMS Pinafore before being transferred to the Briar Patch.
- The West Wing: A Running Gag in the season two episode "And It's Surely to Their Credit" is whether "He is an Englishman" is from this or The Pirates of Penzance. Also, new staffer Ainsley Hayes has had a lousy first day, but then at her next day, the rest of the staff greets her by singing "He is an Englishman" to her when she gets to her office (which they spruced up for her).
- Animaniacs: The short "H.M.S. Yakko" is a parody of the musical.
- Freakazoid!: The episode "The Island of Doctor Mystico" includes a performance of "Carefully on Tiptoe Stealing".
- The Simpsons:
- In "Cape Feare", Sideshow Bob corners Bart as the Simpsons' houseboat goes down the river, and he asks if he has any last requests. Taking advantage of Bob's ego, Bart requests that he perform the entirety of H.M.S. Pinafore, giving the boat enough time to take him to Springfield to be arrested.
- "Treehouse of Horror XXXIV" revisits the aforementioned moment, this time by having Bob realize right before it was too late that Bart was trying to distract him and proceeds to kill him right in front of Lisa.
