The Sitcom Study

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...

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 n...

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...