Join us every week where we’ll be picking a different sitcom and judging it solely on its very first televised episode. In doing so we’ll be challenging ourselves to erase any knowledge of future episodes so we can deliver an unbiased opinion. At the end of each show we’ll tell you if this is a show we would green light or cancel. Tune in to find out which mega shows wouldn’t make the cut, what forgettable mistakes we give a pass, and who started exactly where they should be.
"I Love Lucy" is a classic American television sitcom that aired from 1951-1957. The show starred Lucille Ball and her real-life husband Desi Arnaz. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential sitcoms in television history. The show follows the misadventures of Lucy Ricardo, a quirky housewife with aspirations of stardom, and her Cuban bandleader husband Ricky Ricardo, who often finds himself caught up in Lucy...
"The Trades" is a sitcom about refinery employees that first debut March 2024 on the Crave network in Canada. The show is a production of Trailer Park Boys Inc. and stars Rob Wells as Todd, a red seal welder working towards a promotion to site manager at his refinery plant. The Trades has a deep ensemble cast featuring the likes of Tom Green, Enrico Colantoni, and Jennifer Spence to name a few. The show offers a comedic behind the ...
"Herman's Head" was a sitcom that aired on the Fox network from 1991-1994. The show had unique concept, revolving around the inner thoughts and emotions of its protagonist, Herman Brooks (William Ragsdale), but here those thoughts and emotions were portrayed by 4 different characters that resided inside Herman's mind. Throughout its run, Herman navigated through various romantic relationships, friendships, and workplace scenarios, ...
"Extended Family" is a sitcom that premiered on NBC in 2023. The show is about Jim (Jon Cryer) and Julia (Abigail Spencer), a recently divorced couple that are trying to show the world that divorce doesn't need to have so much negativity attached to it. In the process they co-parent their two children and even take turns living in the house they once shared. The arrangement gets complicated when Julia starts seeing Trey (Donald Fai...
"Undeclared" was a sitcom created by Judd Apatow that aired on the Fox network in 2001. It was the spiritual successor to "Freaks and Geeks," which had been critically acclaimed but canceled after just one season. The premise centered around a group of college freshmen as they navigate the challenges and adventures of college at the fictional University of Northeastern California. The show received generally positive reviews from c...
"The Wayans Bros." was a sitcom that aired on the WB network (now The CW) from 1995 to 1999. Its mix of slapstick comedy, witty banter, and the chemistry between the two real-life brothers helped the show build a strong and loyal fanbase. It offered a more diverse and inclusive representation of family dynamics and everyday experiences than most other shows did on mainstream television at the time.
"The Wayans Bros." helped solidif...
"2gether" was a sitcom that aired on MTV in 2000 following the movie of the same name that released earlier that year. The show was a satirical take on the boy band phenomenon of the late '90s and early 2000s. The show followed the fictional boy band 2ge+her as they moved in with one another in a house provided by their new label "What-Ev Records". The series provided audiences with a humorous look behind the scenes of the music in...
Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (Renamed "Two Guys and a Girl" in its third season) was a sitcom that aired on ABC from 1998 to 2001. The show is about three twenty-somethings who share a Boston apartment and hang around (and work) at a pizza place. A lot of the motivation from the show came from show creator Kenny Schwartz's experiences working at a Massachusetts pizza shop. Modern day this sitcom might best be remembered as th...
"How I Met Your Mother" is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 2005 to 2014. Created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, the show drew inspiration from their experiences as best friends living in New York City. Centered around Ted Mosby, who narrates the story of how he met the mother of his children to his two kids in the year 2030. The narrative is told through a series of flashbacks, with Ted recounting the events of his life...
"Living Biblically" was a sitcom that premiered on CBS in February 2018. The show follows Chip Curry (Jay R Ferguson), a film critic who, after the death of his best friend, decides to live his life exactly as it's written in The Bible. As result Chip has to overcome the difficulties faced with having a modern life that's based around the litteral interpertation of an ancient book.
Despite an interesting premise and talented cast,...
"Blue Mountain State" is a comedy television series that aired on Spike TV from 2010 to 2011. Located at the fictional Blue Mountain State University, the show focuses on the wild lives of the "Mountain Goats" football team both on and off the field. The show follows Alex Moran (Darin Brooks), a laid-back second string quarterback, as he navigates college life alongside his eccentric teammates.
Despite its short run, "Blue Mountain...
"Trial & Error" is a sitcom that premiered on NBC in March 2017. It was conceived as a mockumentary-style comedy series, following a New York City lawyer (Nicholas D'Agosto) who travels to a small town in South Carolina to defend a poetry professor (John Lithgow) accused of murdering his wife.
Inspired by true-crime documentaries the series employs a comedic blend of courtroom antics, absurd characters, and unexpected twists, p...
"Malcolm in the Middle" is a sitcom that first premiered on the Fox network on January 9, 2000, and ran for seven seasons. The series revolves around the Wilkerson family (Their last name which is only disclosed in the pilot episode), with the central character being Malcolm, played by Frankie Muniz. Malcolm is a highly intelligent and gifted young boy who finds himself in a middle-class family with often chaotic and dysfunctional ...
"Out of This World" was a sitcom that aired from 1987 to 1991. The premise of the show centers around a teenage girl named Evie who on her 13th Birthday discovers that her father is an alien. The show featured Donna Pescow as Evie's mother, and secretly featured Burt Reynolds as her father. The show followed Evie's adventures as she balanced teenage life with the secrets of her extraterrestrial heritage.
While "Out of This World" m...
"Greg the Bunny" is a television show that originally aired on the Fox network in 2002. The show uses a Muppet-like mix of live-action and puppetry, featuring both human and puppet characters interacting. In it, Greg is a puppet who's on his way to apply for a job as an assistant and somehow finds himself as the new star on the children's television show.
Despite the unique concept, "Greg the Bunny" was canceled after its first sea...
"Smart Guy" was a sitcom that aired on The WB network from 1997 to 1999. The show starred Tahj Mowry who had gained recognition for his role on the ABC sitcom "Full House" as T.J. Henderson, a child prodigy who moves up to high school at the age of 10 and has to try to fit in with his older peers. The show was generally well-received for its blend of humor and heart and is remembered fondly by those who watched it during its origin...
"Get a Life" was a sitcom that aired on the Fox network from 1990 to 1992. The show starred comedian Chris Elliott as Chris Peterson, a 30-year-old paperboy who lived with his parents. The lose premise of the show being, "What if Dennis The Menace was an adult?". The series was a departure from traditional sitcom formats and embraced a more absurd and unpredictable style. Despite its cult following, "Get a Life" faced challenges in...
"The Santa Clauses" is a show on Disney+ that serves as a legacy-sequel to The Santa Clause film series that originally started in 1994. Here we see Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) now in his 60s and coming to terms with the fact that he can't be Santa forever. He will now have to set out to find a suitable replacement Santa and also prepare his family for a life outside of The North Pole.
Is this show the perfect complement to the origin...
"Three's Company" is a classic sitcom that originally aired from 1977 to 1984 which was based on a British sitcom called "Man About the House." The show revolves around Jack Tripper (John Ritter), who shares an apartment with two single women, Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers). To address the societal norms of the time, where co-ed living arrangements were not widely accepted, Jack pretends to be gay in or...
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Anna Sale explores the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.
A straightforward look at the day's top news in 20 minutes. Powered by ABC News. Hosted by Brad Mielke.