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I guess Community? Though that is clearly comedic.

Your distinctions between what is good meta and what is bad meta seems very personal and subjective though.

It's rare that I see any instance where the way it's used doesn't work. In fact, offhand I can't even think of a single specific instance of it not working.

But on another note, the best fourth-wall breaking I've ever seen in anything TV or otherwise was in the Minds arc of the Cerebus comics. It's done in such a way that it's basically a culmination of everything that came before, feels like it couldn't have been done a different way, and actually matters to the storyline, too. (The creator definitely went off the deep end for a while in the Reads arc right before Minds, but it didn't impact how well Minds worked.)

"The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award" comes to mind.

The Serpent Queen

Every opinion about good and bad media is totally personal and subjective.

The ending of She-Hulk is soome right out of her comics.

There is a limit though.

Future Man

Rick and Morty

The story-train episode is my favorite R&M episode but also probably my favorite piece of meta television

Glass Onion had some pretty solid meta moments.

That episode of Breaking Bad where Walt makes a phone call and unloads on Skyler in order to try to exonerate her because he knew the line was tapped. That whole scene was essentially the show taking a massive shit on all the misogynistic Skyler haters.

To be fair many of the examples you have are from content that isn't trying to be serious, if Oppenheimer tries to be meta then I would cringe

Glad I didn’t have to scroll far to find this. One of my favorite episodes of the entire series.

Yeah, there are technical aspects to storytelling that have to be achieved for it to count as a proper story. Like, the sequel of events has to make some sense, there has to be elements of cause and effect or it's just like listening to a 3 year old babble about their day at the zoo.

Arrested Development

When the number of episodes was cut from 24 to 13 in season 3, they made it a plot point that the housing development the family was supposed the build was also cut to 13 houses. Michael complaining about that is the writers complaining about the cut episodes.

They had the plans drawn up and everything!

(Well, that wasn't true, but they would have!)

There’s an episode of Supernatural “The French Mistake (S6 EP15)” where Sam and Dean Winchester play their real life selves Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. I always thought they did really good with that episode of Supernatural

Charlie huffing paint, crawling out of the floor and trying to do his Randy Newman musical impression from earlier is one of the highlights of the whole show. Mac immediately knows and gives up all hope in one pout.

Meta is always annoying to me, even when it’s done well, like in Rick and Morty, I always get taken out of the show and annoyed by it.

Also the episode “Waiting for Big Mo”

You’re not defining “meta” and seem to be using it very broadly, so hard to say (it’s also not an acronym, so don’t capitalize it). But it’s very subjective - someone suggested Rick and Morty but its meta episode are highly controversial.

Meta isn’t an acronym. Why are you typing it in all caps?

For a second there I thought you were talking about the company Meta. I was thinking, yeah, The Social Network certainly used Meta properly.

Doom Patrol, for sure

I thought Wandavision handled its meta aspects better than it had any right to.

Also, X-Files. Every season there are a few eps with homages to older movies/shows or filmmaking techniques, or just slightly different one-off tones that separate them from the typical style. It is always mixed in well and not overdone.

Gary Schandling did this very well with two shows, It's Gary Schandling's Show and The Larry Sanders Show.

Not sure if this 100% qualifies, but Psych (where the main character is hyper observant and passes it off to the police and others as being psychic) made several digs at the Mentalist, another show that was on at the same time. In the Mentalist, Simon Baker's character was also a hyper observant detective who had started out by posing as a psychic. Here's a fun supercut of all of the jokes they made.

When the series was on threat of cancellation in season 3 there is a meta reference to The Bluth Company seeking a buyout from the Home Buyers Organization. (HBO)

Would Fleabag count? Main character talks to the audience, another character picks up on this. Maybe not… but I liked it.

You need to define meta. And stop using caps.

Third Rock from the Sun has the greatest meta moment in all of television.

John Lithgow and his family, actually alien scouts sent to Earth to prepare for an invasion, await the arrival of their leader, who for some reason is coming in through an airport. A drunk approaches them and they shoo him away, not recognizing him as the leader because they have human bodies as disguises, but when they realize it is him they salute and ask him how his trip was.

The leader, William Shatner, says the trip was awful and they sent him to the wrong airport in NJ, then on the trip to Ohio he saw a man on the wing of the plane, and John Lithgow yells "SAME THING HAPPENED TO MEEEE!!!"

Shatner starred in the original 1960 Twilight Zone episode about a man seeing a gremlin tearing his plane's engine apart, and that episode was remade with John Lithgow in that role for the Twilight Zone movie in the 80s.

I loved this when it aired, I still love it.

There’s an episode of the 90’s “Hercules” show where the plot is the writers (played mostly by the regular cast but led by Bruce Campbell) are trying to come up with the new episode, and Kevin Sorbo plays Sorbo but he’s trying to hide the fact that he actually has Herculean strength irl. I always loved it.

The Magicians comes to mind, particularly the musical episodes. Enjoyed the hell out of that show.

I think Nathan Fielders "The Rehearsal" is the best Meta example of television out there. He completely deconstructs what a tv show is and blends reality with scripted wackiness in a way that leaves you wondering what the difference really is. The show goes so off the rails at point you can't help but laugh but if you really think about what he's trying to accomplish it's genius.

That said, I'm not sure we exactly clear on what meta is so not sure you'll agree with this. Take it with a grain of salt.

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Waiting for Big Mo does handle its meta aspects well, I just don’t find it to be a very funny episode. Where The Gang Tries Desperately… is absolutely hilarious.

