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Someone does something that puts them, or the people around them in a bad or unpleasant situation. Hindsight reveals that although they had good intentions, their actions were not in their best interests.
If questioned about why they did it, they'll often respond with the reason for everything that has ever been done by anyone at any time and any place: '''"It seemed like a good idea at the time!"
This is also used sometimes as an explanation for [[Chaotic Neutral]] or [[Chaotic Stupid]] actions. Contrast [[I Did What I Had to Do]], which does the same as in this case, but for [[Lawful Neutral]] or [[Lawful Stupid]] actions and their moral, rather than
Compare the situational trope
{{examples
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* This explanation gets used a lot in ''[[Nodwick]]''. Especially by Yeagar. Who, to be fair, has the wisdom of a lemming.
== [[Fan Works]] ==
* In ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}zIjdOWL4_Xg Yu Yu Hakusho and the Magical Mirror]'', an [[The Abridged Series|Abridged Parody]]:
{{quote|'''Doctor:''' Your mom's insurance cut her off, so we've replaced her IV with a 2 liter of Sprite.
'''Kurama:''' Why would you do such a thing?
'''Doctor:''' Uh, it seemed like a... [[Played for Laughs|not good, but funny idea at the time...]]}}
==
* ''[[American Outlaws]]''
{{quote|
'''Frank''': Well, I'm sure it seemed like a good idea at the time. }}
* ''[[Hannibal]]''
{{quote|
'''Hannibal Lecter''': Try peeling off your face...
'''Mason Verger''': ...and feeding it to the dogs. [Flashback: Verger peels his face off.] Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
* ''[[Jesse Stone]]: No Remorse''. Jesse Stone suggests Dr. Dix take up fishing.
{{quote|
'''Chief Jesse Stone''': So do I.
'''Dr. Dix''': So why'd you suggest it?
'''Chief Jesse Stone'''': Seemed like a good idea at the time, doesn't cost me anything. }}
* The 1975 comedy film called, ''It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time'', starring Stephanie Powers and John Candy.
* ''[[Live Free or Die Hard]]''
{{quote|
'''John McClane''': What're you talkin' about?
'''Lucy McClane''': You shot yourself!
'''John McClane''': [groaning] It seemed like a good idea at the time. }}
* ''[[The Magnificent Seven]]'':
{{quote|
'''Chris:''' I wonder myself.
'''Calvera:''' No, come on, come on, tell me why.
'''Vin:''' It's like a fellow I once knew in El Paso. One day, he just took all his clothes off and jumped in a mess of cactus. I asked him that same question, "Why?"
'''Calvera:''' And?
'''Vin:''' He said, "It seemed to be a good idea at the time." }}
* ''[[The Mummy
{{quote|
'''Rick''': I don't know. I was about to be hanged. It seemed like a good idea at the time. }}
* In the ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' movie, Crow attempts to escape the Satellite of Love by ''digging a tunnel'' through space. When asked why he decided to bore a hole through the hull of the ship, he responds, "I calculated the odds of this working vs the odds that I was doing something incredibly stupid and... I went ahead anyway."
* ''[[
{{quote|
'''Del Knox''': Seemed like a good idea at the time. Know what I mean, kid? }}
* ''[[
{{quote|
'''Gibarian''': It seemed like a good idea at the time, now I think I made a mistake. }}
== [[Literature]] ==
* ''[[The
* In the novel ''Knight Life'' by Peter David, Merlin says any question can be answered by one of three statements: "Everybody has to be somewhere," "God told me to do it," and "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
* In ''[[Oryx and Crake]]'', where pigs are spliced with human DNA in order to create ultra-large pigs who grow multiple human organs that are used for transplants. Some of them even have some human brain tissue, which makes them viciously intelligent. Of course, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
* Similarly to the ''[[Oryx and Crake]]'' example, in the ''[[Alastair Reynolds|Revelation Space]]'' universe an intelligent species of "hyperpigs" exists due to genetic manipulations conducted to provide transplant materials. While things are rocky for a long while, a hyperpig ends up being vital to saving all humans and hyperpigs from the Inhibitors.
* Michael's bright idea in the ''[[Knight and Rogue Series]]'' to be marked as a
* Any of Chris's antics during his college career in ''[[The Pale King]]''.
* In the ''[[Discworld]]'' series, Nanny Ogg's primary method of functioning is explicitly described as, "Nanny's philosophy of life was to do what seemed like a good idea at the time, and to do it as hard as possible. It had never let her down."
* A nonfiction book by Bill Fawcett cataloging such events in [[Real Life]] uses the trope as its title.
▲== [[Live Action Television]] ==
* ''[[The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones]]'' episode "Demons of Deception" ("Verdun" and "Paris")
{{quote|
'''Indiana Jones''': They'll never figure it out.
'''Remy Baudouin''': But still, you lost your courier's job, and you put yourself back in the mud. You're crazy!
'''Indiana Jones''': It seemed like a good idea at the time. Some men got to live another day. }}
* The producers of ''[[The Amazing Race]]'' have been quoted as saying this about the [[Seasonal Rot|Family Edition]].
* On ''[[
** And then they tested the [[Slap Chop]] on sheep eyes...
* Comes up in almost each plan by John in ''[[
* ''[[Gossip Girl]]'' episode "All About My Brother"
{{quote|
'''Rufus Humphrey''': It seemed like a good idea at the time.
