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Gimmicks

by Derek B. Gayle

A podcast about the high-concept, experimental, structure-breaking gimmick episodes of TV! From musicals, to noirs, to bottle episodes and more -- we look at any television episode that breaks from its own formula in some way.Hosted by Derek B. Gayle, a new co-host joins each installment to dig into a different episode of a different show across the entire TV landscape. New episodes every Monday!

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Episodes

  1. 100th Episode Q&A

    After our 100th episode, David and Derek dive into submitted questions from listeners about our favorite snacks, what weird episodes look like in the wild, and a bunch of other TV talk. ⁠⁠Check out our new variety podcast feed Glitterjaw Presents!⁠⁠ A proud part of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

  2. RIVERDALE celebrates 100 episodes in the weirdest way (with Chris Cummins)

    Riverdale: "The Jughead Paradox" It's our 100th episode, and we're celebrating with one of TV's wildest and wackiest 100th episodes! Chris Cummins returns for a reality-bending Riverdale that goes full sci-fi, using an imploding parallel universe to tackle every 100th episode trope imaginable --...

  3. ER goes live

    ER: "Ambush" What could make a tense hospital drama known for its realism and practical effects be even more challenging? Airing an episode live! We're talking about perhaps the most famous episode of the seminal series ER, where a documentary crew ambushes the doctors on a particularly busy…

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  4. FRIENDS can't get ready (with Erin Mallory Long)

    Friends: "The One Where No One's Ready" We're breezy! Erin Mallory Long from Best of Friends Podcast joins us for a famous episode from one of the biggest sitcoms -- the first of the regular Friends bottle episodes! We get into the cost-saving measure that brought on this episode's concept, why…

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  5. MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE goes bowling

    Malcolm in the Middle: "Bowling" Life's still unfair across two different timelines! It's one of the most famous episodes of the 00s working class family sitcom, a Sliding Doors-style look at the consequences of each parent taking the kids bowling. We talk about the masterful filmmaking, effects,...

  6. SPONGEBOB gets job training (with Russ Moran)

    Spongebob Squarepants: "Krusty Krab Training Video" Are you ready to learn the sacred and dark secrets of preparing a Krabby Patty? Russ from Kaiju ComicCast joins us for this spot-on parody of cheesy fast food job training videos, from mythologizing franchise history to corporate propaganda to...

  7. The SIMPSONS/X-FILES pseudo-crossover (with Glitterjaw's Ben & Tommy)

    ⁠⁠Take the Glitterjaw Listener Survey⁠⁠⁠⁠ and enter to win a $50 gift card! BONUS EPISODE! We complete the prophesized Weird Fox Crossover Trifecta when Mulder and Scully meet The Simpsons in "The Springfield Files"! X-Files fan Ben from Little Dead Aliens and Simpsons fan Tommy from Lee…

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  8. MODERN FAMILY is on a laptop

    Modern Family: "Connection Lost" Five years before TV was forced to do Zoom episodes, Modern Family had their own take -- an entire story told through one Macbook screen with Apple apps like FaceTime and iMessage! We talk about why episode writer Megan Ganz is a Gimmicks favorite, the long legacy...

  9. The SIMPSONS/AMERICA'S MOST WANTED crossover no one saw coming (with Tommy Proffitt)

    Bonus episode! We may have covered one iconic crossover between Fox juggernaut properties, The X-Files and COPS, but years earlier another complicated production pitted The Simpsons with America's Most Wanted. Was it as good? No! But it was iconic. Take yourself back in time for the program...

  10. X-FILES is on COPS (with Tyler Watson)

    The X-Files: "X-Cops" Two unexpected titans of the FOX network cross over -- one a fictional paranormal drama, the other a reality show about law enforcement. Somehow, it works! Tyler from Fear Coded joins us as Mulder and Scully face annoying cameramen, an invisible monster, incompetent police...

