The Sitcom Study

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...