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
June 18, 2026 • 148 mins
This week we're looking back on our discussions of the greatest tool-based sitcom of the 90s and debuting The Al Borland GameTM, a new pastime based on knowledge of America's cuddliest ToolTime sidekick that's sure to sweep the nation... It's the Home Improvement Mixtape!
With these segments from past podcasts:
- From Visits From The Ex: S2 E22 "Ex Marks the Spot:
- From Chain Letters: S1 E19 "Unchained Malady"
- From Shoplifting: S...
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June 4, 2026 • 98 mins
Tony Danza rides the waves, Mister Ed soaks up the sun, and Monica Geller has a fateful run-in with a jellyfish... this week's trope is Going to the Beach!
Here's what we're watching:
- Mister Ed S2 E23 "Ed the Beachcomber"
- Who's the Boss S2 E6 "Custody Part 1"
- Married with Children S3 E21 "Life's a Beach"
- Friends S4 E1 "The One with the Jellyfish"
This is a good old-fashioned RERUN! We'll be back with another episode ne...
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May 21, 2026 • 107 mins
Blossom poses as a 24-year-old socialite, Tia and Tamara practice walking like adults, and young Chris Rock bends the law for a chance to see the Fat Boys... This week's trope is Getting Fake IDs!
Here's what we're watching:
- Blossom S3 E7 "Only When I Laugh"
- Sister Sister S5 E17 "Young At Heart"
- Everybody Hates Chris S4 E13 "Everybody Hates Fake IDs"
- American Dad S9 E7 "Faking Bad"
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May 7, 2026 • 57 mins
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 sitcomstudypodcast@gmail.com or https://instagram.com/sitcomstudypodcast and we'll be back to investigate a new sitcom trope in two weeks!
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April 23, 2026 • 92 mins
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 ...
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April 9, 2026 • 96 mins
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"
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March 26, 2026 • 147 mins
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?"
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March 12, 2026 • 131 mins
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 Babysittin...
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February 26, 2026 • 109 mins
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 "Fl...
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February 19, 2026 • 118 mins
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 "E...
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February 12, 2026 • 109 mins
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...
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January 29, 2026 • 107 mins
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"
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January 15, 2026 • 105 mins
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"
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January 1, 2026 • 93 mins
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"
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December 18, 2025 • 113 mins
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 ...
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December 11, 2025 • 103 mins
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 ...
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November 20, 2025 • 102 mins
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 "...
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November 6, 2025 • 111 mins
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"
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October 23, 2025 • 117 mins
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"
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October 16, 2025 • 99 mins
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"
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