The Sitcom Study

Puppet-Based Sitcoms

ALF falls to Earth, Madame stands her ground, and the Dinosaurs hatch a singing baby... We're talking sitcoms built around puppets!
Here's the lineup:
Madame's Place S1 E1 "The Successful Comeback"
ALF S1 E1 "A.L.F."
Dinosaurs S1 E1 "The Mighty Megalosaurus"
Unhappily Ever After S1 E1 "Pilot"

First Day of High School

Marcia rebrands for freshman year, Cory deals with bully and Feeny issues, and Coach Lubbock's daughters break the Catholic school glass ceiling... Summer's over and we're discussing episodes about the First day of high school! Here's what we're watching:
The Brady Bunch S4 E4 "Today I Am A Freshman"
Just the 10 of Us S1 E2 "First Day at School"
Boy Meets World S2 E1 "Back 2 School"
The Goldbergs S4 E1 "Breakfast Club"
 

Favorite Theme Songs!

From the instrumental toe-tappers to the intricate explainer sequences, we're breaking down what goes into a great sitcom intro and listing our favorite theme songs of all time... Prepare for controversy!!

Paul Reubens Guest Appearances!

Did you know that Pee Wee Herman foiled a toy store robbery on the sitcom "227?" This week we're discussing the wide ranging guest appearances of the one and only Paul Reubens- it's the podcast so funny you'll forget to laugh!Here's what we're watching:
Mork & Mindy S4 E7 "Long Before We Met"
227 S2 E15 "Toyland"
Murphy Brown S4 E21 "The Good Nephew"
30 Rock S1 E12 "Black Tie"

Will They / Won’t They Romances ACT TWO: TENSION RISING

Diane craves empathy, Pam receives a very special Christmas present, and Rachel seeks CLOSURE! Tempers flare and passions ignite as we check back in with our Will-They-Won't-They couples for ACT TWO: TENSION RISING! We're watching:
Cheers S1 E14 "Let Me Count The Ways"
Friends S2 E7 "The One Where Ross Finds Out"
The Office S2 E10 "Christmas Party"
New Girl S2 E3 "Fluffer"

Running for Class President

Blossom takes on the patriarchy, Barbarino clinches the Sweathog vote, and Webster campaigns to purchase a school computer... This week's trope is Running for class president! Here's the lineup:
Welcome Back Kotter S1 E5 "The Election"
Webster S6 E5 "The Election"
Parker Lewis Can't Lose S1 E4 "Parker Lewis Must Lose"
Blossom S3 E10 "Making of a President"

Conked on the Head, New Personality!

Fred Flintstone gets a touch of class, Maryanne goes full "Single White Female" on Ginger, and Charles becomes Chaz, all thanks to brain trauma! This week's trope is New personalities from bonks to the head! Here's the lineup:
The Flintstones S1 E5 "Split personality"
The Addams Family S1 E22 "Amnesia in the Addams Family"
Gilligan's Island S3 E24 "The Second Ginger Grant"
Charles in Charge S4 E14-15 "Charles Splits"

Camping Episodes!

The Partridge Family slumbers under the stars, V.I.C.K.I. navigates nature, and Larry and Balki face bears, river rapids AND quicksand! We're talking camping episodes!Here's the lineup:
The Partridge Family S2 E 20 "Hel-l-l-p!
Small Wonder S1 E15 "Babes in the Woods"
Perfect Strangers S4 E6-7 "Up a Lazy River"
Parks and Recreation S3 E8 "Camping"

Sitcoms Tackle the Cold War!

Head of the Class ventures behind the iron curtain, the Golden Girls get real with Gorbachev, and Boy Meets World busts out the time traveling microwave... Things go nuclear this week when we talk sitcoms that tackled the cold war!  Here's the lineup:
Mr. Ed S6 E3 "Coldfinger" (WARNING: VERY RACIST)
Golden Girls S3 E6 "Letter to Mr. Gorbachev"
Head of the Class S3 E4 "Mission to Moscow"
Boy Meets World S3 E19 "I Was a Teenage Spy"

Old Friend, New Trouble!

Roseanne longs to ride again, Dick Van Dyke hires his hero, and the Scrubs gang gets a visit from Ryan Reynolds! This week's trope is Old friends showing up and the discord that ensues! Here's the lineup:
The Dick Van Dyke Show S1 E30 "The Return of Happy Spangler"
Roseanne S2 E16 "Born to be Wild"
Sister, Sister S4 E7 "Boy From the Hood"
Scrubs S2 E33 "My Dream Job"