Shows / The Sitcom Study
The Sitcom Study
Welcome to the Sitcom Study, where we contemplate the TV shows we grew up with and search for the truth and wisdom amidst the tropes and clichés. Each week we’ll compare and contrast several TV episodes that share a common theme, be it characters plagued by amnesia, pop star guest spots, jump-the-shark moments, or women giving birth in elevators. It happens more than you think...
Episodes
The Sitcom StudyCrossovers!
Ricky Schroder and Arnold Drummond join forces for the scoop of the century, Urkel drops by the Tanner house, and Lucille Ball crosses paths with the man of…
The Sitcom StudyGoing to Jail!
The Golden Girls are mistaken for sex workers, Mary Tyler Moore refuses to name names, and Ellen's antics fail to amuse the penitentiary crowd... This week's…
The Sitcom Study"A Christmas Carol" Episodes!
Sanford and Son bring Dickens to the junkyard, Sophia makes the perfect Tiny Tim, and Mr. Belvedere gets a lot of use out of the old-timey sleeping cap and…
The Sitcom StudyThe New Sitcoms of 2024!
Damon Wayans and Reba McEntire triumphantly(?) return to prime time, an Oregon hospital becomes the setting for the latest "Office"-style mockumentary, and we…
The Sitcom StudyThreesomes & Orgies!
Grace gets kinky with Jeremy Piven, Ted rides the sweet tricycle of love, and the gals of Absolutely Fabulous relive the swinging sixties, all with smoldering…
The Sitcom StudyShoplifting!
The Facts of Life gals pull a classic department store caper, Danny Partridge helps himself to a corner store yoyo, and Tim the Toolman Taylor must ferret out…
The Sitcom StudyGoing on a Diet!
Bob Newhart vows to eat nothing but water, Old Christine breaks down the science of the protein shake, and my sister Sam takes on body-shaming in a mildly…
The Sitcom StudyBest Sitcom Hangouts!
From bars and restaurants to attics and garages, we're celebrating all the places where the gangs congregate and the zany schemes are hatched... This episode…
The Sitcom StudyThe Charles in Charge Mixtape & Trivia Throwdown!
This week is all about the new boy in the neighborhood, who lives downstairs and it's understood... You know the rest- the hunky housekeeper and sage…
The Sitcom StudyBachelor Parties!
Martin and Gina dive into debauchery, Lucy goes undercover at Ricky's "Daddy Shower," and Archie and Edith head upstate for a politically polarized wedding…
The Sitcom StudySitcom Shakespeare!
The immortal Fonz takes on the immortal Bard, Gilligan and the gang turn Hamlet into an opera, and Frasier and Niles stage a must-miss production for the…
The Sitcom StudyBar Wars, Slap Bets & Other Yearly Traditions!
Cheers forms a rivalry that will last for generations, How I Met Your Mother gets slap-happy, and the Community campus engulfs itself in paintball…
The Sitcom Study90s Reboots!
The Tanners return after three decades, Boy Meets World spawns a new generation, and the Fresh Prince is FINALLY reimagined as a gritty, melancholy drama…
The Sitcom StudyKids Aging Several Years Between Seasons!
From the Keatons to the Seavers to the rich tapestry of Modern Family, sitcoms have a habit of blithely skipping over the terrible twos and playing fast and…
The Sitcom StudyCaught Smoking!
Beaver packs the perfect pipe, Arnold Drummond hits tobacco road, and Hank Hill employs the age-old parenting technique of making your child smoke the whole…
The Sitcom StudyThe British Sitcom Invasion!
Blimey! This week we're skipping across the pond to check out two iconic British sitcoms and the American remakes/imitators they inspired! Here's what we're…
The Sitcom StudyU.F.O. Sightings!
Dick Van Dyke spots a flying saucer, Bob Newhart contemplates the likeliness of aliens, and Scott Baio solves the mysteries of the universe... This week's…
The Sitcom StudyGoing 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!…
The Sitcom StudySitcom 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…
The Sitcom StudyThe 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…
The Sitcom StudyPranks & 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…
The Sitcom StudyChain 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…
The Sitcom StudyHomemade 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…
The Sitcom StudyRipped 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…
The Sitcom StudyDinner 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…
The Sitcom StudyObsessed 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…
The Sitcom StudyGoing 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…
The Sitcom StudyThe Family Matters Mixtape
This week we're going deep on the Winslows and their clumsy, catch-phrase prone neighbor by revisiting four of the times we've covered Family Matters on the…
The Sitcom StudyComic Books in Sitcoms! (w/Jordan D. White)
Bob Newhart returns to primetime for his least essential sitcom, The Simpsons anticipates the superhero movie craze, and the ladies of Big Bang Theory visit…
The Sitcom StudyHidden Musical Talents! (w/Dave Russell)
Benson takes the stage, Gomer Pyle makes a grown man cry, and the town of Schitt's Creek witnesses the open mic of a lifetime... This week's trope is Hidden…
The Sitcom StudyDon't Date My Sister!
Joannie Cunningham takes a ride with Fonzie's mini-me, the Bosom Buddies come to blows, and Alex P. Keaton is up all night worried sick, young lady... We're…
The Sitcom StudyThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Mixtape
This week we're chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool and revisiting the three Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episodes we've covered so far: S4 E5 "It's Better to…
The Sitcom StudyThe Golden Girls Mixtape
This week we're celebrating the finest ladies to ever slice a cheesecake by revisiting the three Golden Girls episodes we've covered so far: S2 E26 "Empty…
The Sitcom StudySeason One Finales
M*A*S*H gets existential, How I Met Your Mother leans into romantic psychosis, and Living Single and Brooklyn 99 both go out with an unexpected bang... To…
The Sitcom StudyGoing on Strike!
