In Mission Impossible, they were almost certainly breaking the laws of whatever foreign country they were infiltrating.
Wash: Psychic, though? That sounds like something out of science fiction. Zoe: We live in a space ship, dear. Wash: So?
'Objects In Space'
Natter 66: Get Your Kicks.
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, pandas, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
Tom Scola - Sep 01, 2010 7:29:18 am PDT #21550 of 30001
Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.
Typo Boy - Sep 01, 2010 7:29:23 am PDT #21551 of 30001
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.
As to older examples: The Dukes of Hazzard. (Commercially successful). The Saint? I got the impression that sometimes Simon Templar robbed to get money rather than going after bad guys, but don't think that was canon.
msbelle - Sep 01, 2010 7:29:55 am PDT #21552 of 30001
I remember the crazy days. 500 posts an hour. Nubmer! Natgbsb
Didn't Charlie do stuff outside of the law to solve his personal stuff?
§ ita § - Sep 01, 2010 7:35:16 am PDT #21553 of 30001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
In Mission Impossible, they were almost certainly breaking the laws of whatever foreign country they were infiltrating.
But that wasn't for them. That I think is readily endorsed. The Winchesters commit credit card fraud to pay their bills. The Sopranos were just a crime family. There's no altruism there (sure, Sam and Dean might be funding an altruistic lifestyle, but it's hardly the only way to do it).
The Dukes of Hazzard
Refresh my memory--what did they do for themselves?
Didn't Charlie do stuff outside of the law to solve his personal stuff?
Hmm. True. I think my mind is creating a separate category in which White Collar, Life, and Burn Notice will go.
Gudanov - Sep 01, 2010 7:37:03 am PDT #21554 of 30001
Coding and Sleeping
I have to say, I really like the Oatmeal guide to Irony.
-t - Sep 01, 2010 7:38:12 am PDT #21555 of 30001
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration
The Dukes of Hazard were not law-abiding, as celebrated in their theme song, anyway.
That was a thing with Maverick, wasn't it, that he was not a Good Guy? At least, he didn't wear a white hat, that was definitely a thing.
Daisy Jane - Sep 01, 2010 7:38:48 am PDT #21556 of 30001
"This bar smells like kerosene and stripper tears."
Hustle?
Typo Boy - Sep 01, 2010 7:46:40 am PDT #21557 of 30001
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.
Refresh my memory--what did they do for themselves?
The Dukes of Hazzard made their living running moonshine for their uncle who made it. The only Hazzard not making a living from moonshine was Daisy who worked in a bar.
edit (should not be that absolute. Long time ago so maybe there were others. But at any rate the brothers and the uncle made their living from moonshine.)
tommyrot - Sep 01, 2010 7:49:18 am PDT #21558 of 30001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.
The Dukes of Hazzard made their living running moonshine for their uncle who made it. The only Hazzard not making a living from moonshine was Daisy who worked in a bar.
You know, The Dukes of Hazard was one of my favorite shows as a kid. I knew they were outlaws (because the theme song said so) but I don't ever recall the show actually showing them running moonshine. They were always helping people and shit.
But they sure broke a lot of traffic laws....
§ ita § - Sep 01, 2010 7:49:24 am PDT #21559 of 30001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
Hustle?
Definitely Hustle. They only hustled bad guys, but it was all for their own benefit (which is why I hate when people call Leverage a copy of it).
Wikipedia describes Maverick thusly:
He frequently flimflammed adversaries, but only criminals who actually deserved it. Otherwise he was scrupulously honest almost to a fault
From skimming the Dukes of Hazzard wikipedia entry it looks like they are former criminals, but not that they're doing anything ongoingly illegal. (eta: the previous crime being moonshine trafficking)