Note: I am euphemistically edging towards tar and feathering more so than anything else. Anything nonlethal but severe in nature and consequence, that sort of thing
FYI, having boiling tar painted on someone’s body resulted in death the vast majority of the time, either immediately or days/weeks later after excruiting pain.
It’s just on TV it’s portrayed as a funny thing that happens to scoundrels who are completely fine even immediately after it happened.