Ten Great but Rarely Mentioned Sitcom Episodes
In honor of the fast-approaching new television season, here is a list of just a few stand-out sitcom episodes from various eras of American TV history — and most of them are not what you might expect — or even be familiar with.
I usually frown upon any “list” article — to me, a list article represents a lazy writer using clickbait to entice even lazier readers who seem to enjoy the written word best when it comes in the brief, easily digestible form of a countdown, or “Top Ten…” or “Best of…” or however the content is arranged, to save as much time and effort to read — and think — as possible.
Yet, here is such a list, in all of its hypocritical glory. Why? Because I’m a lazy writer learning the advantages of using clickbait to entice lazy readers (not you, of course. You’re not lazy. You’re intellectually inquisitive). Some selections here are universally known, such as the first on the list, but most are somewhat obscure — but then what would be the point of covering the same worn ground? Therefore, you won’t find Lucy at the candy conveyor belt, or Mary at Chuckles the Clown’s funeral, or the turkey drop sponsored by WKRP — those are tiresome and overrated episodes in this writer’s opinion.
So, try some of these (in chronological order):
The Honeymooners — “Unconventional Behavior,” written by Marvin Marx and Walter Stone. Aired on May 12, 1956.
The episodes of the 1955–56 season of The Honeymooners aren’t referred to as the “Classic 39” for nothing.
Okay, so this episode is not forgotten by any means. But it is classic. In the story, Ralph, Alice, and the Nortons are set to travel to Minneapolis for the annual Raccoon Lodge convention. Once on the train, and, failing to find their wives who had fallen behind, Ralph and Norton decide to stay with their bunks and wait for them to arrive. In the meantime, Norton demonstrates a pair of trick handcuffs to add to his arsenal of practical jokes he had brought along for the convention. Of course, the cuffs end up on both guys’ wrists with no key to be found. The final ten minutes, largely improvised, reach stratospheric heights of comedy.
The Munsters — “The Fregosi Emerald,” written by Ezra Stone Richard Baer. Aired on February 10, 1966.
For anyone who takes the time to really watch and listen to a typical episode of “The Munsters” (it was cancelled at the end of its second season), there is plenty of clever dialogue, asides, and a smattering of pop culture references to revel in, apart from its clever premise of a family like the Munsters living their day-to-day lives among the folks of Mockingbird Heights. The comic acting of Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis, and Yvonne DeCarlo provides the icing on the Devils’ Food cake. Unlike the sitcom it is most often compared to, The Addams Family, the Munster family members got out & about. Herman works at a mortuary, and the others regularly leave their house to interact with the rest of society, and charmingly misinterpret the cause for others running in fright when they come face-to-face with the family.
In “The Fregosi Emerald,” niece Marilyn’s sudden patch of bad luck and mini disasters (giving Pat Priest something funny to do for once), is traced to her possession of the cursed Fregosi Emerald of Transylvania. The others decide to search for the last living member of the Fregosi clan to break the curse (Grandpa’s conversation with the telephone operator in Transylvania is a hoot). With the ring stuck on Herman’s finger, they finally track down Fregosi, (guest Paul Reed, formerly a cast mate of Gwynn and Lewis on Car 54, Where Are You?) the president of a car company in Detroit, and fly there to meet with him. At first, he denies any such connection, but upon coming face-to-face with the ring, gives in and confesses.
Not only that, he opens a secret wall in his office to reveal a laboratory every bit as creepy as Grandpa’s, showing that he’s on the same wavelength as the Munsters. Donning the proper garb, he mixes a potion to finally break the curse.
That Girl — “Bad Day at Marvin Gardens,” Written by Danny Arnold and Carl Kleinschmitt. Aired on March 20, 1969.
This is an unusual That Girl episode in that it does not center so much on Ann, but rather on her crotchety father, Lew (played to the hilt by veteran comedian Lew Parker).
