The Sitcom Study

Going to the Beach!

Tony Danza rides the waves, Mister Ed soaks up the sun, and Monica Geller has a fateful run-in with a jellyfish... this week's trope is Going to the Beach! Here's what we're watching:
Mister Ed S2 E23 "Ed the Beachcomber"
Who's the Boss S2 E6 "Custody Part 1"
Married with Children S3 E21 "Life's a Beach"
Friends S4 E1 "The One with the Jellyfish"

Sitcom Olympics! (w/David Smith)

The doctors of MASH get whipped into shape, Dharma and Greg embark on equally inspirational quests, and the Goldbergs triumph in sports that don't exist... This week we're talking about the Olympics in sitcoms with sports professional David Smith! Here's what we're watching:
M*A*S*H S6 E11 "The MASH Olympics"
Dharma & Greg S1 E17 "The Official Dharma & Greg Episode of the 1998 Winter Olympics"
The Goldbergs S3 E16 "Edward 'Eddie the Eagle' Edwards"
Superstore S2 E1 "Olympics"

The Saved by the Bell Mixtape

We've covered the gang from Bayside four times so far, so we've extracted all of our Saved by the Bell discussions and combined them into one scheming, class-cutting, Belding-defying sensation! From our past episodes, we're listening to:
SBTB S2 E5 "House Party" from our Party When the Parents Are Away podcast
SBTB S4 E3 "Screech's Spaghetti Sauce" from Let's Start a Business
SBTB S2 E9 "Jesse's Song" from Hooked on Pills
SBTB College Years S1 E3 "Zack, Lies and Videotape" from Going to College
It's not a clip show... It's a mixtape! We'll be back with a new episode next week!

Pranks & Practical Jokes!

Stephanie Tanner gets even, Jan Brady goes full American Psycho, and iCarly drags her brother back into the depths of prank addiction... This weeks trope is Pranks and Practical Jokes! Here's what we're watching:
The Brady Bunch S2 E13 "The Impractical Joker"
Coach S5 E20 "Dirty Tricks"
Full House S7 E14 "Is It True About Stephanie?"
iCarly S4 E3 "iGet Pranky"

Chain Letters!

Edith Bunker plays it safe, Mrs. Garret lays down the law, and Tim the Toolman Taylor ends up with a classic case of black eye and green hands... This week's trope is Chain Letters (and the misfortune they cause)! Here's what we're watching:
All in the Family S6 E6 "Chain Letter"
Facts of Life S5 E13 "The Chain Letter"
Home Improvement S1 E19 "Unchained Malady"
3rd Rock From the Sun S4 E16 "Superstitious Dick"

Homemade Movies!

Doogie Howser portrays a zombie, Ben Seaver adds a touch of eroticism to the killer alligator genre, and the It's Always Sunny gang fail to make an impression on fellow Philadelphian M. Night Shyamalan... This week's trope is Making a Movie! Here's what we're watching:
Growing Pains S5 E25 "Ben's Movie"
Doogie Howser S2 E8 "Revenge of the Teenage Dead"
Community S1 E3 "Introduction to Film"
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia S5 E11 "Mac and Charlie Write a Movie"

Ripped From the Headlines! (w/Eric Paul)

Punky Brewster unpacks the Challenger explosion, Murphy Brown takes on Dan Quayle (in real life, somehow) and Brooklyn 99 tackles the many societal woes of 2020 New York City... This week we're talking Ripped From the Headlines Sitcoms with Eric Paul of Everything is a Primary Source! Here's what we're watching:
WKRP in Cincinatti S2 E19 "In Concert"
Punky Brewster S2 E22 "Accidents Happen"
Murphy Brown S5 E1-2 "You Say Potatoe, I Say Potato"
Brooklyn 99 S8 E1 "The Good Ones"

Dinner Parties!

Mary Tyler Moore loses control of the guest list, George Jefferson busts out a new tuxedo, and the Michael Scott / Jan Levinson household serves up a feast of delicious cringe (it must marinate for at least 3 hours)... This week's trope is Dinner Parties! Here's what we're watching:
The Mary Tyler Moore Show S4 E10 "The Dinner Party"
The Jeffersons S2 E1 "A Dinner for Harry"
The Wonder Years S4 E13 "Dinner Out"
The Office S4 E13 "Dinner Party"

Obsessed with Chess!

Frasier is driven to madness by his dad's effortless victories, Bernie Mac delivers age-old wisdom in metaphors of knights and bishops, and Felix Unger falls back into the depths of his childhood obsession... This week's trope is CHESS! Here's what we're watching:
The Danny Thomas Show S5 E13 "The Chess Game"
Frasier S3 E18 "Chess Pains"
The Bernie Mac Show S2 E16 "Chess Wars"
The Odd Couple S2 E9 "Chess Nuts"

Going to College! (w/Doug McCambridge)

Alex P. Keaton, Zack Morris and Will Smith all make spectacularly bad first impressions on their professors, and the Hogan Family faces an angry wolverine in a typical freshman prank gone wrong... This week's trope is Going to College and we're joined by college professor and fellow podcaster Doug McCambridge of Good Times Great Movies and Schitts and Giggles! Here's what we're watching:
The Hogan Family S4 E1 "Animal House"
Family Ties S3 E3 "Little Man on Campus"
Saved by the Bell: The College Years S1 E3 "Zack, Lies and Videotape"
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air S4 E3 "All Guts No Glory"