  11. DREW CAREY makes mistakes

    The Drew Carey Show: "What’s Wrong With This Episode?" It's the first April Fools' Day episode of Drew Carey's sitcom, which hosted a contest asking audiences to spot over 50 intentional mistakes -- from characters in mustaches to continuity errors to bears wearing ties to kaiju Craig Ferguson!…

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  12. G.I. JOE goes to a parallel universe (with Brett White)

    G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero: "Worlds Without End, Parts 1 & 2" Washington, D.C. is the capital of an evil empire?! Brett White of Pop Heist joins us for this disturbingly prescient alternate universe story from the classic 80s toon, which finds an assortment of lesser-known Joes in a world…

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  13. BABYLON 5 is on the news (with Christian Smith)

    Babylon 5: "And Now for a Word" We interrupt your scheduled podcasting! Christian Smith joins us for a news report episode of the cult favorite space opera, where a Barbara Walters-type journalist shows us the intergalactic news media's perspective on aliens, space war, and space politics…

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  14. DAY BY DAY becomes THE BRADY BUNCH (with Chris Cummins)

    Day by Day: "A Very Brady Episode" You've probably never heard of Day by Day -- a short-lived sitcom with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and, shockingly, Christopher Daniel Barnes playing a Brady Bunch obsessive who crosses over into the Brady reality... six years before he's cast as Greg Brady in The Brady...

  15. BUFFY makes the sidekick a hero

    Buffy the Vampire Slayer: "The Zeppo" Is this a penis metaphor? Yes, actually! This hilarious episode makes "normal guy" Xander Harris the main character on his own adventure as the apocalypse happens in the background, using him to interrogate toxic masculinity while satirizing and parodying the...

  16. COMMUNITY's Christmas takedown of GLEE

    Bonus episode! We wanted to wash the bitter Glee taste out of our mouths and send everyone off with a good Christmas episode, so we're chatting about Community's "Regional Holiday Music" -- a musical parody of Glee by way of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. A proud part of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

  17. GLEE sings about Christmas (with Hamish Steele)

    Glee: "Extraordinary Merry Christmas" Well, it's come to this: we cover the Ryan Murphy creation Glee and all its slushie-stained complicated creation and ongoing story. Luckily, Hamish Steele joins us to talk about the best of the Christmas episodes of this important but derisive series which…

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  18. ALL IN THE FAMILY tells the truth

    All in the Family: "Everybody Tells the Truth" Those were the days, but how do YOU remember them? Archie Bunker and Mike disagree on the night's events, leading to an uproariously funny rapid-fire take on the Rashomon episode! And in true All in the Family fashion, this episode still manages to...

  19. PEE-WEE'S PLAYHOUSE goes up for sale (with Kevin Cafferty)

    Pee-wee's Playhouse: "Playhouse for Sale" Come on in, and pull yourself up a chair (Like Chairry!) Kevin Cafferty joins us for the series finale of the hugely popular fusion of Saturday Morning kids edutainment and underground surrealist performance art, and its melancholy clip show goodbye...

  20. Late night shows are turned on their heads

    Bonus episode! With the recent developments in the landscape of late night television programs, we wanted to talk about what's going on and look back at some of the high concept and experimental episodes that are part of the long history of this type of TV. In particular, we will discuss the Late...

  21. TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES takes a deadly trip to Mexico

    Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: "Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today" When this TV sequel to Terminator 2 has a climactic face-off with its series-long cyborg Big Bad, it does so in style -- following the disparate ensemble of heroes from their individual perspectives until they come together in...

  22. BATMAN villains play poker (with Lan Pitts)

    Batman: The Animated Series: "Almost Got 'Im" What happens when five of Batman's rogues gallery play a game of cards together? They tell stories about their greatest foe! Comic writer Lan Pitts joins us for this series of vignettes and mini-Batman adventures from Joker, Poison Ivy, Penguin, and...

  23. The alternate scenes of the WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS series finale

    Bonus episode! We just talked about What We Do in the Shadows last week, and we wanted to briefly talk about last year's series finale... which featured three different parody "hypnosis" scenes in the middle of the episode, depending on when and where you watched it. Listen to David learn about…

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  24. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS flips into a reality TV show (with Matt Bruneau-Richardson)

    What We Do in the Shadows: "Go Flip Yourself" Bad news?! Matt Bruneau-Richardson (from Tiny Siren Animation) joins to discuss the reality TV spin of of the mockumentary style show What We Do in the Shadows. We celebrate this series' queerness, alongside its horror and comedy while also talking...

  25. ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING goes silent

    Only Murders in the Building: "The Boy from 6B" It's one of the smartest takes on a silent episode when the murder mystery dramedy takes on the perspective of its deaf character Theo (James Caverly)! We get into how a series headlined by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez could actually...

  26. TV shows that grew the beard

    Bonus episode! We just talked about jumping the shark last week... so we decided to chat about our favorite instances of TV shows doing the opposite! We talk about the concept of "growing the beard" -- moments when shows that started out rocky improved and became their best selves. We get into…

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  27. HAPPY DAYS jumps the shark

    Happy Days: "Hollywood, Part 3" You've heard the phrase "jump the shark." But what about the episode that created it? We're talking the hugely popular 1970s sitcom about the 1950s -- Happy Days, and the Hollywood beach vacation three-parter and pseudo-Jaws riff that led to Henry Winkler's Fonzie...

