The Sitcom Study

School Plays!

Natalie and Tootie are plunged into bitter showbiz rivalry, Patty Duke dons the tiara of Cleopatra, and Mr. Moore's class goes together like ramma-lamma-lamma-ka-dingity-da-dinga-dong... This week's trope is School Plays! Here's what we're watching...
The Patty Duke Show S1 E11 "The Actress"
Facts of Life S3 E12 "Green Eyed Monster"
Head of the Class S2 E7 "That'll Be The Day"
Black-ish S1 E11 "Law of Attraction"

New Years Plans Gone Wrong!

Frasier hits the road for the new millennium, Laverne and Shirley look for love at the dawn of the 1960s, and Paul Reiser brings time to a halt from the rooftops of Times Square... this week's trope is New Year's Eve plans gone wrong! Here's what we're watching:
Laverne & Shirley S3 E12 "New Years Eve, 1959"
Mad About You S4 E9 "New Years Eve"
Frasier S7 E12 "RDWRER"
How I Met Your Mother S1 E11 "The Limo"

Befriending The Homeless For Christmas!

The Seavers take in a dumpster-diving teen runaway, Zack Morris woos an underprivileged shopping mall employee, and Family Matters postulates that Santa is real and he's a scruffy man in Chicago... This week's trope is befriending the homeless for Christmas! Here's what we're watching:
Barney Miller S8 E7 "Homeless"
Growing Pains S2 E9 "The Kid"
Saved By The Bell S3 E24-25 "Home For Christmas"
Family Matters S6 E11 "Miracle on Elm St"

Visits From Alcoholic Relatives!

Celebrity guest stars abound as Charles meets Buddy's boozy sister, the Hey Dude ranch is soaked in beer and whiskey, and Alex P. Keaton learns the terrifying truth about his Uncle Ned... This week's trope is visits from alcoholic relatives! Here's what we're watching:
Good Times S2 E13 "Sometimes There's No Bottom in the Bottle"
Family Ties S2 E14 "Say Uncle"
Charles in Charge S3 E14 "Bottle Baby"
Hey Dude S3 E11 "Melody's Brother"

The ALF Mixtape & Trivia Voyage!

Hide your cats, this week we're revisiting all of our discussions of that rascally extraterrestrial Gordon Shumway and the mild-mannered family he lived with and terrorized, as well as testing our knowledge of the merry man from Melmac with a trivia quiz... It's time for the Alf mixtape!
With segments from:
Puppet-Based Sitcoms: S1 E1 "ALF"
Run-ins with the Mafia: S3 E13 "Hideaway"
Skydiving: S1 E9 "Jump"
Earthquakes: S3 E25 "Shake, Rattle & Roll"

The Many Sitcoms of Matthew Perry

This week we're exploring the many lovably sarcastic characters played by the late great Matthew Perry both before and after his iconic role as Chandler on Friends... Could we BE any more excited to discuss this fascinating career? Here's what we're watching:
Home Free S1 E1 "Pilot"
Mr Sunshine S1 E1 "Episode #1.1"
Go On S1 E1 "Pilot"
The Odd Couple S1 E12 "The Audit Couple"

Halloween Parties!

Richie Cunningham bobs for apples in a haunted house, Tim the Toolman Taylor busts up a juvenile bacchanal, and Step by Step boasts a record-setting gourd... This week's trope is Halloween Parties!Here's what we're watching:
Happy Days S2 E6 "Haunted"
Step by Step S4 E6 "Something Wild"
Home Improvement S5 E6 "Let Them Eat Cake"
Parks & Rec S4 E5 "Meet and Greet"

Horror Movie Parodies!

Corey and Topanga are stalked by a ghost-faced killer, Community's college goes full zombie, and Salute Your Shorts creates the most terrifying figure in all of recorded media... this week's trope is Horror Movie Parodies! Here's what we're watching:
Salute Your Shorts S1 E2 "Ghost Story"
Boy Meets World S5 E17 "And Then There Was Shawn"
Community S2 E6 "Epidemiology"
Blackish S3 E5 "The Purge"

Earthquakes!

Sanford fleas to Vegas, ALF nails his bed to the floor, and Nell Carter is marooned in a library with a deaf woman... this week's trope is Earthquakes! Here's what we're watching:
Sanford & Son S5 E1 "Earthquake II"
Gimme a Break S4 E19 "Earthquake"
ALF S3 E25 "Shake, Rattle and Roll"
Modern Family S2 E3 "Earthquake"

Babysitting!

Clarissa Darling and Tina Belcher face pint-sized Lucifers, Mary Tyler Moore scrapes the bottom of the barrel, and the King of Queens gives his friends' kids and unintended lesson in fornication... this week's trope is Babysitting! Here's what we're watching:
The Mary Tyler Moore Show S2 E18 "Baby Sitcom"
Clarissa Explains it All S4 E12 "Babysitting"
King of Queens S3 E9 "Twisted Sitters"
Bob's Burgers S8 E4 "Sit Me Baby One More Time"