Published By: Riya Banerjee

TV series breaking the fourth wall moments

Yes, just like Deadpool did.

The Audience exists outside the storytelling. The characters and the audience never interact, unless you are breaking the fourth wall, just like Woody Allen does, or like Deadpool does. It’s a subtle nod to acknowledge the audience’s presence and mostly offers witty, sarcastic humour, or just plain information.  Like when Frank Underwood smirks at the camera when he is right, or the way Prince offers witty observations about life in Bel Air.

Here are TV’s most memorable, breaking the fourth wall moment:

  1. Community:
Community’s Abed often addresses other television series but he does it best when referring to their episode being shot in stop motion. “This is the most important Christmas in the history of the universe. I am assuming that’s why we are stop motion animated”. Though it turns out there was no switching back to real life motion like they had hoped, this was a remarkable episode of breaking the fourth wall.
  1. Fleabag:
Fleabag’s entire existence was to remind the audience she is aware of the audience’s presence. From occasionally turning to the camera to comment, while other characters are mid-sentence, or to just smirk, or stare, or fixing her nose while telling us “This is a love story”, Fleabag breaks the fourth wall often. If that’s not enough, she has also run away from the wall.
  1. Malcolm in the Middle:
Malcolm passes private comments on everyone in his life, and none of the characters notices it. Breaking the fourth wall need only tell the audience what they should know, must know. Like in the pilot episode, Malcolm talks about shaving and the next moment the others ask what they should do with all the hair.
  1. Saved by the Bell:
Can’t really talk about breaking the fourth wall without talking about Saved by the Bell. Zach has the ability to hit the pause button, freeze everyone, while he goes on to explain the current situation to the audience. It served the purpose to know any developments in Bayside High.

Modern Family/the Office: These mockumentaries are filmed to make the viewers know the characters are aware of the presence of the camera. There’s Mitch’s eye rolls, stares (remember Jim’s classic stare), sometimes pulling the blinds to not be seen by the camera. In The Office, Pam is consoled by the camera guy, who later gets fired. These mockumentaries have challenged the way fourth walls are broken.