The Sitcom Study

Mothers Day is upon us and we're counting down the all-time great sitcom moms, from the wild and crazy to the stern and sensible!   Let us know your favorite sitcom moms [email protected] or https://instagram.com/sitcomstudypodcast and we'll be back to investigate a new sitcom trope in two weeks!

Jerry Seinfeld donates to a fake charity, Mac and Dennis make some shaky investments, and the King of Queens dips his toe into the lucrative world of water filter sales and licensing... This week's trope is Frauds and Scams and we're joined by Garth and Josh from the Fraud Complex podcast! Here's what we're watching: Seinfeld S3 E2 "The Truth" King of Queens S2 E22 "Soft Touch" It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia S9 E4 "Mac and Dennis Buy a Timeshare"

Edith Bunker takes a stand for justice, Liz Lemon cosplays to avoid civic duty, and Felix and Oscar reveal that their origin story is actually a courtroom drama... This week's trope is Jury Duty! Here's what we're watching: The Odd Couple S1 E4 "The Jury Story" All in the Family S1 E9 "Edith Has Jury Duty" Sanford S2 E9 "Jury Duty" 30 Rock S3 E14 "The Funcooker"

Zack Morris and friends take a stand for clean living, Webster witnesses the deadly effects of cocaine, and Moesha is embroiled in a sordid household marijuana scandal... This week's trope is Saying No To Drugs! Here's what we're watching: Growing Pains S2 E15 "Thank God It's Friday" Webster S5 E20 "Basketball Blues" Saved By The Bell S3 E21 "No Hope With Dope" Moesha S4 E3 "Hello, What's This?"

Whether she's running the newsroom, organizing a dinner party or locked in a prison cell, Mary Tyler Moore is one of the all-time sitcom greats and this week we're revisiting the discussions we've had of her iconic show across four different tropes: From Snowed In For Christmas: S5 E9 "Not a Christmas Story" From Dinner Parties: S4 E10 "The Dinner Party" From Going to Jail: S5 E1 "Will Mary Richards Go To Jail? From Babysitting: S2 E18 "Baby Sit-Com" Plus we'll stumble through a trivia quiz and see what kind of Mary-cred we've really got!

Major Dad is ambushed with a birthday hoedown, Sheldon purchases his first birthday present, and Dick Van Dyke matches wits in a clandestine party-planning chess game with his wife... This week's trope is Surprise Parties! Here's what we're watching: The Dick Van Dyke Show S2 E30 "A Surprise Surprise is a Surprise" Major Dad S1 E20 "Officer of the Day" Big Bang Theory S1 E16 "The Peanut Butter Reaction" The Middle S7 E13 "Floating 50"

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

Bar Wars rage on at Cheers! Halloween Heists strike again at Brooklyn 99! Paintball Armageddon is back with a vengeance at Greendale Community College! This week we're returning to the great Recurring gags and long-standing rivalries of the sitcom world! Here's what we're watching: Cheers S7 E10 "Bar Wars II: The Woodsman Strikes Back" Community S2 E23-24 "A Fistful of Paintballs" & "A Few Paintballs More" How I Met Your Mother S2 E16 "Stuff" Brooklyn Nine-Nine S2 E4 "Halloween II"

Ray Romano makes some questionable game-time decisions, Seinfeld spends some quality time in the stands with Newman, and Al Bundy sells his soul for a shot at playing in the big game... This week's trope is Going to the Superbowl! Here's what we're watching: Seinfeld S6 E12 "The Label Maker" Married with Children S11 E21 "Damn Bundys" The Simpsons S10 E12 "Sunday Cruddy Sunday" Everybody Loves Raymond S5 E13 "Superbowl"

Natalie and Tootie are plunged into bitter showbiz rivalry, Patty Duke dons the tiara of Cleopatra, and Mr. Moore's class goes together like ramma-lamma-lamma-ka-dingity-da-dinga-dong... This week's trope is School Plays! Here's what we're watching... The Patty Duke Show S1 E11 "The Actress" Facts of Life S3 E12 "Green Eyed Monster" Head of the Class S2 E7 "That'll Be The Day" Black-ish S1 E11 "Law of Attraction"

Frasier hits the road for the new millennium, Laverne and Shirley look for love at the dawn of the 1960s, and Paul Reiser brings time to a halt from the rooftops of Times Square... this week's trope is New Year's Eve plans gone wrong! Here's what we're watching: Laverne & Shirley S3 E12 "New Years Eve, 1959" Mad About You S4 E9 "New Years Eve" Frasier S7 E12 "RDWRER" How I Met Your Mother S1 E11 "The Limo"