Murphy Brown plays hardball, Benson saves the city, and Mr Cooper must find a new workplace in which to hang... This week's trope is going on strike! Here's…
The Sitcom StudyWill They / Won't They Romances ACT FIVE: Happily Ever After(?)
Sam and Diane gaze into the future, Jim and Pam finally take the plunge, and Ross pulls an airport love confession for the ages... Our epic Will They / Won't…
The Sitcom StudySadie Hawkins Dances!
Donna Reed dishes out sage advice, Parker Lewis riles up the student body, and Punky Brewster dodges the advances of another young sociopath... This week's…
The Sitcom StudyEarly 90s Hip Hop Guest Stars!
Bobby Brown stops by 227, Kriss Kross jump-jumps their way into a Different World, and the Bell Biv Devoe boys never trust a big butt and a Carlton... This…
The Sitcom StudyBeauty Pageants!
Dwayne Wayne brings a touch of congeniality, the Designing Women debate the politics of the pageant world, and Leslie Knope endeavors to make sure the best…
The Sitcom StudyTempted by a Sexy Coworker!
Homer Simpson fends off seduction at the energy convention, Roc resists the wiles of a horny lady-garbage-collector, and The Seavers are steeped in marital…
The Sitcom StudyRun-ins with the Mafia!
ALF catches a backyard assassin, the bosom buddies land a client with connections, and Howard Hesseman attends a "family" wedding... This week's trope is…
The Sitcom StudyLearning to Drive!
Tootie learns the facts of automatic transmission, Tia and Tamara light up the parking lot, and Reverend Jim gets his license by any means necessary... This…
The Sitcom StudyThe First Ever TGIF!
Full House goes to Hawaii, Family Matters debuts with a notable absence, and Larry and Balki strap on the roller-skates to start their fifth season... This…
The Sitcom StudyMakeovers!
Green Acres goes glam, Scott Baio salvages a glow-up gone wrong, and iCarly reminds us that fighty gals can land a floppy-haired boy just as well as anyone…
The Sitcom StudyThe Many Sitcoms of Melissa Joan Hart
She explained it all, wielded witchcraft with a talking cat, and employed Joey Lawrence for four seasons in a highly Charles-in-Charge-esque situation... This…
The Sitcom StudyWill They / Won’t They Romances ACT FOUR: The Breakups!
Ross and Rachel take a break, Sam and Diane come to slaps, and Jim and Pam just can't get on the same page (of Dunder-Mifflin paper)... We've reached ACT FOUR…
The Sitcom StudyFear of Public Speaking!
Sheldon takes the stage, Blossom masters debate club, and the Golden Girls conquer terrors at 20,000 feet... This week's trope is fear of public speaking!…
The Sitcom StudySnowed In For Christmas!
Betty White makes merriment mandatory, Scott Baio orchestrates Christmas a la The Shining, and from a relentless snowstorm "Balki Clause" is born.... This…
The Sitcom StudyMeeting the Ex!
Bob Newhart proceeds with caution, Coach gets a blast from the past, and Tim the Toolman Taylor may have invented "ghosting!" This week's trope is getting a…
The Sitcom StudyRomantic Getaways Gone Awry!
Martin and Gina head to "Chilligan's Isle," Kate and Allie lay low in a cabin in the woods, and Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore match wits with a hotel…
The Sitcom StudyHooked on Pills!
Alex P. Keaton is strung out on speed, Jessie Spanno has descended into drug-fueled madness, and both Urkel and Horshack are high as a kite on "vitamins!" This…
The Sitcom StudySitcom Thanksgivings!
As God is our witness, we thought turkeys could fly... We're watching classic Thanksgiving episodes from the seventies to the aughties! Here's the lineup: WKRP…
The Sitcom StudyMidlife Crises!
George Jefferson and Charlie Sheen look for lost mojos, Major Dad gets major joint pains, and Andy Dick goes goth... This week's trope is Midlife crises!…
The Sitcom StudyOne Season Wonders
Sarah Jessica Parker and friends march to their own drum, Tom Arnold installs himself as leading man, and stars from Mean Girls, Modern Family and The Walking…
The Sitcom StudyConfronting Bullies!
Ray Romano defends the school bus, Hannah Montana wages psychological warfare, and Mr T makes the classroom safe for democracy. Plus, JJ Walker shows off his…
The Sitcom StudyWill They / Won’t They Romances ACT THREE: Point of No Return!
Jim and Pam share a clandestine moment, Sam and Diane enrage each other to arousal, and Rachel discovers secrets from Ross's curly-haired past- It's part three…
The Sitcom StudyHalloween Séances!
Laverne is possessed by a disgruntled Olympian, Reba busts out the Ouija board, and the Fresh Prince angers the spirits while Carlton sports the world's worst…
The Sitcom StudyAccidental Fires!
Webster plays with matches, Urkel gets things cooking, and Drew Carey passes down his "wood burning kit" to the next generation of pyros... This week's trope…
The Sitcom StudyBlind Dates!
My Three Sons get in over their heads, Will and Grace take drastic measures, and Al from Step by Step follows in the footsteps of Alex from Taxi... We're…
The Sitcom StudySlumber Parties!
Uncle Joey bungles the high-heel fashion show, The Big Bang Theory gals play truth or dare (it gets weird) and Louise Belcher sabotages her own girls' night…