'''Lily van der Woodsen''': So did flannel and acid wash-jeans, but they weren't flattering either. }}
* ''[[
{{quote|
* On an episode of ''[[Night Court]]'', Mac’s bigoted grandfather can’t accept that his grandson has married an Asian woman. So Harry orders his grandfather arrested and locks him up in the same cell with Mac’s wife, so the two of them can get to know each other better. Mac is aghast when he finds out, and a crestfallen Harry gives the trope name word-for-word as his defense. Mac responds, “Well, sir, I’m sure human sacrifice seemed like a good idea at the time!”
* ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' episode "The Emperor's New Cloak".
{{quote|
'''Zek''': Simple, really. I came to find new financial opportunities for the Ferengi people.
'''Rom''': In the [[Mirror Universe|alternate universe]]?
'''Zek''': Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. }}
** The [[Stock Phrase]] is also used in "The Way Of The Warrior Part I", when Sisko is rather surprised to find Dukat on the side of the Cardassian Civilian Government instead of Cardassian Military. Facing a revolution, Dukat had to consider what was best for... well, Dukat.
{{quote|
'''Dukat''': It seemed like a good idea at the time. }}
* ''Terry and the Pirates'' episode "Deadly Species" (1952)
{{quote|
'''Major Ellis''': Oh, it was quite simple. All I had to do was follow the baskets you chaps so thoughtfully pushed off the truck.
'''Terry Lee''': It seemed like a good idea at the time. }}
* ''[[Trailer Park Boys]]'' episode "Propane, Propane"
{{quote|
'''Ricky''': Look Julian, I was baked out of my mind, it seemed like a good idea at the time alright? }}
* One stand-up comedian says that this is the reason why men do so many stupid and idiotic things, because guys aren't thinking about the past or the future and are only concerned with having a good time right now. He uses [[Bill Clinton]] as an example, and claims Bill would have gotten off scott free if he had just told the truth.
{{quote|
"Seemed like a good idea at the time!" }}
* ''[[
{{quote|
'''Carly''': (to Freddie, who looks at her weirded out) ...It seemed like a good idea at the time. }}
== [[Music]] ==
* The song [[Title Drop|A Good Idea At the Time]] by [[OK Go]] both expresses [[Sympathy for
==
* True to its tendency of turning sayings into titles, ''[[This American Life]]'' has done an episode ([http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/306/seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time #306]) that's flat out titled "Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time."
▲* The song [[Title Drop|A Good Idea At the Time]] by [[OK Go]] both expresses [[Sympathy for The Devil]] and is an [[Shout Out|explicit homage]] to the [[Rolling Stones]] song ''Sympathy for the Devil'', portraying Lucifer as simply a guy after a good time who keeps winding up causing horrific situations throughout history, usually because of [[It Seemed Like a Good Idea At The Time|this trope]] and the consumption of ludicrous amounts of booze.
== [[Theatre]] ==
* In [[The Addams Family (musical)|the Broadway version of ''The Addams Family'']], Gomez uses this line while explaining how the Electoral College works.
== [[Web
* In ''[[
▲* True to its tendency of turning sayings into titles, ''[[This American Life]]'' has done an episode ([http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/306/seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time #306]) that's flat out titled "Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time."
* In the ''[[Chakona Space]]'' 'verse, chakats are mentioned to be highly susceptible to this.▼
* ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'', in episode 52 ''Have We Met?'':▼
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* Milked for all its comedic worth in ''[[Family Guy]]''. Adam West rolls around in nuclear waste in order to gain
** By technicality that would also make this moment an [[Unintentional Backup Plan]].
* ''[[The Amazing Chan and The Chan Clan]]'' episode "The Gypsy Caper". Suzie, Alan, Anne and Tom are exhausted, Tom spots a hive and suggests they partake of the honey as a natural energy source. Unfortunately, the bees aren't too thrilled about that and the group ends up getting a second wind by ''fleeing'' and diving into a lake.
* In ''[[
** Another smaller version is when Jackie destroys the talismans. He had hoped that their power would be destroyed and would end people misusing their powers, but unfortunately their powers can't be destroyed only their hosts (which were the talismans at the time) can. So now their powers seek out new hosts and he inadvertently started the talisman hunt all over again.
* In ''[[Drawn Together]]'' episode "Breakfast Food Killer", that hiding the UCP codes up his butt seemed like a good idea at the time. Though he didn't really have any other place to hide them.
* In the episode of the Nickelodeon cartoon ''[[
▲* In [[DMFA]], the cubi race are mentioned to be the kings of this, due to their emotion reading talents making them very emotional.
▲== Web Original ==
▲* In the [[Chakona Space]] 'verse, chakats are mentioned to be highly susceptible to this.
▲* [[Red vs. Blue]], in episode 52 ''Have We Met?'':
▲{{quote| '''{{spoiler|One of the many Churches:}}''' So, what ''did'' you do?<br />
▲'''{{spoiler|Yellow Armor Church:}}''' Aw, man, it seemed like such a good idea at the time! }}
== Video Games == ▼
* In ''[[Portal 2 (Video Game)|Portal 2]]'' you're given the opportunity to remove [[Big Bad]] [[G La DOS]]' control over the facility and replace her with Wheatley, a cheery, kindhearted robot that's done nothing but help you. Seems like a great idea, right? {{spoiler|Turns out whoever is put in charge of the facility is driven insane, good job turning your only friend into a [[Heel Face Turn|homicidal maniac]].}}▼
▲* In ''[[
==
* Most of history can be fit under this, especially the really catastrophic parts.
* So can the really funny parts too.
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[[Category:Contrived Stupidity Tropes]]
[[Category:Stupidity Tropes]]
[[Category:It Seemed Like
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