The Seavers take in a dumpster-diving teen runaway, Zack Morris woos an underprivileged shopping mall employee, and Family Matters postulates that Santa is real and he's a scruffy man in Chicago... This week's trope is befriending the homeless for Christmas! Here's what we're watching: Barney Miller S8 E7 "Homeless" Growing Pains S2 E9 "The Kid" Saved By The Bell S3 E24-25 "Home For Christmas" Family Matters S6 E11 "Miracle on Elm St"

Celebrity guest stars abound as Charles meets Buddy's boozy sister, the Hey Dude ranch is soaked in beer and whiskey, and Alex P. Keaton learns the terrifying truth about his Uncle Ned... This week's trope is visits from alcoholic relatives! Here's what we're watching: Good Times S2 E13 "Sometimes There's No Bottom in the Bottle" Family Ties S2 E14 "Say Uncle" Charles in Charge S3 E14 "Bottle Baby" Hey Dude S3 E11 "Melody's Brother"

Hide your cats, this week we're revisiting all of our discussions of that rascally extraterrestrial Gordon Shumway and the mild-mannered family he lived with and terrorized, as well as testing our knowledge of the merry man from Melmac with a trivia quiz... It's time for the Alf mixtape! With segments from: Puppet-Based Sitcoms: S1 E1 "ALF" Run-ins with the Mafia: S3 E13 "Hideaway" Skydiving: S1 E9 "Jump" Earthquakes: S3 E25 "Shake, Rattle & Roll"

This week we're exploring the many lovably sarcastic characters played by the late great Matthew Perry both before and after his iconic role as Chandler on Friends... Could we BE any more excited to discuss this fascinating career? Here's what we're watching: Home Free S1 E1 "Pilot" Mr Sunshine S1 E1 "Episode #1.1" Go On S1 E1 "Pilot" The Odd Couple S1 E12 "The Audit Couple"

Richie Cunningham bobs for apples in a haunted house, Tim the Toolman Taylor busts up a juvenile bacchanal, and Step by Step boasts a record-setting gourd... This week's trope is Halloween Parties! Here's what we're watching: Happy Days S2 E6 "Haunted" Step by Step S4 E6 "Something Wild" Home Improvement S5 E6 "Let Them Eat Cake" Parks & Rec S4 E5 "Meet and Greet"

Corey and Topanga are stalked by a ghost-faced killer, Community's college goes full zombie, and Salute Your Shorts creates the most terrifying figure in all of recorded media... this week's trope is Horror Movie Parodies! Here's what we're watching: Salute Your Shorts S1 E2 "Ghost Story" Boy Meets World S5 E17 "And Then There Was Shawn" Community S2 E6 "Epidemiology" Blackish S3 E5 "The Purge"

Sanford fleas to Vegas, ALF nails his bed to the floor, and Nell Carter is marooned in a library with a deaf woman... this week's trope is Earthquakes! Here's what we're watching: Sanford & Son S5 E1 "Earthquake II" Gimme a Break S4 E19 "Earthquake" ALF S3 E25 "Shake, Rattle and Roll" Modern Family S2 E3 "Earthquake"

Clarissa Darling and Tina Belcher face pint-sized Lucifers, Mary Tyler Moore scrapes the bottom of the barrel, and the King of Queens gives his friends' kids and unintended lesson in fornication... this week's trope is Babysitting! Here's what we're watching: The Mary Tyler Moore Show S2 E18 "Baby Sitcom" Clarissa Explains it All S4 E12 "Babysitting" King of Queens S3 E9 "Twisted Sitters" Bob's Burgers S8 E4 "Sit Me Baby One More Time"

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 week's trope is Learning to drive! Here's the lineup: Taxi S2 E3 "Reverend Jim: A Space Oddysey" The Facts of Life S7 E14 "Tootie Drives" Sister, Sister S2 E9 "Two For the Road" 8 Simple Rules S1 E4 "Wings" This is a good old fashioned RERUN! We'll be back with a new episode next week!  

This one's for the leches, the lotharios, and the ladies men... From sexed up friends and neighbors to local ne'er-do-wells and aging seductresses, we're counting down our most beloved sitcom horndogs!

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"

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"

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!

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" Parts 1 & 2

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 episode next week!

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 this episode: Family Ties S1 E2 "Not With My Sister You Don't" Family Ties S3 E3 "Little Man on Campus" Family Ties S5 E1 "Be True to Your Pre-School" Family Ties S2 E7 "Sweet Lorraine"

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 week!