In the story, Ann, Donald, and Ann’s parents must deal with a rainstorm that has washed-out the baseball game they were planning to attend. Stuck inside for the day, they sit down for a game of Monopoly. Ann’s father Lew is his usual grumpy self, complaining about a number of random grievances, including the Monopoly playing piece he’s left to play with. “I’ve got the hat,” he grumbles. “I hate the hat. I always lose with it!” As the game progresses, he and Donald find themselves in an increasingly uncomfortable dispute over the selling of Marvin Gardens. Lew desperately wants to purchase the property, but Donald decides to hold onto it. This triggers Lew’s obsession to haggle with Don for the rest of the evening, even as they sit in a theatre watching a play.
Lew Parker’s misanthropic character drives the others crazy (and perhaps a number of viewers as well), but his delivery is sharp and hilarious. You’ll never think of Marvin Gardens the same way again.
The episode in its entirety (for future reference, after you finish reading this piece):
The Odd Couple — “The Blackout,” Written by Charles R. Rondeau, Bill Idelson, and Harvey Miller. Aired on December 24, 1970.
The Odd Couple series, based on Neil Simon’s 1965 hit play and 1968 movie, is a favorite among nostalgia TV fans (it’s difficult to believe the series debuted fifty-five years ago!). The first season was filmed much like the movie, on a set and without a studio audience. It was during this season when the series felt most closely grounded to the original premise.
In “The Blackout,” Felix, Oscar, and their poker buddies Speed, Vinnie, Murray, and Roy have their game briefly interrupted by a power blackout. When the lights come back on, they discover that fifty dollars is missing from the pot. All suspicion quickly turns to Oscar, who is in the middle of a losing streak and famous for having debts all over town. Oscar denies taking the money, but the others remain unconvinced. The spirit of the game dissipates as everyone heads home. In the middle of the night, however, Oscar demands that everyone return to “the scene of the crime” to re-enact the incident and absolve him of the theft.
This episode is a perfect showcase for all of the main and supporting poker-playing characters who endeared themselves to audiences in the original play and feature film. It’s also the episode that probably most closely resembles Simon’s original work, complete with snappy dialogue.
As the first season concluded, Tony Randall and Jack Klugman complained about not having a studio audience to energize their performances and help them sharpen their timing. They got what they demanded and the show was revamped. But as the series continued through the next four seasons in front of a live audience, the energy level improved appreciably, but the storylines became increasingly contrived, straying ever so further from the original premise. Guest stars began to appear both as themselves and as characters who would never cross paths with the “real” Oscar and Felix; musical numbers (usually by opera singers brought on by real-life opera buff Randall), ballet, and ridiculous plotlines stretched the creative spirit of the series to its limits.
All in the Family — “The Saga of Cousin Oscar,” written by Norman Lear and Burt Styler. Aired on September 18, 1971.
Most television sitcoms have historically shied away from death, as it has for years been considered the antithesis of coaxing laughter out of the viewing audience. Among the countless rules and norms All in the Family broke throughout its run, a death in the family provided perhaps more laughs than virtually any other episode.
When the visiting (but unseen) Cousin Oscar dies in the Bunkers’ attic guest room.
Archie has no choice but to make the funeral arrangements “for a cousin who used to sit on my face” when they were kids.
He then has to deal with his relatives, who aren’t interested in contributing to the funeral expenses, as well as friends and family members who come out of the woodwork with various distractions of their own.
Archie also squabbles with the funeral director Whitehead in hope of getting a discount deal for the casket. All of this black humor comes at a steady clip, making for an unforgettable episode.
We include here, as an Honorable Mention, another All in the Family episode, “The Brother,” written Bogart, Larry Rhine, and Mel Tolkin. Aired on February 26, 1978.
This far less remembered All in the Family episode aired later in the series’ run but ranks as one of the most thoughtful, poignant, and revealing in the program’s history (and yes, it has a fair number of laughs, too).
Archie’s estranged brother Fred (Richard McKenzie) visits, much to Archie’s dismay. The two haven’t spoken since their father’s funeral decades earlier, which Fred did not attend, thus triggering Archie’s anger. Fred’s visit to the Bunkers is cut short when Archie throws him out of the house, but Archie then discovers his brother is due to have bypass surgery in three weeks’ time (back when such a procedure was relatively new, and considerably riskier than it is today). He finds Fred in Kelcy’s bar, and the two sit down for what might be one last chance to set things right between them. In the process, they reminisce at length about their childhood relationship, the malignant influence of their angry father, and how the years have flown by. Witnessing these two middle-aged brothers cover a virtual lifetime of living both together and apart, while offering insights into their own motives and those of their bigoted, often nasty father, is nothing short breathtaking — enough to draw out our tears as well as our laughter.