  28. Reairing: ROSEANNE does Roseanne without Roseanne (with Kevin)

    Roseanne: "An Officer and a Gentleman" We're revisiting this early episode of Gimmicks from 2022 with new commentary! To start, David shares some personal lore related to this very Gimmicks episode, and Derek talks a little about the controversy of the ending of The Conners. Then, we present the...

  29. Reairing: KING OF THE HILL does a disturbing psychological thriller (with Tommy Proffitt)

    King of the Hill: "Pigmalion" We're revisiting this early episode of Gimmicks from 2022 with new commentary! First, David shares his love for Peggy Hill, while Derek talks about the transition from caution to unambiguous excitement over the impending revival of King of the Hill. Then, we present...

  30. Reairing: DEAD END does a climactic rock opera (with Doug Fink)

    Dead End: Paranormal Park: "Phantom of the Theme Park" We're revisiting this early episode of Gimmicks from 2022 with new commentary! To start, David remembers the "nightmares" that led him to Dead End: Paranormal Park, and Derek laments the cancelation of this groundbreaking series. Then, we...

  31. Reairing: MOONLIGHTING does Shakespeare (with Kevin Cafferty)

    Moonlighting: "Atomic Shakespeare" We're revisiting this early episode of Gimmicks from 2023 with new commentary! First, David talks about remembering -- and forgetting -- Moonlighting, while Derek rightfully credits this Gimmicks episode as finally delivering this groundbreaking series onto a...

  32. The ALWAYS SUNNY/ABBOTT ELEMENTARY crossover (part II)

    It's a sequel to a previous bonus episode! We last covered part one of the crossover between Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia that aired with Abbott, and we loved it. After many months, we've finally gotten the Always Sunny take in part two, and... well, we love it...

  33. SAVED BY THE BELL is so excited and so scared

    Saved by the Bell: "Jessie's Song" Yes, this is the one where Jessie Spano gets addicted to caffeine pills and sings The Pointer Sisters! It's the textbook example of a Very Special Episode and one of the most lambasted episodes in TV history -- and it actually came from a sincere, personal…

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  34. BLACK MIRROR has a happy ending (with Merrilee O'Neil)

    Black Mirror: "San Junipero" Heaven is a place on Earth! Merrilee O'Neil (from Glitterjaw's Fear Coded) joins us for the queer joy of the bleak sci-fi anthology's first break from formula -- a big gay sapphic love story set in the 1980s (sort of) that is not, in fact, a huge downer. We get into…

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  35. The TGIF time warp

    Bonus episode! When ABC's TGIF block tried to replicate the success of Sabrina the Teenage Witch in the late 90s, it resulted in a very high-concept time travel crossover that injected magic into the entire block! Sabrina, Boy Meets World, and the mostly forgotten Teen Angel and You Wish all get...

  36. FRASIER does a fake clip show

    Frasier: "Crock Tales" Just before the series finale, Frasier Crane breaks a clay crock in his kitchen and reflects on the last 11 years of his sitcom... flashing back to clips we've never seen! We're talking about the iconic Cheers spin-off and the character Kelsey Grammer played for 20...

  37. R.I.P. Netflix interactive specials

    Bonus episode! We're pouring one out for the "choose your own adventure" style Netflix specials that were recently wiped from the platform, including popular specials Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend. We get into the origins and mechanics of this...

  38. STAR TREK: TNG makes first contact (with Chris Farnell)

    Star Trek: The Next Generation: "First Contact" We come in peace! Author Chris Farnell (Star Trek: Lower Decks Crew Handbook, Fermi's Progress) gets beamed up with us to talk about this perspective flip on the usual Star Trek formula -- a story that positions our Enterprise crew as mysterious…

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  39. MYTHIC QUEST's re-edited series finale

    Bonus episode! Mythic Quest concluded its fourth season last month, and then was swiftly cancelled... but in a weird and unprecedented twist, its ending was re-edited and altered to, allegedly, function better as a series finale AFTER most people watched its original version, itself now erased…

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  40. DAYS OF OUR LIVES gets possessed by the Devil (with Chels Eichholz)

    Days of Our Lives: The Marlena Possession Arc We're levitating as we cover the 90s storyline that introduced the supernatural into soap operas and changed daytime TV forever! Chels from ⁠The Q Division⁠ and ⁠And a Rewatch Podcast⁠ helps us prep our exorcisms as we get into the history of this...