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"

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"

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 a new episode next week!

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"

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"

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 RERUN! We'll be back with a new episode next week!

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"

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 Time" from Losing Our Virginity Facts of Life S7 E14 "Tootie Drives" from Learning to Drive Facts of Life S5 E13 "The Chain Letter" from Chain Letters Facts of Life S2 E6 "Shoplifting" from Caught Stealing

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 episode next week!

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"

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 Excitation" Bob's Burgers S4 E9 "Slumber party" This is a good old fashioned RERUN! We'll be back with a new episode next week!

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 Chaos Theory"

This week we're heading back to the 90s and celebrating Detroit's most excitable DJ and his equally comical lady-friend as we revisit all of our discussions of the 90s sitcom behemoth Martin! It's not a clip show... It's a mixtape! Plus we join forces to tackle a Martin trivia quiz with mildly embarrassing results...  Segments in this episode: Martin S2 E2 "Really Gina's Not My Lover" from our High School Reunions podcast Martin S3 E24 "Romantic Weekend" from Romantic Getaways Gone Wrong Martin S3 E25 "The Bachelor Party" from Bachelor Parties Martin S4 E3 "Blow Baby Blow" from Secret Musical Talents

Dwayne Wayne woos the campus through the airwaves, Alex P. Keaton DJs his way into a controversial romance, and Corey and Shawn become the bad boys of the FM dial... this week's trope is school radio stations! Here's what we're watching: Welcome Back Kotter S3 E16 "Sweatwork" Family Ties S2 E7 "Sweet Lorraine" A Different World S1 E15 "Dr Cupid" Boy Meets World S2 E17 On the Air"

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! Here's what we're watching: Golden Girls S3 E5 "Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself" Blossom S2 E17 "Losers Win" Herman's Head S2 E12 "Feardom of Speech" Big Bang Theory S3 E18 "The Pants Alternative" This is a good old fashioned RERRUN! We'll be back with a new episode next week!

Zack and friends take to the airwaves, Charles wades into the muck of schoolboard corruption, and Webster harnesses the power of his own cuteness, all to avoid their favorite businesses becoming parking lots! This week's trope is SAVE OUR HANGOUT! Here's what we're watching: Webster S2 E12 "Katherine Fights City Hall" Charles in Charge S2 E9 "Pizza Parlor Protest" Saved by the Bell S3 E3 "Save the Max" Home Improvement S8 E21 "A Hardware Habit to Break"

From womanizing bartender to heavenly architect to inept mayor, we're examining the roles of sitcom legend Ted Danson! What is the secret to his charm, which show used him best, and most importantly, can a relationship survive if only one person likes "The Good Place?" The answers to all this and more in the Dansonest deep dive in town... Here's what we're watching: Cheers S6 E1 "Home is the Sailor" Becker S1 E1 "Pilot" The Good Place S1 E1 "Everything is Fine" Mr. Mayor S1 E1 "Pilot"

Fran the Nanny risks life and limb for love, Nell Carter dishes out highly questionable romantic advice, and Mike and Molly's plans are derailed by baker-related jealousy... this week's trope is Valentine's Day Gone Awry! Here's what we're watching: Gimme a Break S3 E16 "Valentine" Wings S2 E17 "Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places" The Nanny S3 E19 "Love is a Many Blundered Thing" Mike & Molly S1 E16 "First Valentine's Day"

Night Court gets brainy, Good Times tackles racial bias, and Seinfeld presents a testing "caper" for the ages... This week's trope is I.Q. Tests! Here's what we're watching: Good Times S2 E7 "IQ Test" Night Court S6 E10 "Mental Giant" Seinfeld S3 E7 "The Cafe" Keenan & Kel S3 E7 "IQ Can Do Better"

Bart Simpson takes the wheel, Grace heads for Memphis, and Joey takes his ill fated spin-off on the open road... this week's trope is Road Trips! Here's what we're watching: Grace Under Fire S2 E21 "Memphis Bound" The Simpsons S7 E20 "Bart on the Road" Joey S1 E11 "Joey and the Road Trip" Parks & Recreation S3 E14 "Road Trip"

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 steel himself... This week's trope is Crossover episodes! Here's what we're watching: I Love Lucy S6 E13 "Lucy and Superman" Silver Spoons S1 E7 "The Great Computer Caper" Full House S4 E16 "Stephanie Gets Framed" Abbott Elementary S4 E9 "Volunteers"