Modern Family — “Connection Lost,” written by Steven Levitan & Megan Ganz. Aired on February 25, 2015.
Modern Family provides an embarrassment of comedy riches that fill every episode to the brim, with laughs coming from sharp characterizations, one-liners, sight gags, throwaway lines, flashbacks, pop culture references, subtly delivered political incorrectness, and just about everything else... The series consistency earned it the Emmy for Best Comedy Series five years in a row. I rank it among the Top 3 American sitcoms ever (the others being — no surprise — The Honeymooners and All in the Family).
In the sixth season, viewers were treated to a brilliantly inventive episode presented entirely via the family members’ computer screens and cell phones, as they contact each other over a perceived crisis; various “clues” lead them to jump to the mistaken conclusion that daughter Haley has run off to get married to her boyfriend Andy in Las Vegas.
The Goldbergs — “Dinner with the Goldbergs,” written by Andrew Secunda January 10, 2018. Directed by former Growing Pains star Joanna Kerns.
The Goldbergs spend a night out at their local Beefsteak Charlie’s to celebrate daughter Erica’s birthday, as her timid boyfriend Geoff experiences firsthand the chaos the family can self-generate in a public setting. Their presence at the restaurant creates more disturbances than one would think possible.
Even waiting for the meal to arrive at the table causes distress, as the patience of the waiters and fellow customers is tested to their limits.
Geoff finally snaps and gives the fussy family a stern lecture that he later worries will cause his banishment from their lives. Not to worry, it doesn’t!
Writer-producer Justin Spitzer has created several memorable sitcoms in his distinctive style (with a new one, DMV, about to debut) — two of them being Superstore and American Auto.
Superstore — “Customer Satisfaction,” written by Bridget Kyle and Vicky Luu. Aired on March 11, 2021.
With the show nearing the end of its sixth and final season (and shortly after the departure of star America Ferrera), this hilarious episode helped Superstore make its strong run to the finish line.
American Auto — This is one of those sitcoms that was so consistent in its high level of writing, casting, and relatable characters that virtually any randomly-chosen episode could be considered an excellent sample of the series as a whole. American Auto, set at Detroit-based Payne Motors, makers of the worst cars imaginable, thanks to the cost-cutting mindset of the new CEO Katherine Hastings (Ana Gasteyer) who knows virtually nothing about cars. The series lasted only two seasons between December of 2021 and April of 2023, but deserved a much longer life.
Here, in the first episode, the company’s brain trust test Payne Motors’ new self-driving car and come to a disturbing realization.
After announcing the company’s new model, the disastrous Pika — with a sticker price of only $10,000 after eliminating almost every comfort and safety feature — it was time to promote it with a TV appearance:
Now that we’ve reached the end of the list for now, we’ll acknowledge that, as always, this type of article has a built-in “You forgot to mention…” and “What about the classic episode of…” and “How could you leave out…” factor, allowing a potential torrent of alternative suggestions, additions, or outright replacements for the episodes chosen above. It’s all purely subjective, of course. Everyone has their own favorites. And, considering how many tens of thousands of sitcom episodes have been broadcast on American TV in the past 75 years, this list is merely a personal selection of ten out of those thousands. So, maybe a Part II will come along soon.
The bottom line: please seek out these gems if possible. The laughs are on me.
Until next time…
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“Fifty Years of ‘The Odd Couple’ on TV” https://medium.com/@garryberman/fifty-years-of-the-odd-couple-on-tv-part-i-62a0eac93520
“My Funny Valentine: Comedy’s Real-life Married Couples” https://medium.com/@garryberman/my-funny-valentine-comedys-real-life-married-couples-1f0605e2caca
“The First Person to be Censored on TV was…Eddie Cantor?” https://medium.com/@garryberman/eddie-cantor-the-first-person-to-be-censored-on-tv-78b56c68cae1
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