23 Completely Flawless Fourth Wall Breaks In TV And Film That Have Had People Feeling Either Amused Or Super Unsettled

    "What did I tell you about breaking the fourth wall, Carl?"

    Hannah Marder
    by Hannah Marder

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Recently, we asked the BuzzFeed Community about their favorite examples of TV shows and movies breaking the fourth wall. Here are some of their submissions!

    1. On Angel, when Angel said he'd never sleep with Darla, then looked at the camera as he had, in fact, slept with her only two episodes before:

    Cordelia: "Imagine what could have happened if you'd gone nuts and slept with Darla!" Angel: "You know I would never do that" then looks at the camera
    The WB

    —ashley1246

    2. On Fleabag, when The Hot Priest looked into the camera, becoming the only character to do so besides Fleabag herself:

    the priest asks what fleabag is doing, and she says nothing then looks at the camera, and the priest looks at it too and says "ahh!"
    BBC

    "Fleabag! And in Season 2 when the Hot Priest noticed and joined in. Best ever and created a cool/uncomfortable connection!"

    —sf84

    "Fleabag absolutely revolutionized the fourth wall break and makes you a part of the show. And then in the second season where the Hot Priest catches her breaking the fourth wall?? It's the fifth wall!!"

    —reallywittyusername

    3. On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when Buffy broke the fourth wall by looking at the camera during "Once More with Feeling" and encouraged everyone to sing along:

    The WB

    —ashley1246

    4. On Phineas and Ferb, when Monogram talks about Candace and the princess looking alike, and Carl says, "Well, it is a cartoon, sir" and Monogram chastises him for breaking the fourth wall:

    Nickelodeon

    —jen528

    5. And on Phineas and Ferb, when Dr. Doofenshmirtz said this was "real life," and then he and Perry looked at the camera:

    Doofenshmirtz says "this isn't a sitcom, Perry the Platypus. This is real life" then they both look at the camera
    Nickelodeon

    —jen528

    6. On The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, when Will looked at the camera and asked why they didn't have a ceiling, and then the cameras panned up to show the studio lights:

    Will: "If we so rich...why we can't afford no ceiling?" as the camera pans up to the lights
    NBC

    —catkin

    7. On Mr. Iglesias, when Carlos referenced the actor's role on The Office:

    Mr. Iglesias: "Your drama class is back on" Carlos: (looking at the camera) "Finally! A life outside of the office!"
    Netflix

    —heavenleecintron

    8. On Community, every time Abed would reference the plot of the show like it was, well, a TV show:

    NBC

    —hannahmarder

    9. And when his character in Jeff's animated coma dream was actually called "Fourth Wall":

    Fourth Wall: "Is it life? My name is Fourth Wall and I believe that what we perceive as life is merely a children's syndicated cartoon"
    NBC

    —mollymcduck

    10. In Trading Places, when Eddie Murphy looked right into the camera while pretending to be interested in the dumbed-down stock market lesson:

    old men, with their hands on Billy's shoulders, explain: "Pork belly, which is used to make bacon, which you might find in a bacon and lettuce and tomato sandwich..."
    Paramount Pictures

    "The best fourth wall break ever is in Trading Places. The two old white dudes are explaining the stock market to Eddie Murphy like he’s a total moron and he gives this fraction-of-a-second deadpan look to the camera that says, 'Can you believe this condescending shit?'"

    —PHM8

    11. On Stargate SG-1, when O'Neill said that Teal'c only played a Jaffa on TV:

    a man calls Teal'c a Jaffa and O'Neill says he just plays one on TV
    SyFy

    —ixc15

    12. On Arrested Development, when the show was facing cancellation and the characters not-so-subtly referenced it, and then the narrator full-on asked the audience to tell their friends about the show:

    Michael: "Yeah our backs are against the wall, and it's just hard to accept that it's really come to begging" George: "Sometimes it's the only way to stay in the game" Narrator: "Please tell your friends about this show"
    Fox

    —webbobreier

    13. And when Tobias referenced how detailed TV and movie sets are, only to open the cabinet and see a single coffee cup:

    Tobias: "For set dressing, silly. Those Hollywood shows are so incredibly detailed" then he opens the cabinet to show one coffee cup
    Fox

    —technicalitynodownbooover

    14. On Skins, when Effy gave her iconic smile at the end of Season 2 to show she'd lead the next season:

    Effy smiles at the camera
    E4

    —oviewankanobi

    15. And when Rich whispered "Bye" to the camera at the end of Season 6, signaling the then-end of the show:

    Rich looking at the camera and saying "bye"
    E4

    —oviewankanobi

    16. In Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, when Austin referenced the fact that the movie was filmed in LA and looked at the camera:

    Austin: "You know what's remarkably? How much England looks in no way like Southern California"
    New Line Cinema

    —hannahmarder

    17. In Funny Games, whenever Paul looked at the camera:

    Warner Independent Pictures

    "The whole movie is unsettling, but when they break the fourth wall, it’s absolutely gut-wrenching. The whole movie takes basic horror movie tropes and turns them on their head."

    —termen

    18. On House of Cards, when Claire actually spoke to the camera for the first time, revealing she's always known the audience was there:

    Netflix

    —hannahmarder

    19. On That's So Raven, when Raven suggested people wouldn't like a show about a teen psychic then looked at the camera:

    Raven saying "I mean, who would watch a show about a teen psychic?" then looking at the camera
    Disney Channel

    —hannahmarder

    20. On Supernatural, when Dean and Sam went to a world where they were filming Supernatural:

    reporter says she's there with Jared Padalecki from TV's 'Supernatural' as Sam looks around confused
    The CW

    —valkyrie_77

    21. And when Sam and Dean discovered a school was putting on a play about them, and Dean looked into the camera after the mention of Destiel:

    student putting on play says they do explore Destiel in the play, but it's subtext, though you can't spell subtext without s-e-x and Dean looks at the camera
    The CW

    —kennabeary

    22. On The OA, when the characters were transported to a dimension where they were filming The OA:

    OA lies on the floor bleeding out on set as we see director's chairs and a backdrop
    Netflix

    "The last season finished with OA, Steve, and Hap jumping into a dimension where they were filming The OA and the actors were playing the characters they act. Unfortunately, we won't get another season, but it blew my mind how flawlessly they did it. There were a few bits that were different from this dimension, such as Jason Isaacs being married to Brit Marling, but still, pretty cool."

    —angiew42d9a9178

    23. And finally, the entirety of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but especially the end:

    Paramount Pictures

    "Well, it’s gotta be one of the originals: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. At the end! 'Go home, the show’s over.' It’s just perfect!"

    —savannahg4e56476eb

    Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments!

    Note: Submissions were edited for length/clarity.