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

August 21, 2025 93 mins
Roseanne fudges the stats, Sheldon "becomes" the ball, and Jim Belushi communes with the gods of the lanes... this week's trope is Bowling! Here's what we're watching:
  • The Flintstones S2 E24 "Fred Strikes Out"
  • Roseanne S4 E14 "The Bowling Show"
  • According to Jim S1 E8 "The Turkey Bowl"
  • The Big Band Theory S3 E19 "The Wheaton Recurrence"
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Larry and Balki hit the jackpot (or so they think), Geoffrey the butler burns his bridges, and Mama puts her fortune in the hands of a celebrity chicken... this week's trope is winning the lottery! Here's what we're watching:
  • Perfect Strangers S4 E1 "The Lottery"
  • Mama's Family S5 E15 "The Big Wheel"
  • Fresh Prince of Bel-Air S3 E14 "Winner Takes Off"
  • Malcolm & Eddie S1 E4 "Partnership of Fools"
Mark as Played

From the coffee shop with Jerry and George to the oval office, we're breaking down the career of the most spongeworthy comic actor in town and her four very distinct sitcoms! Here's the lineup:

  • Seinfeld S7 E9 "The Sponge"
  • Watching Ellie S1 E1 "Pilot"
  • New Adventures of Old Christine S1 E1 "Pilot"
  • Veep S1 E1 "Fundraiser"

This is a good old fashioned RERUN... We'll be back with a new episode next week!

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July 24, 2025 101 mins
Fran the Nanny searches for love on the high seas, the Designing Women meet an iconic maritime drag performer, and the gang from It's Always Sunny face the grim possibility of a watery demise... this week's trope is going on a cruise! Here's what we're watching:
  • Designing Women S2 E8 "Cruising"
  • The Nanny S3 E26 "Ship of Fran's"
  • Hot in Cleveland S3 E2 "Beards"
  • It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia S11 E9-10 "The Gang Goes to Hell...
Mark as Played
July 17, 2025 89 mins

Beaver cuts the grass, Screech disrupts the spaghetti sauce market, and iCarly disregards child labor laws... This week's trope is Kids starting a business!  Here's the lineup:

  • Leave it to Beaver S4 E36 "Beaver Goes Into Business"
  • The Patty Duke Show S1 E18 "The Tycoons"
  • Saved by the Bell S4 E3 "Screech's Spaghetti Sauce"
  • iCarly S4 E4 "iSell Penny Tees"

This is a good old fashioned RERUN! We'll be back with a new episod...

Mark as Played
July 3, 2025 118 mins
This week, Alex P. Keaton's middle name is Podcast as we revisit four of our past discussions of the legendary 80s sitcom Family Ties, including a rendezvous with an older lady, an unsupervised boy-girl party, and indeed a child who ages several years between seasons... It's not a clip show, it's a mixtape! Plus we'll try our hand at a couple of Family Ties quizzes which may or may not have been created by humans... Segments in thi...
  • Mark as Played
    June 26, 2025 91 mins
    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 is Accidental fires! Here's what we're watching:
    • Webster S2 E5 "Burn Out"
    • Family Matters S2 E1 "Rachel's Place"
    • Drew Carey Show S9 E19 "Burning Down the House"
    • Abbott Elementary S2 E15 "Fire"

    This is a good old fashioned RERUN! We'll be back with a new episode next ...

    Mark as Played
    June 19, 2025 93 mins
    The Golden Girls enter the mind of a killer, Zack Morris sees through several dastardly disguises, and the Jeffersons set sail on the bloody seas... This week's trope is Murder Mysteries! Here's what we're watching:
    • The Jeffersons S9 E8-9 "Death Smiles on a Dry Cleaner Part 1 & 2"
    • Golden Girls S7 E2 "The Case of the Libertine Belle"
    • Saved by the Bell S6 E10 "Mystery Weekend"
    • The Office S6 E10 "Murder"
    Mark as Played
    June 12, 2025 100 mins
    iCarly contaminates One Direction, David Spade gets fired from 98 Degrees, and the New Kids of the Block endure flagrant sexual harassment on Fuller House... this week's trope is Boy Band Guest Stars! Here's what we're watching:
    • Fuller House S2 E10 "New Kids in the House"
    • Sabrina the Teenage Witch S2 E18 "The Band Episode"
    • Just Shoot Me S5 E2 "A Night at the Plaza"
    • iCarly S5 E2 "iGo One Direction"
    Mark as Played
    June 5, 2025 92 mins
    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 run-ins with the mafia! Here's what we're watching:
    • Bosom Buddies S2 E12 "The Grandfather"
    • ALF S3 E13 "Hideaway"
    • Head of the Class S4 E25 "Cement High Tops"
    • Everybody Hates Chris S2 E19 "Everybody Hates Gambling"

    This is a good old fashioned RERUN! We'll be back with ...