“Well you say the worlds an oyster, but oysters ain’t for me…”

True poetry from Charlie Kelly, King of the Rats

Agreed although I don’t think they were trying to be as funny in waiting for big mo. It came around the time when they still hadn’t announce if the show will continue. So I think they did a really good job at conveying the somberness of it really ending and none of the gang really grasping the meaning. Great misdirection in the end that made me cry tbh thought the show was over…

Mockably Enthusiastic Towards Acronyms?

There is a META acronym, but not in the sense that op is using it. Most Efficient Tactics Available, e.g. “he’s following the META for this online multiplayer game.”

There were several like that, I remember Footloose and Harry and The Hendersons references too.

Surprised no one's mentioned House of Cards with Kevin Spacey/Frank Underwood talking to the audience to explain his motivation at random

everyone keeps using this word "meta" and at this point I'm too embarrassed to ask what it means.

Seriously, what does "meta" even mean? like the main character knows they're in a show but other characters don't?

That is a backronym. meta- is a prefix for before or beyond, and meta in reference to games come from shortening metagame. "Metagame or game about the game, is an approach to a game that transcends or operates outside of the prescribed rules of the game, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game. " - wikipedia

Seinfeld when they pitch a Seinfeld TV series to NBC.

I feel like Matrix Resurrections had a decent idea about the Matrix being meta......but then that movie sh!t the bed. Could have been very cool I think.

I mean it sounds like you just don't personally like the examples you listed. I enjoyed when Supernatural commented on its fanbase wanting the brothers to fuck.

Family guy is crappy writing?

Bojack Horseman is full of meta jokes but is also one of the best written series I’ve ever seen

I only started watching this show after I learned it was only 2 seasons with each only 6 half hour long episodes, small commitment. Ended up binging in 2 days, damn great show.

Ummmm….I don’t think your using that word correctly. I think YOU use the term meta to excuse the writing of the show. Not the other way around. Honestly you sound so opinionated about the use of the term meta that I’m not even sure. Rick and Morty just did a whole episode on the meta and I think you should check it out.

A lot of people are using is incorrectly in this thread. In this context it would generally mean a show about the show or shows in general. A very overt example would be The Larry Sanders show from back in the day. It’s a show about a show being made. More broadly it can be something kind of self referential like Community that heavily plays on expected tropes for sitcoms. OP is pretty heavily indicating a show like She Hulk which breaks the 4th wall but isn’t really meta until the end when the character speaks to the writer of the show.

Not a TV show, but a movie. The Matrix: Resurrections does this really well. Basically, WB was going to make it with or without the Wachowskis, so Lana used a meta narrative to lambast them for it

Yeah, OP seems to take it as a given that their opinion is fact.

The Simpsons when Poochie was a character because the show actually did have a directive from Network Executives to add an additional character because they thought the format was getting stale. During that episode a character did briefly join the Simpsons in their home. It seemed like a quick tongue in cheek joke but that actually fulfilled the requirements that Fox gave the writing team.

Im suprised no ones mentioned Crazy Ex Girlfriend, especially the way they handled the new greg in season 4. Love that show!

Arrested development season three is this first thing that came to my mind. Knowing what was happening at the time really makes season 3 a lot more fun.

Seinfeld is very meta.

The TV trope is called lampshading. You can read more here: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LampshadeHanging.

There's a list of examples in all kinds of media. Enjoy the rabbit hole that is TV Tropes!

Yeah its really confusing. I thought OP was talking about Facebook

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Malcolm in the Middle

Also “The Gang Misses The Boat”

It’s a commentary on shows jumping the shark by Flanderizing the characters and putting them in increasingly outrageous situations

Real subtle one at the end of the second season of Veronica Mars the show was moving from one network to the CW. In the last episode of the season one character calls another named Clarence Wideman and has the following exchange.

Duncan "CW?"

Clarence Wideman "it's a done deal"

The end on season 1 when her sister confronts her she turns around to get away but the camera cuts to an angle that blocks her escape, it forces her back into the conversation. I always took this moment as her trying to run away from her past again but the audience not letting her.

Season 4 of Seinfeld was all about pitching a pilot to NBC for a show about nothing. They make fun of writers for being procrastinating idiots, they mention multiple times that Seinfeld can't act, and also mock Larry David for trying to pick up women at a bar by mentioning he writes sitcoms. It also mocks actors for being method or being bizarre.

The moment when Tommy's band is rehearsing in the garage and Dick comes in with ReverandMoore's monologue on dancing. Brilliant moment!

3rd Rock from the Sun has some of the best meta moments ever put on television.

30 Rock is this as a whole show with some peak moments throughout the show. NBC being bought by Kabletown (Comcast) comes to mind.

Misha Collins as Castiel being a Twitter junkie is actually on par with his real life persona, he engages a ton with his fans. And he tweeted real time during the initial airing of that episode to coincide with his character at the same time.

I just rewatched the episode where that woman “impersonates” Angela as they talk thru the show… I literally got chills watching her accurately breakdown Nathan’s insecurities without even knowing it.

This was one of my favorite episodes of Supernatural. I thought it was just perfect and was a perfect use of meta

Cowboy Bebop. It hits every trope imaginable and it does it all with style.

This was one of my favorite episodes of Supernatural too. Although, I loved all the weird/quirky episodes of Supernatural including: “Monster Movie,” Yellow Fever,” “Mystery Spot,” Ghostfacers,” Dog Dean Afternoon,” Scooby-Natural,” etc.) I wish TV shows still had closer to 18-21 episodes so that they could fun episodes.

I didn’t know that about Misha live tweeting along side the episode when it first aired. That’s cool.

I took that more as to protect her and the kids. Not to try to hate on the skyler haters. but you do you.

thank you for explaining like I'm 5, that makes total sense now.

"Gary called me up and asked if I would write the theme song, I sure hope you like it, this is the part when I start to whistle, this is the theme to the Gary Shandling SHOW"!!