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Marc Summers: In Encino Man, what actor plays the caveman?

Contestant: Pauly Shore?

Marc Summers: No, it's not Pauly Shore. This person has talent.

—Double Dare

Every so often a TV Series, Film, or even radio talk show will make a reference to another one, usually in the same market niche or genre. Most of the time it's just a simple Shout Out or a Homage, and if it's a Comedy Series, you can expect at least a little spoofing.

But sometimes it's a bit more mean-spirited than that. Whether it's because of a perceived rivalry, jealousy, bitterness or Pride, the mention will be derogatory and boastful. More often than not, rather than be a "Take that!" to the disparaged show, it'll reflect even worse on the joker, it'll actually make a good production turn sour, and it makes a bad production look like a monumental act of hubris. It can be especially jarring (and often hilarious for reasons the producers didn't intend) if the show being mocked goes on to win popular and / or critical acclaim, awards, and respect from its audience, while the show doing the mocking becomes widely reviled or forgotten.

"Take That" is something you hear a lot on DVD commentaries. Whenever the show gets to a gag that's at the expense of some real-life group(s), the commentator says, "Take that, celebrity / studio / organization / other target!"

It is more likely to occur if the creators of the work are relatively confident they won't suffer any significant backlash from the insult; for example, someone who has Protection From Editors, or the writer of a Fan Work or Web Comic.

Often, a Take That will be aimed at someone or something related to the work itself:

Armed With Canon: Take That, Other Creator On This Franchise!
Biting the Hand Humor: Take That, Employers!
Take That Audience
Take That Critics
Take That Scrappy
Self Deprecation: Take That, Me!

This trope is sometimes known as a "potshot" in normal parlance.

A common element of commercials. Often uses Brand X / No Celebrities Were Harmed / Scapegoat Ads.

Not to be confused with This Loser Is You. Nor with the British boy band. Often a Super Trope of Muse Abuse.

Has the following sub-pages:

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 Not to be confused with [[This Loser Is You]]. Nor with the [[Take That (Music)|British boy band]]. Often a [[Super Trope]] of [[Muse Abuse]].
-('''Note To Tropers''': This trope seems to have turned into a wildly overspread meme, and presently, '''[[Pothole Magnet|there are over a hundred]] completely unnecessary insults around [[TV Tropes]] that [[Pothole]] to this article.''' Try to remove any you come across, including the ones that don't pothole to this article, unless it's on a special page, such as WMG. There's some rather funny stuff here, and we'd hate for it to go the way of ''[[Deader Than Disco|I Am Not]] [[About/Permanent Red Link Club|Making This Up]]''.)
 '''Has the following sub-pages:'''
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 {{reflist}}
-[[Category:Secret War (Fanfic)]]
 [[Category:Abridged Series Tropes]]
 [[Category:Webcomic Tropes]]
 [[Category:Tropes of Legend]]
 [[Category:Calling All Heroes]]
-[[Category:The Slender Man Mythos (Franchise)/Characters]]
-[[Category:Script Speak]]
 [[Category:Insult Tropes]]
 [[Category:Pothole Magnet]]
-[[Category:Marcel Proust]]
 [[Category:Older Than Feudalism]]
 [[Category:index]]