    Mark as Played
    May 29, 2025 90 mins
    Beaver and Wally raise a mail-order alligator, Will and Grace vie over puppy parenting styles, and Webster orchestrates a vast web of manipulation to procure the dog of his dreams... this week's trope is Getting a pet! Here's what we're watching:
    • Leave it to Beaver S1 E2 "Captain Jack"
    • What's Happening S1 E10 "Puppy Love"
    • Webster S2 E13 "It's a Dog's Life"
    • Will & Grace S1 E9 "The Truth About Will and Dogs"
    Mark as Played
    May 22, 2025 95 mins
    A city-wide Frasierversary, a Blackish tribute to Prince, and Lucy bound and gagged in the basement... just a few of the ways that sitcoms celebrate their 100th episodes, and on the 100th Sitcom Study podcast, we're diving in to them all! Here's what we're watching:
    • I Love Lucy S4 E3 "Lucy Cries Wolf"
    • Frasier S5 E4 "The 1000th Show"
    • The Middle S5 E4 "The 100th"
    • Blackish S5 E4 "Purple Rain"
    Mark as Played
    May 15, 2025 93 mins
    Kate and Allie take local TV by storm, Liz Lemon gets the network glow-up, the Wings boys pull a Sully, and Sally Solomon achieves celebrity by tossing Mark Hammill across a restaurant... this week's trope is 15 minutes of fame! Here's what we're watching:
    • Kate & Allie S4 E10 "Stage Mother"
    • Wings S8 E14 "Just Call Me Angel"
    • 3rd Rock from the Sun S2 E23 "Fifteen Minutes of Dick"
    • 30 Rock S4 E7 "Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001...
    Mark as Played
    May 8, 2025 104 mins
    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 week's trope is sitcom characters hooked on pills... Here's the lineup:
    • Welcome Back Kotter S3 E22 "What Goes Up"
    • Family Ties E2 E6 "Speed Trap"
    • Saved by the Bell S2 E9 "Jessie's Song"
    • Family Matters S7 E14 "Life in the Fast Lane"

    This is a good old fashioned RER...

    Mark as Played
    May 1, 2025 86 mins
    Gilligan and friends feast on radioactive veggies, Zack and Cody wish upon a star to supercharge their suite lives, and Earl Sinclair will make you believe a dinosaur can fly... This week's trope is Superpowers! Here's what we're watching:
    • Gilligan's Island S3 E3 "Pass the Vegetables Please"
    • Bewitched S6 E20 "Super Arthur"
    • Dinosaurs S4 E2 "Earl, Don't Be a Hero"
    • Suite Life of Zack & Cody S3 E4 "Super Twins"
    Mark as Played
    It's time to take the good, take the bad, take them both and you know the rest... This week is all about the gals of Eastland and their matronly mentor as we revisit all of our discussions of The Facts of Life! Plus we're tackling trivia and personality quizzes so we can understand where we fit in the Facts of Life ecosystem. It's not a clip show... It's a mixtape!   Segments in this episode:
    • Facts of Life S9 E16 "The First Ti...
    Mark as Played
    April 16, 2025 90 mins

    Frasier is stumped by his own homoerotic fantasies, Angela ponders the road not taken, and Punky Brewster ages 75 years in one night... This week's trope is Dream episodes! Here's what we're watching:

    • Punky Brewster S1 E17 "My Aged Valentine"
    • Growing Pains S3 E10 "This Is Your Life"
    • Who's the Boss S6 E3 "In Your Dreams"
    • Frasier S4 E3 "The Impossible Dream"

    This is good old-fashioned RERUN! We'll be back with a new epis...

    Mark as Played
    April 9, 2025 88 mins
    Zack Morris jumps in the name of love, Herman climbs the corporate ladder to the skies, and ALF observes the heights of a mid-life crisis... This week's trope is Skydiving! Here's what we're watching:
    • ALF S1 E9 "Jump"
    • Herman's Head S1 E16 "How to succeed in business without really dying"
    • Saved by the Bell: The College Years S1 E17 "Love and Death"
    • The Neighborhood S2 E19 "Welcome to the Jump"
    Mark as Played
    April 2, 2025 83 mins

    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... This week's sitcom trope is Slumber Party episodes! Here's the lineup:

    • Full House S4 E4 "Slumber Party"
    • That 70s Show S5 E13 "Your Time is Gonna Come"
    • Big Bang Theory S4 E8 "The 21 Second...
    Mark as Played
    March 26, 2025 109 mins
    We're diving into the madness of the multiverse as Scrubs demonstrates the butterfly effect, Malcolm in the Middle and My Two Dads ponder the results of different parenting styles, and Community rolls the cosmic infinity dice... This week's trope is Alternate Timelines! Here's what we're watching:
    • My Two Dads S2 E10 "In her Dreams"
    • Malcolm in the Middle S2 E20 "Bowling"
    • Scrubs S3 E16 "My Butterfly"
    • Community S3 E4 "Remedial ...
    Mark as Played

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