An aside is a way actors use in plays or shows to speak directly to the audience. By rule, the other characters on stage are not supposed to hear what is said. The character might talk to the audience clearly, either while acting normally or while stepping out of character, or it might show a thought the character is keeping secret. An aside is usually a short comment, not a long speech like a monologue.

In the 1990 BBC series House of Cards, the character Francis Urquhart, played by Ian Richardson, used asides. Later, in the 2013 Netflix version of House of Cards, the character Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, also used asides. These moments helped explain the complicated politics in the story, showed the characters’ plans or feelings, or added humor.

The character Tracey, played by Michaela Coel in the Channel 4 comedy Chewing Gum, and the main character in Fleabag, written and acted by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, also used asides in their shows.