  41. The ABBOTT ELEMENTARY/ALWAYS SUNNY crossover

    Bonus episode! On the heels of our episode on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, we're having a chat about its surprising crossover earlier this year with Abbott Elementary! We get into what made this crossover so unique and highly anticipated, how they were able to mix these wildly different...

  42. IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA does a noir (with Chris Osborne)

    It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: "The Janitor Always Mops Twice" Don't be a goon! Chris Osborne of the Play Comics podcast joins us for this beautifully artful and smart take on film noir from the long-running raunchy comedy... which still somehow centers on "diarrhea poisoning" and includes...

  43. THE SECRET WORLD OF ALEX MACK keeps a secret from Alex Mack (with Dr. Lara Ameen)

    The Secret World of Alex Mack: "24 Hours" In one of the coolest stories we've heard on this podcast, Dr. Lara Ameen shares her unique connection to the 90s Nickelodeon series about the girl with T-1000 powers -- from meeting and befriending the cast and creators, to helping film scenes in the...

  44. ADVENTURE TIME glitches out (with Tommy Proffitt)

    Adventure Time: "A Glitch is a Glitch" Tommy Proffitt goes into the source code of the universe with us for Cartoon Network's massively innovative and influential series -- and an unsettling 3D-animated episode from experimental filmmaker David OReilly! We explore the history of glitch art (and...

  45. STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE plays baseball (with Tyler McCarty)

    Star Trek: Deep Space 9: "Take Me Out to the Holosuite" Death to the opposition! Tyler from Hate Speech Podcast and Animorphing Time joins us for this famous Star Trek episode, where the crew takes a breather from their high stakes war drama for a baseball game on the holodeck. We talk about the...

  46. MANIAC MANSION’s first episode is a 10th anniversary clip show (with Chris Cummins)

    Maniac Mansion: "The 10th Anniversary Special" In quite possibly the only time we’ll ever cover a pilot episode on this podcast, Chris Cummins of Sci-Fi Explosion joins us for this forgotten, but subversive and smart Eugene Levy-helmed Canadian sitcom and its bizarre first episode – a fake clip...

  47. SMALLVILLE has a magical Christmas death dream

    Smallville: "Lexmas" The first Christmas episode of this Superman adaptation pulls out all the holiday stops, as a dying Lex Luthor is offered a Christmas Carol/It's a Wonderful Life-infused dream of a love-filled future from the ghost of his mom...complete with the most tinsel and soft glow…

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  48. BROAD CITY posts Instagram Stories (with Hamish Steele)

    Broad City: "Stories" The great Hamish Steele returns for an episode told (almost) entirely through not-quite Instagram stories! As Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer take a 30th birthday walk along the entire length of New York City, we talk about this show's insights into social media and…

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  49. DEXTER'S LABORATORY is written by a six-year-old fan (with Tyler Lee)

    Dexter's Laboratory: "Dexter and Computress Get Mandark!" When Tyler Lee was six and a half, he and his mother recorded him narrating his own story for his favorite cartoon... and then it was animated into a famous episode! Tyler himself joins us to talk about his brush with Cartoon Network fame,...

  50. MY SO-CALLED LIFE tells a ghost story (with Matt Baume)

    My So-Called Life: "Halloween" We're joined by Matt Baume (YouTuber, award-winning author, and host of Matt’s So-Cast Pod) for this seminal Gen X teen drama and the poster child of 90s cancelled-too-soon TV--and the much-maligned time it ditched the grounded realism it was so famous for in a...

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

A podcast about the high-concept, experimental, structure-breaking gimmick episodes of TV! From musicals, to noirs, to bottle episodes and more -- we look at any television episode that breaks from its own formula in some way.Hosted by Derek B. Gayle, a new co-host joins each installment to dig into a different episode of a different show across the entire TV landscape. New episodes every Monday!

HOSTED BY

Derek B. Gayle

CATEGORIES

tv film

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Gimmicks have?

Gimmicks currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Gimmicks about?

A podcast about the high-concept, experimental, structure-breaking gimmick episodes of TV! From musicals, to noirs, to bottle episodes and more -- we look at any television episode that breaks from its own formula in some way.Hosted by Derek B. Gayle, a new co-host joins each installment to dig...

How often does Gimmicks release new episodes?

Gimmicks has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to Gimmicks?

You can listen to Gimmicks on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Gimmicks?

Gimmicks is created and hosted by Derek B. Gayle.
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