The Sitcom Study

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 26, 2025 91 mins
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 ...

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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"
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June 12, 2025 100 mins
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"
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June 5, 2025 92 mins
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 ...

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May 29, 2025 90 mins
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"
Mark as Played
May 22, 2025 95 mins
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"
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May 15, 2025 93 mins
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...
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May 8, 2025 104 mins
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...

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May 1, 2025 86 mins
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"
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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...
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April 16, 2025 90 mins

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...

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April 9, 2025 88 mins
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"
Mark as Played
April 2, 2025 83 mins

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...
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March 26, 2025 109 mins
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 ...
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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
  • Mart...
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March 12, 2025 104 mins
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"
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March 5, 2025 92 mins
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 ...

Mark as Played
February 26, 2025 103 mins
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 E2...
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February 19, 2025 104 mins
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 ...
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February 12, 2025 103 mins
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 Valentin...
Mark as Played

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